The variables of depth control
Willie Holmes delves into the business end of a successful steelhead-fisher’s outfit
Two setups to cover the options.
WHEN STEELHEAD fishing, is your fly at the depth you believe it to be?
In cold water (35-42 deg F or 2-6 deg C), a steelhead’s metabolism slows dramatically. They are less likely to move up through the water column to take a fly, so we must get our flies down, sometimes to within inches of the riverbed. There's an adage in these parts, “If you're not losing flies or ticking the bottom, you're not steelhead fishing.”
This can prove expensive and seem rudimentary if your flies, leaders and sink tips get snagged on the bottom, but the feeling, timing, and connection you’ll experience will give you a valuable 3D perspective of what’s going on beneath the surface. Many anglers fall into the trap of just casting a laser across the river with no thought to the pace or depth of their fly in the water column. However, there are steps even these anglers can take to maximise the chances of tempting a steelhead.
The nuts and bolts of this article may have a winter-fishing bias, but the variables remain the same for summer sport — unless you are lucky enough to be in front of free-rising, surface-engaging fish.
Here, I’m going to concentrate on the variables of depth control. So, let’s list them and deal with each individually.
Many anglers fall into the trap of just casting a laser across the river with no thought to the pace or depth of their fly in the water column
Catching the riverbed with your fly helps paint a 3D perspective of the underwater environment. This can be valuable in your approach and tip choice.
Fly-line (head) density Here in Pacific Canada, we are very fond of Skagit fishing and Skagit lines. Indeed, Skagit fishing was developed in this area as a means of depth control to give the fly-fisher the chance to fish faster, deeper water previously only within the realm of float or spoon anglers.
Initially, Skagit heads all floated. They could deliver a heavy tip, or large heavy fly. We now have multi-density heads too. These get your flies below the surface tension and hold them at depth quickly — even in the faster runs.
A small, classic fly tied on a heavy single hook can sink faster than a big rabbit-fur leech
A steady glide: it will take more than you think to get the fly down to the depth required.
Sink tips
Sink-tip density and length will greatly affect the position of your fly in the water column. As a rule, for slow water use a light tip such as an intermediate, Type 3, T7, or T8. For faster water, use a Type 6–8 or T11–T14. For very fast water, T17–T20 is best.
Put simply, the higher the number, the faster the tip will sink, although too much tension on the fly will inhibit even the fastest tip from sinking in powerful flows. Controlled tension is your ally; too much tension can mislead you as to the actual depth of your fly.
You can buy different pre-made tips from the top fly-line brands, or custom tips from your local fly shop. They are all suitable for fishing on floating or multi-density bodies.
We also have the likes of MOW and Flo tips to choose from. MOW tips came to market a good while ago and are named after the initials of their collaborators, Mike McCune, Scott O’Donnell and Ed Ward, who produced sink tips that helped to give you control of the depth of your flies in pocket water and short buckets.
The MOW tips, produced by Rio, incorporate a floating section fused to sink-tip material, with varying lengths and densities to cater for different conditions. The range includes a full-floater; 7.5ft of float fused to 2.5ft of T-material; 5ft of float fused to 5ft of T-material; 2.5ft of float fused to 7.5ft of T-material; and finally, 10ft or 12.5ft of T-material. The grade of T-material incorporated ranges from T8 to T17, depending on how quickly you need to drop the fly.
gAirflo also produce their Flo Tip range which is similar — going from intermediate to sink — producing a uniform sink rate and connection from multi-density Skagit heads.
Additionally, Rio have iMOW tips (int/sink section) and Scientific Anglers have multi-density tips. Lots of choices — some would say too many!
Too much tension can mislead you as to the actual depth of your fly
A good selection of tips is essential if you are to get your fly down in a variety of currents.
You can really go down the rabbit hole regarding tip lengths
All the above add to the fly-fisher’s arsenal, but you can really go down the rabbit hole regarding tip lengths.
Initially, before the T-tip and MOW/Flo revolution, we dealt primarily with 15ft tips from an intermediate through Type 3, Type 6, and Type 8. As they got heavier, they got shorter. Now we can choose tips of any length and combination to give a more structured attack at a range of depths.
The original 15ft tips — intermediate, Type 3, Type 6, and Type 8 — are excellent on wider, longer runs where a fish could be sitting anywhere. They are fine when the water at the “hang down” (water immediately downstream of you) is of a depth and speed that your sink tip doesn’t get caught.
If it’s shallow or rocky below you, this usually means you must step down through the pool, trying to roll-cast your tip out of the snags. This can be frustrating and you sometimes feel you have not fished the pool in a very methodical manner.
