When They Quit Feeding on Top

[Bruce Tomaselli]

I fished for gills on Friday and today. I started around 6:30 am. Each day fish readily fed on top of the water on foam spiders. Each day the fish stopped feeding on top between 10 and 11:00 am. What would be the best way to pursue them deep? I fish only flies and no live bait. Would a hopper dropper type rig work? How about a nymph and a float? Ideas will be appreciated.

[carl hendrix]

BRUCE;;  I LIKE TO USE A DROPPER ON A POPPING BUG;; USUALLY A LEGION BREAM KILLER; OR A DICK TABBERT ANT; OR ALLEN MORGAN;S  TIES.  THE DROPPERS ; SINK SLOWLY;  AND YOU CAN CATCH TWO AT A TIME SOME TIMES !   IT WORKS GREAT !!

[Slip Sinker]

Bruce… ive been having some great success with a Slip/Float/Fly/Waxie combination… I very rarely use live bait. I tip the fly with a Gulp Pink Waxie cut in half. Im seeing some real excitement with this set-up… been catching some top-tier fish with it lately also.

i show the set-up in a discussion Here:

some recent fish caught with this setup 1- 4 ft deep

[Bruce Tomaselli]

I think I could throw that rig with a fly rod. Is that yellow bead to stop the bobber at the depth you want? Does the float slide freely on the leader?

[Slip Sinker]

ive never fished a flyrod with an indicator but ive seen it done steelhead fishing

[Allen Morgan]

I like to do a hopper/dropper or popper/dropper.  Two hooks is better than one.  If you're fishing near weedy cover, there might be a Bass willing to inhale that surface bug.

[Rob Bowen]

You can put a weighted nymph on, and use the count down method. Cast out and count down 5 seconds while the nymph sinks. If you don't get a strike, count down to 10 seconds. If you don't get a strike or loose your fly on the bottom you can even go deeper until you find the fish.

I've found fishing deep with a steady sinking fly line and a short leader is very effective for getting a fly deeper. I think a sinking line is better for getting the fly deep than fishing a floating line due to less slack between you and the fly.

[carl hendrix]

BRUCE;; IF YOU TRY CASTING A SLIP FLOAT;; WITH A FLY ROD; BET IT WILL BE INTERESTING !!  LET US KNOW HOW IT GOES !

[jim cosgrove]

floating WF fly line is a good indicator and it is already on your reel.just make the leader long and throw weighted flies into the shade of a deep weedline.they will be there just watch the end of your flyline/.i can still get them on top in the late aftermoon in the shadeline of shore trees.i know they call them sunfish but they avoid the high sun like most fish.they get in those weeds and sunken trees just like bass and munch on all sorts of bugs snails larvae etc.right before dark they come back to the surface to feed on bugs.

[carl hendrix]

I TOTALLY AGREE WITH JIM HERE;; ALSO;;  FISH IN THE SHADE OF TREE LINES;; USUALLY AROUND 9 AM; THEY LOVE TO HIDE IN SHADY AREAS; DARTING IN AND OUT  CATCHING INSECTS;; THE REAL ONLY TIME I USE A FLOAT; ( AND IT WILL BE A QUILL FLOAT )  IS WHEN I GO AFTER SUSPENDED FISH; WAY UP OFF THE BOTTOM;; OTHERWISE;; I JUST USE THE WF FLY LINE AS A INDICATOR;; BUT ALSO; SINCE I USE HI- VIS LINE;;  I ALSO WATCH IT AS MOST TIMES ITS THE FIRST THING THAT TWITCHES !!

[Bruce Tomaselli]

Can you purchase those hollow floats anywhere? Is that yellow bead serve as a stop for the line and float?

[Allen Morgan]

I'm pretty sure that's a premium quality Thill slipfloat.  If you look at the end close to the bead, you'll see the rim of copper around the tube.  That's to reduce friction from the line going through the float.  Lower quality floats (even of that brand) usually have plastic there, and the line will wear a groove over time, catching the line and not slipping.

I know you can get that particular float at BPS.  Try other places as well.  Even Wally world carries some nice slip-floats.

The "stop" is actually the little bit of green string that's tied around the line.  The bead serves to catch the stop, and the float catches on the bead.  I've got some slip-floats that are so big (designed for catfish) that I'd have to use a small bead as pictured, and a really BIG bead for the float to catch on.

You can get the stop-knots and beads at any place that sells slip-floats.

[Slip Sinker]

well in my defense Bruce says he only fishes "fly and no live bait" ... so i was all over it... this setup is really tagging the fish for me the past couple weeks... now if he would of said only flyrod....