by Mike Wilson, March 25, 2003

The lake season is now well under way and next month brings the lowland lake opener across the state. Hundreds of fly fisherman will wet a line in the next few weeks and most will catch fish. However, no matter what lake you fish, there will be at least one fly fisherman who is out fishing everyone else. Hopefully, this month’s article will give you the information you need to become one of these fishermen.

Lakes Are From Mars, Rivers Are From Venus.

Most fly flingers have the natural ability to find fish in rivers. Once you know where to look, a fisherman can walk up to a river and point out the water that holds fish and be right most of the time. Even the fishing novice will naturally gravitate to good holding water in the rivers because they will avoid the white water and seek out calmer water. Lakes aren’t as easy. Looking at a lake from the shoreline, all you see is deep water, and a lot of it! This is where many fly fishermen get over whelmed. They see all that water and assume that it is pointless to try and figure out where to fish so they just set out trolling and hope for the best. Skilled lake fly fishermen will tell you that lakes have prime holding water too once you know where to look.

It’s All About Structure

If you have never watched a bass fishing show on TV, take a few moments on a Saturday morning and turn one on. I guarantee that within the first 10 minutes of the show, the host will discuss the importance of lake structure. Trout fishermen seem to be a bit slower to adopt this important tactic but many of the successful fly fisherman use lake structure to determine where they are going to fish. Trout may hold in slightly different cover then bass but the idea is the same. Here are some important areas to look for in your favorite lakes:

1. Points- Point’s are a great place to start fishing for several reasons. They offer a good source for food, they provide deep water for cover while allowing the fish to come up into the shallows to feed and the bays off to the right and left of the point often collect large amounts of food as the wind and waves push the insect hatches around.

2. The drop off line- As I alluded to in point number 1, trout like to hold in deeper water and come up into the shallows to feed. If you can locate a drop off line, you will be fishing some of the best cover in the lake. Move into shore until you can see the lake bottom. Slowly paddle out until you see the bottom disappear. Now move in slightly until you can start to see the bottom again. This is the area you want to concentrate on. Fish that are holding in the deeper water but feeding will dash in to hit your fly while fish that are in the shallow water will sometimes move deeper to grab your fly. The other bonus to fishing this method is if you see fish working in the shallows, you can cast into where they are holding and strip you fly back out to deeper water and often entice them to strike.

3. Weed beds- Weed beds are massive food factories for trout. If you have ever dropped an anchor into a weed bed and then pulled it back into the boat, you know that the weeds are often loaded with aquatic insects. Fresh water shrimp, blood worms, snails and leaches all like to live in the weeds. The ideal weed bed to locate is one that is 6-10 feet under the surface. The fish will hold in this area because they feel like they are safe from predators above and the water is deep enough for you to stand a fighting chance to get the fish in to your net without losing them down into the weeds.

4. Rock slides- Fishing a rock slide is a well known tactic for smallmouth but it can also be productive for trout in lakes that have crayfish. Crayfish like to use the rocks for cover and will venture out over the rocks to locate food. Large trout know this and will come in and work the rock slides hoping to catch a crayfish out in the open. Casting into the shallows and bouncing a big leach or crayfish pattern down the rock slide can be very effective.

5. Springs- Many of the lakes in Washington are spring fed. In the early season, the water coming in through the springs may actually be warmer then the rest of the lake. In the warm months of July-August, fish will move into these areas to find cool water. A fisherman who takes the time to learn the location of springs is often rewarded with highly concentrated fish who are actively feeding. Finding springs is a challenge. Some fisherman use a thermometer on a string and lower the thermometer randomly into areas they suspect may hold springs and take water temperature readings. Other fishermen look for ripples in the mud or sand that extend in a circular motion from a center location. Other’s keep a fishing log and begin to note where they catch a higher percentage of fish at certain times of the year. Regardless of how you go about locating springs they are an important area to find.

6. Creek inlets and outlets- Trout like moving water and will concentrate at a spring inlet or outlet for several reasons. A.) The moving water requires them expend less energy to get water moving over their gills, B.) Water coming into the lake is often cooler then the rest of the lake so during the warm weather months, fish will concentrate in this area, C.) Creek water is often highly oxygenated, D.) Food is often concentrated in these areas. You really can’t go wrong fishing a creek inlet or outlet. Just make sure you read your regulations to check that it is legal. Often these areas are closed part of the season to protect spawning fish.

Getting Geared Up.

Knowing where to fish is only half the battle. You also have to understand the food base that is in the lake and how to present a decent imitation to fool the fish. When I go lake fishing, I typically use the following gear:

Rod- A 9 foot, 5 or 6 weight rod.
Line- I prefer a uniform sink, Type III or Type IV line. I also use a floating line in the shallow areas or during an insect hatch.
Leader- I usually fish 3X-6X depending on the size of the fish.
Fly Patterns- Wooly Bugger, size 6 in black or olive and black. Werner Shrimp or Scud, Doc Spratley, Zug Bug, Chironomid, Damsel Fly nymph or a Wooly Worm.

Most lakes in Washington have a healthy concentration of leaches, fresh water shrimp, midges, dragon fly’s and damsel fly’s. The above patterns represent this food base or are proven attractor patterns. If I had to pick one pattern to recommend to a beginner fly fishermen, I will choose the wooly bugger. I take more fish on a wooly bugger then most of the other patterns combined. The bugger is also easy to fish. You can troll it or cast and strip it. The great versatility of this pattern makes it a great go to fly when you are fishing unfamiliar waters.

If you invest the time to learn to identify the key structure points listed in this article at your favorite lake you will soon be able to locate them at any lake you go to. Like anything else, you have to put your time in before you see the improvement but if you follow the outline of this article, you should notice an improvement in your fishing.

Until next time,

Mike Wilson
Frugalflyguy@aol.com