Loch Style Fishing
This blog post is a basic introduction to Loch Style Fishing along with the suggested equipment for the job.
It seems of late, local streams have become growingly crowded with little unspoiled water and unbothered trout to be found. Lucky for us here in Quebec and most of Canada, our terrain is littered with vacant lakes which are often filled with great fishing opportunities. I’ve preferred Stillwater fishing over river fishing since a very young age. I love breaking down a new lake, putting together the pieces of the puzzle to find the most effective technique and that ultimate feeling when your line locks up during a retrieve. I was introduced to Loch Style fishing at a relatively young age by being a groupie for my dad and Team Airflo at the Canadian Nationals starting in 2004. This style of Stillwater fishing would go on to be how I would fish recreationally and competitively for years to come. Loch Style Fishing is a style of lake fishing that has been around since the 1800’s, where it was first conceived in the UK. It is a proven and very effective way to fish Stillwater. In short, Loch Style fishing is angling from a drifting boat, with the wind at your back, with the use of a drogue or wind sock to help manage the speed of your drift while keeping the boat steady and angled correctly for both fisherman. This method allows you to cover much more water, in an efficient and pleasurable manner.
It is common courtesy and competition regulations to fish within the 90 degree quadrants displayed above.
Some of the compulsory pieces of equipment you’ll need to get started is a boat, drogue, battery and motor or a set of oars with a little elbow grease. Drogues are paramount in this style of fishing and having them set up correctly will be critical to having a smooth and consistent drift. There are numerous configurations of drogues which all act as a submerged parachutes behind the boat to slow the speed of a drift in windy conditions. I would recommend a para-drogue with a dual chord system which attaches to the bow and stern. These drogues are self-collapsing when pulled from one side for easy retrieval and also allow for easy change of location without taking it out of the water. However, be cautious when they near your motor to avoid tangling in the prop and permanently damaging your drogue.
Once your drogue has been deployed, anglers cast out the front of the boat within their 90 degree quadrant. It is good to vary the angle at which you cast every time to cover a larger swath of water each drift, as fish tend to feed upwind as insects drift with the current. Depending on the speed at which the boat is drifting, you will have to ensure that your retrieve is keeping up with, or faster than, the speed the boat is drifting towards your flies. This way, you always have direct contact. If not, this will lead to slack in the line and consequently, missed fish. There are number of retrieves that you should get comfortable with and experiment. The most common would be the stripping retrieve and hand twist (figure 8). Both of which can be varied in terms of speed and cadence to help entice fish. While doing these retrieves, there are two important factors that will increase your catch rate. That is, strip set and line pinch. You should be strip setting every time you have a bite, in the case that you miss a fish, you’ve only moved the fly 6” away as opposed to 6 feet if you set with rod. You’ll have a lot more returning customers this way. Line pinch, as you retrieve your cast, pinch the fly line with your thumb and middle finger of the hand you have the rod in. The fly line should flow from the bottom guide to where you are pinching while running against the outside of your index finger. This will increase your sensitivity and should you feel any irregularities in the tension, strip set! Pinching the line like this will increase hook ups, contrary to letting the line run freely through your fingers where there could be slack in the line for that split second. My personal favourite retrieve is the rolly polly, where you place the butt section of the rod under the armpit of your casting arm and use both hands to strip back line. This can offer a quick, smooth and life-like imitation to many flies.
Classic loch style boats have elevated seats to provide a better vantage point of the water, a heightened position for easier casting while sitting down and general comfort. This can be customized on any boat with the use of thwart boards (2”x10”) cut to 6ft or whatever the necessary length is to stretch gunnel to gunnel (insert cost of lumber joke). I’d suggest mounting a boat seat or at least bringing a cushion, you’ll thank me later.
Loch Style rods tend to be 10’-11’ in length and generally between a 6 and 8 weight. Since I was first introduced to this style of fishing, the universal gold standard was a 10’ 7wt and has remained my go to ever since. The longer length in the rod will offer anglers the opportunity to gain more distance on their casts, especially when sitting down. Casting further will increase the amount of water covered in a session and ultimately keep your flies in the water longer. The extra reach in the rod will also be beneficial to picking up sinking lines and long leaders before casting. Lastly, it will allow you the ability to “hang” your flies at the end of the retrieve at a comfortable distance from the boat, to not spook fish that may be following your flies. With growing excitement around Stillwater fishing, there are many great options for all levels of anglers and budgets out there. Here are 4 rods at 4 different price points that are suitable for loch style fishing.
