Any advice for my first time Chironimid fishing?

[chauchey]

So on saturday I'm heading out, expecting a small chronie hatch. And although I've dabbled in this last week, this time I'm going all out. Small boat, double anchor, indicator, floating line, sinking line(I'm looking forward to this one), and a variety of leaders for the occasion. I've tied a bunch of nice looking flies up this week. I've done my best to prepare, but I know I don't know everything. So I'm relying on you to fill the gaps.

What is something that you wish you had known when you first started fishing midge pupa?

[macrib46]

At this time of year you will be fishing the shoals. I would start about 6" to 1' off the bottom, floating line with an indicator,painfully slow retrieve with a very ocasional 6" twitch. When the indicator goes down just lift the rod.
I would start with a blood worm first as they are full of heamoglobin when they start thier assent.
I would start with a size 10-14( I tie mine on shrip, caddis hooks as I haven't seen a staight chroni yet). Watch for birds swooping down on a section of the water-hatch coming off. Also look in the water to get an idea of color and size if you can spot any. Keep the wind at your back as it will keep your line staight out.
Happy hunting and good luck.

dave

[btree]

well, if you've ever done any bobber and worm fishing, then you have the basics covered.

Long casts are not always necessary, but patience is. Make sure you're indicator is easily seen and does not tend to sink if swamped by little waves. I found that orange was good at short range, but further out, or into the sun, they were hard to see, so I went back to yellow or flurescent green. Big ones are ok, but harder to cast.

Make sure you are using leaders that sink well. Flurocarbon leaders sink really well, but found that a short section (3-6 feet) of heavy/thick leader (30lb or left over thick part of an old tapered leader) helped turn over a longer section of the sinking part - 8-15 feet of flurocarbon in the appropriate tippet. Presentation at the end of the cast isnt too important, but laying out a straight cast that turns over without fouling is important, especially if it sinks fast.

Also, finding where the fish are helps. For casting ease, head to the slick, but you will find that if you go the part of the lake that is down wind, you will catch more fish since that side of the lake will collect most of the food that was in the top few feet of water.

If it's really windy, go to the sink tip or full sink and a short leader (less that 6 feet). Make sure that your line is dead straight, so cast with the wind, or if you are in a belly boat, kick into the wind very very very slowly. I cant stress the slowness. With a floating line, I dont even retreive. I just let it sit. With the sinking line technique, I watch where my line enters the water and make sure I am moving, but also that my line does not make a ripple as it moves through the water. A fine line I know.

Keeping your rod low and pointed down the line with the floating line helps quickly strike, but with the sinking line, you need to be really zen-focussed on your line. I point my rod down the line and put the tip of the rod well into the water. I feel the line with my hand rather than relying on my rod tip to detect the strike, which often isnt a strike but more of a slight drift or a tap that feels like the bottom or a wave hitting your rod. I dont strike, but rather pull my line hand up and if I get nothing, then keep on fishing and leave the rod where it was. On the floating line, you can strike more firmly, but if you go below 4lb test tippet, which is often necessary, then be gentle. You are often striking just as the fish realizes "crap I'm hooked" and taking off, so you might break off a few, but it's part of the process.

I love chronie fishing because it harkens back to my bobber and worm days when I first learned fishing.

You'll find that the drop off zone is the most productive no matter when or where you are fishing, lake or river, but with chronies, shoals (large shallow areas) can be great. Generally chronies dont really come off till between 10am and 2pm, but they are always moving about, so start deep early and then move up as the day goes on, or stay deep all day long, depending on how you find casting with a leader 15 foot or longer.

The main thing is to match the size and colour by dip netting samples or just looking at what midges are coming off, then find the right depth, but usually a foot or two off the bottom works as well as a 1-2 feet from the surface.

Don't be tempted to go to dries by rising fish, just head to that area of the lake and send out your offering. Also, if you anchor, be prepared to "rest" the water 5-10 minutes before finding any decent bites. I love belly boats because I never use an anchor. I just find a way to "hover" in the right place. I miss my belly boat

[johnk]

So on saturday I'm heading out, expecting a small chronie hatch. And although I've dabbled in this last week, this time I'm going all out. Small boat, double anchor, indicator, floating line, sinking line(I'm looking forward to this one), and a variety of leaders for the occasion. I've tied a bunch of nice looking flies up this week. I've done my best to prepare, but I know I don't know everything. So I'm relying on you to fill the gaps.

What is something that you wish you had known when you first started fishing midge pupa?

Most of the important points have been covered. I will just add a couple minor points:

If the air is cool and the hatch is delayed I would suggest fishing larva patterns suspended off the bottom. Measure the depth and add 25% to your leader length.

Once they break out of the larval tubes, pupae will stage up on the bottom for three or four days before their ascent to the surface so the natural that is hatching may not be the one the fish are targetting.

Chironomids collect gases as they rise to the surface so bear that in mind depending on the depth you are fishing.

[btree]

Oh ya, I forgot to mention a really important point that you need to do before almost anything.

STRAIGHTEN YOUR LEADER!

If your leader is kinked or coiled and is not either totally limp, or straight, you will miss almost every take. This is more of a challenge in cooler weather. I never used a leader straightener, just my hand, but what ever you use, make sure the leader is well straightened below your indicator.

[professori]

The one thing that took me the longest to learn was "Once you think your retrieve is slow enough, slow down 'cause you are going too fast." It requires a lot of patience and concentration, but when you get dialed in, it can be a fish a cast day. Good luck.

[macrib46]

The one thing that took me the longest to learn was "Once you think your retrieve is slow enough, slow down 'cause you are going too fast." It requires a lot of patience and concentration, but when you get dialed in, it can be a fish a cast day. Good luck.

Kind of like watching paint dry, wouldn't you say professori?

[11th Warrior]

Kind of like watching paint dry, wouldn't you say professori?

Slower. More like watching grass grow.

[btree]

:doh:
hehehe, well it's only that slow if you arent picking up a fish every few casts.

I find that with chronies, if you find fish, you dont need to do any sort of retrieve. The fish are cruising, so I just let it sit and wait. I find that if the feeding is really strong, then I get a fish within a few minutes, often as the fly sinks, so I always make sure my leader lays out dead straight from the float after each cast. If it doesnt, I re-cast or just slowly pull the line in a few feet till I'm sure there is a direct contact between the fly and the float.

[geoffvl]

For retrieving I was taught to do the pinch retrieve. Put your thumb and finger together straight out and pull in about an inch as slow as you can. Fun Fun.