Observations from Big Eddy
Fly fishing is as much about observation as it is about casting and a perfect drift. When people talk about matching the hatch, you don’t have to be an entomologist to find bugs and figure out what you have that looks similar. Many people don’t take the time to look, they choose a random fly from their list of favorites and start casting. If you are visiting Big Eddy for the first time, here are some hints as to how to select the best fly.
The Big Eddy Office Porch – Its not just for coffee
When you head into the office in the morning, to say good morning to Sarah and grab a cup of Big Eddy’s best coffee, stop just outside the office and look up. Sarah is pretty friendly with the all of Big Eddy’s creatures, even the spiders. If you look closely around the porch, you may find the remains of yesterday’s, or last nights insect population. The webs may not predict today, but they can tell you what was flying around last night. They can also give you a good look at flies, allowing you to see critical features like body color, size, and wing shape.
Adirondack Chairs, a perfect observation station
Take that warm up of morning coffee down by the water to one of the Adirondack chairs overlooking Big Eddy. Have a seat and just observe the river and its surroundings. What do you see for bugs and what are they doing? Are they bouncing on the surface laying eggs, are they drifting helplessly on the surface? What color and size do you see?
Perhaps more importantly, what are the fish doing? Big Eddy is a great expanse of visible water with seams, currents, eddies, foam, almost every feeding zone a fish could want. Are there fish rising? Are they splashing taking flies from the surface? Are the fish rushing just under the surface, with their fin and tail sticking out? Fly fishing is a game of observation, and if you don’t take time to observe your surroundings, you may miss the best information.
Where are the fish rising? Granted, there are always fish rising low in eddy, river left of the current. Are they rising in the current, in the seams, in the eye, or center of the current curls around? Are they rising out in front of the boat launch? That can be a hot spot. Make sure you check the right side of the river, where the water is moving downstream.
Another spot to watch is right in front of where you are sitting, where the water curls from the center, right back towards shore. Fish will feed on surface insects swept into the eddy. It’s an area a wade fisherman has a shot at casting to a rise.
Bugs are for the Birds
Before you get up from the chairs take a look at the birds, Are they feeding? Are the swallows and swifts darting around up high or right across the surface of the water? Up high could an indication of a spinner fall is about to happen. Skimming the water? Look for emergers or maybe flies laying eggs. Bird are often my first hint a flying ant hatch is on.
Shake a stick at them
Next wander down behind site #1 and shake the alders and look at what flies away. These trees often hold caddis flies. There could be Mayflies molting, or any number of bugs hiding next to the water. You might catch a hint at sizing and coloring.
Walk the Shore Together.
Lastly I like to walk the shoreline. I look for the spent husks of stonefly nymphs, damselfly or dragonfly nymphs. Another useful place to look in most streams, is under the rocks. Nymphs can be found clinging to rocks in the shallows. On the West Branch, Brookfield Renewable Power controls the water flow. The past few years they have been raising and lowering the water several times a day. If the “tide” goes out leaving 10′ of shoreline bare, this will impact the nymphs, likely leaving a “kill zone” near shore where you are unlikely to find any nymphs.
We all have a handful of favorite flies, but next time you are at Big Eddy, take some time to look around. Having a complete picture of what bugs are present in the environment can help an angler narrow down what the salmon are feeding on. You can roll rocks, shake branches and look for spider webs on any water. Take time to observe your surroundings before you wade in, it’s sure to help you catch more fish.
