fly fishing JONG

So ive tried fishing the north platte 4 times now and haven't caught shit. Just started fly fishing about a month ago and apparently im doing something wrong. tried out the gray reef area and trappers route this evening.

been using san juan worms size 18 and no bites, tried zebra midges silver and black. Tried going at 7am & a few times after 6 to 9pm. I know there are fish around as ive seen them surfacing.

any beta, tips, books i should read? any particular parts of the river i should be looking for. tried before/after riffles, along banks, bends, smooth water after fast water.

any help would be appreciated. not expecting to be reeling in tons of fish but would at least like to get a few bites.

You are fishing in the right places. Fish the seams between the fast and slow water. Learn how to dead drift and mend properly. Set your indicator 1 1/2 times the depth of the water and use enough weight to get the flies down. Don't try to cast to far, 20' is more than enough line out. You will catch fish.

Good luck.

The best thing I did when starting out was hire a guide for a day on my local water. He really helped with my casting, drifting, mending, etc. Also, have you been dropping the midge off the san juan?

Call Cowboy Drifters. Pay them to take you out.....LISTEN to what they say. That'll get you off to an excellent start!

Best advice ever given to me-

Don't fish where the fish ain't.

Seems to be too simple, but think about it from a depth point of view too.
If they ain't hitting the top of the water, then you gotta get it down.

Try different levels- they'll hit eventually.

Honestly, you are going to learn more in a day with a guide than you may in an entire summer going out by yourself. I would say, if you really want to learn, hire a guide to go on a wade trip rather than a float trip if you are going to primarily be wading your self. Plus it is a bit cheaper.

Don't forget to tip your guide. ;)

My guess would be your not getting down to the fish.
If your nymphs aren't hitting bottom and hanging up occasionally your probably not deep enough.
Most of the guides here on local streams use a bounce rig w/ the weights on the bottom and nymphs suspended above.
Try flyfishermsn . com. Larry Tullis had a good article on nymph rigs a year or so ago.
Other than that maybe downsize your indicator or tippet or go with flouro.
If you don't want to get a guide, look for somebody who is gittin em, bring an extra cold beverage, share, and ask questions.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by skifishbum

My guess would be your not getting down to the fish.
If your nymphs aren't hitting bottom and hanging up occasionally your probably not deep enough.
Most of the guides here on local streams use a bounce rig w/ the weights on the bottom and nymphs suspended above.
Try flyfishermsn . com. Larry Tullis had a good article on nymph rigs a year or so ago.
Other than that maybe downsize your indicator or tippet or go with flouro.
If you don't want to get a guide, look for somebody who is gittin em, bring an extra cold beverage, share, and ask questions.

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This is the best advice yet.

We were catching fish on the North Platte two weeks ago. Depth was key!We lengthened our 9' leader by two feet and had the indicator almost all the way to the line using 4x. So call it 10 feet down with a slow drift.

hmm sounds like my problem is im getting no where deep enough. in the process of setting something up with cowboy drifters.

thanks for the help.

I'm no N.Platte pro but the fishing can slow in mid summer. Cowboy Drifters will teach you some good shit. They too, will prolly tell you, depth is key right now.

Midge . Mate then if need be.

Also remember all of us here have had days where we get skunked. Even guides don't always find what's working. I fished for a year before I caught my first trout way back when. If you're going the route I did, learn everything myself, no guide or instruction other than books and dvd's, then it's going to take some time. If I had it to do over, I may consider a guide but I had a hell of a lot of fun and satisfaction figuring it out on my own. Now some 10 years into fly fishing, I can spot little things that make the difference. I wake up in the morning, check the weather, and have gone back to bed knowing it was going to be to hot, or have hit the road right away because it looked perfect. This sport takes time and patience, you've got some great advice above. I'd also hit the closest fly shop, go with some time to kill and a little money in your pocket. Explain to them what your experience has been and ask for help. Those guys are out there as much as they can be. Take their advice, most will draw you a map to some better known places where you're sure to get into some fish. They won't tell you their special spots but they'll get you on fish.

Good luck, and welcome to THE obsession.

Jay

For a little inspiration, get Curtis Creek Manifesto by Sheridan Anderson. It's all you really need to know in under 50 pages. I, too, am self-taught. But this little gem of a book paired with a lot of time on the water was all I needed. Have fun!!

All previous = great...
Always take your time when approaching the water or wading. Often...when good-sized trout see something big(above water) moving around, bright reflections,..or notice lots of vibrations(noise)...they can slow their feeding down... Can't tell ya' how many big browns I've walked up on in my flyfishing life...that were sitting right off the bank by only a foot or so.
Also...those tiny amounts of drag, usually coming at the last seconds, can turn a fish off... ..But ditto on the depth...where the fish are getting their food!..they're often not moving up & down a whole lot...

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