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I have moved into an area that is rich in fishing opportunities. I think that one really overlooked area of fly fishing is stillwater fishing. I live near a lake that seems to consistently produce large Trout, along with bass and other warm water species. It offers easy access. As I am not quite as good at wading as I used to be (balance), I am probably going to focus on float tube fishing a good bit. I would appreciate anyone letting me know what patterns have worked for them in Stillwaters. I have read Rickard's boo;ks, Phil Rowley's book, watched Brian Chan and Phil Rowley on you tube. I have also read Lockhart's book. While I appreciate the presentation vs fly argument, it seems that lakewater fishing is really about depth and distance from shore, along with structure. This is exactly what we had to focus on with Bass Fishing when I lived in the South. I will be Bass fishing some in this lake as well. The flies I have had luck with in the past are Woooly Buggers in various colors, Rickard's AP nymph, Carey Specials, and PT nymphs. Please let me know your thoughts on pattern selection. I am trying to limit this to one large box for the lake.

Hey guys, just wanted your opinions on these questions relating to stillwater fishing. 1. Favorite damsel nymph and damsel fly pattern. 2. Wading back to the car after sunset, I noticed small fry jumping out of the shallow knee high water. I thought at first maybe they were jumping to get away from something, but now I wonder if they were jumping after insects? 3. Fishing dragonflies/hoppers. Is there success in fishing them in the middle of the pond, away from the weeds and grass. Would you use a dropper? And if so, what would you use that is not a midge/nymph. 4. Should I get a 3wt for panfishing around grass line with small drys? I use my 5wt and it does fine, but think a softer rod would give me a better presentation at short distances, and the 3wt would make 6" pumpkinseeds more fun. I'll accept any other stillwater talk as it's all I do. Hope to fish some streams someday, but I have no say in how my vacation days are used... Thanks in advance.