Friday Fly day - Low Light Solutions
So recently we arrived at the river well into a major, early morning spinner fall. We rushed to get amongst it and my buddy immediately missed three takes, and struck at rises around, but not to his fly. Within 10 minutes the rise had tapered off to one or two random sippers, moving wide between eats across the spooky, flat pool. As we reset for our wander downstream I wondered what had gone wrong and made us miss that golden opportunity off the bat when Jim said, “you know Chris, I could never see that fly.”
Coming into autumn and the lower angle light situations it presents, your favourite flies on your favourite pools may not now be the best option. I knew my tiny Dore’s Mataura Spinner would get the job done but I just wouldn’t see it in the low light, however always think ahead.
Now tracking your loop, watching your leader unfurl and picking the drop of your fly often works, but tracking its approximate path downstream is far from infallible when you have a dozen or more rising trout in its path.
Trailing your small ‘no see em’ 2-3 feet behind a small (remember, these are choosy fish in often spooky conditions) hi viz pattern allows you to better track your spinner, emerger or late season grub, but also acts as a brake: once the currents catch up to your lead fly, there is often enough slack through to the trailer to keep it drifting drag free for those most important few seconds longer... let’s check out some hi viz partners and late season recommended sizing... Next week, we talk spinners!
Quill Klink 14 & 16. Small, subtle and slim profile in the surface, perfect for gentle drops and easily seen with a yellow post
Indi Klink 14. More meaty than the above for riffle work and when you need something that just gets noticed.
Low Blow 14. Because fish simply love them, right throughout the season.
CDC Thorax Dun Dark 14-18. The perfect film fly and with its dark CDC post, it throws out a solid silhouette on those lower light/glary pools.
Mirfz BLT Dry Black 14-16. Hi viz, buggy and solid silhouette when seen from below. An all-time favourite
