It’s still pretty early in the season, but there have been a few really nice, warm days and the chironomids are coming off in significant numbers.
There is just enough of a breeze to take the calm off the surface of the water. There are quite a few other boats out on the lake and everyone seems to be catching fish – everyone except for one or two boats.
They are casting well enough, putting out 40 to 50 feet of line. They have matched the size and colour of the chironomids coming off and their presentation appears to be fine. They’ve been patient enough, letting the fly sink to the required depth, and yet they are not catching fish.
The problem stems from the gentle breeze that is blowing in from the west, and the fact they have not anchored their boat properly.
If a boat is not anchored properly it will begin to drift with any sort of breeze.
Let me put things another way. Chironomids are a relatively small food source. Most chironomid patterns are tied on size #16 or #14 hooks. Emerging chironomids move through the water column at a relatively slow pace. That is why a painfully slow retrieve is so important. If you add together the amount and speed at which the boat is drifting, then add that to the intended speed of the retrieve of the fly line, the problem becomes apparent. The speed at which your chironomid pattern is moving up through the water column toward the surface and through the feeding zone is way too fast. Add to this the fact your fly pattern is beneath the surface and it just makes it all that much harder to actually visualize the effects of drift on your fly.
While the problem of drift may have a greater effect when chironomid fishing, it also has a fairly significant effect on any small fly pattern. Even when you feel your retrieval is just right, it is hard to recognize the effects of drift, especially when a breeze is gentle and the effect of drift is subtle.
A small boat such as your average 12-foot aluminum fishing boat, should be equipped with two 15- or 20-pound anchors – one for the bow and another for the stern. This will allow the boat to be secured in such a way that it will not drift with changes in wind speed or direction which, in turn, allows an angler to maintain control over retrieval speed.
The manner in which a boat is anchored is also important.
Place the first anchor in the water off the bow. Never throw an anchor into the water. (Not unless you plan on having a long lunch immediately afterwards.) The splash will scare off any fish and you will be fishing non-productive waters for quite a while. Place the anchor in the water by leaning over the gunnel and letting the rope slip out slowly. If the anchor rope has been marked off with a water- proof felt pen in one-foot sections, it is also easy to determine the depth to which you let the anchor sink. Once the anchor has reached bottom, move the boat in reverse for 20 to 25 feet and let the other anchor out.
Move the boat forward again to the halfway point and then tie-off and secure both anchors. This will keep the boat stationary and prevent it from drifting in any direction should the wind pick up speed or change direction. Many anglers use a simple pulley system designed for small boats to raise and lower the anchor. They do not cost a lot and allow the angler to raise and lower the anchor from one spot without having to move from one end of the boat to the other.
All too often anglers will move from one fishing spot to another on a lake when they are not getting a hit without exhausting the possibilities of the previous location. Having a boat securely anchored has a tendency to anchor the angler as well.
