Low Water Tactics

Sorry there's been no posts for a while (nearly a year)! We are making a concerted effort to now update the blog weekly with any tips and trick, adventures and products.

Here goes with the first one:

On my local small stream, it's been quite hard fishing of late, especially with the low water levels we are seeing in the South West. Even with the low levels I am still finding that when the fish playing hard to get, the "go to" tactic is the Duo method using our Dry Jig flies. Using this method I've caught in mornings, afternoons and evenings. I've been following these simple rules and it really has upped my success rate:

  • DO NOT get into the water and wade, not unless you really have to - As the fish have less natural cover from predators, they are really spooky. Any disturbance in the water (or noise from your studded boots) will transfer its way to the fish.
  • Use a longer leader - I generally us a longer and lighter leader, this will allow you to land the fly with a more delicate presentation - experiment with using a French Leader setup - they really come into their own at this time of year.
  • Look for deep holes & behind any obstructions - If there is no surface activity these will be the places the fish are holding. Target these with a Klink n Dink setup (use a small beaded nymph - size 18 or smaller).
  • Take advantage of the low water - If you regularly fish the same stretch, look at the riverbed and see what the contours are, and spot and likely fish holding places. This will be really useful information for when the water levels rise again.
We all know that fishing the duo can be deadly, but with barbless hooks you cannot effectively fish "New Zealand" style, we have come up with what we believe is a unique solution. We have tied the dry fly on a lightweight jig hook, which then presents the dry fly correctly when the dropper is tied to the eye of the hook.
Take a look at our Dry Jig Selections here:
Tight Lines