Getting in to MY MIND

[Jeremiah Hamilton]

Well I was going to send this just to the TL team but I think that there is stuff in here will help all the guys like me that is just starting out in their comp career.

First off I am not at the level of Arron, Todd, or Lorren and any of the other top comp guys, but I hope to be some day.

Here is a glimps in to my mind, first, weeks before my trip I searched on the net all I could about the area, what flys are hatching when I get there, what flys will be hatching later in the season (the bugs are still in the rivers), what is the flow, weather, last minute reports, locations to fish, maps and contours, photos to see what the water looks like and fish porn to get me pumped. I find local knowledges in this case my own local fly shop, Wye lived and fished there for years. We talked patterns, temps, strategys, I brought in a recent report and we felt the water temps where good, there where around 9-10. He told me it the water temps hit 9.5 to over 10 hit the pocket water above big pools with Quill Gordons nymphs.

When I got there Friday morning and meet the guys Mark was pumped he just got a big brown in a fast pocket, MENTAL NOTE: some fish are in fast pocket caught on a goldenstone.It's always hard to fish new water, and will take sometime to figure it out but observation is the key. We fished a couple hours on the Beaverkill with only a few fish hooked, Tim hooked one in a deeper run but lost it. MENTAL NOTE: fish are in deeper runs, should of ask what pattern he was just using. We moved to the Willowemoc, there were some bugs on the water caddis, Blue Quills, and Hendricksons. Well where do I start, a three fly rig polish style, with a coil so if I want to switch to French style I can just change the flys was my idea. Good to go now what flys and where, I seen a deeper faster run along an old bridge, and caddie pupa,  a Quill Gordons nymph I made up for this trip, and my go to golden. Started working the run, fished it hard, boom fish on and broke him off, mental note fish took the quill gorden in deep run. Switched over to a French rig and fish the pocket and skinny water up stream, with no luck. Now the other guys haven't cought anything ether. So we moved again.  We got to Delawear and it was a lot bigger water, MENTAL BANK: Arron, Ivo and I fished a pool below a waterfall a few weeks ago, think this deep slow, got it Heavy anchor three fly rig!!! it was raining hard Hendricksons, Quill Gordons and Blue Quills where coming off. Dejon got a fish on the swing with a pheasant tail, another fish was caught on a swing, the hatches where coming off hard now and there was some risers on the other side, I told Dejon lets go have some fun with risers. So we crossed the bridge, I didn't bring many drys but I had something close enough, there were hitting my biot body emerger alot but just not taking it all the way, but i did get to land a few. it was a fun day.

That night I thought of what went on, where fish were cought/hooked, what flys, water temp. So we had late start the next day we fished the Willowemoc, in the catch and release section. Dejon kept telling me and mark not to BLANK!!! When we got to the river, there was big deep crystal clear pools, their must be fish in their but how to get to them? What did I learn? deep fast pockets and runs was where the fish was caught yesterday, so I moved up above the pool and fished the pockets. I was french nymphing with my Goldenstone as the point and small pheasant tail looking fly,  I watched the coil and any movement I micro set. I worked the main pockets that most people would fish but nothing, in front of rocks any normal place. MENTAL BANK: fish are pressured find spots that are not norm!!!! There was a rock, that made an eddie, very heavy bubbles, I first fished the eddie, with nothing, so I throw just above the rock, and drift it in the heavy bubbles, fish-on, it came to my goldenstone. After landing it I thought this wasn't a big fish, MENTAL BANK: big fish are more likely to chase away smaller fish in a spot but smaller fish will let other fish in the same spot, there was enough room for another fish in that spot, so I'll fish it again. Fish-on, when I was trying to get it in the net I lost it. Damm Lets try it again fish-on!!  Again lost it at the net!! MENTAL NOTE: I have to work on my landing. Fished it a bit more and moved on, the other guys where struggling so as a group we decided to move Back to the Delaware, to get it to some dry action.

