[juro]

When fishing for summer steel, I would use dry lines most of the time, sink tip occasionally. I would fish wet flies mostly, and dries and present classic swing most of the time, skates, and also do broadside swings and dredge, etc.

Just curious - what percentage of summer run hookups have you experienced (estimated) for...

Dry line / dry fly / skate (20%)
Dry line / wet fly / swing (75%)
Sinktip / wet fly / swing (5%)


Also, which part of the presentation...

First mend (2%)
mid-swing (18%)
slow-down (50%)
hang-down (30%)
strip retrieve (exactly one time)

I plugged in my numbers as (%)...

 

[skyrise]

Sorry to say most of my fish have come from the sinktip line, 85%. The fish that have I have taken on the floating line mostly were taken on nymphs. Proably the reason for this is, in my experiance, is that I dont do so well with the dry fly in waters that are pounded day in and day out. But what a thrill to see them come up and grab a bomber right off the top!
Sinktip= 85%
Floater wet= 14%
Floater dry= 1%

 

[Doublespey]

Tough one, Juro. I'll fish a floating fly under certain conditions (like last October on the Cow) that make for a better presentation and when I think I have a reasonable chance of teasing a steelhead up to one. Unfortunately, that's only a small percent of my summer's fishing.

Wet flies on a floating line are the meat&potatoes of my summer fishing. Snoqualmie, Sky, Clearwater, Ronde, or Thompson - this is what I'm usually fishing.

When levels are high (right now on the Puget Sound streams), cloudy, or cold I'll often resort to a stink-tip to get the fly in the steelhead's face. You wanna skate a dry on the 5000cfs middle Sky right now? Be my guest - I'll even let you lead through the run!

Floating line - Floating fly = 05%
Floating line - Wet Fly = 75%
Sinktip - Wet Fly = 20%

As for the part of the swing??

Pre-First mend = 01% (a couple)
Early Swing = 05%
Mid Swing = 20%
Slowing down= 70%
Hangdown = the rest
Stripping in = 0

 

[sinktip]

Juro, shame on you for making me think. I would have to say it depends on the river and the date. I'm with DS on the sinktip during the early season. I've been fishing mornings this week using the 10 weight and 12' of DWE. I won't switch over to a floater until early July.

For the North Sound rivers, I find myself having more success with a wet fly and a floater. This comprises 80% of my summer fishing (July on) and 100% of hookups. I've had boils to a waker but never a solid take.

On the Snake and Ronde, it is about 50-50 with a riffle hitched muddler maybe getting the nod over a wet fly in the film.

Finally, a very unscientific distribution of takes.

Sinktip --

Before the mend -- 2%
Right after the mend but high in the column -- 10%
45 degrees out -- 20%
Starting to slow down (15 degrees) -- 50%
Hangdown -- remainder
Strip -- Hell I don't strip, I fish a long bodied spey line

Floater --

Before the mend -- 10% (Often I will not mend at all)
Right after the up or downstream mend -- 35%
Starting to slow down (15 degrees) -- 45%
Hangdown -- 10%
Strip -- (See above)