The Feedback Loop

Published in Swing The Fly Magazine, 2020 - Volume 4

Swinging a fly for steelhead is a difficult game. Especially when you are new. It is astonishingly hard to learn something when every decision has untold nuances. There are a hundred different ways to rig up a rod, flies to choose from, and waters to swing. More importantly, due to alarmingly low steelhead returns, even if you did all the right things you still can’t catch a fish that isn’t there. It’s also frustrating spending time and money to go on a steelhead trip for a limited time to only get one chance to do so many things right.

Each time an angler goes fishing they are gathering data. Which river to fish, which fly to use, or how to swing a given run are all inputs. Hooking a fish is the intended output. The inputs influence the outputs and in return the outputs influence the inputs, thus creating a circle. This is the feedback loop. The feedback loop allows one to learn from each experience and adjust their inputs accordingly to improve the outputs. The more times we can get positive outputs and complete the feedback loop the more we learn and build confidence.

Those low steelhead returns are what make for such slow learning. The loop never gets a chance to complete, we get no positive outputs. This erodes our confidence and drives us to question everything including ourselves as anglers! This is where “fly anxiety” pops in. We start worrying about the fly, the tip, or the setup. Once it starts to eat at the perseverance and motivation, you lose focus and start fishing poorly. Now it’s snowballing out of control.

As an angler, you are armed with two weapons: persistence and confidence. They fuel each other; allowing an angler to fish longer, more focused, and more often. The persistence I can’t teach you; you’ll either have it or not, but there’s a trick to building up more confidence for the next steelhead trip or season. The trick for confidence is trout. Trout spey specifically; using a skagit line in particular. There are far more trout in the river than there are steelhead. This ups our chances at positively completing the feedback loop and learning valuable lessons to apply to our steelhead fishing.

Let’s assess our confidence by asking ourselves some questions.

1. How confident were we when fishing a run?

2. How confident were we when selecting a fly?

3. How confident were we when selecting a sink tip?

4. How confident were we when swinging a fly?

5. How confident were we when fighting a fish?

Where did you lose confidence? Is there one thing you need to work on more than another?

Now that we have outlined a few questions, let’s establish a framework for how someone might go about trout spey in a specific presentation to learn as much as possible. Since the river and weather provide so many different variables, we are going to limit the selection of what we use in order to be forced to fish purposely and develop a better understanding of our tackle. In the next few sections I’ll list some ideas and pointers, as well as describe the tackle one should use to chase trout successfully.

Fishing a run

Before jumping into a run and fishing it, take several minutes to break it up into smaller pieces. You cover more ground by eliminating bad water. Note where water can be too shallow or too deep. Fish the stuff between those areas. Look for ledges and drop offs, fish transition water. Use objects as landmarks for repeat visits. (“It starts to shallow up at the mailbox, there’s a sunken log that’ll snag your line below the trespassing sign”)

Selecting a fly

Sculpzilla, size #8. Brown or black. Cone head. It’s enough weight to easily sink while providing a large enough profile and size to provoke a large trout to eat. Sticking to one fly will remove any “fly anxiety”.

Selecting a sink tip

Using a two hander? 10ft of T8. Using a single hander? 6ft of T8. If you find yourself blowing anchors on the foreword cast, try inserting two feet of 30# maxima between your sink tip and tippet utilizing some form of loop knot. (For rods I prefer 10’-12’ 1-4wt two handed and 9’-10’ 4-6wt single handed. For lines use a short skagit head: Airflo Scout, SA Skagit lite, or Rio InTouch Skagit Trout Spey.)

Swinging a fly

This section is the crux. It’s where you will need to put in the most time learning to use what you have. It’s also where you will make the most mistakes before successfully landing a fish.

While midswing, see how you can speed the swing up by moving the rod tip towards the near bank. Try making it crawl slowly across by holding your rod tip out over the water towards the far bank. Let the head and tip straighten out parallel with the flow of water, then slowly walk the line across the water inch by inch.

Experiment with adding different types of action to a swing. Move the rod tip up and down during the swing. Small pops, big pops. Pull the rod back and forward during a swing.

Learn to gauge river depth and how to probe deeper in the water column. Casting downstream (45o from the near bank) will swing slower than casting straight cross (90o from the near bank) would. Casting 90o and using several mends will sink the fly and slow it down further. Try mending big enough to pull the fly to the surface and see how deep it sinks when not under tension. See what it takes to get hung up on the bottom. This will give you an idea of how deep you can go and how to work depth within the same setup. There will be times where even casting 45o upstream is needed for added depth. Now’s the time to try it. You’ll lose some flies, but you’ll gain valuable experience.

Hooking a fish

Learn to set the hook. And by this we mean let them eat it. Don’t do anything, don't move at all. Don’t even hold a loop. Don’t move your hands until you feel heavy weight on the other end. Set the hook with slow and strong pressure towards the near bank of the river. Keep it there. Learn what it takes to keep a barbless hook pinned in the mouth with constant side pressure.

Fighting a fish

This is the fun part! You’ve found a fish, have it on the hook, and are engaging the bottom end of the rod for good leverage.

Keep the rod bent towards whichever river bank is closest to you. If having the rod straight up is 12 o’clock, try to put the rod at 3 (or 9) o’clock. Try to pull the fish out of the faster water and force them to work more for each run. Pulling the fish into slower water also lessens the weight you have to fight against since the fish can’t use the current to their advantage.

Experiment with moving the bend of pressure in the rod up and down, closer and farther away from the cork. Learn to bend the rod closer to the cork to fight the fish. Let the top end absorb the shock of each head-shake. Find that sweet balance between pulling the fish in and pulling/bending the hook out.

Always reel in line when you can, but never force it. If the fish swims toward you, back up if you can while reeling in to catch up with it. Be aware of your surroundings, you may have to move for a more optimal fighting position. You may also need to avoid down branches or sunken objects.

Scope out some soft knee deep water to land the fish in. Got a friend with a net? Put them in the soft water and stay above that same water. Play the fish and call out when you’re going to hold the fishes head up in preparation for the incoming net. Practice good communication. Net the fish head first.

In the end

This specific setup and approach has worked for me in numerous different watersheds and in all seasons. From the chill of winter to the heat of summer. Even (and especially) when no trout are rising. More importantly, it has allowed me to develop confidence with the swung fly, in knowing what I am doing and how I want to go about it.

Get your reps in, practice with trout, build up your confidence, and be ready for the next steelhead season.