EARLY SEASON FISHING
The key to success in the early season water that runs as cold as a frozen knife is to think slow
and deep. Your nymphs must get down to the fish and stay in their feeding zone as long as possible, as they won't chase
food very far with their low body metabolism.
Often, the way to get down to the fish is by using split shot but casting can be a little "tricky"
with split shot, especially with a wind whistling through your guides. Be careful. A poorly executed cast on a
cold day with split shot and graphite clashing can result in a shattered rod very easily.
Once the nymph is where you want it to be, manage your line carefully. Dead drift is very important
and putting your nymph in the "window" for the fish to take it becomes critical. Cast upstream, let your nymph sink
and tumble into the zone where you think the fish might be holding and be sure to mend your line carefully to preserve a perfect
dead drift.
The take under these conditions will often be very subtle and the fisherman has to be always vigilant.
Any irregular movement of the leader should be seen as a take and a hook set attempted.
Often the afternoons in early spring will bring a heavy Blue Winged Olive hatch and dry flies will
be the method of choice. This can be a maddening time however, as often the fish will stubbornly refuse anything on
top. This may be a time to turn to a parachute, low riding fly and hope that you can match size and color to the naturals.
I've see the trout be amazingly fussy in the midst of heavy hatches of "olives".
