I usually write about fly casting, but let’s spend some time talking about actually fishing.

I met up with Kit Brown on the last day of the year to fish the Lower Mountain Fork River in Oklahoma. I was hoping to learn a few spots that don’t involve fishing elbow to elbow with everyone else. I ended up learning way more than that.

We spent the day in what used to be called Zone 2, which is an area I have never fished before. Zone 2 has very different water conditions than I am used to in Spillway creek. In Spillway, the main current is easy to identify and you basically fish from one pocket to another. In Zone 2, the river is wider and flows slower which makes the pockets and even the current more challenging to identify.

I learned a lot that day and here are a just a few highlights. There are no secrets here, but they helped me to put some puzzle pieces together.

• “Foam is home” – Drifting your flies through the foam line works in Spillway creek and pretty much everywhere else. But what do you do when the surface of the river appears smooth, and the bubbles are scattered across the surface without an obvious foam line? We fished a spot that was covered in what appeared to be random bubbles. But, if you stopped and watched, those “random” bubbles were actually moving in five distinct lines that aligned with the rock ledges under the surface. Once I realized how to read the bubbles in slower moving water, I had multiple fishing lanes available to explore. Spending time observing the river is good, but sometimes it helps to know what to look for.

• Casting long leaders – We fished with a 12 foot leader at times. I don’t know if 12 ft leaders are needed on the LMF, but I do know that I had never attempted to cast a leader that long and it was a humbling experience. If you ever plan to fish a place that requires a long leader, spend some time practicing your casting with long leaders before the trip. That practice will make your time on the water much more enjoyable.

• Mending in slower water – I learned a method of mending line that is way too easy. The key is to let the rod do the work. Don’t try to use a wrist flip in slower water, that technique doesn’t move enough line. Instead, raise your arm from the shoulder and use the rod to lift more of the line from the water and then place it down river. It’s a nice simple move that worked extremely well.

• Sink rate – My usual way to adjust the depth of flies in a drift is to add or remove split shot. Another way to adjust the depth the flies is extremely obvious, but I had never used it. Want the flies to sink deeper? Just aim your cast further upstream which allows more time for the flies to sink before reaching the targeted strike zone. Getting hung up on the bottom? Aim your case more downstream to give the files less time to sink before reaching the strike zone. Using your cast to adjust the depth of the flies is quicker than adding or removing split shot. Also, once you’ve finished fishing a section, take two steps downstream and repeat. You’ll be fishing a different section of that run with such a simple change.

I’m sure that some of you are reading this and thinking that this guy is an idiot because everything listed is so obvious. Well, I’ve never claimed to be the smartest guy on the water and nothing listed is new or revolutionary, but this stuff was new to me. That is something that I love about fly fishing, there is ALWAYS something new to learn and new places to fish. Never be afraid to ask questions and learn something new.

Have fun!

Rex
FFI CI
TFO Rods

I go to Zone 2 for the beauty, not the fishing. I'm really not skilled enough to fish it effectively, although I've had several quite good days there. I've also been pure-dee-o skunked several times. You're right, it's not at all obvious to the non-expert fisherman where the holding spots are. Kit's a great guy. I recommend him. Nice report. Thanks!

Neat post!

how to contact kit

Excellent Post Rex

Good read Rex! I'm with jonbo. When I go to zone 2 I usually have a camera in my hands more than a rod. That's mostly because I don't know what the heck I'm doing either. Sure is pretty down there though

Cool thread