Targeting eyes and toothies

Post by **DaveH** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 2:43 pm

OK I know we had a forum for everyone's favourite fly...

But since pike and eyes are opening up soon (Yay!!!!) what are the secrets of everyone's success for them??

Do eyes take dries at all? Or are you mostly nymphing?? What other types of wet or dry flies work??

Post by **Todd B.** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 5:35 pm

Dave,

Regardless of what you're fishing for just keep four (4) things in mind:
1. Size
2. Shape
3. Colour
4. Behavior

As for the eyes, I find that they are feeding on various baitfish, perch, etc. Clouser minnows are a good choice. Pike will take them as well, though if you're specifically targeting pike/muskie you might use larger streamers, bunny leaches, etc.

Todd

Post by **ganman** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 5:42 pm

Clouser minnows, the fly fishermans jig would be the best walleye streamer. Wooly buggers and huge helgramite imitation s too.

For pike think saltwater streamers like the Deciever and scaled down tarpon flies. They are big, streamilined and easy to cast an important consideration when using big flies.

Post by **Moosebunk** » Tue Apr 26, 2005 8:01 pm

Currently reading Fly Fishing Canada from coast to coast to coast. Basically in the book it covers a little bit of everything and for eyes I'm sure clousers are a great choice, but buggers, leeches and muddlers are reccomended choice flies as well. And, nothing was said of dries for these fish. Up here during mayfly hatches I'll often see surface feeding fish, ie whites, but eyes aren't up there doing the same. OOD this month has an article I'm looking forward to checking out called the walleye-mayfly connection. I'm convinced that during the dog days though, eyes are sipping subsurface mays and such.

Post by **eye-tracker** » Wed May 04, 2005 3:35 pm

Moosebunk wrote:I'm convinced that during the dog days though, eyes are sipping subsurface mays and such.

Moosebunk...
Just an observation from lakes up north where the mayfly hatch is pretty big -- the eyes love to eat the mayfly larva as they hatch near bottom not to mention all the baitfish that happen to be in the area due to the mayfly hatch wink: . So i figure the walleye are to busy near bottom to worry about the surface flys.

Post by **ganman** » Wed May 04, 2005 6:40 pm

I read that article in Ontario Outdoors and I'm curious. The only mayfly that walleyes likely eat in any signifant numbers is the Hexagenia family and various drakes. These are the largest mayflies up to 40 cm in length. They are burrowers meaning its nymph stage lives in mud and silt (BTW the mayfly does not have a larval stage). The author recomended dark brown/black imitations.....I've taken dozens of Hex and Drake samples all are light tan and amber in color. Most hatching takes place in the evening and after dark mostly in June and July. The fish have to be quick to catch them as they are very good swimmers.

My hometown is covered with Hex's every night for about 2 weeks in late June. They are so abundant as to be a pest. They showed up about 10 years ago after a sabbatical of about 30 years.

I know walleyes feed on adults on the surface at dusk and after dark. Also after hatching the adults molt and several days later they return to the area they hatched and in the case of the Hex around the same time evening. They mate over the water and die. This stage is called the spinner and fish likely eat as many spinners as adults as they lie spread eagle on the water. It is a source of frutration for many fly fishers when they encounter a hatch of flies and feeding fish and there perfect tied adult imitations ignored. More often then not the fish are eating the prone spinners.

Post by **eye-tracker** » Thu May 05, 2005 7:51 am

ganman wrote:I read that article in Ontario Outdoors and I'm curious. The only mayfly that walleyes likely eat in any signifant numbers is the Hexagenia family and various drakes. These are the largest mayflies up to 40 cm in length. They are burrowers meaning its nymph stage lives in mud and silt (BTW the mayfly does not have a larval stage).

That is why I don't fly fish...just to much information about the biology and not enough time fishing.

Enjoy your burrowing nymphs.

Well it was fun while I lasted in the float forum...back to trolling

-et

Post by **ganman** » Thu May 05, 2005 9:41 am

Me detects a hint of sarcasm.

The study bugs is a big part of fly fishing. Some fly anglers are into it while others couldn't give a damn and that's fine. I know bass and walleye anglers who hate trolling.......Enjoy your trolling and I'll sit here and watch paint dry.

Gman

Post by **eye-tracker** » Thu May 05, 2005 3:11 pm

ganman wrote:Me detects a hint of sarcasm.

The study bugs is a big part of fly fishing. Some fly anglers are into it while others couldn't give a damn and that's fine. I know bass and walleye anglers who hate trolling.......Enjoy your trolling and I'll sit here and watch paint dry.

Gman

O.K....
You watch the paint while I troll

Take care and good luck with the fly fishing.

cheers'

-et

Post by **Todd B.** » Tue May 10, 2005 8:21 am

Well the water levels have come down nicely on the Rideau, which should make for a great opening weekend of wading for Eyes and Pike! The bite looks to be good as well. While dabling for perch an other open season fish at Hogs Back a couple of guys popped by to scout the area. After telling them what they could expect to catch, the tied on a couple of panfish jigs and preceeded to catch 3 eyes in 3 casts. Rather than risk being accused of targeting OOS fish they packed up their gear, sure to return when the season opens.

On a side note I also saw one huge muskie cruising the shallows. I'm sure we'll see a number of them caught again this year when everyone hits the water for the eyes.

Dig out your clousers and bunny leaches....it's toothy season again! LOL

Cheers,
Todd

Post by **joco** » Tue May 10, 2005 7:33 pm

hi all

i went to fish a little lake ,for brook trout,,,,,,,and there was a guy there flyfishing,,,,,,,,,he only used a green wooly bugger,,,jeeeeee he caught like 6 bass in 30 min,,,,,,,,,,

the bass are not yet fraying,but its geting close,,,

there is some guy off the club p.m.o that will hit the ottawa ,pike on fly this weekend not to far frome aylmer,,,,its always a great spot,,,

joco,,,,,,,

Post by **Todd B.** » Tue May 10, 2005 9:52 pm

I'm definitely going to be hitting the Rideau this weekend (weather permitting)

Post by **DaveH** » Wed May 11, 2005 7:43 am

Ohhhh I'd love to get out with ya Todd...but as I'm heading up to Montebello on Sunday, I better spend as much time with my son as I can!!!!

Then again, once I'm in Montebello on Sunday, I plan on hitting some trout lakes...but I can't fly fish while I'm up there, so I'll be targeting the trout from a boat with spinning tackle this weekend!

Post by **Todd B.** » Wed May 11, 2005 10:20 am

Dave,

Well there's no reason why you can't fly fish from the boat. That's how they ran the Canadian Flyfishing Championships at Kenauk last year. When you're lake fishing you rarely get the opportunity to fish dry flies. You'll find that you're almost exclusively fishing sub-surface flies.

Anyways, good luck and I'm sure we'll hook up on the water sometime.

Cheers,
Todd

Post by **bobfly** » Wed May 11, 2005 9:06 pm

I have caught Pike on just about anything that is bright, colourful and big. Make sure you have a steel leader! As for walleye, I have only caught them on silver minnow imitations ....a white wooley bugger with a bit of flash.

bobfly

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Targeting eyes and toothies

Targeting eyes and toothies

Pike on flies