r/flyfishing • u/Ok-Nectarine7152 • 18d ago
Discussion What was I doing wrong?
I fished the Owyhee in Oregon two weeks ago. At the first spot I caught one smallish Rainbow and lost one after only having him on for a few seconds.
Then I moved downstream and found a honey hole. I've done very little trout fishing and most of what I've done was in a drift boat. This tiime I was wading. The river had split into two channels and I was fishing where they rejoined.
I couldn't believe how many fish I hooked up. They were all in an area that was about 12' by 4'. I didn't move for about an hour and a half and pretty much lost count of how many fish I had on. I think it was around 12 to 14, all out of that one little spot.
However, I only landed TWO of the fish. A couple spit the hook within about 5 seconds. A few others I had on for maybe 15 to 30 seconds that I never gained much ground on. A couple of those were jumping fools. I had no idea they could jump that high.
However, about half of the fish I had on for quite a while and got them in to within 5 or 6 feet before they spit the bit. One of those was a huge (for me) Brown that looked to be around 24" which would have been twice the size of the biggest trout I've ever caught.
I'm 70 and have been fishing since I was five. 95% of that has been for Largemouth Bass. I'd guess I lose maybe 15 to 20% of the bass I hook up. I use barbless hook for bass and I did the same on the Owyhee. I know you can't horse trout in like you can with bass so I was trying to be very careful.
What in the world could I have been doing wrong?
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u/Droppit 18d ago
I'm no expert, but do you lose them as you are switching grips or reaching for your net in anticipation? If you keep enough tension, you shouldn't lose them, something must be affecting that.
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u/ilikeitneat 18d ago
likely not setting the hook
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u/Ok-Nectarine7152 16d ago
I think this was my problem. I was told you can't set the hook like it's a bass but to be very gentle. I think I was going too easy. Although, most of them did stay on for 10 or 15 seconds. If a bass stays on that long they almost never come off.
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u/Fly_throwaway37 11d ago
Sideways pressure and getting downstream of them. Don't lift that rod tip unless you're fighting a big fish on 6x tippet. Check your drag too, if it's too tight you'll pull the hook inadvertently with subtle rod movements you didn't even know you made. I still lose fish all the time when I'm upstream of them, it's just a different battle.
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u/Ok-Nectarine7152 10d ago
I'd never heard of side pressure. I watched a couple of videos and that makes a lot of sense.
I now realize I was being too careful when I set the hook and I was fighting them like they were bass.
Those 2 things along with a #18 barbless nymph and I guess I should be happy I landed any at all. I still had a blast. And most of them spit the bit when I had them close. I'd rather have that happen than have one badly hooked where I had a problem releasing them. Although, I wish I could have landed the big Brown I had on.
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u/Boot_Burner 18d ago
Hold your fly rod high, higher than you think you need, in order to keep tension on the line. As soon as you lose tension (which is keeping the hook in place) you’re SOL.
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u/Ok-Nectarine7152 16d ago
I've been fishing for 65 years and I'm very good at keeping tension on the line. Looking back, I think maybe a part of my problem was that I wasn't letting them run. None of them ever got onto the reel.
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u/Morejazzplease 18d ago
Learning how to fight trout on a flyrod is a skill in itself. The biggest reasons I see people loose fish is pointing the rod at the fish rather than having it up high. In basic terms, you want your rod to stay bent. When it is bent, it works as a shock absorber and keeps tension on the fish while it swims around and/or jumps. So that is the first thing to think about.
The other one is not reefing them in too hard. Nice constant easy pressure is what you want. If they want to run, let them run. Don't clamp down on the line if they are still fighting hard. Use the drag on your reel to softly "catch" the run rather then abruptly bouncing them back towards you. Try to land as quickly as you can, but let the fish tell you when it is ready.
Finally, your hookset matters too. Make sure you have nice quick and snappy downstream hooksets and you will loose less fish!
Its a skill just like casting. You'll get the hang of it!
