# dead drift or high stick ????



## ryosapien (Jul 5, 2008)

Interesting dillemma i want to catch steelhead using nymphs (who doesn't right) i have been using shot with little luck. I have an excellent book called steelhead dreams (i am a dork i know) which seems to highly favor bottom bouncing dead drifting utilizing heavy slinky sinkers and 3 way swivels very much like those which spawn fisherman use. Now, i have been using shot in front of the fly and find that if i use enough shot to get the fly to the river bed my indicator is sunk because my presentation is not vertical. In fact the presentation in more like diagonal dragging than bouncing and with less weight the fly seems to leave the strike zone and float to high in the water column. SO what do you guys think????? split shot above fly or slinky weight on a 3 way swivel and a larger indicator<--this just seems like a snooty way of saying bobber to me.


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## WhoolyBugger (Aug 25, 2008)

ryo, I have a problem with all that hardware on my line. Just a personal preference but I think slinky weights and three way swivels take abit of the purity of flyfishing away. In fact, the slinky method is a very productive and tried and true but man it just dosen't feel like flyfishin to me. I prefer just to use weighted nymphs or a little shot 12'' above the fly. I realize that the current may be a huge factor and sometimes a bigger float(bobber) is neccessary. Keep at em with those clousers and buggers!


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## ryosapien (Jul 5, 2008)

i agree but i am not a purist by any means. i like to catch fish, and if fish don't see my bugs i am at an enormous disadvantage. Just trying to figure this thing out so i am not drifting my bugs over big fish and saying awww hell there's no fish here. LOL if it wasn't for buggers and clouser's i would have no luck at all.... I will tell you this though a smallie will destroy a bunny leech slow stripped through a pool don't jerk it at all just slow round the fingers strip they find it irresistable.


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## steelheader007 (Apr 8, 2004)

ryosapien said:


> i agree but i am not a purist by any means. i like to catch fish, and if fish don't see my bugs i am at an enormous disadvantage. Just trying to figure this thing out so i am not drifting my bugs over big fish and saying awww hell there's no fish here. LOL if it wasn't for buggers and clouser's i would have no luck at all.... I will tell you this though a smallie will destroy a bunny leech slow stripped through a pool don't jerk it at all just slow round the fingers strip they find it irresistable.


Call me and I'll help you out 513-646-6522


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

psh, put those sacraligious nymphs and bobbers away, bring out the dry flies nah, I catch more when nymphing if I'm using and indecator, if its sinking bump up a size and set it deeper. I like being able to actually see if my flies are moving the same speed as the current.


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## Patricio (Feb 2, 2007)

I'll use nymphs, but not bobbers or shots. weighted nymphs. high sticken is great fun, and an artform. dead drifting, not so much. although I utilize that one too. the beauty about highsticken is, you get to feel the take. 

where do you fish? if you want to eventually hook up, pm me.


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## Tall cool one (Jul 13, 2006)

Supinski who wrote that book is from Mi where they fish that way,frequently lining the fish. Down here in Ohio the std rig is a splitshot under a float and a 18-24" tippet from the last shot. 
Sounds like you have drag issues w/ your presentation. Think of the float as a dry fly and do whatever it takes to make sure it never wiggles or moves or wakes on account of your actions. Totally dead-drift. Most use a direct upstream or only slightly across presentation but I do directly downstream from where I fish...takes a lot of pratice but can effect a perfect drift.Most of the time one or two bb shot will do it for water under 4' but in higher flows of winter or deeper/stronger water you may want to move up to using 3/0 size shot,simetimes even two or three in high water. Should be scratching bottom now n' then but floating along smoothly. Adjust float set and weight as neccesary achieve a good drift.A couple diff sizes of floats wil lprobably be neccesary,from 1/2" to 1 1/4". I like cork for high water and the clear drennans for clearer flows .TC1


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## Whaler (Nov 16, 2004)

Forget the indicator er bobber !


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