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[Floon]

M Boy, the reasoning behind why you should run a type 3 was because they figured you were "outside" the know
The truth is EVERY line has it's uses and should be considered for every outing regardless.
Water temp/clarity,>>> fishing is a game of bending yourself to the conditions NOT trying to make the conditions agree with your presentation or line/retrieve choice.
If one has little success then CHANGE your presentation!!!



This is why Budvar and I agree that fisging reports amount to NADA!!!
The truth is barometric changes and other subtle nuances just render them null because you as an angler can experience incredible fishing in a set area and time and while I hate to say it, it possibly will never happen again that season. Or that year for that matter.
The point of this post was to school people to NOT stick to their collective guns and stubbournly fish what "works", but to stimulate you to push the envelope and try some stuff you never even thought would work.

I never thought a # 10 Bitch creek had any business in a lake while flyfishing until I saw a 12# fish eat it.
Food for thought. The best thing an angler can do these days is think OUTSIDE the box!!

Flooney*

[The Gilly]

If you are fishing a lake for the first time, the best way to find the fish if they aren't rising is to troll

[druid]

Hey, floon! (Are you the same Floon that's causing havoc on FishBC with your "40 inch" trout?)

I've had the best luck trolling as well. I prefer intermediate-sink "slimeline", although it's interesting watching the damselflies try to mate with it... And my "go-to" fly is the same as Milo's: a green sparkle bugger.

As for speed, an electric trolling motor is The Trick (or drifting downwind). Even a small outboard on idle is Too Fast.

I DO feel a bit like I'm "cheating" though, both with trolling and with leeches/buggers. You're supposed to read the water, upturn rocks, examine shucks, pump the stomach of the first fish you catch, then present (with casting and retrieving) the Exact pattern to match what they're eating. Catching fish by tossing in a leech and trolling seems to bypass All That Stuff...

(BTW: like you, I've caught my biggest 'bow retrieving a scud. Unlike you, it was about 3 lb!)

Lloyd

[Balifly]

I caught a small rainbow at Rolley Lake yesterday, trolling a green scud with type III sink tip.

The best part was being rowed around in Jack's kevlar pram and using the 5 wt. he built for me.

Yes, the prized rod that I won at Logan Lake last year  

[Floon]

Yup, Lloyd it's me!

The proof is in the pudding I always say!
Though I wasn't "trolling" just moving myself along the shore, casting and retrieving as I went along. I usually stop when I see a likely spot, using my fins to hold position and fan cast the area starting up shallow, and moving deeper and waiting longer as I begin the retreive to get the fly in relation to the bottom. My favorite line is the one you prefer for this, the Slimeline.
I prefer to be in the boat when fish aren't showing anchored up at both ends and begin shallow with the type one and as I decide to fish deeper in the water column, I switch to the Slime, then the type 3 or four and so on. I rarely fish the dry line unless chironomids are showing, or caddis adults are present.
This allows me the least amount of "dead time" before I begin my retrieve in deeper water(s).
I still like to troll a bit, but for me the casting and retrieving is where it's at these days.
And NEVER be ashamed to use what WORKS!!!! I have about 7 boxes of flies with some very exact imitations and you will still find me fishing a woolly bugger more often than not.
To be successful, it is almost always better to go with a pattern that could be many aquatics rather than just one thing. Hares Ears, woollies, Doc Spratlies, Carey Specials to name just a few. And any colour that takes your fancy is just fine. Just make sure it ain't mauve.
Because that would be gay.
Not that there is anything wrong with that!!

[ocean_going]

wow, this is the greatest thing I have read so far   in this forum. Thank you much.    And I agree that trolling sure works   good I trolled
3 different   rods,  (was with other people in my boat of course ) and   guess  what?  the fly is the one   who got the fish.  but getting them on a fly   rod   sure is sweet though,   unless you are getting  pink ater pink on a small bait caster    better on the fly   though I suppose.   nice   post floon

[gohfish]

Trolling with a fly rod, fly line and fly is a method of fly fishing and a productive one at that. The fish dont' care how the fly got there. I like to troll when I'm new water as way to explore the lake, to find fish or when the fish are not responding to casts. Once I find an area where fish are feeding, I anchor and present the fly by casiting. Trolling by rowing is a good way to get the circulation going when it's cold and the bite is slow. No one should ever be ashamed to troll a fly unless they're one of those #$%holes who drag a fly and seem to have little concern about rowing/motoring over the water that you're casting to.  I wonder why people get so invested in how another person presents a fly as long as they are respecting others

[marmot]

Fishing is fishing.  Fifteen years ago, people were poo-pooing beads on flies.  Epoxy was at one point contentious.  And bobbers...errr...strike indicators.. Now of course they are commonplace, as are many other things that the fly fishing crowd did not want to "taint" their precious pastime.  The people that embrace variety and utility will always be the ones catching the most fish...and having more fun in the process IMO.

