Denny Rickards - Crystal Creek Anglers

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Denny Rickards - Crystal Creek Anglers

Tips and information to improve your skills in the pursuit of trophy stillwater trout.

For the past fifty years, Denny Rickards has had an opportunity to fish and guide anglers over some of the most challenging trophy trout waters in the Western United States. His simplistic approach and techniques on presentation have accounted for browns over 20 pounds, cutthroats to 15 pounds, and rainbows in excess of 16 pounds. Over 250 days a year are spent doing what he loves best: guiding, w

riting, tying flies, conducting fly fishing schools, and field testing developing tackle manufacturer’s products. For all you stillwater gals and guys out there who would like some additional input on how we can all get better in our pursuit of stillwater trout, I’m going to make a serious attempt to give you some tips and updates on a regular basis in hopes it will improve your presentation to stillwater trout.

12/03/2022

-- NEXT YEAR'S STILLWATER SEASON --

When your new fishing season arrive in a few months, picking the right pattern to start with always seems to be a subject of speculation for most anglers. Since I always start fishing a lake along the shoreline edges first, I don’t expect to find much in the way of aquatic insects to be active there, nor do the trout.

So, you might find it best to start your day with a bu**er or leech style fly which does two things. Frist, it’s a mouth full for the trout and secondly, either of these style flies have lots of movement which is critical to get trout to react. Remember, when they begin their pursuit in search of food, they don’t leave their hideout or resting place in search of a particular food source, but go on the hunt for food.

Those small aquatic patterns have a place in our selection process, but this is not the best time for those little flies. Whatever is available, looks like and acts like food and doesn’t pose a threat to them gets a close look. That means presentation to us so make the cast and keep moving.

11/23/2022

-- TROLLING YOUR FLY --

I get asked this question a lot by gals and guys who have trouble getting around in a pontoon or belly boat or are poor casters. The question is, “I prefer to troll flies. Any tips on how this method can be move productive?

Trolling a wet fly is a very effective way to catch trout in lakes, but isn’t always the most productive way especially for big trout. When you troll, you move your fly at a specific depth. When trout hunt, they forage mostly in shallow water, sometimes in less than a foot deep where trollers can’t go. When trout feed offshore close to the surface, trolling can be deadly. Trout in open water usually want a fly that is moving or lurching in stop and go movement.

The depth the fly should be trolled is a result of the speed and the amount of line you put out. If you aren’t getting hits, adjustment one or the other. Trolling also allows you to cover water which means you will get over fish if they are in the upper feeding zone.

11/10/2022

-- BUGGERS --

I’m still amazed when I ask to see a client’s fly box when he or she wants to use a bu**er style fly and see how they have tied or bought from a fly shop bu**ers that are, in my opinion, tied poorly. It’s not that they won’t fool a few trout, but here are the things I see that can be improved on.

The tail should be as long as the hook shank which means a 4x long hook. It should be SPARSE, not to much yet enough to provide sufficient movement. The body can be chenille, but a fur body or synthetic is better. The hackle should be limited to no more than 4 or 5 turns so the hackle isn’t crowded which restricts movement which is why trout react to the fly in the first place.

Don’t fool yourself into believing that you can make the fly look and act like what trout see and eat every day. Can’t be done. I always weight my Seal Bu**er with 20 wraps of .020 lead to get that undulating movement that is so deadly. Try these tips and let’s just see what happens.

11/05/2022

-- LOCATING TROUT ON A LAKE --

If you have trouble locating trout in a lake, adjust for time of day and time of year. Since we are now into fall, all fall spawners can be found near creek inlets, along shorelines especially where gravel is found and much closer to the surface than when summer temperatures are on the high side.

If it’s the bigger trout you want to target, you will find them in close to shoreline areas especially the very first sign of light until sunlight moves them into deeper water. Expect them to return after the sun gets very low in the sky. During daylight hours, concentrate on the top few feet especially if you see signs of surface activity. They are telling you they are feeding on aquatic insects so give them an imitation of an insect and fish it on an intermediate line in the top few feet.

If you are not getting hit and you can place the cast at least 40-45 feet from you, it’s not the fly most of the time but errors, one or more in your presentation. If you go troll the fly and get hits, that says it’s not the fly the more the depth you are fishing it. Trolling holds the fly at a depth when you are moving.

10/15/2022

-- HOW IMPORTANT IS COLOR FOR A FLY? --

We talk about color all the time. How important is it? To most Stillwater anglers, it's huge. For me, it is but not all the time. What most guys and gals don't know is color isn't big to a fish, but it is from a visual standpoint.

