Going Low

It can get a little tedious turning up the river each week to discover new features in the riverbed that in normal conditions you would be ignorant of. Low water can be the excuse to stay at home, but in reality the fish are still there and though their behaviours may change – so can ours!

Making the most of the conditions you are presented with means sometimes tweaking the standard approach.

For low water salmon I fish a single handed rod, even on larger rivers – usually a #6 with a floating or hover line.

The single-hand ZX 6100 is a perfect match for this type of fishing. The length allows you to control the line better than a shorter rod, and the fast action #6 blank will still comfortably turnover small tube flies and cone heads whilst retaining a delicate presentation. The stiff butt section of the ZX series helps to play these strong fish hard by bending the rod deep into the blank.

The Evotec G5 #5-8 LW is the largest arbour model in the lightweight frame size. The perfect model to balance #6 and #7 single-handed rods, wide enough to hold sufficient backing, strong and smooth drag which is easily adjustable while playing a fish and a reliable, solid full-frame design.

Every cast is important in low water environments – making unnecessary splashes and lifting off to recast too soon will spook fish. Having a lighter set-up and fishing mindfully can make the most of your time in these situations.

Smaller rivers require you to get your fly ‘fishing’ as soon as it touches the water. A long pull to gain tension followed by short sharp pulls or a figure of 8 retrieve to get that fly moving enticingly as soon as it starts to swing. In low clear water the fish will see your fly.

If fresh fish are known to be in the system a longer tailed fly is what I go for. If I know they have been in a while that is when I will go for the really small stuff.

I always think “if I can see this fly in my hand a fish can see it” and am not shy to fish the smallest flies I possibly can – if the conditions require it.

Finally, a tapered leader is a great help in turning over the fly and presenting everything ready to swing as soon as it lands. As a general rule of thumb you need at least 1 rod length for leader length but often in really low clear water I will go up to 16-18’ leader to keep the fly away from the end of the fly line as best as possible.

Low water shouldn’t mean low expectations.