Each tip has its application; it’s just a matter of reading the water and making the right selection before stepping in
The shorter MOW/Flo tips however, let you fish to the hang down with less chance of snagging and disturbing the pool. They also allow you to pick apart technical pocket water where you can high-stick, slip and feed line, and attack the buckets (lies) the way an effective float-fisher would.
Each tip has its application; it’s just a matter of reading the water and making the right selection before stepping in. Today’s range of tips gives you a chance of meeting fish in water you wouldn’t previously have been able to target.
The lighter the fly, the longer your leader can be. Larger flies need short leaders to turn them over.
Leaders
Leader choice is like that of the Atlantic Salmon angler: generally, 12lb–20lb test, suited to the size of fish you are likely to encounter. Personally, I am a fan of fluorocarbon with its perceived invisibility and sink rate, but some prefer monofilament such as Maxima Ultragreen or Chameleon amongst other brands and types.
It’s a personal choice, and a choice that should evoke confidence; if you doubt your leader, your fishing can be greatly affected. Please also fish with a leader that is strong enough to play a fish relatively quickly, especially if you plan to release it.
As for leader length, we have a rule of thumb: with floating lines (like Scandi heads), use longer tapered leaders up to 17ft; for floating Skagit heads, use 8ft–12ft; and for lighter tips, use 5ft–6ft. As you move to heavier tips, you can shorten leaders dramatically, with 3ft–4ft leaders being commonplace.
I will even shorten my leader to 1ft for heavy tips to make sure my fly is exactly where I want it to be in faster boils. You will encounter steelhead that are pressured and possibly leader-shy but generally, if you can present your fly at the correct depth and speed, the leader will not really matter. Confidence is key!
If you doubt your leader, your fishing can be greatly affected
Casting and rod angle
Your casting angle and rod angle can greatly affect the depth and speed of your fly when under tension. Here’s a good exercise to try with a fishing buddy: have one of you with the rod and the other downstream in the flow (keep it safe — not in deep, super-fast water). The person with the rod casts the fly upstream so that the buddy can see the pace and depth of the fly as it swings past while using various rod and casting angles, as well as various applied tension timings.
I can guarantee that the person holding the rod will be surprised when their fishing buddy tells them how shallow the fly, leader and tip really are. As you carry out drills like this you should cover the variables until you have your fly where you want it. Meanwhile, you should scrutinise on-water mends, reach mends, stack mends, or feeding line to see how they impact depth.
Even try drawing the rod back towards you under tension, then drop it forward again while feeding line — this way you can change the swing speed from being too fast and too high in the water column, to slower and deeper as your fly moves inward towards the hang down.
The person with the rod casts the fly upstream so that the buddy can see the pace and depth
Fly size Fly size and dressing are important factors. A small, classic fly tied on a heavy single hook can sink faster than a big rabbit-fur leech or Intruder with dumbbell eyes.
It is good practice to stand in the river and feed the fly from your hand into the water to see how quickly it sinks under tension, and then under no tension. This is something I do regularly. I will even soak a larger fur pattern before casting it across the stream — this helps it “grab” the water and sink quicker on delivery.
Studying your fly in the water not only lets you see how fast or slow it sinks, but as Alan mentioned earlier, it also shows you the profile, movement, and its “fishiness”.
Larger tinsel flies will shed more water, making them easier to cast.
Reading the flow
I see a lot of anglers who don’t study the water before each cast. They don’t address and target a specific flow to gain a consistent outcome. Instead, they just fire a laser across the water willy-nilly.
If you study the water, you’ll see that it dances and pirouettes in different ways, and each variation can give a different outcome after the cast is made. Move downstream one or two steps and the target changes, the wind changes, and the topography changes too. The challenge of getting the fly to what you believe is the sweet spot changes with every step, cast, and breath.
If you study the water, you’ll see that it dances and pirouettes in different ways
Get in the mindset
The art of selecting the head, tip density (and length), leader length and fly, is knowing what is needed to get your fly swimming enticingly at the correct depth. The more you engage with your outfit and the water currents, the more control you gain.
The feeling of steering, cajoling and enticing your fly through a lie is what you must achieve. The feedback you get from a timely, efficient and thoughtful delivery, combined with the sense of accomplishment from a well-fished swing, increases the likelihood of your line tightening.
Time spent standing in the water and checking a few things that you take for granted will be rewarded. It’s a confidence thing. The hard-earned bonus is a steelhead gleaming in the bottom of your net… and boy, there just isn’t another feeling like it!
PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY: JOE EVANS/BRADLEY FUNKHOUSER/SCOTT SHERIN
