Fly Fishing Insider Podcast
Three fly lines cover nearly every stillwater situation: a full floating line for indicator and non-indicator work, an intermediate to fish 2 to 10 feet over the shoals, and a type 5 full sinking line for the deeper shoal and the drop-off edge. One rod, one reel, two spare spools.
Brian Chan is a British Columbia fisheries biologist who spent roughly 35 years as a provincial small lakes biologist building and managing the region's stillwater trout fisheries, and now works on stillwater fly line design.
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What fly lines do you need to start fly fishing stillwaters?
A stillwater angler can cover almost every situation with three fly lines. A full floating line handles indicator fishing and non-indicator presentations alike; an intermediate sinking line covers water 2 to 10 feet deep, which is the shoal and the shallows where most feeding happens; and a type 5 full sinking line reaches the deeper part of the shoal and the edge of the drop-off into deep water. Those three fly lines fit on one reel with two spare spools and a single rod, and they cover roughly 99 percent of what a lake will ask of you.
How should you set up a leader for indicator fishing on a lake?
An indicator leader is not a standard tapered leader. On a 15-foot tapered leader, two thirds of the length is thick heavy monofilament that sinks slowly and refuses to hang straight up and down, which is exactly what an indicator rig needs. The purpose-built version is 12 feet long with only about 2.5 feet of short, heavy, fast-tapering butt section, leaving 9.5 feet of level 2X, 3X or 4X below it. That level section sinks quickly and hangs vertically under the indicator, and more tippet can be added without changing how it fishes.
Why should the indicator sit close to the fly line?
Pegging the indicator right up against the thick butt section keeps the distance between the indicator and the fly line short. An indicator sitting 10 feet or more from the end of the fly line creates a hinge in the cast, which is what makes indicator fishing feel clumsy and frustrating to people trying it for the first time. Fly line makers have also shortened and steepened the front taper on dedicated indicator lines so the line can turn over an indicator, a swivel and a fly, or two or three flies where multiple flies are legal.
Does rod action change which stillwater floating line you should buy?
Rod action matters more than the model name on the box. Two floating line families both work for indicator fishing, and the choice between them comes down to whether the rod is moderate or fast. A moderate action rod loads better with the softer, longer-headed floating taper, while a faster action rod is better matched by the more aggressive taper. Casting either line on the wrong rod action is the source of most of the arguments anglers have about stillwater tapers.
Where did stillwater patterns like blobs and boobies come from?
Blobs, boobies and FABs came out of the United Kingdom, where competitive loch style fishing drove decades of experimentation with presentation, drifting, casting and retrieving. North American stillwater anglers adapted those British patterns to a mostly anchored style of fishing, though drifting a lake can be extremely effective as well. Whether a blob imitates a cluster of zooplankton or simply triggers on color and shape is still unknown, which is why the pattern rewards constant fiddling: pairing two colors, changing bead color, and reading how water clarity and sun or cloud change what works that day.
How should a boat be set up for a day of stillwater fishing?
A stillwater day is a race against a limited number of hours to identify the hatch, the depth the fish are feeding at, and the size and color they want. A properly rigged craft protects that time: double anchored so the boat holds a fixed position over the shoal, carpeted on the floor so line does not skid and tangle, and with gear stowed rather than underfoot. A depth sounder is not a luxury on a trout lake. It reads depth, shows fish, and marks thermoclines and plankton blooms, which is information no angler can get by looking at the surface.
Where should a beginner start on stillwaters?
Beginners should start on lakes where fish are easy to catch, not on the trophy waters. Easy lakes teach the hook set and, more importantly, teach an angler to read an indicator: the difference between a real take and the subtle movement that means nothing. Once those reflexes exist, moving to more challenging lakes with harder fish makes sense. Podcasts, videos, books, ebooks and apps have shortened the stillwater learning curve dramatically compared with what earlier generations had to figure out on the water.
Key takeaways
- Cover nearly all lake situations with three lines: full floating, intermediate for 2 to 10 feet, and type 5 full sinking for the drop-off edge.
- One rod, one reel and two spare spools is enough tackle to fish stillwater seriously.
- Use a 12-foot indicator leader with about 2.5 feet of heavy fast-tapering butt and 9.5 feet of level 2X to 4X, not a conventional tapered leader.
- Peg the indicator close to the fly line to eliminate the casting hinge that comes from 10 feet of leader above it.
- Match floating line taper to rod action: moderate action rods take the softer taper, faster rods the more aggressive one.
- Double anchor the boat, carpet the floor, stow loose gear, and run a depth sounder to mark depth, fish, thermoclines and plankton blooms.
- Learn hook sets and indicator reading on easy lakes before moving to trophy water.
