Using a "long leader with a dry line" is a most effective "fly fishing strategy" for rainbow trout in "Kamloops area lakes" especially while fishing a bloodworm or chironomid fly pattern.
It took a long time for me to develop the patience and will to use a longer leader but when I did my success increased immensely. To most river fisherman or novice fly casters, anything over a 9 foot leader seems pretty long but it doesn't come close to the 18'- 22' long leaders that we use here in the trophy lakes.
Many of the Many of the
Kamloops Area Lakes
such as Pass, Morgan, White, Peter Hope, Plateau, Knouff, Community, Sheridan and Island have very clear water that allows light to penetrate down to the 20'depth level and more. This allows allows for photosynthesis to take place, even at 20 feet, promoting vegetation growth and with it, water insect production, particularly the bloodworm and chironomid. It is at these depths that this food supply lingers and evolves until they are ready to rise through the water column to emerge as a flying adult. Even if there are not chironomids rising to the surface, the fish will still feed on them at or near the bottom.
There are 2 primary challenges to overcome to be successful when fishing a dry line with a long leader in 20 feet of water...
Casting and patience.
Casting such a long leader, especially if there is a breeze can be frustrating at first but graduated practice will help you along. I recommend taking a few sessions to learn casting the long leader, perhaps starting with 12' and increasing the length by about 2 feet at a time until you feel comfortable with the 20' leader. Yes, you will get tangles and wind knots but it's all part of the learning process. When retrieving, bring your line in as close as possible on the retrieve before recasting as you will have much more control in setting up the cast. On the back cast, one has to make sure the line and leader rollover behind you enough before starting the forward casting motion.
A technique that worked for me was turning so that I was casting across my body rather than pointing my body to where I was casting. This way I could watch the back-cast and time the forward motion more effectively with the leader rollover. It is also recommended to position one's self with the breeze at your back or slightly to your side. It allows the forward cast to lay out much easier.
The second obstacle is having the patience to wait for the fly to reach the full depth of the leader. Bloodworms and especially chironomids have very little lateral movement other that what a slight current may supply. It is important that one mimics this action as close as possible. Casting and waiting 5-10 minutes while the fly reaches the bottom is not unusual before starting the slow retrieve.
Another trick to help casting efficiency and wait time is to use a weighted fly and add an additional weight to the leader in the form of tiny split shot much like a dropper fly but without the fly. (In British Columbia the use of a dropper is prohibited... but you can fish with 2 lines when by yourself... go figure.) The added weight assists the casting motion and gets the fly down to the desired depth faster. If you need to add split-shot, add from the first tippet knot (about 4'-6'above the fly). Add more shot if required but not too much as you don't want to make your line a weapon to self-inflict pain on one's self during a miscast.
Unless you can find a strike indicator that unlocks itself or is easily removable, I would not suggest that you use one for fishing deeper than about 14' if you are in a boat, or not longer than 10'if you are in a float tube or pontoon boat. It can be a tricky exercise to free the indicator and land the fish at the same time. You lose more fish that way.
As mentioned above, chironomids and bloodworms have little lateral movement so one must fish with a dead slow retrieve. Many times these trophy rainbow trout will even hit on the dead hang. It doesn't hurt to try dragging these imitations through marl, stirring the bottom ever-so-lightly, attracting bottom cruisers.
I have caught many large fish using the above strategy and find it particularly effective during the summer doldrums when the trout are deep during the day and in the spring before the water begins to warm up and the insects haven't started migrating to the surface yet.
Give it a try. I'm sure that with some practice and patience you too will be catching more fish with a long leader and a dry line.
Tight lines.