Colors cannot be determined by a trout once the fly is deeper than 3 feet. All colors look the same in their world regardless of the light factor. However, darker flies are more easily seen in low light conditions or when the water is off color. The trout will see the silhouette of the food source regardless of whether it's the natural or your imitation of it.

The only reason we have favorite colors is because we use them all the time. Try changing colors sometime when the bite is on-going, not when the bite begins to slip. You may be surprised that the same fly in the same size only in a different color will work just as well. What you don't know is that it might prove to be better, but you need to find out by changing colors. Remember you heard it here.

09/28/2022

-- FISHING DURING THE FALL --

With fall conditions right around the corner, water temperatures are slowly coming down and that means fish will be moving into shallow water to look for food just ahead of spawning time.

Water temperature is the key that puts them there along with time of day and season. If you are fishing over brown or brook trout, you will see that when water temperatures get close to the low 50's and push into the high 40's, trout will begin moving. Their urge to spawn overrides their concern for safety. The males will enter the shallow shoreline edges first while the females stay out in deeper water.

If you watch, you will see some very large fish going up and out of the water in leaping jumps but don't waste time chasing them because they are not feeding and any imitation isn't going to convince them to chase it. When the time comes, and it will be later, sometimes a week or two, they will come in and the join up with a male to spawn. If the water temperature gets too cold, they will move back out into deeper water and from a fishing standpoint, it's over. It's wait till next year for all of us who pursue big trout.

09/16/2022

--- FINDING A FALL FISHING PLACE ---

Finding a decent place to fish with all the low water and heat that puts trout deep, our options are getting fewer and fewer. But, those lakes and reservoirs or ponds where water temperatures are still OK will still produce. Many of you have asked about Crittenden Reservoir located near Montello, Nevada. This has been the most consistent reservoir for really big trout that I fish and guide clients each year. They have found a way to maintain the water levels for the most part and stock it with 6,000-8,000 fish each year.. Rainbows are the main fish, but lots of brown, brook and tigers round out the catch with very few under 20 inches.

All forms of presentation work which includes the cast and retrieve, trolling, fishing the dry fly or using indicators. I'll be leaving for Crittenden on my fall trip on the 29th of September and will host clients there for the next 4 days. If you want or need more information on this fishery, call me 541-381-2218.

09/14/2022

-- TROLLING A FLY --

A lot of gals and guys who fish stillwaters love to troll their flies. This is not fly fishing but trolling with a fly. Nothing wrong with that and there are times when trolling a fly is a better option than casting and retrieving it. I have found times when trout, as I’ve mentioned before, simply will not take a fly when it’s powered in their direction and crashes on the surface.

When the surface is flat with a high sun, this is a good time to troll as you don’t disturb the water by casting. This is not meant to put folks down who don’t cast well or very far, but placing a fly on the surface without announcing it’s arrival is not an easy task for most of us. Trolling holds the fly in a zone and that zone is relative to the amount of line you put out, the fly line used and the speed you move it. I experienced times this season where the only strikes I could get were by trolling the fly.

If you find the water off color or there is a heavy algae bloom, run a shorter line than you might normally use, say 30-35 feet and you might be surprised at the number of strikes you may get as you keep the fly just below the surface. Otherwise, run about 50-60 feet with a slow sinking line and adjust according to what the fish tell you. In other words, no strikes, adjust speed, depth or line being used. If you’re getting hits, stay with it as long as it works.

09/02/2022

-- BEST TIME OF THE YEAR --

For Stillwater fly fishermen, we are entering the best time of year to catch trophy trout. The big browns and brook trout will be coming into the shoreline areas to hunt minnows and look for spawning areas on those lakes without a creek to feed the lake. Rainbows will stay out in the deeper water but not deep to feed.

Water temps are coming down and trout get much more active with the temperatures moving into the 50's. There should still be hatches to fish and that means pupae patterns just below the surface. I prefer to fish minnow patterns tight to shoreline edges at first light and again as the sun sets. The big trout will be moving in to hunt so be there. Just remember that trout feed shallow and rest deep. The suggestive flies are good choices for early mornings and late evenings but the small stuff is best if trout are making rings on the surface. Stout tippets would be a good idea if you want to be able to take a picture of your fish.

08/27/2022

--- PATTERN CHOICES AND SIZES ---

Most hatches don't begin until sunlight or water temperature is warm to the point that hatches of aquatic insects begin. Most big fish enter shallow water to hunt for food long before most anglers get on the water. Big trout enter shallow water to hunt before sunup and move into deeper water when it's no longer safe in shallow water. n one size, say a size 12 or 14 from a 10. The trout will tell you if you are wrong as you get more strikes without hook-ups. Change sizes and you will get more hook-up and fewer misses.es.

