The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

I've noticed something when I get back on the water after I've been away from the water for a while... often I snag the first one or two fish. After the first little bit of fishing, I stop snagging fish. I'm wondering if other folks fishing a tight-line technique have that happen too.

Seems like I just start out a little, tiny bit slow on my hook sets and as the day goes on, that delay decreases.

That happen to other folks?

B-

no/msg

Maybe you just suck.

I wish I had your problem because I'm so slow all I hook is water. I just learned this technique and I would think just as you lead the line down your going to floss or snag a few fish. The Usac is a perfect place for this technique. Gas getting below $2 we may head back up before winter.

Jet

That happens to me occasionally when high sticking with two nymphs. You get a grab and a miss on the top fly, yank to set, and you foul hook him with the lower fly. Don't know how to avoid that except some of the obvious: set faster, use only one fly, or of course for you purists, fish dries.

Hi Bjorn
I keep touch with my nymphs when I can and use 2 nymphs mostly, sometimes 3 if it's more of a swimming wetfly or lake fishing. You seem to be talking them taking the top fly then you set into them with the dropper. That happens to me every once in a while (a pectoral fin or near the tail). So you think it's a slow set? I'd thought about this too and figured it was a product of messy currents (not being about to keep a good line to the nymph) and a poor layout of the cast, but I think you might be right at least some of the time. I know I don't get as many when I strip set but you can't do that when the tip is high. How far are you running between flies?

Dry w/ a shorter dropper is the worst snag setup for me. Czech will occasionally get the true snag across the back. I hate that one and feel like a bastard when it happens.

I do not use the tight line technique but in my little experience watching others use it I have noticed a larger then normal percent of "snags". However, with the techniques that I use if I should snag a fish I believe that it is normally a result of too much weight or not enough space in-between the dropper and lead fly. I also believe that slow hook-sets could account for a few. Honestly I rarely false-hook fish these days...maybe I should try harder !
MarcP

I'm usually running 12-14" on the dropper... there abouts... similar distance to the weight.

The weight comes through first, then the top fly... if the fish hits that and the strike is slow, there is a higher chance of the fish getting snagged on the bottom fly.

I like the tight-line style, even if it snags a small percentage more fish. I feel like I am usually able to land a fish very, very quickly with so little line out and so much leverage on the fish. Maybe that's just how I justify it and maybe I'm afraid I won't catch anything if I drop to two flies... it is the bottom fly that usually has most of the action, after all.

B-