Lakes and reservoirs

Characteristics of lakes and reservoirs?

Lakes and reservoirs allow you to practice fly fishing quite different from river fishing but no less attractive.

The calm of these bodies of water is appreciated by many as well as the possibility of fishing comfortably from the shore or from a boat or float tube . It is often possible to have a lot of equipment with you to change according to the fishing technique and in particular several rods and reels.

Even if edge fishing is not to be neglected, it is generally necessary to be able to fish far away. Fish often stand just a little past most of us' maximum casting distance...

The significant water depth implies having specific equipment to reach fish at different depths.

Lakes, especially at higher elevations, are prone to wind and the flies used, such as streamers , can be large. The fish reach very large sizes.

All this militates for a rather powerful equipment.

Which rod to choose?

A slightly long rod is preferable both to increase the casting power and to lift the line above the ground, knowing that you are fishing mainly from the shore. A length of 9 to 9.6 feet is recommended.

A fast action rod will be useful for the good caster to reach the most distant fish but is not necessarily advisable for everyone, knowing that a significant relative power is necessary which can quickly become tiring if one does not doesn't have a well-honed throwing technique.

A power of #6 minimum is recommended and you can go up to #7 or #8 depending on the size of the flies used, especially for the biggest streamers. It is nevertheless advisable to remain reasonable to avoid fatigue ruining all fishing pleasure: for medium-sized flies and small streamers it is not necessary to go up to a power of 8. In any case the rod should not be a Rigid "cudgel" but keep a progressive action to be pleasant, and this all the more so as one increases in power.

Which reel is suitable?

You can be confronted here (and I hope you are!) with very beautiful fish: a reel equipped with a quality brake can prove to be essential. Knowing that you get out a lot of line with each cast, a quick recovery will allow you to fish more: a large harbor reel has its place. It should be checked that it has a good capacity to accommodate a line of good power and a lot of backing: it would be a shame to break at the end of the line the day the fish of a lifetime is at the end of the line...

Which silk to choose?

A fairly powerful line #6 to #8 is to be used. A Weight Forward (WF) profile will be well suited to facilitate long casts.

You will quickly need to have at least one sinking line in addition to your floating line, to fish as a nymph or a streamer. Different speeds exist (S1 to S6) to quickly reach different depths. An S2 or S3 line already allows you to discover this type of fishing. These lines are heavy and quite difficult to cast: never take them from a higher number than the rod at the risk of tiring your arm... and the rod.

Which leader to use?

The choice of leader can be very variable depending on the fishing techniques. However, the use of large leaders (3m60 and more) can be difficult in windy conditions and not necessarily very useful (especially in tanks). . A classic size of 2m70 will often be more suitable, to be shortened or lengthened a little depending on the situation. The tip size is larger than what is used in the river. In tanks and in no-kill fishing, it is advisable to stick to rather large points (16/100) to bring back beautiful fish without tiring them too much, which would impact their chances of survival.

Other material

Don't forget a big long-handled landing net!