old guy problem - seeing #20 midge dries

[mikel]

ok...bad enough having to tie on these little suckers and deal with 6 or 7x tippet....but if I simply drop a little dry on the water RIGHT NEXT TO ME I still can't spot it...I mean from like 6 feet.

so...option 1 for me is to get a handle on where I THINK the fly is drifting and set up on any slurps or swirls in the area. This sux, but works for me on stillwaters. Not so much moving water, especially if casting any distance at all.

or...option 2 is to tie on a stimi or something that I can occasionally spot above my #20 and fish it like an indicator. I do this with mixed success.

Am I missing an obvious option 3?

-Mike

 

[lancer09]

Just hope for the best? Shoot I'm young and still can't see the small little things.
I typically just watch for the end of my fly line to give an unnatural twitch, and set then.

 

[mikel]

Just hope for the best? Shoot I'm young and still can't see the small little things.
I typically just watch for the end of my fly line to give an unnatural twitch, and set then.

Oops...yep, I'm a line watcher too, but again, with moving water that doesn't help me at all...

 

[kayo]

go to #18:frown:,

It's tough getting old.

 

[jcw355]

When I was fishing the Elk river in West Virginia during an evening spinner fall, we were using 32's. No way to see that. Tie a size 16 on and then tie tippet to that and put your small fly on. The bigger fly is your indicator and could still get taken. In my case they only wanted the 32 but I could see the bigger fly as it got darker.

 

[smalliesrule]

Man I'm WITH ya on this! I recently fished a hatch of #22 BWO's and fortunately I had a couple of parachute versions in my box. I could see the post even when I couldn't see the fly. I even had one with an orange post that was very easy to spot. Maybe give that a try, but my best bet with the little stuff has been like you already offered- tie on a big fly and use it as an indicator.
Stan

 

[mcnerney]

I have the same problem, poor eye sight so I either watch the end of the line or do as Stan suggested, fishing parachute patterns with a bright post. I can usually see the post. Sucks getting old!

Larry

 

[ted4887]

I recently fished a hatch of #22 BWO's and fortunately I had a couple of parachute versions in my box. I could see the post even when I couldn't see the fly. I even had one with an orange post that was very easy to spot.
Stan

That would have been my recommendation too. Tie some of the flies with easy-to-spot posts.

 

[tbblom]

32's!
I can barely tie on 24's...

But I'll echo what others have said.
Big elk hair, spider, stimulator, beetle, or hopper indicator, or a neon post parachute adams if the bug junk spooks the fish. The 'clown shoe caddis' looks ridiculous, but makes a great indicator that takes fish.

I like to tie heavier tippet to the indicator (like 4x), and lighter line following (like 5x-6x). If a big fish smacks the indicator, you have stronger line to work with, and if you snag the lower fly, you can break it off without losing the upper fly.

 

[silver creek]

Try the greased leader technique, normally used for film flies or flies just subsurface, but can be used for small dries or difficult to see flies like small ants. You can also use just a very small amount of strike putty about 24" from the fly to help you locate it..

Strike Indicators | MidCurrent

Midge Fishing in Paradise | MidCurrent

 

[wt bash]

Skate it and twitch it, adult midges don't sit still. If the fish are actively rising you will draw a pretty wicked strike!

 

[Bigfly]

Mike, glad to hear you are getting out...
I've gone into full time midge fishing lately. I have trouble tying them on, but can see them on the water, mostly...
I think this is one of the high bar settings in our sport..
Not a bit easy.
We generally don't bother fishing blind with a midge, due to the limitations you pointed out..
We prefer stalking a fish and getting a drift to it, hopefully this allows us to see the take.
Fishing a double dry (with one large fly, and one small) set up, is best for blind drifts.
I like to tye a white thread midge, with a clear glass bead sz. 22. This near weightless dropper can be trailed beneath a very small dry. They are often not taking the surface bugs here, but are feeding. Also fish emergers in the film. These bugs are the easiest for fish to capture, and so you get more interest from the fish. This is the best style early in the hatch. When you don't see noses, just backs, this is my most productive approach.
Later, a single dry skated. Then clumps on the surface (Griffiths gnat or special tye.), and then spinners towards the end of the days warmth on the surface, and drowned.
I'll fish a streamer earlier, or later than the hatch lasts (Before 11:00 am and after 3:00 pm.)
I search for bubble lines where fish Q up. Spotting fish from a distance (40 yrds away) and then putting on the sneak. Staying low and dropping a knee gives best results for me.
Mr. Bash is right about the skating thing. But once again, stalking first if possible.
We have low flows, and clear water, so I do mud my leader for fishing dry midges.
I have two weeks off, give me a shout if you want to walk water up here.
Caught a sweet wild bow yesterday on an egg pattern too. Nice change from midges.