Most hatches don't begin until sunlight or water temperature warm to the point that hatches of aquatic insects begins. Most big fish enter shallow water to hunt for food long before most anglers get on the water. Big trout enter shallow water to hunt before sunup and move into deeper water when it's no longer safe in shallow water.

That means they need some sort of cover which is darkness or wind ripple. Since they are after food sources that are high in protein, you should think in terms of bu**er, leech or minnow style flies, not the small patterns that are imitations of aquatic insects. When the trout move into deeper water and they will when they lose their cover and are exposed to predators in shallow water, they will wait until the hatches begin.

Most hatches don't begin until sunlight or water temperature warm to the point that hatches of aquatic insects begin. Most big fish enter shallow water to hunt for food long before most anglers get on the water. Big trout enter shallow water to hunt before sunup and move into deeper water when it's no longer safe in shallow water. n one size, say a size 12 or 14 from a 10. The trout will tell you if you are wrong as you will get more strikes without hook-ups. Change sizes and you will get more hook-up and fewer misses.

08/23/2022

-- CHOOSING THE RIGHT TIPPET --

A common fault of most stillwater anglers even today is their choice of tippet size at the end of their leaders. A big change in the tackle end of our pursuit of stillwater trout occurred some 25 years ago when fluorocarbon entered the market. What most of you didn't pick up on is the advantages this product gave us.

Even today as I go around giving talks about the aspects of our presentation on stillwater I find almost all stillwater anglers are still using tippets of 3-5x. Well, this is fine if you are after or fishing over stocked trout from 10-13 inches. What most of you don't know or don't care is that you don't need to fish with tippets that light.

Fluorocarbon has changed how we set up our gear for the pursuit of big trout. Every lake has big trout and the day is going to come when you are going to hook one of these big fish. If you don't want to run the risk of losing that fish to a break-off and that is what happens when your tippet is too light for the fast graphite rods in use today or the size of the fish or his strike breaks you off, it's because the tippets is simply not strong enough to withstand the sudden pressure you place on it with a heavy hook set or because you rod tip is too fast for the size tippet you are using. You have to remember that trout do not spook from fluorocarbon which means its diameter is not a concern to the fish because it's almost invisible to them to begin with.

This is not the case with monofilament which leaves a shadow and reflects light both of which spook fish. I use a 12 foot leader with fluorocarbon tippets tied to the end of each leader. If the leader is 9 feet and has a tippet of 2X and you want to add to it, do so in 3 foot lengths to balance it and you need to come down 1x which means you add 3 feet of fluorocarbon tippet that is 3X. This will allow the leader to turn over nicely on the cast. I just don't understand why so many of you are still using light tippets and complain that you broke off that fish of a lifetime on your present system of 3-5x tippets. it's your call but it shouldn't happen if you increase your tippet size to 1 or2x.

08/19/2022

-- USING STREAMER PATTERNS --

I keep getting gals and guys calling or emailing me about the use of streamer patterns. For those of you who don't know, a streamer pattern is a minnow imitation which is #1 on the trout's list of favorite food items to seek in both rivers and streams.

Here is what you need to know to be successful. Trout seek minnows or forage fish early and late in the day when sunlight is low or covered by clouds. The darker it gets, the better the pursuit should be for you. Trout will not enter shallow water where minnows thrive as the minnow or forage fish need cover to rush into when danger is present. As a big trout cruises along the shoreline edges looking for minnows, they become very aggressive in their pursuit of these little fish. A big trout will not enter shallow water without some type of cover such as darkness or wind ripple to help them conceal their presence there.

Strikes will be explosive, hard takes and you seldom miss as the trout rarely misses his opportunity. A big fish almost always attacks the minnow from the side crushing it with one big bite, but does not eat the fish. He is trying to cripple it where he will turn it around and swallow it head first, never the reverse. Most of our minnows found in lakes and reservoirs here in the West have white or pearl colored bodies and dark grey or olive backs. Patterns that have those colors will match up very well, but that's not to say other colors don't work. Yellows for instance is a favorite color that brown trout seem to react to during the evening hours, but keep the size of your imitation in 6's or 8's for consistency. This pattern is my number one choice for hooking big fish every year especially during the fall months. Remember, focus your time during the first two and the last two hours of the day when trout move into the shallows to hunt these little fish.

Address

PO Box 470
Fort Klamath, OR
97626

Telephone

+15413812218

Website

http://www.flyfishingstillwaters.com/

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