tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3918514418757933899.post6675872415079762509..comments2023-08-28T10:53:49.807-05:00Comments on The Classical Angler: Experiments with the floating line in the Midwest in fall/winterErik Helmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00727530868264488710noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3918514418757933899.post-22588693329212033362009-11-29T11:52:33.646-06:002009-11-29T11:52:33.646-06:00AJ,
Thank you for your observations. The soft wate...AJ,<br />Thank you for your observations. The soft water point is important. Wiggle is good as well. I found an article about Irish shrimp patterns last evening. I tie them and there they are in my box in the picture. Did I fish them? No. Dumb. Irish shrimp were designed for exactly the soft flow conditions we are encountering. Traditional as well. Use schlappen in two segments and a long soft Golden pheasant tail. Oval tinsel between.<br /><br />"Geek leech" sounds like something Gierach would coin!<br />HaHa!Erik Helmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00727530868264488710noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3918514418757933899.post-22582472887494342952009-11-28T13:29:29.934-06:002009-11-28T13:29:29.934-06:00Brian, What I call a geek leech went through a cou...Brian, What I call a geek leech went through a couple evolutions. At one point it was merely rabbit strips palmered around the shank with lead eyes. This was the final incarnation:<br />Tie in a loop for a trailing stinger hook, wrap lead wire over the shank, then a crystal chenille body. Tie in a rabbit strip matuka style, then a couple pieces of flashabou. Add a couple turns of hackle for a collar, and big 'ol barbell lead eyes. Clip off the hook point, then thread your stinger hook and stick it into the rabbit strip. It's essentially a rabbit strip leach with some serious heft. They sank like a rock and had lots of wiggle (wiggle good!) thus were perfect for Alaskan salmon and Rainbows. A couple years after I moved down south, I was reading a short story by John Gierach wherein he mentions folks in B.C. using "lead eyed geek leeches" for Bull Trout. I've no idea if that was a specific fly or a genre, but I got a giggle out of the name, and started calling my flies geek leeches. Add to the fact that they fish so well that even the most hopeless geek can get a pull or two with them. Geek+leech=fish. Probably should have named 'em something else since. Oh well. So there are probably a few different ties swimming around with the same name.--AJtrout chasernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3918514418757933899.post-55393532574376895502009-11-28T09:06:30.033-06:002009-11-28T09:06:30.033-06:00Trout Chaser,
What's a geek leech?
BrianTrout Chaser,<br /><br />What's a geek leech?<br /><br />BrianAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3918514418757933899.post-13471822975216821122009-11-27T20:59:09.320-06:002009-11-27T20:59:09.320-06:00Erik, I'd have to say that your observations s...Erik, I'd have to say that your observations square pretty well with my own experiences both this year and last. <br />Today the water temp was 36 degrees F, but I still got three steelhead as well as a couple good grabs that I missed. One thing I've noticed is that the fish will often act really "flirty," almost like summer fish. In years past when fishing sink tips, it was an all or nothing proposition, they either slammed the fly or let it go by, whereas on floating lines there will be a few little bumps and nudges followed by an occasional pull. A couple times today it took three passes through the lie to get a solid grab. I'm wondering if the fact that the fish have to move up to the fly makes 'em act differently than when you're bonking them on the head with a weighted geek leech, irregardless of Temperature. <br />All the fish I moved were in very soft water, nearly froggy in one instance. I really do feel that flow is more important than depth in the winter. I also moved every fish on a small articulated marabou fly. After landing one and losing one in a run, I switched to a large "classic" tie and fished out the remainder of the water. Zilch, nothin', nada. Wiggle is good!<br />I'd also have to agree that fishing "virgin" water helps a great deal as well.<br />The mere fact that these fish can be taken on unweighted flies and floating lines in the winter just makes me giggle. Tight lines all--AJtrout chasernoreply@blogger.com