Home Forums Fishing Flyfishing High Lake or Pond Bank Fishing Tactics

I thought I'd share some of my favorite tactics on bank fishing high lakes. I use these mostly on Manti Mountain in Utah, but they'd work anywhere for high country trout.

My two favorite tactics are soft hackles and hopper and a nymph (midge) dropper. My soft hackle technique grew out of failed dry fly fishing. I'd be fishing Griffith's Gnat on top. To give the fly motion on the pond, I'd give it a twitch or two. The fly would sometimes sink which generally led to a higher catch rate. I even went so far as to make heavier, more easily sunk Griffith's Gnat with a wire rib.

This method really took off for me when I rediscovered soft hackles after watching a guy use them to great sucess on the Green below Fontenelle Reservoir. I simply cast the fly out and try to retrieve as little as possible. With no wind you'll have to retrieve more.

Some wind is very helpful as you get a good wind 'troll' happening. I add a few line twitches and watch for the line to start straightening out. I hook up better and break off less with wind induced slack. Don't let there be too much slack, however. The only wind that's not real helpful is straight in your face. The waves also impart some extra action to the fly, and the choppy surface emboldens the trout. The wind drift works with streamer and leech patterns as well.

Green and Partridge and Orange and Partridge are my favorite flies in sizes 10-14. I've also had good success with a 16 or 18 sized Griffiths Gnat. August through October, I use a fly tied with florescent orange thread, tan fur touch dubbed (LaFontaine Method) over the body thread and a ginger soft hen hackle in a size 10. This fly seems to match the orange October Caddis.

The Hopper/Dropper tactic also works better if the wind is blowing a bit. Any kind of high floating hopper seems to work. Foam hoppers are generally the best. I use a 3 or 4 foot dropper tippet off the bend the hopper hook. I've had real good luck with ice cream cone midges (white bead) and pheasant tail bodied bead head midges. I seem to do better with larger sizes 8 or 10.

It can be hard to hook fish with this method. Some days it seems impossible to hook them especially in a hard fished lake. A lot of times the hopper will be pulled under, but sometimes it will just dance or jiggle on the water. If you see that jiggle set the hook.

Open up you casting loops a bit to cut down on tangles. I had more tangles with strike indicators than with the hoppers. That seems counter intuitive, but that's been my experience.

Best of luck this summer in the high country.

'Preciate the experiences. Thanks.

I used the hopper and dropper technique in some high lakes in the Wind River Range, Beartooths and Sawtooths. It works like a charm if you have a little wind. Sometimes I would use 7-8" feet of line between the hopper and the beadhead pheasant tail, scud, brassie etc and go all the way down to size 18 & 20 nymphs. I never cease to be amazed at how well trout can see such a small fly from a distance.

I have the High Unitas of Utah on my list. Any tips for some good places to try?

I don't think I've ever gone down 7 or 8 feet with the dropper. Maybe 5 or 6 feet with a indicator and 2 flies. Out of a float tube or boat hanging flies downwind works great. It's totally counter intuitive as you think the trout are facing into the wind like the current of a river.

There's a technique I've read about but never tried. Your leader's 25 feet of tippet with one of those large foam indicators with the hole bored through it. The bead-head sinks when it all the way down you slowly retrieve the fly back up. I imagine it works great.

Most of the good lakes in the Uintas are on the South Slope. There are some on the north slope, but they are at the end of very long hikes (Slow altitude gain though.)

The Utah DWR used to print some booklets on each drainage in the Uintas. Don't know if those are still available.

Here's a good guide book:

Hiking Utah's High Uintas: 99 Day and Overnight Hikes (Falcon Guides Hiking)
by Jeffrey Probst

I don't have a lot of personal knowledge of the Uintas backcountry.