[Music]
Jeff blood is an experienced nymph fisherman who loves to angle for
steelhead in the tributaries of Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. He's also the
creator of some unique products for Gamma Technologies - makers of Frog Hair Products.
One of these products is strike indicators. We joined Jeff on a
Pennsylvania River where he explained a little bow rigging options, how to use
the indicators, and most importantly how to detect a strike using them.
Jeff could you explain a little bit about how we're fishing here, why you know why we're
fishing here you know in terms of where the steelhead or line, and the rig that
you've got set up. 'Cause this is really important we've talked a lot in the car
on the way here about presentation you get articular a little bit about that.
Yes well first of all you want to locate the water that the steelhead like to lie
in and what I do as far as the stream is all quadrant it off and I'll fish close
to me like I'm fishing right here in front of me and I'm then going to just
keep working it out if you noticed I went a few more feet out farther I hit
the bottom right there and
want to bring that through most of the pool see if we can locate some fish.
Now as far as my rig it's just it's a rig that I fish almost everywhere.
It's the nine and a half foot leader...
It's the two fly rig with a split shot...
about 18 inches above it and the indicator I almost always have up at the
tip of the fly line.
And that's because I want to get the fly to
the bottom before I start to feel anything and I need you need to have a
little bit of length into the leader. There's a lot of structure that I can
feel out there right now because I do have a lot of weight so I'm I'm feeling
the bottom as well as watching the indicator at the same time.
What I'm looking for is any anything that doesn't look natural and you know if you look at
it from a practical point of view when you throw anything on to moving water it
should float naturally with that current and your indicator should float natural.
Now if you see a pause or hesitation of any type -With Steelhead a little
bit of a twitch because there are big fish but they aren't real aggressive in
their strikes and most of the time what happens is a fly just comes down onto
their mouth and they open their mouth and inhale it. it's actually real subtle.
And so it's just anything that doesn't look natural and that's the
biggest mistake that a lot of fishermen make is they don't strike when you're
actually getting fish taking a line and therefore they don't hook up and they
have a less productive day of fishing.
I think we talked about this before that
your rule of thumb is if there's any doubt at all you've got a little flick of the wrist just...
Exactly and when I'm teaching young kids you know eight to ten years
old to fish they're better students than the most adults because you'll tell them
to always strike when the indicator does something that doesn't
look normal and they do that they strike and they catch more fish oftentimes when
the adults do. Because the adults overthinking and saying well no that was
bottom or it was a different type of or something other than a fish.
Okay Colin, if you notice what I'm doing here is I'm stepping forward into the stream and the
reason I'm doing that comes back to that grid approach to the stream where you
quadrant it off and now we're trying to just reach across the current and fish
the other side of the pool with a nice natural drip and...
the way this pool is right now and the way the water is flowing the fish are probably going to
be lying if they're up here at this high over along that seam that's on the other
side of the bank
Ya, there'll be some nice current breaks in there.
Yes.and that seam right there where I'm into now..
is, if there's fish in here probably where
they're going to be line maybe just a little closer. (okay) If you stand back and
you make the cast from 10 feet back what you do is you diminish your ability to
throw a natural drift. A really good caster can good fisherman but what
you're now contending with more water more distance there's drag in this water
down here in front of you as you're fishing - if your lines down on the water
like that you just create instant drag which is then makes your presentation a
lot more... a lot less natural than it needs to be to get the fish to take it.
You know there are ledges in the bottom of these streams if you've never fished
before you need to learn where those ledges are because that's where the fish
have a tendency to hold. They feel safer, there's normally some type of slower
impact of the water right there is it's as it's coming down and and doesn't tire
that fish as much. So I have fished this pool pretty good and we haven't hooked
anything up. And as you know there are a lot of fish in the water so normally if
I make 10 or 15 casts and I don't detect a fish in there I move on to the next
pool which is what I think we ought to do Colin (okay)
Now do one of the things we're here at the head we've got somebody in the middle if you find the
tail the pools are good environments to check?
Yes they are. The tail little pools
are good or we might just step here another 15 or 20 feet before we
leave the pool and you know proper etiquette says we give this fisherman
enough space so that we don't infringe on his pleasure for the day.
Nice fish Jeff.
See I knew they were going to be here just a matter of where
Now in terms of your strike indicator what did you see? Hesitation a little slight...
(pull)Actually I pulled that fish because the current so fast out there
I felt the fish strike.
Oh really? (yeah) So they came probably into the faster water
to grab it (yeah) some slack water.
Exactly.
Want me to tail that for you?
No I can handle it here. (ok)I'm just gonna ...it's not a very big fish he's got both of my hooks in him.
Here, you want my forceps? (oops)
Beautiful colors huh?
Ya, he's all tangled up here...
Okay...
You need this?
That's the one he took...
Jesus.. got...almost put that in his eye...
Very fat fish eh? (healthy aren't they) This is one of the things that happens though they roll
and get the line around them. There you go...
There he goes.
Outstanding.
He hammered that fly right there. Go ahead Colin and show me how to do it...