Early Season Stillwater Fishing - Part 2

Early Season Stillwater Fishing (1)

Stillwater fishing is continuing to pick up here in the Northwest, and with general lake opener happening next weekend in Washington even more anglers will be getting out to try their luck. Here are six more suggestions that'll hopefully get you into some fish this spring.

Start shallow

Both fish and aquatic insects aren't particularly fond of cold water, so focus your attention on along the shoreline. More specifically pay attention to where the sunlight is hitting the lake throughout the day. Bugs like chironomids, callibaetis, and damsels will all be more active in these areas throughout the day because of the warmer water temps. The fish know this and now you do too!

Go Small

Right after ice out all of the insects tend to be small. Chironomids that typically hatch on local lakes early in the season tend to be in the size 16-18 range. Damsel nymphs will be small too, think size 14-16. It's not uncommon to see swarms of these small nymphs wiggling around along the shoreline in March and April. It's because of this a size 14 damsel jig has been a top early season producer for me over the past few years.

Early Season Stillwater Fishing (2)

Lining it up

There's a myriad of stillwater lines on the market these days. Be sure you're using the right line for the job. Certain lakes will only require a floating and intermediate line due to their shallow depths. Other lakes might require type 6 full-sinking line to reach fish hanging out in deeper water.

The connection counts

Even the knot you use can be a factor in how successful of a day you'll have. A loop knot will allow your fly to dance around in the water, especially when using indicators. I learned this little trick from a friend of mine several years ago while fishing Nunnally Lake in Central Washington. We were using the same exact flies, leaders, and tippet, but he was catching three fish to my one. After about an hour of this, I swallowed my pride and asked what he was doing differently. The only thing different about his rigging was the knot. Ever since then, you'll find a loop connecting the leader to my chironomid.

Stick and move

I'm not afraid to say that when it comes to fishing I have very little patience. If I'm not catching fish in a particular area, I'll move to another piece of water. It seems pretty rudimentary, but I'm still amazed at how many people camp on one piece of water all day. Variety should be the spice of your fishing life!

Early Season Stillwater Fishing (4)

Sweat the technique

Again, fishing is a puzzle that you must piece together to consistently catch fish. For me, this is the fun part of fishing. If you're fishing next to someone that's reeling in one after another pay close attention to what they're doing. Sometimes even subtle differences in depth and retrieve will affect your success.

  Missed reading Early Season Stillwater Fishing Part 1? Read it here.