Once you’ve picked your rod, you’ll need to get a set of reels and lines. There are some great options on the market that you don’t have to break the bank for. Therefore, getting started with a Lamson Liquid 3-Pack or Lamson Remix 3-Pack would be ideal. This provides you with a solid reel and 2 spools with the ability to expand off of in the future with more spools. The majority of the time, you’ll be able to manage fish without going to the reel. Should you need to, the conical drag system on the Lamson reels is extremely dependable and you’ll never feel under-gunned when that time comes.
Selecting the correct fly lines is critical and something you’ll want to do your research on. To get started, I’d suggest having a floating line, which is extremely versatile in that you can fish a variety of depths based off the weight of your flies and speed of your retrieve along with the ability to fish indicators and dry flies. An intermediate line (1.5 ips) which allows you to cover the top end of the water column more efficiently and effectively if the fish are feeding sub surface in the top water column. Thirdly, a full sinking line such as a Di5 which sinks at 5 ips will offer you the ability to fish a number of water columns and get down to those deeper fish methodically and accurately. Airflo is second to none in fly lines and have been pioneers in the Stillwater and Competitive fly fishing scene for decades. I’ve put my trust in their products for years as they continue to innovate and produce the highest quality lines in the game.
Whenever there was a chance to use a cheat sheet for an Exam in school, I was all over it! Fishing lakes is no different. Print this off, laminate it and staple it to your thwart board in front of you or keep it close by in your lake bag to refer back to.
Having a diverse selection of flies will allow you to approach any lake with confidence. Be mindful of the time of year, what hatches are occurring and don’t be afraid to stomach pump a fish or two to get a better understanding of what they’re feeding on. There are essentially two categories of flies for lake fishing which are imitative patterns and attractor patterns. Imitative patterns are used to match the aquatic life in the lake as much as possible. Such as leaches, damsels, chironomids, baitfish, water boatman, back swimmers, caddisflies, mayflies, dragonflies, worms etc. Attractor patterns are bright, loud, shiny, here to party and used to attract fish. Some of these patterns may include blobs, fabs, mops, boobies and sparklers. Yes, these flies can double as both because they may imitate daphnia clusters, eggs or darting baitfish. However, they are not the most natural looking flies in your box and are tied to get a reactionary take from fish, most commonly used on stocked trout. Unless I am fishing a washing line with a booby on the point, my reactionary/attractor pattern will always be found on the top dropper (closest to the fly line). Fish will sometimes refuse these patterns but when they drop back and see the more natural and imitative patterns which trail it, this will usually induce a take. Here are some patterns that I have had great success with over the years to help get you started - Top 5 Flies Stillwater Flies for Trout Opener.
Leader set ups vary depending on the legal amount of flies you can use, if the lakes been recently stocked, water clarity, etc. My standard leader set up is an 18ft level leader with 3 flies spread 6ft apart. I would suggest buying guide spools or bulk spools of your favourite fluorocarbon. A friendly tip to avoid frustration in the boat, pre tie a few extra leaders and store them in your lake bag. Tangles are bound to occur, dropper tags will get too short from changing flies and it’ll be beneficial to have a pre-tied leader ready to go. This will save you time and keep your flies in the water longer. If you’re new to Stillwater fishing and this way of angling, I’d suggest starting with 1 fly and gradually working your way up to 3 flies as it can be a bear to cast if you’re not used to it.
A couple final things before you take to the water. You’ll want to find something to store your equipment in that is easily transportable and accessible within a boat. My preference is a configuration and system like the Simms GTS Rod and Reel Vault. This allows me to spread out my equipment so that it is all visible and so I’m not digging around in a deep boat bag for something. The backpack straps are extremely handy for fishing bank venues where you’re rotating pegs every so often. Although this is a fantastic set up and one I’ve enjoyed over the years, a pimped out Tupperware will get the job done as well.
One critical element that is often overlooked that will make or break your day, is having sun protective clothing and a quality rain suit for when the weather turns and the fishing gets hot. If you’re like me and burn like a cherry tomato, the Simms Solarflex Collection is a no brainer. These shirts provide great cover from the rays with UPF50 protection and quick-drying fabric. As for when the storm rolls in, don’t be caught off guard and let a little rain take you off the water. Simms makes 3 waterproof suits that will make you wish it started pouring! You’ve got the Simms Challenger Suit, Simms CX Suit and the Simms ProDry. They all come at varying prices, materials and features but all guarantee to keep you dry and on the water fishing.
I hope you’re able to take some info from above to help make your next Stillwater fishing day more successful and enjoyable.