This method of fishing is one I haven't tried. I know there are a lot of experts in this forum, and I was hoping I could get some basic tips to start. I get the general idea of long leaders, small flies, and strike indicators. But what else are the requirements? Rod, reel, line? Patterns? Where? When? With the good weather coming up, I most likely will put aside the remodeling project and head out to one of the local lakes or perhaps one on the Kitsap Peninsula. Since I can be on one of several within a half-hour's drive, it beats trying to take a whole day to chase steelhead.

Is there a link to a primer on chironomid fishing? Can someone give me a jumpstart?

Thanks in advance,

Keith

kjackson... here is just the start...

A great place to find things out (entomology) and patterns…

http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/angling/flies/chironomid/larva.phtml

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Good Pics:

http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/angling/protalk/rowley/sinking.phtml

http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/angling/protalk/chan/confession.phtml

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http://www.premier1.net/~jrposch/wflt_trout.html

We try and use weight chironomids using a ultra fine lead or tungsten. This gets the fly to hang straight and we have found this to be important. The best conditions that we have found are when the lake surface has a slight ripple on it… it seems to give the fish the overhead protection and it also gives the fly a slight up and down “twitch”… the twitch is another important part of the retrieve. Cast your fly let it sink… then wait a while… then just a twitch… no retrieve… just a twitch… then wait a while …. REPEAT…

This is a slow but sure way to get fish…

Some people use really complicated patterns but stick to the simple! Black seems to be the most productive pattern…

Good Luck – Tight Lines!

P.S. when you are just about to fall asleep or dazed out BAM… Hold On!

KJ - Don't know if it's too far, but you might try Lone Lake on Whidbey. It's a selective fishery lake and open year round. Fishing chronies just above the weedbeds can be productive this time of year, especially if the weather holds.

As bowhunter mentioned, the strike will always come when you're not
watching. Indicator fishing is an art similar to checking out Womens Breasts, you can't sit staring directly at it or nothing good will happen. You must develope your
perhiperal vision, so you appear to be watching the ducks. The strike WILL come.

Another trick you must master is the slip strike. Hold the line loosely
between two fingers while you're waiting. When the indicator goes down,
strike immediately, but let the line slip.

Depth of your fly is critical as is a vertical presentation, normally
a foot to 18" above the bottom or weed layer is
effective, but you may need to vary that. If surface activity is great fish the
surface film with a floater that hangs vertical. (there's a pattern for that).
An electronic depth finder or Polish depth finder is a must to set your depth.

Not all lakes are good chrionomid lakes and not all parts of good lakes are
good chironomiding. Most activity will be found at any one time in a narrow
depth band starting around 3-6 feet in early spring and moving outward to
12-15' as water warms and the sun angle increases. Your job each day is to find the most active area of the lake and most active depth by prospecting. Look for broad flats of gradual bottom taper from 5' to 15' depths with muddy bottom and short weed cover.
Bathometric maps are a big plus in "finding honey holes"

Good luck and don't give up. It's not rocket science but requires some experience and
patience. You can learn most rapidly by going with good chironomiders or going where
they fish and observing etc.

Keith,

It took me a couple of trips to put together how to indicator fish for chronies. One bit of advice I'd use is don't be afraid to use the larger corkies for indicators. The little paste one ones work... but they're too hard to see when casting far, in dim light or when there's a good chop on the water.

I think silver is the best color for a chronie, with black, red and green the next ones. A BC chronie guy, Phil Rowley, thinks silver is the universal color for pupa on the way up (emerging) and I tend to agree with him after testing that out for two years. I caught them on silver when other colors were emerging. His theory is no matter what color they are, the underskin gasses make the chronie look silverish to the fish.

If you want a "chronie tutorial", check with me in March and we can do the seep lakes somewhere.

Another bit of advice for indicator fishing. Use a boat and two anchors. A swinging boat or float tube makes it too hard to properly fish indicators.

If you do choose to put the rod down in the boat, drape it across the sides of the boat with the reel hanging past the far side of the boat. Some indicator hits aren't light and the fish hits them running. If you're not holding the rod, it can and will go over the side. I had one up on Stoney Lake in BC smack it so hard I thought my reel got damaged. Never did stop that fish. It broke me off going away.

for equipment, I prefer a medium action rod. I have a 5wt LL sage for dry line chronies, and use a 5 wt line on it. 6 weights do as well, but don't see the need for anything heavier. Anything less than 5 weight gets bogged down by the indicator.

I also cast with a big loop so I don't get tailing loops.

Hooks.. I use the Tiemco 2457 which is an extra heavy, short shank hook. I also put a brass bead on it for weight. I do have bloodworm imitations tied with just red wire for the body. Those sink fast.

Some people prefer fluorocarbon for tippets to get the fly down, but I'm still using regular 5x Climax. I usually don't go deeper than 9-10 feet as I normally fish the edges of a lake.

