FISHING LITTLE TEENY TINY FLIES

Lift, lift, lift, lift... My voice grows hoarse after a day of spent caddis fishing in the tree lines of the Deschutes River. Did you see that fish sip your fly? Haven't seen my fly today. Okay then. We have to figure out a program so that when I'm not on your shoulder whispering in your ear to lift, you can hook these sippers.

When you are fishing spent insects, primarily caddis in the summer months, it is very important that you can lock on to your fly in a target rich environment. Most trout will give you one shot. You miss him, it's over. In order to even get the fish to look at your fly it has to be matching the source as well as laced up with 6X. That's right, 6X. These fish are laying up in water that has a high surface tension ...glassy. Usually under the cover of shade. I know, I work for a fly shop that sells flies. 6X typically means more flies left in the tree branches. True, but without 6X you are diminishing your chances significantly. These trout have a bit more time to scrutinize your imitation and if we are representing dead caddis, then we need to take into consideration that tippet diameter will be noticed. So, can you use 5X fluorocarbon instead of standard mono? No. Fluorocarbon's advantages are best suited for subsurface fishing. Both will displace the same amount of water and be just as visible to the suspecting eye of the trout. So, what is the answer short of a new prescription where I bring my fly box in to the optometrist to use in place of the standard eye chart? Two flies! Oh great I loose two at a time. Great advise from a fly shop employee. It gets better! Just like a dry-dropper combination, you substitute in that size 20 caddis behind a size 16 para something or another. Don't put that size 20 behind a chubby. At least the size 16 parachute won't offend anyone. Use a shorter tapered leader. This is where a 7 1/2 foot 6X tapered leader works wonderfully. These aren't big open casting situations. A typical cast uses about a rods length in fly line and generates just enough energy to turn over a shorter leader in confined spaces. The rule of thumb on how far back should I hang the second dry fly is the approximate height of the overhanging obstruction. If the branches are two feet then give yourself two feet between them. Any longer and you will be buying more flies. Don't expect that the parachute is going to act like a strike indicator. This is only used to give you an idea where the lil'guy is. If you see a nose tip up...lift.