2009 » October » 11

By H3llcat aka Chris Heller

Today’s lesson: Tricks for the drift…….a ‘driftorial’…..so to speak. I’ve come up with a few suggestions for you beginner drift fishermen out there….and maybe it’ll even apply to some of you saltier dogs that’ve been around the river bank a time or two and think you already know it all. Here at allaroundangler we try to think of things that are easy to assume that anglers reading this blog already know. This being said, bare with me if this is too ‘basic’ for you. Much obliged.

1) Free-spooling once your cast has landed:

I think this is one of the easiest things an angler can do to improve his results during low water seasons. When fish are tucked deep and tight….it’s important your rig fall where you intend it to fall. For example; if you cast to spot ‘A’ and you want your lure/rig to sink AT that location called ‘A’….then how do you accomplish that?

The answer I am trying to evoke in your mind is the title of this tip: Free-spool. Yes. Once your rig hits the water from your cast…and you have stopped the spool with your thumb…simply release your thumb just as quickly in order to allow the rig to sink STRAIGHT down as opposed to ‘towards you’ which is what will happen if you click over and don’t re-release. I say this is a great method for low and clear water because during these conditions it’s very important to fall where you are casting. You’re casting there for a reason, right?

2) The second tip for you drifters out there only applies to those of you drifting with mono. For you renegades drifting with braided…you’re on your own. Can’t stand those sticky drifts.

React Gently to the bottom:

I’ve found that it’s especially important to remember this tip when fish are spooky or a river is snaggy. Either time can apply. Tip #2=React gently yet deliberately to the tugs and pulls of the river bottom…..this will always work to your favor versus yanking or pulling hard at the reactions of the river bottom.

One of the beautiful things about mono is that if you know what you have…..you can really make it work to your advantage. Some stretch is great for drifting as long as you ‘fish the bottom’ or ‘fish your lead’. The stretch is forgiving and allows for a natural reaction that is lessened in force.

Yes by reacting gently to the tugs and pulls of the bottom you are less likely to jam your gear into a rock or a root wad and much more likely to bounce over the top of or around whatever it is you’ve bumped into. This method works especially well with pencil lead in low flows.

3) And for my final tip in this little mini driftorial is this: Surrender your drift.

I mean….save yourself some time. Time from extra drifting that isn’t necessary. When you begin dissecting a run or a drift…make sure that you have your ‘plan’. What is your target area? Are there parts of this run that are going to require different leads amounts? Maybe so, maybe not. But you have your plan.

So, if the casts you are making on moving fish especially…are really repetitious then surrender your drift after you’ve cleared your target area. Reel in! You’re done. Reel in and re cast. The worst thing you can do is drift into shallower water, get hung up and loose your rig. That takes you out of the water completely. Can’t catch a fish at your gear bag. Learn the target of your cast….once through or past it….reel in. Avoid snags. Stay in the water. You’ve got a great chance at hooking a fish on the drift around the Pac NW. We’ve lots of rivers with rocky bottoms

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