Gentlemen-- Thanks for the replies. There is a wealth of information there. It takes time to be as forthcoming as you were, and I appreciate the effort. Now all I have to do is tie a few patterns in some different sizes, figure out how to double anchor my pontoon boat and head out.

It should be interesting if not exciting fishing. It brings to mind both halibut and sturgeon fishing where you anchor and wait for the bite... and I guess I can always practice my women's-breasts-watching technique. That can always use polishing!

Zen-- you'd mentioned silver as a body color. That is tinsel, right? Maybe overwrap the tinsel with a strip of clear plastic and then rib that with something to provide segmentation. Is that correct?

Time to dig out the Corkies since I didn't use them for steelhead this year.

Thanks again, guys. If I can help you at any time, give a shout.

Keith

Keith,

It's silver mylar for a body wrap covered with Sally Hansen's "Hard as Nails" fingernail polish. I think the mylar is called "flashabou". I use the small width stuff and grab about 3 or 4 strings of it and wind it down and up the body and then rib it with red holographic tinsel.

The body on the emergers looks closer to a gray silver so some people are cutting strips out of the anti-static bags that come with computer parts.

FishinfellaS is more into chronie experimenting than I am and he's really done some work with them.

Here's a website that if you follow it to the patterns gives the info on the "chromie" pattern.
http://www.flycraftangling.com/
Chromie pattern is on the archived flies.

I like the twist on indicators (rubber center) better than the corkies as the toothpick sometimes catches the fly line. It's best if the corkies is staked from the bottom rather than the top as the top is the way that gets hung up the most.

Its possible to double anchor a pontoon boat, but the easiest way I've found for pontoons is to use a single anchor...but have the line tied into both sides of the back of the pontoon boat. I had some line loops connected to the ring from a key ring and it would self center itself. Didn't sway back and forth in the wind as much... but it still did some.

You folks have given me plenty to think about, and for once, I don't have to buy any new gear, which is some kind of a record, although I could use another five weight fly line so I could have a dedicated chironomid rod such as Zen has.

Zen, your comments about the toothpick problem with Corkies got me to thinking. There is a product called a Peg It made for pegging worm weights used for bass fishing. It's a soft yet tough plastic that is tapered and resembles a nail. You thread the sinker on your line, put in the Peg It, pull it tight and clip off the excess. The sinker can then be positioned just about anywhere on the line. I think this might be the answer to pegging Corkies if the center hole is large enough.

Another option is to use another pegging technique used for Mojo sinkers. Here a tool like a bobbin threader is inserted into the hole (once the weight or Corky is on the line) and then the threader is used to pull strands of rubber into and through the hole. Once again you clip off the surplus.

Since there is no weight, virtually, on a chironomid rig, it seems this might work well.

I would try it this weekend, but the elusive blackmouth calls. Next week, between assignments, I'll head out to Gibbs or maybe Leland if I'm feeling lazy, and give it a whack.

Thanks again for the good advice.

Keith

Keith:
Pegging the indicator is a problem almost no matter what you use.
If you tie on the indicator somehow you must untie and reposition
whenever you change location or depth....that's normally often.

If you use some system that will slip so it's easily adjusted, it usually
slips some from the shock of the strike/hookset and water lubrication. This changes your depth
when you don't want it changed and sometimes you don't realize it when it happens.
Depth is extremely critical so it can take ya out of the game.
The rubber or rubberband inserts are the worst of all for this.
There are already indicators with a plastic insert peg and they aren't
much better than wood pegs. The problem is insolvable and you best
recheck your depth setting often, esp. if you were getting bit and suddenly
it ceases.

Tip: try Gibbs first. Leland is a much tougher show and deeper so hatches
are later there. Don't expect much right now. It's still 2 months to prime
time, but you may pick up a few fish cause chironomids hatch to some degree over
there nearly year around.

This question is for Fishnfellas.
What is a "Polish" depthfinder?(not offended, just curious)
And what is a "Bathometric" map and where can I get one?
Thanks in advance,
Larry

I can understand your questions as both terms are not well known/used.

A Polish depth finder is a method for those without electronics to set their
fly depth precisely in relation to the bottom. Take a small bell sinker with
the brass swivel down the center. Pinch the swivel so it will JUST barely
admit the hook. Hook it on your lower fly (if you use a two fly rig) and lower
to the bottom. The leader will go slack just as you hit bottom. Grab the
waterline and pull up 12-18". Then grab the waterline again and set/peg
your bobber at that point. Your chiornomid will be the distance off bottom
that you set for that anchor drop. Do the same when you change location.

Bathometric maps are topographic maps of the lake bottoms. They are obtainable
here or from "Lakes of Washington" a book published by Dept of Ecology and
probably various other sources.
They are invaluable to locate areas of gently sloping bottom needed for good
chironomiding. When fishing areas of steep bottom your setting is invalidated
when you bobber drifts a short distance toward or away from shore.