Puddingstone Skunk 5-5-2012

[zenmic]

I finally got a the right park pass:Smile: for the lake I go to and decided to try my luck for the rest of the day at Puddingstone. I got onto the water around 1:45ish. I fished the East shore. I guess I was on the West side of the East shore...closer to the swim shore, but not at that one fishing dock. Wow, the water level is really high flooded to a couple of the picnic tables. Tried to get some practice in on the fly rod, but the wind was brutal. I kept at it, but the wind still beat the crap out of me. Set out my other rod for trout with some Mike's chartreuse and glitter marshmallows on a Carolina rig and threw it out about 45' (best I could with what I got). Not a single nibble on that one either, and wow the bottom is really grassy. I guess the Mike's just do no stay on the hooks.

Question for the fly fishermen out there. Is it okay to shorten the leader and tippet? I know that typical leader can be easily 7.5' long, then you have the addition of the tippet, but I am having a hell of a time using nymphs and a thingamabobber. First off, I can barely manage the line since I have such a long leader and tippet combination that I am getting tangles all over the place. Second I am getting LOTS of kinks and twist in the leader/tippet because the knots get caught on the thingamabobber. Is this typical of all strike indicators, or should I try something other than a thingamabobber? Like I said before, the wind certainly did not help me one bit. On the plus side, I did see a bunch of REALLY small fish, I am going to assume shad and very small bluegills peck at my beed-head nymph, no bites but lots of pecks and pokes.

I will take any advice I can get and Thanks in Advance.

[zenmic]

No answers to the fly fishing questions?:Confused:

[TUNAVIC]

I can't help you with the fly fishing questions,but I know there is alot of nice guys who fly fish there regularly.
In fact one of my friends has begun to fish lately with only fly fishing gear,and he's been doing very well,trout,crappie,gills,and even a few bass.
Theres 3 other guys who flyfish there regularly and always seem ready to share info,hang in there,keep casting and you'll do fine.

Cya Tuna Vic

[PilgrimDG]

Overhead casting is difficult or impossible in the wind. You will get knotted. I often roll cast in windy conditions, but only if the wind is at my back. If you don't know how to roll cast it is worth learning. You should definitely be adjusting your indicator often (especially if you aren't catching fish). Just slide it down the leader. I sometimes drift nymphs 10 ft. below my indicator, and other times 3 ft. below. I like thingamabobbers a lot. Good luck. PS Have you tried Balboa yet?

[The Fishing Queen]

Zenmic, just ran into this post and I'll try my best to help with your questions. As you know, I'm new to fly fishing. I had the same kind of problems that you had here. But, I learned a lot from my own mistakes and I also learned a lot from those fly fishermen. Chuck( VIVID_fly) did most of the job and taught me everything about fly fishing, and Mike and Robert helped a lot with some set up too. You've got to remember the wind is our big enemy in fly fishing. You can wait for it to die down then cast out your line, or choose a location to fish with the wind at your back. I used to like to fish with an indicator (not any more since Chuck has trained me to fish without it and I started to watch my line and my movement to see or feel the fish bites now) and a 7.5' long leader, plus a 3' long tippet. I didn't cut any of them shorter and I forced myself to learn how to live with it. I went through all kinds of frustration and troubles and finally, I am better with it and moved on to the next step. My friends helped me and encouraged me and it gave me more strength to go through every trouble that I had....... I put my indicator on the joint of the leader and tippet, so it helped my BH fly to float above the bottom of the lake. I chose the smallest indicator when I roll cast out my weight forward floating line. It shoots out smoothly. I noticed that I had a diffcault time to roll cast my line if I was using the larger sized indicator - the end of my leader and tippet would slack back like a bunch of lose line. You should start to cast a short distance first with less line out, this will help you practice your casting without getting a lot of kinks and twists. Then when you doing good with it, extend a little more line out for further casting. Step by step, little by little, and you'll get it. You have to be patient with it in the learning stage. Take little steps, and keep practicing. It will get better soon. Trust me, I've been there, and done that!! * * **

[Pudd Legend]

Thingamabobbers will definitely kink your line. You can try to straighten the kink out by rubbing your fingers through them but the kink is usually bad. You can try different indicators and find one you like. I prefer the screw on type that bob marriotts sell. They are a round foam type with a plastic screw with an O-ring on the screw head. Good luck. Takes a lot of patience when first learning. Fly fishing will always be a continually learning sport.

[zenmic]

Thanks folks. Queen, that for the vote of confidence. I have been doing a lot of roll casting, but the problem with that for me is that the fly-line goes out but the mono stays right there. I have a hard time with that much mono in the water, hence wondering if I can get away with a shorter amount of mono. Legend, I will try a different kind of indicator. I have thought about one of those really small round spring loaded bobbers since they are so small and light, and do not typically put a kinks in the whole line. Since the day was so windy, I was untangling line more than I was casting, or stripping the line back.

