In summer, when there is a general heat and the water levels are small, the fish are under a lot of stress. They only feed early in the morning and in the evening when it cools down and there are a little more insects at the water. How to start fly fishing in this beautiful but “difficult” period?
Summer fly fishing is immensely beautiful because nature offers us lots of comforts. In the water, we can cool the can of beer or a bottle of good wine and fall asleep under the tree. Our fingers will not freeze out and if the ants do not disturb us, soft grass will be a good bed. Despite the beauties of nature, we really feel the cruel reality of heavy fishing. In the summer, fish are extremely picky and the fisherman will have a lot of work to land the fish he wants.
Examine the insects
Fly angler will be extremely better off if he knows the insects and studies their development. Lately, the match the hatch tactic is very popular so that with our fly, we can as much as possible imitate the actual insect that the fish feeds on. Of course, it is not necessary that such a tactic will work, even in summer, but the angler will be in an indescribably better position than if he had no idea about the bugs. Before fishing, let’s always take a look at what is floating on the surface and what is underneath it, but especially we must observe what the fish are doing, how they behave. We look at their movements, how they rise to the surface, how they open their mouths under the water and at what pace. It is better to spend more time studying the water than to blindly step into the river and fish with unsuccessful casts.
Size of flies
Common wisdom dictates that the flies we use in the summer are as small as possible. In most instances, it will be true, as the fish are very picky. But it’s not always that way! When many mayflies and other insects fly out, their bodies may at some point literally cover the surface. At that time, our fly will becomes invisible in the midsts of other flies. Then we prefer to use a bigger fly! The opposite strategy comes in handy at this time. When fish do not give a damn about small flies, we offer them the opposite – the thunderous flies, perhaps even some imaginative creatures.
Many other interesting strategies are also suitable for summer fishing. We’ll write about them the other time.
Tight lines!