[voodoofly]

OK, I'm going to admit that I need some help here. At first I thought I was just asleep at the wheel. Maybe I am, but this fall I had at least 3 fish that hit on the dangle (Today I had the fly dangling for about 10-15 second and I felt the tug, tug). For whatever reason I seem to not sweep the rod tip to the near shore but I have pulled straight back. Needless to say, no hook set. I need electric shock therapy to get over this reaction. How do you implant the near shore sweep into your sub conciousness?

thanks

Gary

 

[Willie Gunn]

Do not let the fly stop.
Let me try to explain, as the fly starts to come onto the dangle start to retreive, not great arm fulls as you would before you cast but just an inch or two then the fish does not hit it from stationary and from directly below. Then pull in a little more may be a foot or so.

Does that make sense? (it's 23.00 hours in Scotland, Friday night)

 

[Rambo]

drop it

I was taught to drop a big loop that I was holding to give the fish time to turn and hook its self. I have heard of other sugest setting the drag loose to let the fish take some line and give you a bit of time to think about setting the hook. IMHO no hookset is really needed. most of teh fish hook themselves or the action of bringing to a fighting position finishes the job. It took me a while to really Break the big hook sets (my Father is a Pro bass fisherman so I was tought to really stick it to them)
just my thoughts.
Voodoo thanks for the fly recipe and one of these days we should hook up on the mo or the big man I am always looking for new people to fish with and there is plenty of room in the boat.
Rambo

 

[flytyer]

I do it as Willie Gunn described, which is also how Russ Miller, George McCleod, and Bob Arnold do it.

 

[Willie Gunn]

And I thought I was the first to think that up. Dreaming of people talking of the Willie Gunn technique, dream on. There is nothing new under the sun.

 

[voodoofly]

Hi Willie

A question. (It is now Friday night here, 20.20, I'm watching my kids and I have some pints of Guiness waiting with some hooks that want fur and feathers)

How do you strike when they take it? I can envision the fish moving to the fly from directly downstream with this technique as well.

Rambo,

Meeting up sounds like a good plan. I usually do not have any line in hand. I'm just waiting on the dangle to set up either a roll to bring the tip up or to go directly into my next cast.

Gary

 

[BLACK FRANCIS]

from my experience it seems that it all depends on the fish. i believe that if they come from directly downstream it is very hard to get a good set. i think the fish that are hooked on the hang down are the ones that come from the side, or turn on the fly as they take it. here is a fish that took on the hang down and is up in the top of the mouth. somehow it held. i was actually watching a seagul with the line hanging when this fish took. the fly was hanging for at least 30 seconds. it felt as though it came from the side as it was pulling line instsntly after taking. i agree that the best hook sets are where you don't pull back, but just hold the line or drop a loop. definitly pulling to the side if at all possible once the line comes tight. it always amazes me how fast i lose that subtle skill if i don't do it for a short while. when you get in the fish hooking zone it becomes totaly automatic and most definitly on feel for that particular take. too bad it's 17 degrees out right now. i would love to be practicing.

 

[o_clarki_clarki]

Nice picture BF!!

Vinnie

 

[Luv2flyfish]

I've hooked a few fish on the dangle.....here is my trick for ALL hook ups.

When you get the tug tug, or the neutral stop in the swing.....I pull straight back (rather sharply) rod stays PARALLEL to the water. If its a fish....you poke him and he'll shake his head (Which I counter with a solid strike (or 2) when I feel a headshake). If its not a fish, pulling straight back will usually set the fly free, rather than setting the hook into a rock, log, whatever. Before I learned this little trick.....I was loosing fish. Since then, I have only had one steelhead spit the hook. I'm at 75% landed of hookups. That little method has improved my success rate....so I stick by it.

If you want to experiment with it......throw on your heaviest sink tip, and tie on a fly that you dont mind if you drag it in the rocks. When you start ticking/dragging bottom.....rather than lifting your rod tip to free it.....pull straight back about 10 inches, and then release. I guarantee you will loose less flies and find an occasional hook up that you thought was a peice of bottom. I do this ANYTIME I get a noticeable strike, or my swing hesitates for any reason. Hope this helps.