I hope to get it some day.

No, PilgrimDG, I have not been back to Balboa, since I have been working in Hollywood lately, and I am waiting for the water to get warmer there so that the talapia would spawn more and bite.

I did go to Santa Fe Dam on the 6th to try my luck with some catfish. Good thing I did not break out the fly rod, because the wind there was even worse. I think I will get back to Santa Fe after the 20th, since that is when the Ren-Fair should be gone, and I get to some other spots. Oh the 6th was also a skunk for me too.

[PilgrimDG]

You can shorten your leader, but it sounds to me like it might be a technical issue with your roll cast. It is essential that your fly is moving through the water toward you BEFORE you initiate your forward cast. If you try to roll cast and the fly does not have enough momentum, you will definitely sling the fly line while leaving the bulk of your leader sitting right where it started. I've seen this happen to lots of people. It might also be causing your indicator tangles. Maybe you can try to hook up with one of the Pudd crew so they can check your technique. Good luck, and please report your Balboa trip if you make it out there!

[zenmic]

Thanks for the tip. I do my roll cast by positioning my rod vertical, parallel to my body and let the line make a D then swing forward. I can see the line go out, but it gets caught right around the strike indicator.

I wish I could fish the weekdays but I am working. Maybe one day I will get lucky and run into one of the FNN members at Puddingstone.

[Martyg224]

You said
finally got the right park pass What do you mean??
How can I get one???

[VIVID_FLY]

As some of the others have said. Roll casting would be the best bet in windy conditions. I used to use a 9' leader with added tippet. maybe the "indicator" is too heavy for your line weight and leader size. Just take off the indicator and perfect your cast. The sunfish are aggressive enough that you will either see the take or feel them on.

[Fishnfun]

As some of the others have said. Roll casting would be the best bet in windy conditions. I used to use a 9' leader with added tippet. maybe the "indicator" is too heavy for your line weight and leader size. Just take off the indicator and perfect your cast. The sunfish are aggressive enough that you will either see the take or feel them on.

VIVID_FLY knows his stuff. While learning and practicing, it is better to do it without the indicator. The indicator just makes it that much more difficult to turn over your leader and control your line. You can go back to using a small indicator after you have become better roll casting with just the plain leader/tippet. The panfish will still hit your fly if you strip it without the indicator.

[zenmic]

Thanks Vivid, I thought the indicator was use 1) keep the fly off the bottom so that you can strip it back a little more natural, and 2) a way to know you have a strike. I think you had told me before on the forum that I needed something to keep the fly off the bottom as I am stripping to make the fly look more natural and presentable.

I did not think that the thingamabobber would be too heavy, but now that I think about the physics of the line moving through the air and where it is stopping in the roll cast, I guess the thingamabobber is.


You said
finally got the right park pass What do you mean??
How can I get one???

Martyg224, for Puddingstone, Santa Fe Dam, Legg Lake, Castaic, and a few others around Los Angeles, you have to have a different pass from the ones from the State. I got mine at the Bonelli Park headquarters at Puddingstone (http://www.bonellipark.org/About%20the%20Park.html). Beats paying $10.00 for every visit.

[flyhigh123]

how much is that pass?

[VIVID_FLY]

Also remember your line Floats. So as you are stripping your line in slowly ...its more of a glide type strip...long slow did i say slowwwww strips... then picture your bead head or non bead head flies just gliding through the water column. They wont even touch the bottom if the GLIDE is maintained. at the last maybe 10 feet of your line i just start lifting the rod and keep the glide all from the rod. No more hand stripping. At this point you will see your fly near the shore and you can watch for any followers. When you get to that point where you cant lift your rod anymore then just wiggle out the line and start a roll cast and get back out. Repeat.

At this time at the PUdd .. most of our fish are caught 30' and closer. My tenkara setup allows for 30' cast. Robert's Tenkara set up allows him a 25' cast or close to that. But most of the fish are still in that 10 - 15' range. And the Shore Fishing is always on nowadays. FISH THE SHADE.

<'((((((((><

[zenmic]

Thanks Vivid_fly, lots more for me to learn. I could see the little ones getting curious about my bead head close to shore but nothing took it. It usually takes me a couple of roll cast to get it out 20'. I will strip much slower now to do more of a glide. I guess I need to try closer to the swim beach or places closer to the shadows. Should I be casting and stripping close to the bank and run parallel to it?

More practice for me and more to learn.

Flyhigh123, the pass cost $125.00 for 13 months. You have to show up personally, in the vehicle that is getting tagged. Cash or check, no plastic.