We seen some risers, so Dejon and Mark switched to drys to try and catch some fish, I heard Todd in my ear, at end of last years Canadian Nationals he told me "You might have a good session on drys, but you will win a comp on Nymphs." MENTAL BANK: Waterfall pool Arron and Ivo, guys caught fish on active nymphing yesterday, Pheasant tail was the fly. I put a on tungsten filled anchor fly that Arron told me I needed to get down fast and keep contact with my flys, so that I could feel the takes better.   I put on a red ribb red coiler bead head PT looking fly on top dropper, and a dark brown Biot body pattern.  So i sat and watched Dejon, Mark and couple of the other guys fish the seem below the bridge with drys but we picked these fish yesterday so anything not normal they didn't touch. I was rigged so I asked Dejon if I could give it a try, Second drift fish on, i slowly moved up a bit, fish on, after about 4 fish in short time people started to switched over. So I kept fishing over the other guys spots after they moved to get practice on moved fish, fish on. They asked me what fly are you using, both dropper flys where catching fish, but I don't think it was the fly, but I gave them some flys that was working. I think Presentation was the key what I learned from the day before the fish like movement, as I drift I lifted my rod tip up. I was watching that coil like a hawk and any movement even if the wind would moved it I set, I could see even the smallest takes, the fish where taking so lightly. I told the guy they are taking on the rise. I was striking so much they thought I was jigging the fly down the drift, but really I feel it was the lifting of the rod tip the was triggering the hits.

We finished the day at Beaverkill, it was a good time.

Sunday Loch style on a small lake this was going to be fun, I am still learning loch style but my MENTAL BANK was full on all the stuff I read, watched and been told. A cold front came in and ice was on the edge of the lake,I looked at the contour map and figured the fish should be near 5-15 feet.  What to do, Ivo and John Horseys loch style workshop, drilled in to me do not worry about the flys find the feeding depth then adjust. Ivo told me you will drive your self crazy think if I only had the right fly, just find the fish first then do minor adjustments once you found the depth. So i was off to fish the Hang, find the depth, just need one fish to hand. So I started out with di-7 to start from the bottom and move up. I felt that the fish where higher up so I switched to a sink-tip and counted it down, MENTAL BANK: don't forget to strip the slack when the fly hits the water. I fished the point and drifted it in the 10-15ft mark. I seen the dark part of the sink-tip line started to fish the hang, slowly lifting my tip up, bang fish on and landed him no blank, that fish hit about 8-10 feet down. So I have a depth, counted it down less, and had a tap but no fish, fished that way for a bit, I was watching the other boats, Mike had landed a big one but that was it. There where fish rising all over so I switch to a washer line rig, and they where not trout, they where shinny little chubs. I quickly switched back soon after, I got another tap, but didn't get it. I rowed back to the top of the drift and when I was fishing the hang I landed my second fish. Fished for a bit more and I feel, I am starting to understand loch style, we had to call it earlie because most of us have a long drive. 

Thanks to Tim and Dejon for setting this outing up I had a Blast with these guys!!

What I learned is that I have to work on landing fish and I hope this help some of you new guys.

[Dejon Hamann]

Nice write up J!  Sounds like you did well.

[Jeremiah Hamilton]

Nice write up J!  Sounds like you did well.

It was the team, If we didn't try different things I would not have figured this out so quickly. If we had a comp right after the practice we would have had a plan and I am guessing we would have done well. And it really important to pre-fish the water as much and as close to the comp as possible.

[Mark Hanes]

Yeah we figured out the active fish as a team.  I really wish we could have cracked the code on some of the harder trout that were in the slower water those would have been the fish we would have really needed to get to the next level in a competition.   

[Jeremiah Hamilton]

Good point, I think that bring up a question for the vets, how much time does your team pre fish the water before a com?

[Mark Hanes]

In hindsite I am wishing I would have used an Intermediate and worked some wets through some of those slow water sections.  I just get the feeling that approach might have got a couple fish.

[Jeremiah Hamilton]

I was still at a loss on what to do in those big deep pools. You could not hide and the water was so clear. That's why I moved above.

[Dejon Hamann]

In hindsite I am wishing I would have used an Intermediate and worked some wets through some of those slow water sections.  I just get the feeling that approach might have got a couple fish.

All though I didn't try an intermediate I did swing and strip teams of wets and streamers through that one pool for an eternity. I think they were just keyed in on those frozen Quill duns drifting lazily down and nothing else - dam near impossible to replicate.

[Mark Hanes]

With an intermediate it is a lot slower and somtimes better approach for wets.  It just has bothered me I did not think to try it.  heck I am actually mad i did not try wets more period.

[Jeremiah Hamilton]

First off this is the direction I wanted this thread to go. Now I thinking, once I had those fish above, I would of went back and used a Polish long line with a heavy anchor, and slowly drift deep.

[Todd Oishi]

Great notes and observations!

