I AM HONORED AND SUPER EXCITED TO NOW BE A PART OF THE CORTLAND FLY LINE COMPANY AND A CORTLAND PRO AMBASSADOR. FOR OVER A 100 YEARS, SINCE 1915, CORTLAND LINE HAS BEEN DESIGNING AND MANUFACTURING THE WORLD’S MOST INNOVATIVE, FLY LINE AND BRAIDED FISHING LINE. CORTLAND HAS GRACIOUSLY PROVIDED A BEAUTIFUL SAMPLE OF FLY LINES THAT I WILL BE FEATURING IN MY GUIDE SERVICE AND MY PERSONAL FISHING ADVENTURES OUT ON THE WATER THIS SEASON.
I WILL BE TESTING AND GIVING VALUABLE FEEDBACK ON THESE LINES EVERY COUPLE OF WEEKS TO BRING TO YOU WHAT I HAVE LEARNED ABOUT FISHING AND GUIDING WITH THESE CORTLAND FLY LINES. EACH TIME WE CHANGE TACTICS IN GUIDING AND FISHING, I WILL REPORT BACK TO YOU WHAT I HAVE LEARNED THRU THE DIFFERENT CONDITIONS THAT CHANGE MONTH TO MONTH OUT ON THE LAKE. THESE DIFFERENT SITUATIONS AND TACTICS WILL INCLUDE: FISHING CHIRONOMIDS, DAMSELS, TUI-CHUB FRY, PERCH FRY, LEECHES AND SNAILS WHEN EACH OF THESE FOOD ITEMS ARE AT THEIR HIGH POINT AND THE TROUT ARE KEYING IN ON THESE DIFFERENT FOOD ITEMS. WE WILL BE FEATURING MANY, MANY DIFFERENT FLY LINES TO MATCH EACH FOOD ITEM AND HOW THEY MOVE AND LIVE IN THE WATER.
REMEMBER, FLY LINES ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF FLY FISHING. THEY PROVIDE THE CORRECT DEPTH, SPEED AND ANGLE FOR OUR FLIES TO IMITATE EACH FOOD ITEM. EACH HAS ITS OWN CHARACTERISTICS AND WAY OF MOVING THRU THE WATER SO WE NEED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EACH FLY LINE TO ENABLE US TO BEST REPRESENT AND MIMIC EACH FOOD ITEM THE TROUT ARE FEEDING ON DURING THE SEASON.
BECAUSE RIGHT NOW AT CROWLEY THE CHIRONOMIDS ARE ABOUT 85% OF A TROUTS DIET, WE ARE KEYING IN ON DIFFERENT PRESENTATIONS ON HOW TO IMITATE HOW A CHIRONOMID MOVES IN THE WATER AND MAXIMIZE HOW TO KEEP YOUR FLY IN THE FEEDING ZONE OF THE FISH FOR THE LONGEST PERIOD OF TIME. THIS QUITE SIMPLY IS WITH A CORTLAND NYMPH FLOATING LINE, AN INDICATOR AND A VERY LONG LEADER OF UP TO 25 FEET IN LENGTH. CHIRONOMIDS WILL HOVER ALONG THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE FLOOR FOR HOURS AT A TIME BEFORE ASCENDING TO THE SURFACE. THIS IS A PERFECT TACTIC TO KEEP OUR FLIES IN THE FEEDING ZONE FOR THE LONGEST PERIOD OF TIME!
I HAVE BEEN USING A HARDY ZEPHRUS 10FT 5WT AND 6WT WITH THE CORTLAND NYMPH FLOATING FLY LINE AND THIS LINE HAS ALREADY IMPRESSED ME. THE FRONT HEAD OF THIS LINE IS MORE HEAVY TO MAKE CASTING MUCH EASIER FOR ANY ANGLER OF ANY SKILL LEVEL, HOWEVER WHAT I HAVE NOTICED IS THE SIZE OF THE FRONT TAPER IS NOT AS FAT AS MANY OTHER NYMPH TAPERS I HAVE USED. THIS ALLOWS YOU TO MEND SO MUCH EASIER THAN BEFORE WITH VERY LITTLE EFFORT TO PICK UP YOUR FLY LINE AND MEND YOUR LINE INTO A MUCH BETTER AND STRAIGHTER POSITION. IT ALSO ENABLES YOU TO PICK UP THE LINE MUCH FASTER ON THE HOOK SET BECAUSE OF IT BEING THINNER TO LIFT OFF THE WATER. ANY ANGLER WHO HAS SPENT ANY TIME INDICATOR FISHING UNDERSTANDS ITS A CONSTANT BATTLE TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A STRAIGHT LINE FROM THE TIP OF YOUR ROD TO THE INDICATOR AND GET THE PROPER LIFT AND SPEED OF YOUR HOOK SET TO GET TO THE FLY BELOW AND GET THE STEEL IN THE FISHES LIPS. IF YOU DON’T HAVE THIS STRAIGHT (PIANO STRING) LINE TO THE INDICATOR, YOU WILL SET THE HOOK AND COME UP EMPTY ON YOUR TAKE DOWNS BECAUSE OF THE LONGER LEADER AND DEPTH YOUR ARE FISHING. THE LINE ALSO HAS LITTLE OR NO MEMORY AND LAYS VERY STRAIGHT WITHOUT ANY KINKS OR TWISTS IN THE FLY LINE.
