As most readers are aware, my preference for fly fishing is casting from an anchored boat, but there are other methods that can be successful as well.
I had the opportunity the other day to talk to Raymond Ford, another member of the 100 Mile Fly Fishers, about his methodology for presenting a fly to a fish. He prefers to use his pontoon boat and flippers to do what he calls “mooching”.
A number of years ago, my son, in his float tube, used the same approach, and when I jokingly chided him about trolling, he remarked that he was just strategically moving his fly from point A to B. He called it “flippering”.
But to get back to presenting a fly, according to the Freshwater Fishing Regulations Synopsis, the strict definition of fly fishing can be found on the back page: “angling with a line to which an artificial fly is attached (floats, sinkers, or attracting devices may not be attached to the line when fishing is restricted to “fly fishing only”).
Based on that definition, I must confess that I use a strike indicator most of the time, so I guess I am not fly fishing, merely casting a fly to the fish. I will challenge the reader to also look up the definition of “artificial fly” and “fly only” in the regulations as well. It is important to be familiar with these when a Conservation Officer is checking for compliance. For another challenge, locate the body of water in the Cariboo that is restricted to fly fishing only (hint, it can be found in the Water- Specific Regulations).
Raymond has been using his method of presenting his fly to fish using a fast-sinking line (type five or six) with a seven-weight fibreglass rod for over 30 years. He feels that moving slowly and pausing occasionally allows his fly to sink to the depths where the fish are and gives him the best opportunity to get a take (he uses sonar to locate them).
He indicated that maintaining a constant speed does not get as much attention as moving the fly up and down in the water column. He also thinks that a moving fly attracts more fish. When the fish are in the shallow water in the springtime, Raymond shortens up the length of the sinking line he is using, or uses a line with a slower sink rate, and conversely, in the summer he often lets his fast-sinking line out past the backing, keeping his fly “in the zone”.
Raymond attributes much of his fishing success to the patterns he has developed over the years. He has been a commercial fly tier for over 30 years, experimenting first with colours for dubbing. He explained that some of the colours of dubbing he pioneered years ago are now commercially available from a well-known supplier.
He normally ties between 5,000 and 10,000 flies a year but would like to increase that amount over time. Raymond uses a pressure cooker to dye the chenille for the body of his fly to the exact colour he wants, based on the success he has while testing his creations on local lakes. He is also using different tungsten beads on his patterns to entice more fish into taking his patterns. Two of his favourites are the orange or glow-in-the-dark ones. He recently started using chartreuse beads as well on a 60-degree jig hook.
He also sells his flies at different markets and happily reports that many of his customers have returned to buy more, remarking that his flies really worked. Raymond attributes his success to the numerous hours he spends field testing his creations.
