Newbie Flyguy embarrassed at ChickDam-

[intothewoods]

Hello all, This is my first post and I already feel bad because I have been getting much more out of these forums than I feel I am going to be able to contribute. Just recently picked up fishing as a new obsession-I also fish exclusively with a flyrod for no better reason other than its fun for me and I'm intrigued with feeding within ecosystems as a Biology teacher.

I have fished trout, caught several and had fun but get much more out of fishing for bass in topwater at Nottely-

So I was at Chickamauga Dam last thursday fishing the banks for the first time just down from the bridge and Dam. It rained all day but I don't melt so it was ok-
What wasn't ok was the fact that fish were schooling up and down the banks with near feeding frenzies happening on the surface ALL DAY, and I caught nothing but a cold.
I fished size 6-10 poppers, Black woolys w/sinking weight, topwater bugs, Clouser minnow in blue and white, grasshopper with a sanjuan worm dropper and even a black sinking fly with spinning blade. I fished from under the bridge right in front of the dam down to the water drainage pipe.

These feeding fish were close enough to the banks that I was casting a good 10ft over the school and stripped right through the chaos with no bites several times-I saw a dog-sized bass POUNCE out of the water onto fish! I had never seen so many fish rising that aggressively in one place for such a long period of time. The waterfowl right next to me was landing fish just to rub salt in the wound.

Does anyone have suggestions for ChickDam with a fly rod?

 

[Fixxxer93]

Welcome to the Boards I was there with a rod and reel drifting with artificial minnows and they wouldn't take those either, so wished I could help.

 

[Fuzzy]

Ever thing about a sinking line and tippet? I know out in Lake Mead we would continously get skunked for big stripers by putting our lines on top. Once we cast past and allowed whatever we were using to sink and then strip it past the rises, we would hook up..

 

[intothewoods]

Havn't even considered a sinking line because I'm still learning the ins and outs of a floating line! Sinking does make more sense though because just using a long tippet would make casting larger minnows and clousers a pain...
There's some big fish at the dam for sure and I want to tangle with one on a 6wt!

 

[rsimms]

I'm not a fly guy... but I do know that those during "feeding frenzies" this time of year, fish are typically keying on this year's hatch of threadfin or gizzard shad. They are probably less than an inch long. In other words, if I were to make a WAG (wild *** guess), I'd bet you weren't "matching the hatch."

I know with a spinning rod this time of year, after those schooling fish, I'm throwing the smallest thing I can throw... a tiny jig suspended under a clear casting float is my favorite. Sabiki rigs are great for the shad.

And moving it FAST is often the key to getting strikes. Even if you did match the hatch, it might be that you simply weren't stripping fast enough?

So (again, WAG), I'd say size down lures to imitate a shiny silver 3/4-inch shad and retrieve it as fast as physically possible.

 

[Rollcast]

" I don't melt "
I don't melt, either, but i do lump up a bit. emoScratch
If you could see the fish, then you don't need a sinking line. As suggested, a small fly to imitate the baitfish and a fast retrieve sounds like a good bet.

 

[intothewoods]

Rsimms, Thanks so much for the tip. I wasn't prepared for warm-water fish to be as persnickitty as trout! I'll repost if I have better luck with a faster swimming shad/fly!

 

[intothewoods]

Maybe my clouser will get a haircut...

 

[rsimms]

intothewoods - 7/16/2012 5:00 PM

Rsimms, Thanks so much for the tip. I wasn't prepared for warm-water fish to be as persnickitty as trout! I'll repost if I have better luck with a faster swimming shad/fly!

