NJFlyMAn 0 Report post Posted July 4, 2010 I'm having a hard time catching trout that are just stacked up sitting together in the river and they wont touch anything I present at them. I'm thinking it's b/c the water is so shallow and warm they just don't want to hit anything... But maybe some of you can give me some pointers on stuff they might hit, or flies I should try when all else fails.. I used a longer leader 7x and even used small midges and caught only a few out of the dozens of fish that are just laying in the current. So at this time I left dazed and confused about what will be very productive on catching these trout.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Val Schmaus 0 Report post Posted July 4, 2010 Check the water temp. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NJ All Day 0 Report post Posted July 4, 2010 NJ were you fishing the Musky? Because the other day my father and I went to the Musky to do some fishing and it was really low and warm. But i saw about 2 dozen fish but couldn't get any to bite. I think it is because of the weather that's making them so finicky. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NJFlyMAn 0 Report post Posted July 4, 2010 Yes, I was fishing the Musky and the SBR... Seen tons of fish, but only a select few would hit ... It was getting me so mad...Thinking I'm not going to fish until we get some good rain. Guess I'll restore a bamboo rod in the mean time.. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Old Hat 0 Report post Posted July 4, 2010 Abrupt changes in temp can turn fish off until they adjust. They go into a type of shock, but after a couple days they should go back to normal fish behavior. Warm water means less oxygen, so if the water stays warm then the fish are going to have to migrate to cooler areas or areas of more oxygen and change their feeding behaviour. It's less about the flies than finding where the fish can and are going to be actively feeding. Think about shade, deeper water, springs, riffles etc. Also think about your approach from the fish's perspective. In warm water, when the fish is stressed, it takes a lot more out of the fish to actively feed. They aren't going to move around and to grab food unless... it's energy management, what is the fish going to get for their effort? A lot people go small on their flies in the situation you describe, I would suggest the opposite and try going big, give them a big meal for their effort. Swing or strip some streamers and leaches in front of them or through them. On another note, if the water is very warm and the fish are overly stressed for a long period of time, just do them a service and leave them alone until conditions improve and you are not endangering the survival of those you may release. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NJ All Day 0 Report post Posted July 4, 2010 Abrupt changes in temp can turn fish off until they adjust. They go into a type of shock, but after a couple days they should go back to normal fish behavior. Warm water means less oxygen, so if the water stays warm then the fish are going to have to migrate to cooler areas or areas of more oxygen and change their feeding behaviour. It's less about the flies than finding where the fish can and are going to be actively feeding. Think about shade, deeper water, springs, riffles etc. Also think about your approach from the fish's perspective. In warm water, when the fish is stressed, it takes a lot more out of the fish to actively feed. They aren't going to move around and to grab food unless... it's energy management, what is the fish going to get for their effort? A lot people go small on their flies in the situation you describe, I would suggest the opposite and try going big, give them a big meal for their effort. Swing or strip some streamers and leaches in front of them or through them. On another note, if the water is very warm and the fish are overly stressed for a long period of time, just do them a service and leave them alone until conditions improve and you are not endangering the survival of those you may release. That's exactly what i did I was throwing some big black buggers at them and I got one fish. And now that you talk about it he was in the shade of a big tree. And that was what I was thinking that they were stressed so I decided to just let them be. Right now I'm gonna start fishing for bass and warm water more than anything. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TitanFlies 0 Report post Posted July 4, 2010 What waas your presentation? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smallieFanatic 0 Report post Posted July 4, 2010 Dynamite perhaps? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NJ All Day 0 Report post Posted July 4, 2010 Me? I was just twitching it slow and deep. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
flytyinfreak 0 Report post Posted July 5, 2010 Old hat is dead on! Just cuz a fish is in the water doesn't mean its hungry. Fish eat at regular intervals just like we do. they will become opportunistic if and when they feel like it, but that isn't always the case. I've seen fish hold for hours in a spot and do nothing and once the shade moved and the bugs started hatching they moved to their feeding lanes and went to town. Try being observant about the insect activity on your river. find the most bug activity time in the early pre-dawn time as well as the same in the late post sunset evening. Usually the hour before sunrise and the hour after sunset are the best times to be fishin. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites