I took a break from the local reservoirs and fished Diamond lake 5/23 and 5/24 with my dad, and the fishing was good! The lake is shaping up well will water temp in the mid 50’s, and we had a strong chironomid hatch along with callibaetis making an appearance. We started the morning anchored in 6-8ft of water. Fishing indicator rigs with leeches, chironomids, and bloodworms caught fish. With the wind calm in the morning, using a two-chironomid set up under the indicator was effective. When the wind comes up a bit towards noon, using a balanced leech on the point and a chironomid dropper will help anchor the rig in the waves a little better. The most effective sinking lines used were an intermediate, and a type 3. Minnow patterns, wooly buggers and leeches were the ticket for us on these lines. About that wind…. Generally, the conditions are the nicest the first half of the day, but the wind usually arrives around noon. It can make indicator tactics unpractical. The balanced leech will mitigate the generated current to an extent, but I’ve learned to go with it. Loche style fishing is a great option in the wind. Pulling anchor, drifting with the wind and casting ahead of the boat and retrieving your flies back to the boat is extremely effective and a somewhat underutilized stillwater tactic in the U.S. It is often used with a drogue(think of it as an underwater parachute to slow the boat). While you can fish without a drogue I recommend getting one. It helps slow and steady the boat allowing you to fish a more controlled drift. Throwing ahead of the boat as opposed to trolling is the key to this technique. While trolling has caught many many fish, this technique allows you to cover the water, and for the fish to see the fly BEFORE the boat. A huge advantage, especially when fishing shallow water. While we fished Loche style the same intermediate and type 3 lines were sufficient. Flies used: chironomids and bloodworms in assorted colors, sizes 18-12. Balanced leeches size 10-8. Wooly buggers, minnow patterns, leeches and attractor patterns in sizes 10-6. Stop by the shop and gear up for your next Stillwater adventure!
Adison Rook
Check out Adison’s Stillwater trip offerings here: Stillwater