They're ALL persnickety at times. That's why we love 'em so much! emoBigsmile

 

[gaspergou]

Full sinking lines are tough from the shore at Riverpark -- the combination of current and rocks will lead to heartbreak. Sinktips and intermediate lines are another story. I've shredded two fast-sinking integrated lines so far this year, at ~$75 a pop, and that's even from a boat! Either the head gets caught in the rocks and breaks, or the coating gets torn up (That said, from a boat, they catch a lot of fish...). Richard's advice on matching small shad fry is dead on. For skipjack and whites (likely culprits for most of the breaking fish), try one of two things that haven't been mentioned yet. #1 -- Use a floating line and a small, flashy, sparsely-tied sinking fly. Swing it downstream, quartering with the current, and mending to slow the swing. Let the fly dangle downstream of you a bit before you recast; lots of times a fish will follow it in and finally take a swing at it. If this fails, try #2 -- make a long cast, tuck the rod under your armpit and use both hands to strip fast (and more importantly) smoothly. This is particularly effective on skippies. If a fish hits, don't worry about lifting the rod to set the hook like normal, just keep stripping until you come tight on the fish, then grab the rod. Hope this helps...

 

[intothewoods]

gaspergou - 7/16/2012 4:57 PM

#2 -- make a long cast, tuck the rod under your armpit and use both hands to strip fast (and more importantly) smoothly.

Gawd, that sounds fun! I'm fishing Wolftever from a kayak tomorrow, but you guys got me itching for round two at the dam...
Desicions, desicions....

 

[loneranger93]

WELCOME TO CFF!!!

 

[Rollcast]

Just had a thought (scary, isn't it?)- Cabela's has a series of sinking tips that you put between the line and the leader. Check it out. It will get the end of the line down but the floating part should stay out of trouble. Let me say, I have been flyfishing for about 50 years, 18 of them real seriously and never felt the need for a sinking line. If I need to get down a few feet, I use a loooong leader and tippet and weighted fly. Keep in mind that you need to have good timing on the cast- aka the chuck-n-duck cast. Maybe I'll give it a try below the Chick when it cools off a bit. Got an 8 wt. that needs exercising. Tight lines and big fish!

 

[jigman1]

emoWelcome WELCOME ABOARD!!

 

[gaspergou]

You can make those sink-tips a lot cheaper yourself. A couple feet of a tungsten-impregnated level line like Rio T11 or T14 (buy it online for about $.75/foot or use the head off of a beat-up sinking line) and some braided loops, and just loop-to-loop them onto the end of your normal floating line. Easy.

If you have a boat and don't fish sinking lines or shooting heads you're missing out. A 30' T14 shooting head on a mono running line gets down right now, and on an 8-10wt is a great tool for chasing stripers or big smallmouth or whatever...

 

[Jr86]

Welcome

 

[Liveliner]

Get your bait down into the current by whatever method you like and use a white streamer fished erratic. When you hook up with a Tennessee Tarpon (aka - Skip-jack Herring) about 20" long, you will know what it is all about..Welcome to CFF as "Poster".

 

[gaspergou]

Field-tested the microshad hypothesis last night. Yup, that's it. A couple of the whites spit up threadfins in the 1" range. Bigger stuff got ignored but a tiny bit of white synthetic hair and a couple strands of silver krystal flash on a #8 bonefish hook got hammered on almost every cast. Whites, skippies, spots, and even a few LMs mixed in. No need to sink it, just quarter downstream and let it swing just under the surface.

There was also a guy with a switch rod down there working on his spey casting... couldn't tell if he'd gotten into fish, but it would be a great technique for this area as there's no need to backcast -- or have to worry about who's walking behind you!

Hey, if you don't mind me asking, where do you teach?

 

[SpurHunter]

Some super info here! Thanks for all you guys that have contributed, it makes me want to get that new fly rod out and fish on!

 

[intothewoods]

I am astounded by how much information and advice I've been hit with! Gaspergou, thanks for putting the theory to a test- that's a good looking fish! I teach at Coahulla Creek High School in Whitfield co, Ga. I also coach cross country. I plan on teaching a whole ecology unit with flyfishing!
Anyways, thank you everyone for a flood of advice! I fish with a 6wt 10ft echo ion because of my fascination with high stick nymphing, extra clearance from a kayak, and the extra leverage for learning some Spey one day-
May of this year is the first fishing that I have ever done since I was 5, and I just want to learn it all already!
I do strangly see myself chasing bass more than trout whenever I can get to the water!
The CFF has been my primary source for this learning curve because you guys are so freaking driven and helpful. I look forward to contributing in the future, but in the mean time- thanks CFF! Now off to hook a "Dam" bass...