My favorite thing to dredge the depths with is a maroon wooly micro leech with a gold bead head.  Slow trolled dragons have produced well for me in lakes too, I do a dubbed darner that the fish seem to like   I like a type 6, my rationale being that I like to really get into water that i would normally pass over when casting a slower sinking line (there are plenty of exceptions though !).  Whatever feels like it will work, I'll try.  Flashers were mentioned....lots of guys fish bucktails behind flashers in the salt, and in larger lakes for big rainbows   Is it fly fishing?  Who cares.

The VAST majority of people I run into when fishing are not above trolling a fly around....in fact I've never had a discussion of any sort with somebody that does not think that trolling has a place in flyfishing.

[BOWHUNTER]

Thats a great article Floon, I see trolling the best way to discover my way around new water. As a begineer fly fisherman I dont have the years of knowledge to easily navigate water but I am learning.  It saved me up at Black Lake as I had made my way half way around the lake trolling, Casting ect, I had to make a decision do I head back across and call it a day, or do I spend another hour and finish the lake shoal perimeter trolling. Ironically 3 minutes after I said to myself just keep at it, my buddy had headed back across the lake, here came my first fish of the trip and what you said about slowing down couldn't be more true. This one was a good fighter too. Sweet
I have a picture but cant seem to post it it wont let me.

[Abner]

Thanks for the great information Floon. Being new to the Fly fishing game I had no idea how to troll a fly (or even that you could troll a fly)

[Nicole]

Its amazing what kinds of flies fish hit when trolled...

I was killing them on Kawkawa fast trolling blood worms, and more recently, a nice rainbow hammered my chronie while we moved from one place to the next...

Trolling is a great way to get to know water in a new lake, I normally go around once on a new lake so I can see all the structure first, then develop the strategy on where to anchor...

Cheers,
Nicole

[coryandtrevor]

This is a great thread to resurrect !!!

Someone made a comment to me recently about how trolling isn't really fly fishing. Most guys I see out there are dragging around something or other at some point.

Caught my first Rainbow on the fly at Peterhope while trolling , it was a blast !

Wheres Floon now Too bad he doesn't post here anymore, he knows his stuff.

[Abner]

This is a great thread to resurrect !!!

Wheres Floon now Too bad he doesn't post here anymore, he knows his stuff.

LOL, didn't realize it was such an old thread still I really enjoyed reading it.

I have seen a couple of posts from Floon at the Fly bc site.

[Min]

The original post pretty much nailed it on the head, at least, as far as I am concerned.  I utilize a very well known casting technique, "chuck and duck", so trolling is a method that I use a lot.  Just like posted, it is really slow rowing, a lot of drifting, and casting thrown in.  A great way to check out the lake.

I like the rowing around because I just like the change of scenery and I feel like I am doing something.  My technique is not good enough that I get a large number of hook-ups.  I just like being there.

Gordon

[e36blue]

Great thread!

I was recently up at Sheriden lake. The fishing had been 'off' according to the locals as the weather has been strange this year. The weekend I was up, it changed from a high of 20 degrees on one day to a scorching 35 degrees on the water the next.

I ended doing better anchored and fishing shoals that I watched fish come in and out as compared to trolling.

However, I did hook into a 5lb trout (weighed it...lol) by trolling an old fly I had from Sheridan over ten years ago in less than 4 feet of water. That lake is so large the shoals are more like flats!

The locals up there have been trolling big flies for years and recommend around 100ft of line behind you! I've hooked fish so far behind me that I didn't even realize it was on my line cause the fish was so far away...lol.

At the time I hooked this fish, I was fishing with two rods, both went down, so I though I had snagged on the bottom as the water was so shallow. I cleaned up one reel and brought in the line. By the time I got to the second one, I realized I had a fish on as the line had travelled in front of my boat and about 40 yards away from the original spot. I only realized it was a fish on my line when I heard it jump...lol.

One thing that I like about trolling a fly over gear is you can get into really shallow water and explore areas that you would have alot of difficulty with gear. Likewise, once I find or 'see' fish I'll definately anchor down and work the area.

I wouuld always prefer anchoring down but I have to say trolling is great for exploring new water and at the very least enjoying the scenery...lol.