Know the sink rate of your Intermediate and ‘Type’ lines. The line, leader, tippet and fly need to get into a zone of fish. If you just row, kick about, or still fish and chuck and wait…well, you are the equivalent of Earnest and Jean on the shoreline in their folding chair. Lazily chatting away with their rods propped on the Y stick and Power Bait waiting on the bottom…they are you if you just mindlessly spend time waiting for an intersection of fly and fish. How mindless. Yes, I have wind drifted and relaxed while drifting across a stretch of lake. But, that technique rarely produces equal to the attention given to assessing not just the pattern, but the depth, retrieve method and location of your presentation. Stillwater fly fishing deserves the same attention to detail and timing that stream fishing demands. Focus on how many inches a second a line sinks. Do the math from there. I almost exclusively fish an Intermediate in waters up to 15′. Some would advocate switching to a Type 2 line at that depth. I carry the usual arsenal, but find a patient countdown of the rig gets me into the zone and lets me fish in a less frantic manner too. Slow down for better presentations and less stress.
SwittersB & Exploring 