Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Stimulator Time!

Last weekend I wandered up the Poudre Canyon with a fly rod in my hand, and found that the water level of the river have dropped nicely.  The water is clear, and most of the river is wadeable.

It's been a little while since I caught a fish on a dry fly, so I tied on a big, juicy stimulator.    That fly was the ticket, as the trout kept hitting it with a vengeance.   I landed quite a few rainbow and brown trout, and had a blast doing so.   There is nothing quite like a fish exploding from the depths to smash a dry fly.

Stimulator fishing can sometimes be overlooked when we focus on "matching the hatch".  Don't be afraid to tie on a big fly for some exciting fishing!  Stimulators, or "Attractor" patterns covers a wide variety of flies.  The Royal Wulff is a famous pattern that has attracted fish for years.  Some argue that it looks like a caddis, and others say that the tail on the fly can fool a fish into thinking it is a mayfly.   I don't know the answer, but I've caught quite a few fish over the years on this pattern.   Other stimulator patterns are big, colorful flies.   The fly I used last weekend was a size 10, with an orange body and elk hair.   Your local fly shop will have numerous patterns, so buy a handful, and test them out!

 Some tips I've learned over the years:
  • A stimulator will often cause a fish to rise that is not currently feeding on the surface.  If your smaller dry or nymphing set up is not working, try a big stimulator.
  • As with any fly, fishing a stimulator with a dead drift is often the best way to encourage a strike.   However, don't hestitate to "skate" the fly across the water, or give it a twitch.   Trout sometimes think that a stimulator is a grasshopper, and they love to chase a hopper before it gets away.
  • Trout will often strike a stimulator pattern fished under overhanging branches, or right along a grassy shoreline.
  • A large stimulator pattern makes a great dry fly in the dry/dropper combo.   I've found that tying a small black zebra midge or ABU on about 2 feet of tippet will pick up plenty of fish.  Tie the dropper to the hook bend of the stimulator.
  • Keep the stimulator dry!  Recently I've been using Frog's Fanny dry fly floatant.   It is applied with a brush, which seemed odd at first, but I've grown to really like it.   When I start, I put some Fish Pimp floatant on the stimulator, then use the Frog's Fanny to keep the fly dry.
  • Go big!  Even if you don't see any large flies on the water, a large trout often likes to eat a big meal.  I've caught trout on a big Royal Wulff in the middle of winter.

3 comments:

  1. Good to hear the that water quality and level on the Poudre is looking better. This before all the rain this week so might be a little different now. Thanks for all the tips on using a Stimulator. I don't fish it often only because I don't do a lot of stream fishing anymore, but, I do know of its reputation.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks sir! I've always liked tossing a big dry fly around when the fishing is slow.

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  2. I love tying and I love fishing a stimulator. There is nothing quite like it when a fish attacks it. How's the Poudre fishing these days?

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