06_2025_REELLIFE_digital - Flipbook - Page 9
While it is tempting to
use old standbys like the
Woolly Bugger or even the
Thin Mint, don't forget, the
fish have seen all these
flies before. We can catch
more fish if we use lifelike
patterns that are faithful to
the profile, contrast, and
color of the food source,
but also incorporate rubber
legs, gill movement, and
eyes.
It's okay to experiment with
retrieve, but in general,
these critters don't move
fast and can spend a lot
of time at rest. One-inch
increments are my rule
for retrieves. Unless I am
fishing a minnow imitation.
We need to be more
patient and precise with
our presentations. Once
I watched a guy in a float
tube. He was using the
right fly, but his tube was
underinflated, so when he
kicked, he leaned way back,
transmitting all of that
back-and-forth motion to
his fly rod and his fly. His fly
was probably making twofoot moves. No bug does
that. Some guys don't like
to be told what they are
doing wrong, so I just kept
my mouth shut. While the
guy's buddy caught half a
dozen trout that morning,
this guy didn't land one.
The difference between a
poor day of fishing and a
good day might just be the
way the fly swims.
down to 4X tippet or even
5X on smaller flies. Don’t
forget, fluorocarbon was
made so that you can catch
more fish. And the guy with
fluoro will probably out-fish
the guy with mono fiveto-one if everything else is
equal.
A good presentation is
one where the bug swims
and rests naturally. Since
real bugs don't get towed
around on lines, we have
to minimize the way the
line affects the movement
of the fly. The smaller the
tippet, the more that the
fly will work in the water
like the tyer intended. If
you have been using 3X, go
"What are you using?" Dad
Like it or not, you might
have to learn a new
knot. Try a non-slip or
a perfection loop and
see how the fly behaves
differently at rest. My
biggest fish of the morning
was a 25-incher with a thick
wrist, one of my best trout
of the year. But it was in the
late afternoon with a lowpressure system coming
in when I earned a 20-inch
rainbow.
wanted to know.
"A damselfly."
"Oh, good idea," Dad said.
"Why didn't you tell me
earlier?"
"Because you told me, I
figured you already knew."
"Oh yeah, I'm pretty smart,"
Dad said.
Gary Lewis Bio
Gary Lewis is an award-winning author, TV host, speaker and photographer. Recent books
include Fishing Central Oregon, 6th Edition, Fishing Mount Hood Country and Bob Nosler Born
Ballistic. Gary has hunted and fished in eight countries on three continents and in the islands
of the South Pacific. Born and raised in the Northwest, he has been walking forest trails and
running rivers for as long as he can remember. Lewis is twice past president of the Northwest
Outdoor Writers Association and a recipient of NOWA’s Enos Bradner Award.
FOR A SIGNED COPY OF FISHING
MOUNT HOOD COUNTRY, SEND
$29.99, INCLUDES SHIPPING TO:
Gary Lewis Outdoors
PO Box 1364, Bend, OR 97709
Contact Gary Lewis at
garylewisoutdoors.com