If I might add to this thread - in regards to pre-competition team practice sessions...

When practicing as a Team, it can be very effective (for both the sake of the team and the individual) to assign specific techniques to the individuals that are most effective at employing that particular technique. This way the team can make a far more effective decision/evaluation as to whether it was the technique rather than the angler that was the determining factor as to the technique's success or failure at that particular moment in time...

It also pays to keep in mind that although it's a great feeling to catch fish during a practice session, often the process of learning what isn't working can be just as important...

[Loren Williams]

yeah-what he said.

Also, as I think of teams I have been on in the past, all would have agreed to stay in the places we were struggling.

You must trust your teammates.  That way 5 guys can work different approaches and everyone benefits.  Often, when practicing, the guys NOT catching fish are the true heros. 

Jeremiah:  I like your approach to lakes.  Find the fish then dial 'em in.  Sometimes your boat partner finds them first...so you need to be evaluating his countdown and retrieve too!  I feel handicapped in a boat alone anymore...I'd much rather fish with someone.

[Mike Wisniewski]

Great write up.   While I need to improve my technique, it is the mental side that is the most important.  Sometimes I just want to throw a fly in the water but am trying to fish 100% with good technique and good decisions.   

Thanks for sharing.  Sounds like a great weekend with good fishing and good preactice.

Thanks

Mike

[Jeremiah Hamilton]

What I am struggling with is explaming what I am doing at the time. I asume that there watching me they understand what I am doing, that's how I learn. but it's the little thing that they are missing. Do you have any pointer on explaining what you are doing?

yeah-what he said.

Also, as I think of teams I have been on in the past, all would have agreed to stay in the places we were struggling.

You must trust your teammates.  That way 5 guys can work different approaches and everyone benefits.  Often, when practicing, the guys NOT catching fish are the true heros. 

Jeremiah:  I like your approach to lakes.  Find the fish then dial 'em in.  Sometimes your boat partner finds them first...so you need to be evaluating his countdown and retrieve too!  I feel handicapped in a boat alone anymore...I'd much rather fish with someone.

[Dejon Hamann]

J, that will come with time.  Just like any discipline of fishing learning how to analyze what you're doing and then explain it comes with practice.  And it's often a lot harder then deciphering what someone else is doing because we automatically do dozens of little things that result in a successful event.

For example.  This weekend you said you we're "lifting through the drift".  My first thought is that would entail you were doing a concerted lift at some point either gradually through the drift or at the end. From my observations though you weren't committing to an actual lift: you were basically "jiggling" free your flies whenever they would come into contact with the bottom or your curly indicator moved because of the wind.  The clutch part here is you didn't commit a full "lift" - you merely jiggled them free which caused them to rise probably about a foot through the water column, but still stay in the strike zone!  I think this was the both the successful part of your technique and the downfall in retrospect.  It's a catch 22. Where as I would "strike through" and start another drift you were staying in the strike zone much longer and also creating small "emerger lifts".  The downfall is I think your initial hook sets didn't drive the hook down deep because you were waiting to feel the fish rather than setting hard on a take.  It's an interesting scenario. 

[Loren Williams]

I remember a stillwater strike detection/retrieve that my friend had been trying to explain to me via email and phone for a year. I finally got in his boat and after about 3 nearly full days of watching him kick my ass with this thing I finally "got it."  It was nothing he said or could have said--all he did was do his damnedest to make me aware of it.

Sometimes all you can do is put it out there the best you can.  The guys that trust you will figure it out.  Or not.

[Mike Norton]

J, very interesting post..I for one am always watching because you never stop learning. I know i dont have the best techniques but watching over the weekend you guys on the lake was interesting especially having mark in the front of the boat gave me a better insight to the loch style, on the river i did do some watching but not as much as I liked too but I see where you are coming from in your lifting thru the drift , I do the same thing or lift or swing at the end of the drift.
On the lake you guys asked how I was fishing the streamer when I caught that brookie..Well I would cast out let them sink tehn give a twitch and a short strip the only jproblem that day was the damn wind so iI ws doing it much more often , on that particular cast the wind hit the boat right after my cast and I had a lot of slack in the line so dtarted to bring it back in to take up slack then started the twicth/strip He hit on the down swing of the fly so I did not "feel" the take but on the next twitch my line went tight so I lifted up  Fish On.
ps   by the way I did bump a few on saturday on the brdge we were fishing but was rusty in the hook set .

mike