THE OTHER CHARACTERISTIC OF THIS LINE I AM VERY PLEASED WITH IS THE LINE IS A NICE FLAT GREY COLOR THAT DOESNT CATCH YOUR EYE, HOWEVER THE TIP OF THE LINE IS CHARTREUSE COLOR SO YOU CAN JUST FOCUS ON THE END OF THE FLY LINE WHERE YOUR INDICATOR IS AND NOT THE COLOR OF THE WHOLE FLY LINE.
AS WE MOVE ON INTO THE SEASON I WILL BE FISHING OTHER CORTLAND FLY LINES TO MATCH UP EACH SITUATION AND WILL REPORT BACK ON MY TACTICS AND WHAT TYPE OF FLY LINES ARE WORKING THE BEST FOR ME AND MY CLIENTS OUT ON THE WATER. NEXT UP FOR SURE WILL BE THE GREAT DAMSEL HATCH WE HAVE AT CROWLEY AND HAVE HIGH HOPES OF CROWLEY BEING CLOSE TO FULL POOL SO WE CAN GET BACK INTO THE SHALLOWS AND TARGET THESE MONSTER FISH THAT ARE FEEDING ON THE DAMSELS IN SHALLOW WATER. LETS KEEP OUR FINGERS CROSSED, MAYBE SOME DRY FLY ACTION BACK IN THE FLATS AS WELL.
CROWLEY REPORT:
CROWLEY LAKE HAS BEEN OFF AND ON, I HAVE HAD SOME GREAT REPORTS OF LARGER THAN LIFE DAYS AND THEN THE NEXT DAY, BACK DOWN TO EARTH NUMBERS. IT HAS STARTED TO BECOME MORE CONSISTENT THIS WEEK. AS THE WATER AT CROWLEY STARTS TO TRY TO WARM, WE WILL SEE A MUCH MORE CONSISTENT BITE. THE CHIRONOMIDS ARE COMING OFF THE WATER TWICE AND THREE TIMES A DAY IN MASSIVE HATCHES AS USUAL FOR CROWLEY AND WE HAVE BEEN PUTTING OUR FLIES BACK DOWN TO MORE NORMAL DEPTHS, CLOSER TO THE BOTTOM IN THE 12″ TO 15″ RANGE. THIS TELLS ME THE WATER IS WARMING UP DOWN ON THE BOTTOM A LITTLE MORE THAN THE LAST FEW WEEKS. NEXT REPORT I WILL BE GIVING YOU SOME BOTTOM TEMPERATURE READINGS AT MANY DIFFERENT LOCATIONS AROUND THE LAKE. SANDY POINT IN 16 TO 23 FEET OF WATER, DEPENDING ON THE TIME OF DAY HAS BEEN VERY CONSISTENT. ALIGATOR POINT IN THE 15 TO 21 FEET OF WATER HAS STARTED TO PRODUCE MORE FISH AND NORTH LANDING IN DEEPER WATER 17 TO 21 FEET HAS ALSO STARTING TO PRODUCE. IT SEEMS STILL AND FOR A WHILE THE 18 TO 23 FEET OF WATER HAS BEEN THE MORE CONSISTENT DEPTH THRU OUT THE ENTIRE DAY. CHIRONOMIDS IN SIZE 14 TO 16 IN COLORS: BLACK/COPPER, BLACK/RED, BLACK/BLUE, BLACK/PURPLE, GREY/SILVER, GREY/BLACK AND THE BALANCED LEECHES IN SIZE 10 TO 12 BLACK/RED, BLACK/BLUE AND BLACK/OLIVE HAVE BEEN WORKING WELL ALSO. YOU CAN GET A VERY NICE SELECTION OF BALANCED LEECHES IN MANY COLORS FROM RICK’S SPORTING GOODS IN MAMMOTH. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND RICK’S SPORTING GOODS FOR THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND PROFESSIONALISM. YOU CAN REACH THEM AT (760) 934-3416
THEY WILL TREAT YOU RIGHT!
GOOD LUCK ANGLERS OUT ON THE WATER AND BE SAFE!
I do love me some “Stillwater” fly fishing….Ernie