Jim

 

[Liphookedau]

It's tough getting old.
Big Fly & Larry
I know how it is although my sight is still pretty good I just have troubles with The Fine Motor Skills in my left hand as only the other day whilst tying Wets for The Swap,I had troubles winding Peacock,Feathers,Tinsels etc & especially attaching Feather Wings as half way through the L/H Forefinger & Thumb would release whatever I had hold of,so It's something for you young guys to look foward to,hopefully many years down the track.
Brian

 

[Bigfly]

Brian, I'm in denial on the old thing. (and will be until proven otherwise)
I operate like a 38, more than a 50. Just cannot see close anymore.
Twisting feathers is tough for for my fingers, love my hackle pliers with grippy rubber tips.
Use them for wings too....

 

[Liphookedau]

BigFly.
I hope things are well in Truckee as over the years I've heard heaps on it from a mate,where he stayed with friends who apparently in winter drove across a Lake to save 30 mins to an hour going around,also the way he spoke,it being close to Reno I always thought it was in Nevada & not California.

I also use hackle Pliers for winding,they are a bit trickey for fine Tinsel as it's easy broken I had a set of winging Pliers which I only used acouple of times however I had a material & Tool Cull a few years back & I must have given them to a young guy just starting.
I found Small Full Feathers,Synthetic & Fur Wings easier than Feather Slips.

Brian.

 

[kglissmeyer1]

I really can't resist this one. I'm 55 and have worn glasses since 7th grade. I've always had a problem spotting my smaller dry-fly offerings until I found a solution that really works for me. I actually came up with this for fishing my favorite spring creek with small flies since I didn't want to splat something big on the surface just to aid my poor eyesight.

I wrote about this in the Winter 2011 issue of Flyfishing & Tying Journal if any of you have that old issue (even though it says Winter 2011, it was published November of 2010). The article was titled Spring Creek Strategies and promoted the use of a Parasol Emerger fly for fishing those type of waters.

I found that using a Parasol Emerger fly as an indicator fly doesn't spook fish as much as a regular strike indicator or larger dry fly.

My modification for this method with tiny dry flies is to tie on the Parasol fly and then attach a piece of tippet directly to the bend of the hook on the Parasol. I usually go from 20 to 30-inches of tippet to my smaller offering to which I attach the smaller midge or emerger with a non-slip loop knot. The Parasol Emerger doesn't seem to spook the feeding fish, usually will pick up a couple of fish itself, and it serves as a beacon for me to orient where my smaller fly is located in the drift.

Give it a try, it works great for my old and tired eyes.

Parasol Emerger fly in a midge:

Trailed by something like the following:

KG's EPF Foam Emerger BWO:

KG's EPF Foam Emerger Midge:

KG's CDC Parasol Midge:

Good luck in figuring the "I can't see it" dilemma, I'm afraid it just gets worse with age...

Kelly.

 

[gt05254]

I solved the whole problem by switching to fishing for atlantic salmon. Nothing smaller than size 10, and that only very rarely.
Gary

 

[Pocono]

I used to fish a lot around dusk/night, with small flies; very hard to see in the water and almost always on swiftwater streams.

I just managed my line very carefully, mended the heck out of it and made sure it's as straight as it could be between me and the fly.

Then I did as others have suggested, I watched the tip of the line for even the slightest pause or wiggle, then set.

Worked for me most of the time...........

Pocono

 

[Bigfly]

Brian, the T is in CA. and NV.
One of a few rivers that terminate inland. (Headwaters near the eastern CA. Sierra crest,
and terminus at Pyramid lake 40 min. north of Reno..)
Plus, I live in Nevada county, CA.
Just to make it more confusing.

Kelly, sick selection of midges.
I use the foam back, and CDC to effect here.
Going to have to learn to tye the parasol for sure.

 

[mcnerney]

Kelly: Good work! I forgot all about that Parasol Emerger fly of yours, I need to use that more often during those times when the light is low. I'm a slow learner I guess!

Larry