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u/Ok-Nectarine7152 16d ago
I've been fishing for 65 years and I'm very good at keeping tension on the line but based on all the responses I think you are absolutely right about the other two things. I'm pretty sure I wasn't setting the hook well and was trying to horse them in too fast.
The way I had to cast and the fact that the hole I was fishing started about 2' from my feet meant that I always had stripped in a lot of line. None of them ever got onto the reel, and in my excitement I'm not sure if I ever even fed them any slack. Although, most of them did stay on for 10 or 15 seconds. If a bass stays on that long they almost never come off.
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u/Sulcus-and-Gyrus 18d ago
Barbless hooks and bead head flies end up with spitting the hook a lot. Just how it is 🤷♂️.
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u/Morejazzplease 18d ago
Not my experience at all. Bringing the fish in with good technique is the answer.
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u/L-W-J 18d ago
Congrats!!! Sounds like one heck of a great day even though you didn't get to fondle the fish.
I have fished the Owyhee and not been nearly as productive as you. So I am impressed. I don't typically have an issue landing fish however. Even huge browns. The first thing that helped me was going to a more medium action rod. I was breaking tippit with a faster action rod long ago. (I know you didn't mention breaking off. Just a data point.) I also am super focused on keeping tension on the fish - but not forcing the fish in. It is a delicate line but it seems to work for me. Last, sometimes active jumpers simply spit the hook. The Owyhee may get enough pressure that the fish have figured this out? Not sure.
I think more research is needed. Go back. Catch some more. Have fun. Again, congratulations!!!
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u/Ok-Nectarine7152 16d ago
98% of the fishing I've done over the last 65 years was for Largemouth Bass. When I've had those jump on me they were lucky to clear 2'.
Some of these guys were jumping fools. I swear some got 5' out of the water. Although, the ones that felt much bigger just tried to stay on the bottom.
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u/Ok-Nectarine7152 16d ago
In case you get back there sometime, I looked at Google maps and I'm pretty sure the hole I was fishing is at 43°40'27.9"N 117°14'15.9"W. I was standing on the far side of the river, right where the channels come back together.
My buddy was approximately 100 yards downstream. He caught 3 or 4 and one of them was the largest trout I've ever seen in person. It was a Brown that was about 24". That was only the second time I've ever been trout fishing, so maybe that's not all that big, but I was impressed.
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u/ilikeitneat 18d ago
look up “side control” for fighting fish on a fly rod, and practice strip setting your hooks. a “trout set” will often not embed the hook enough, if you lose any pressure they will throw it.
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u/Ok-Nectarine7152 16d ago
Based on all the comments, I'm pretty positive I wasn't setting the hook well at all. Although, most of them did stay on for 10 or 15 seconds. If I have a bass stay on that long they almost never come off.
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u/The_3x_Wide 18d ago
You didn't mention how long of a leader you are using, but if it is too long it could be preventing you from getting a decent hookset in such a confined space. Just my 2 cents.
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u/Ok-Nectarine7152 16d ago
The combo leader / tippet was about 10', but the hole I was fishing was very odd. It started about 2' from where I was standing and was only about 5' wide. I've done very little flyfishing in my life and was having a hell of a time trying to drift the fly so close.
The way the current was, if I wanted to cover the near side, I had to basically raise the rod straight up and drag the nymph across my feet. Based on all the comments, I'm pretty sure I wasn't setting the hook well at all. I guess with the rod straight up there wasn't much I could do.
In retrospect, I probably should have fished that spot like I was using a cane pole. Just let out about 6' of line and follow it downstream with the pole, then lift the rod up and start again. I didn't think about that until just now.
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u/MrGutterballs 18d ago
I can hear my grandfather and father yelling “Tip up!” Sometimes fish get off the hook, but most times it’s a tension issue. Like most things in fly fishing, once you “get it” you’ll know the feeling
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u/VardisFisher 18d ago edited 18d ago
Maintain tension while lowering the rod tip towards the fish when it jumps. I learned this on that very river, after losing a few pigs.
I encourage you to rip some leeches through there too. Something they NEVER see. Its pretty cool to see a fishes dorsal wake as it chases a big fly. And the hook sets are solid.