Does Size Matter?
My last guided day is done for this trout season, and as I wash out my boots and dry out my waders I can’t help but reflect on the last seven months. Overall, it has been a slightly tougher one than usual on the chalkstreams, I think not helped by huge amounts of water during the prime time and the impact that had on fly life. As I unload the monomaster of dead tippet, pluck used and abused flies off my fob and inspect the decimation of my fly boxes, a thread of consciousness about flies turned into a train of thought. When looking at the regular patterns I have been using, I can see an overall trend that the flies I am using and tying on for fishermen are becoming smaller over flies of yesteryear. As I pondered, I realised that this is not only in trout fishing, but salmon fishing and even saltwater fishing.
Fly choice in whatever fly fishing scenario you find yourself is obviously vitally important. The fact that the fly is in fact the only part of all the expensive tackle you have spent a lifetime compiling is the bit that the fish actually see often escapes us fly fishermen. We all know that most of us live by the motto “he who dies with the most toys wins”. So what are the aspects of this combination of thread, fur and feather that are key when making this decision of such paramount importance? Is it colour? Profile? Those wispy bits of flash that turn on its aggressive feeding instinct? I believe above all, it has come to be size. One of the key factors I have learnt over the years is that as a general rule, in areas around the world where fish do not come into contact with people, large flies are effective in presenting a large mouthful to a hungry fish, but in areas where they have more interaction with people and fishermen, then you have to downsize your patterns to become more successful.
Trout Fishing
When considering trout fishing, in this instance, I will focus on the Chalkstreams where I spend the majority of my time. The fish that live in these crystal clear waters will see and experience perhaps more than those that live further north simply because the banks are tended to, the water is clear and there is a higher density of footfall on the banks. At the beginning of the season, after a cold winter fish, are active and hungry and will often hit a large Grannom, sedge or large dark olive. During Mayfly they become sated on hunting large patterns, but even towards the end of Mayfly, we see many switch off the abundance of spent gnat and move onto small olives. Blundering up to the river edge and thrashing away with the hawser of a butt section tied to a size 10 Parachute Adams at this point is not going to cut it.
This is the moment you need to switch tactics and use as long a leader as you can manage, tapering down to a 6X (3 ½ lb breaking strain) tippet and size 16 flies. Make sure you also degrease the end of your leader with something like Orvis mud or Fullers earth to take the shine off it. This will give you a far more delicate presentation, make the fly more realistic and less likely to spook the fish as it lands. In clear water, this is particularly important as that tiny flash as the leader lands can often put the fish on edge or spook them. It’s worth noting that especially on our Chalkstreams where the flow is perhaps not as fast-moving as some of our northern streams, the fish have far longer to inspect the fly so often smaller patterns are more realistic, representing their natural food. By matching the size of natural prey, offering a delicate presentation, and catering to the preferences of fish, smaller flies often result in more successful outcomes.
Salmon Fishing
Having grown up salmon fishing in Scotland and then guiding in Norway, I was of the firm opinion that to catch a salmon, a big fly was needed. The proverbial size 6 Ally Shrimp, or Hairy Mary was a firm favourite. In Norway, due to the fast powerful water and heads of pools often having white water, a 2 – 3 inch Templedog or Sunray Shadow would be found adorning the ring on my rod. I went through some of my formative years blissfully unaware there was any alternative. The game-changer for me was the first time I fished in Iceland. Here my entire belief was rudely shattered after some education from first-class guides.
Clear water is the norm in Icelandic rivers, but when the guide first tied on a size 16 Silver Madeline (a mere wisp of black hair tied with a few wraps to a silver treble) and told me to fish down a pool, I was somewhat incredulous that a fish of that size would even see it, let alone take it. I could not have been more wrong. What makes Iceland unique is the ability to watch salmon in the pool reacting to the fly. In some ways, especially on some of the west coast salmon rivers, you have the rare chance to see pods of fish and often from a higher vantage point on the edge of a rock bluff. Seeing them rise off the bottom to intercept a tiny fly or take a micro-hitched tube off the surface is one of the most exciting things I have experienced in fly fishing. The point of fact, if you put a large fly through a pool, often you can see the fish spook madly and damage your chances of actually getting one to take.
It dawned on me quite quickly that there is no reason why the same tactics would not work back home. I have used the same tactics on the Tyne, Spey and other northern rivers and had success. Larger gear obviously has its place when fishing big, colder, fast-moving rivers, particularly in spring. However, when we hit summer water levels I have seen so many fishermen continue to use the same methods and tactics they would in spring. The difference is, here the water is coloured and we cannot see the reaction of the fish to the fly in the same way. But why would it be any different to the way I have seen fish star burst away from big flies slapping into the water in Iceland? I suspect it doesn’t. I think some fishermen are under the impression that salmon are somehow impervious to heavy foot treads, a 10 – 11 Skagit fly line slapping down on the water and rope for leader. Some of the best salmon fishermen I have observed actually behave more like trout fishermen. They approach a pool quietly and keep low to the ground, use the lighter line weight rods and lines, longer leaders, and smaller flies. Downsizing your fly is often the key to tempting a reluctant Atlantic salmon.
Saltwater
Fishing the flats for saltwater species is a completely different scenario. In the saltwater arena, I feel that fly size is not always driven by representation. Yes, if you are imitating a particular shrimp, crab, or baitfish, then a fly of that size is important. Some commercially tied patterns I have found are tied too large to represent accurately the prey species in certain countries though. For example, the crabs found at Turneffe Atoll in Belize are more like a five pence piece than the giant size 4’s and 6’s that are generally available. Here the smaller crabs are much more effective for not only permit but also bonefish.
The other big factor in the salt is contact with man. Also known as fishery pressure, the more fish that come into contact with fishermen with regularity, the more they wise up. This in itself is not rocket science and pretty common sense, but one of the ways that you can combat it is to drop your fly sizes. There is a reason that the Florida Keys produce more cuttin- edge fly patterns and techniques than any other saltwater fishery in the world. There is a huge number of fishermen that escape onto Florida’s flats to chase the bonefish, permit and top of their list, tarpon. Many Florida Keys guides fish for tarpon with size 1/0 hooks and flies with great success, whereas in Cuba a 4/0 is going to be more of the norm. There are atolls of the Seychelles where fishing for giant trevally is better done with 2/0 flies instead of the 6/0 small anchors used in the outer atolls where many fish have never even seen a human, let alone a fisherman.
Smaller flies also present better and can also be easier to cast in the wind. They land on the water more delicately than larger flies, reducing the risk of spooking fish in shallow, calm or clear water. This more subtle presentation can be crucial for wary fish like bonefish or permit in skinny water. On the pancake flats of Los Roques in Venezuela or the similar environment on the coral edges of Turneffe Atoll in Belize, I have gone down to flies as small as 12 and 14, some without any weight at all to make that presentation as gentle as possible. Any more results in an explosion of fish and water and nothing to show for it. Many saltwater species have diverse diets and won’t hesitate to eat smaller prey. Using smaller flies increases the likelihood of attracting a broader range of fish species, from bonefish and permit to snook and triggerfish, and even tarpon.
So drawing my ramblings to some kind of end, going smaller with your flies on everything from trout to salmon to big saltwater species often leads to more success because it does not spook the fish, more accurately mimics the natural prey, offers better presentation, combats increased fishing pressure, and adapts to the fish’s feeding behaviour. So the next time you are struggling to get a take, consider what I have said and go small. You might be pleasantly surprised.
