The Subtlety of Summer

Stealth and speed can go a long way

The dog days of summer are here which means low water, bright sunny days, hot temps, and educated fish.

By August trout have seen a variety of natural and man-made insects making them extra discerning when selecting a helpless drifting insect.

This particularness is noticeable in how the trout react to your fly patterns. Takes during the dog days of summer are typically quick and subtle. Long gone are the days of spring where trout can rise with reckless abandon to a marginally adequate presentation. Those post winter days where river flows are high and fish are hungry are a thing of the past.

Understanding this and adjusting your mindset and attention to the subtleness takes a little practice but doing a few things can help increase your odds...

• A quick hookset - Talking to Silver Bow guide Kenyon who guides the Spokane River weekly said, "The anglers who are quick to the take are hooking and landing fish".
• Lighter tippet - Downsize your tippet a size smaller. Stealthier and improved drift.
• Longer leaders - Same concept as downsizing your tippet. A little extra distance between your fly and fly line helps with presentation too. Instead of 9' leaders buy longer 12' leaders, or at least add a couple feet to your existing 9' leader.
• Make your first drift count - I've been on the NF Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe Rivers the past couple weeks and if you weren't paying attention on the first drift or the first drift sucked, well your odds go down significantly.
• One shot - Paying attention, being quick to the take, and making a good presentation still typically only affords you one shot. Fish during the dog days are educated and aren't coming back for a second look. You get one shot during the dog days and the more you are on your game, the higher your odds of hooking and landing fish.

We still have plenty of summer and opportunities left. Make the most of them and enjoy the time on the water!