 

[fredaevans]

A hook-set recommendation made to me a short time ago was to pull on the line AND sweep set the rod. Reason for the line pull is bending the rod actually imparts very little pressure on the line/fish due to the bend.

The "pull" is what really sets the hook (think of a 'double haul').

 

[voodoofly]

cured myself

at least for today.

had another take on the loooong dangle today. Instead of the bap, bap, this was a thump. the rod was pointing downstream and the tip was near the water. I made a jousting motion before sweeping towards the near bank. Solid hook-up and the fish was beached. the fly was deep in the mouth and the hook-set was in the corner that would be near shore with the fish facing upstream. I got a picture, but need to develop the film.

Gary

 

[speyflyman]

interesting thread

I have taken a few steelhead on the dangle, most often with Muddler patterns that I just let sit on the bottom (must have good sink tip or weighted fly to prevent rise up at end of drift). I just keep my hooks very sharp and honestly when I am swinging and have a "take" its either well hooked or gone. I still set the hook but in a more more relaxed fashion than I do when bottom bouncing nymphs...FWIW Bet there are many other thoughts on this and what might work better?? Best, Stiver

 

[Jamey McLeod]

Dude

I need to make it down to your neighborhood here soon. You need to try that Sam Adams winter brew, tasty stuff.


Any how..... I had a dangle taker a week ago. I was dazing off in that cosmic, recovering burnout stare at something shiny in a tree across the river when WHAM. Out of pure instinct(or inexperience) I rip the stick sky ward, running line goes flying through my fingers, fish gone. Water was high, he followed it into about a foot of water about 2 foot from shore, only take of the day. Black and purple speys have been the ticket up north. Usually getting atleast one hook each trip.

 

[voodoofly]

hey bro

the river is shaping up real nice. it's wadeable in some spots. it was brutal today with the wind blasting downriver. everything quickly iced up when it got wet. there was only one other person today (spinning with spawn and bobber) while I was there and he was staying onshore. no one to watch you cast i was in the water and there was alot of slush pushing against me. i was wondering if the fly was cutting through the slush and getting down. it was. i was watching people go postal. if you know that shore it fishes real well with the water up. there is a ledge you can walk out on to fish the near shore slot. you can let the fly work along the ledge and through the slot. don't jump in offshore if you don't know the water. it drops off fast. e-mail me.

Gary

 

[roballen2]

Here is my personal opinion.....

There are guys who drop a loop, there are guys who set hard at the first dign of a strike, and there are guys who do nothing until they feel the fish is on. Ya know what??? They all of them catch fish and i have noticed that none of them outfish the others. This leads me to the conclusion that IT ALL WORKS!!
Some fish however you will not hook no matter what you do PERIOD!

If you have a fish strike and you don't hook it it doesn't mean you did something wrong. if you miss three in a row it doesn't mean you have done the same thing wrong three times... There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to it it's just a simple fact that not every fish hooks up and there is NOTHING you can do about it....

Furthermore, there are guys who insist on side pressure some pull from all angles to keep the fish off balance Ya know what? they all land fish and they all lose fish.. If you lose a fish it doesn't mean you did something wrong.. Sometimes they just come unbuttoned and there is NOTHING you can do about it..

Therefore it is my opinion that you shouldn't worry about having strikes that don't hook up, just be estatic that such a noble fish choose to try and eat your fly and fish on hoping it happens again. Furthermore if you hook a fish and it comes off just again be thankful you had the pleasure of the fish's company however short the thrill.. when the line goes slack be thankful and make a new cast understanding that at best each cast is a prayer and each strike an occasion of thanksgiving....

 

[voodoofly]

finally got film developed

Here you can see where the chromer has the hook set on the near shore side. I'm sure I'll still have the knee-jerk reaction to the strike on the dangle and will pull the fly out on a fish sometime again.

Gary