Swing and Strip
When trout aren't looking up, the answer is usually a swung soft-hackle or a stripped streamer. Both put the fly in front of fish that don't want to move for a dead-drift, and both turn passive fish into active eaters by triggering reflex strikes.
The swing (soft-hackle)
1. Cast down and across. 45 degrees downstream of straight-across is the standard angle.
2. Don't mend. The current will bow the line. That bow is what creates the swing.
3. Tension the line. The fly rises through the water column on tension as the current pushes the line.
4. Set when you feel weight. The take is almost always a pull, not a pluck. The fly is already coming to tension when the fish eats; the fish hooks itself.
5. Step downstream. Two feet between casts. Cover the run, don't hammer one spot.
Best soft-hackles
- Partridge and orange #14-16 (caddis emerger imitation).
- Pheasant Tail soft-hackle #14-18 (mayfly emerger).
- Soft Hackle Hare's Ear #12-16 (general food).
The strip (streamer)
1. Cast across or slightly downstream. Streamers want a swimming action; the cast angle gives you that.
2. Mend up the slack. You want immediate contact with the fly.
3. Strip in 6-12 inch pulls. Vary the pace. A pause-then-strip often triggers a strike that a steady retrieve doesn't.
4. Watch the rod tip. Streamers fish on tension; when the tip pulls, set.
5. Fish the swing-out. At the end of the strip, the fly drifts into the seam below you. Many trout eat right there.
Streamer rules
- Faster is usually better. Trout chase. A slow streamer looks dead; a fast one looks like prey.
- Color matters less than depth. Get the fly to the level of the fish. A black streamer at the right depth outfishes a chartreuse one too high in the column.
- Heavy tippet. 2X minimum on tailwater browns. They eat hard; light tippet pops.
Combining the two
Cast across, let the fly swing, then strip back upstream. Cover the run with a swing-strip-step-down rhythm. This is the standard approach when you're not finding rising fish: keep moving, keep covering water.