THE SUBTLETIES OF PRESENTATION

How many of us have gone into a  tackle store, picked out a few popular flies, dropped them in the water and wondered why we might not experiencing the success of others.  Are all trolling flies alike?  Do all react in the same way behind our flashers and dodgers?  All flies appear to do the same thing but is this truly the case?

I recently had the privilege of working with a local charter captain and provided him a few of my home-made trolling flies.  I eagerly awaited his thoughts and feedback and was confident that my flies would work just as well, if not better, than name brand flies.

My flies shimmered like store bought varieties.  I utilized colorful beads, strong trebles and premium leader material.  I was sure to tie each leader to the traditional three times the dodger/flasher length.  I thought, it wouldn’t be long before everyone would want one of my signature flies…..but that is when my education began.

I had not heard from the charter captain in a few weeks and sent him an email, asking how my flies were working out.  He stated that he caught a few fish with my flies and they lacked the rhythmic motion of his favorites.  It was then he asked me a simple but pertinent question, “Have you ever watched your flies in the water and compared them to other manufactured varieties?”   Purchase manufactured trolling flies for comparison sake?  I was miffed and thought the captain must be doing something wrong.  He WAS a professional but I caught fish on my flies, and while I never really hammered them, my flies were just as good as the others.

I was out to prove the captain wrong.  I bought a number of popular flies to settle this great debate once and for all.  

The plan was to grab a flasher, attach on a fly and watch what it did behind the flasher.  I chose a couple of popular flies and a few oldies but goodies and their action was moderate at best.  Then I tried a few local flies, which worked a bit better.  I took detail notes of each and every fly I tested.  There were some differences but did it really make that much difference?

Ready to put my flies to the test, I drop them in the water and my heart immediately sank.  My flies appeared to have the action equivalent to dragging around a wet noodle.  So much time, effort and money had gone into make the perfect flies, which looked so wonderful but performed so disastrously.     

Determined to solve the problem, I watched every little nuance between the different versions of flies.  I adjusted the number of beads, hook placement and leader material.  We were beginning to make progress, as I was bound and determined to figure this out.

Seeking a solution, I reread an article I found that focused on trolling flashers and flies.  The author stated that he started with a 22 inch leader and adjusted throughout the day, if necessary.  I had always been taught that a 24 inch leader was the magic distance between attractor and fly.  Could two inches really make that much difference?

The following weekend I wanted to see if there was anything to this leader nonsense.  After cutting back my leader, I watched my fly dart and dance as it had never done before.  It rotated with a quick snap and looked enticing.  Would this slight change make a real difference?  Well, by the end of that day, my “new” fly produced the highest catch of salmon I ever caught on the technique.  I could only wonder how many fish had ignored the “wet noodles” I trolled before.

The importance of this story is not in a secret leader length or bead formula, but rather, the realization that every component of your presentation directly adds or detracts from your success.  The truly successful angler takes the time to evaluate his presentation, make adjustments and try something different from time to time.

When you are out on the water, watch your lures at boatside, speed up, slow down, change leader lengths and learn the differences that these variations have on your presentation.  It was a simple question that got me to refine my presentation and realize that a difference of two inches was preventing me from putting more salmon into the boat. 

In the end, are you just two inches away from drastically increasing your catch?  Experiment with subtleties of presentation and you may pleasantly be surprised.