Chironomid fishing Archives - Interior Fly Fishing Co.

23 Sep 2018

Chironomid Fishing: What Your Throat Samples Mean

There are few things that can put the missing piece to the puzzle like taking a throat sample. When done properly it does not harm the fish, and you can get an exact reading on what the fish are choosing to eat on that given day. Throat sampling is essentially drawing up what the fish has recently eaten, and you can expect most of the bugs to still be alive.

Super, super nerdy. I mean, I really try to tell as few people as possible that I like to force fish to regurgitate the bugs they ate for lunch, so that I can put them in a glass vial and take photos of them with a macro lens. However, this does allow you to get a perfect idea of what can be created at the tying bench. read more

14 Sep 2018

Three Key Things Your Depth Sounder Does for You

by Jordan Oelrich | posted in: Chironomid Fishing, Fly Fishing, Stillwater Fishing | 0

There was a time when I thought that depth sounders were cheating. How could someone just attach this little mechanism onto their boat, be able to see the whole underwater world and still call it fair game? This all changed when I broke down and purchased a Humminbird Fishin’ Buddy 120 (which I still use to this day!).

Why have I not upgraded? Because I don’t quite feel the need yet! There are so many great sounders on the market now that undoubtedly offer much more than the one I am using, but as long as I have the following three things I feel I can execute accordingly from there. The only three things (in my opinion) your sounder needs to do are, in order of importance, as follows: read more

12 Sep 2018

Angling Through Intuition

by Jordan Oelrich | posted in: Chironomid Fishing, Fly Fishing, Stillwater Fishing | 0

In a split moment of unconscious decision, I steered the vehicle off the highway onto the gravel road. I had a guest that had no experience in fly fishing, why did I feel so drawn to put the boat into a lake that had yielded me just as many days of disappointment as it had glory in the past? Memories of hopelessly watching my strike indicators for hours on end ran through my mind, contrasted by fonder memories of rainbow trout pushing the magical ten-pound mark.

“Would someone who has never experienced Stillwater fly fishing even appreciate landing a trophy sized rainbow trout?”, I attempted to replace doubt with hope as the vehicle neared the launch. The lake was glass, there was only one other boat on the water, and as the seventeen-footer slid off the trailer I began to get excited about what could take place on this day. I turned the key and we slowly glided along the water’s smooth surface film in search of hatching bugs or moving fish. read more

19 Jun 2018

How to Fish a Naked Line Chironomid Setup

by Jordan Oelrich | posted in: Chironomid Fishing, Fly Fishing, Stillwater Fishing | 14

Strike indicators are an incredibly effective tool in stillwater fly fishing, but sometimes it is more fun to take the indicator/swivel setup off and fish a naked line. Though it may feel very approximate at first, it can prove quite effective in some situations and can even out-fish the traditional static presentation. I will typically fish a naked line when I am in water deeper than 15 feet and I know that fish are suspending themselves a little ways off the bottom of the lake. read more

12 Jun 2018

What’s In Our Boat: Chironomid Fishing Setup

by Jordan Oelrich | posted in: Chironomid Fishing, Fly Fishing, Stillwater Fishing | 3

Every few days, an email comes in on the topic of rod/reel/line setups for chironomid fishing in specific. While it does not have to be overly expensive, having quality equipment goes a very long way in making your experience as enjoyable as possible. Our boats and my personal arsenal are both set up with what I believe are the best tools for the job. Here is a detailed breakdown: read more

6 Jun 2018

3 Tips for Fishing in a Blanket Chironomid Hatch

by Jordan Oelrich | posted in: Chironomid Fishing, Fly Fishing, Stillwater Fishing | 0

Many days are spent cruising around the lake searching for bugs. Even a small patch of mud that is putting off a half-decent emergence can be worthy of your time. What about the other end of the spectrum? The times where there are chironomids blanketing the entire water’s surface and you feel like you are fishing a needle in a haystack?

It is disheartening to think that every chironomid you see hatching is one that made it from the bottom of the lake all the way up without getting intercepted by a fish. A chironomid hatch will turn fish on, without a doubt, but at what point does it begin to work against you? Here are three techniques I lean on during a massive chironomid hatch. read more

10 Apr 2018

REMINDER: Intro to Chironomid Fishing Course – Trout Waters Fly & Tackle – Saturday, April 14th

by Jordan Oelrich | posted in: Chironomid Fishing, Courses, Fly Fishing, Stillwater Fishing | 0

This Saturday will mark the final “Intro to Chironomid Fishing” course before springtime stillwater guiding takes over the schedule. This course is held at Trout Waters Fly & Tackle in Kelowna, BC from 10am – 1pm this Saturday, April 14th.

Chironomid fishing is an excellent way to put great numbers of fish in the net, but it can be a technical game at first. The point of these courses is to ease that learning curve and allow you to be consistently more successful this spring on our local stillwaters. read more

6 Apr 2018

3 Essential Stillwater Ice-Off Patterns

by Jordan Oelrich | posted in: Fly Fishing, Stillwater Fishing | 0

Finally back and settled from a long day of travel that started at 5:00am in Houston, Texas returning from Tarponville Fishing Lodge in Costa Rica. Tomorrow there will be a full recap of the trip, safe to say it is one of the most incredible fisheries I’ve ever experienced.

Despite the current weather in the interior of British Columbia, ice-off is right around the corner. Fishing the first few days after the ice leaves a lake can be tricky, but when approached properly will yield some great results. Here are a few patterns I swear by during the ice-off period: read more

24 Mar 2018

Last Call: Michael & Young Fly Shop Chironomid Fishing Course – March 24th

by Jordan Oelrich | posted in: Chironomid Fishing, Courses | 0

IMPORTANT: We have merged our two courses tomorrow into one course at M&Y’s Surrey Location. The course is at 10am and costs $45 per person.

This is a great course for those looking to sharpen their skills before the upcoming Stillwater season. Spring is right around the corner, give yourself an extra edge on some of our interior trophy fisheries.

This course covers:

Proper boat setup

How to approach trophy stillwater fisheries

Locating and effectively covering a chironomid emergence read more

19 Mar 2018

“Intro to Chironomid Fishing” Course – Trout Waters Fly & Tackle – Saturday, April 14th

by Jordan Oelrich | posted in: Chironomid Fishing, Courses, Stillwater Fishing | 0

By popular demand, we’ve added a third “Intro to Chironomid Fishing” course at Trout Waters Fly & Tackle in Kelowna, BC on Saturday, April 14th

Chironomid fishing is an incredibly productive form of Stillwater fly fishing. Though they are small, chironomids make up a huge part of a trout’s diet through the open water season. This course is a 3 hour indoor presentation that will cover the following: read more