interviews

Denny Rickards interview

By Scott Richmond

Denny Rickards averages 700 trout per year that weigh four pounds or more. In this month's exclusive interview, Denny shares some of the secrets of his success.

enny Rickards is the nation's reigning expert on catching trophy trout with flies in lakes. From his base near Upper Klamath Lake, Denny has traveled to the best stillwaters in the West, and landed huge fish from all of them.

For many anglers, a trout that weighs over four pounds is the stuff of dreams. But for Denny, it's an everyday experience. He averages over 700 trout a year that weigh more than four pounds. He has poured his experience into the best book on lake fishing, Fly Fishing Stillwaters for Trophy Trout.

This month, Denny talked with Westfly about stillwater fly fishing.

Denny, few years ago, stillwater fly anglers were considered a rarity. Now you find them everywhere. Why do you think stillwater fly fishing has had such a boom?

I don't think there's any single reason so many fly anglers have turned-on to lake fishing. Float tubes and pontoon boats have made lakes more accessible. Also, some of our rivers have substantial problems with crowding and loss of habitat. Of course the last few years we've had high water on many rivers. Anglers have discovered that lakes can have better conditions and smaller crowds, so they get more solitude. Lakes can be more intimate. Anglers have also discovered that lakes grow bigger trout. Another factor is that we now have better fly lines and other tackle for fishing stillwaters.

What are the keys to successful stillwater fly fishing?

Assuming an angler knows how to cast and can locate trout in a lake, the three keys to success are: line choice, fly pattern, and presentation.

Let's talk about the first key--line choice.

Most fly fishers start out on rivers. After they have some experience on moving waters they try lake fishing. Unfortunately, a lot of what they learned on rivers doesn't apply to lakes.

For example, trout in rivers do most of their feeding on the surface, near the surface, or near the bottom. In lakes, trout feed at different depths. Reaching the depth--and staying at it--is crucial to stillwater success

"Reaching the proper depth and staying at it"--how does a lake angler do that?

Proper line choice is crucial. Most of the time, you need a full-sinking line, not a floater or a sink-tip. An intermediate line--one that sinks very slowly--is the right choice 80% of the time. Because it sinks slowly, it will hold you at the right depth longer than other lines.

Some anglers think they should use a heavier sinking line so they can reach the right depth more quickly. This is true, but the line won't stay there; it will keep sinking. So the angler makes a 70-foot cast, lets the line sink, then retrieves. But the line keeps sinking. The fly is at the right depth for only a few seconds, then it sinks below the depth the trout are feeding at. Consequently most of the retrieve is wasted.

Trout in lakes do most of their feeding in shallow water. They rest in deep water, and sometimes you can get them to take a fly there, but usually you need to be closer to the surface--within one to six feet, or on the bottom in shallow water, say ten feet or less. Trout look up for their food, not down. If you're below them, you'll have very few fish.

What lines should anglers have on their reels?

Pay close attention to the sink-rate that's printed on the box. There are some lines that are labeled as "Intermediate" that really aren't. A good intermediate line has a sink rate of about 1.0-1.5 inches per second. That way it will stay at a depth of one to six feet-- which is where you'll catch most of your fish--for a longer time. A Wet Cell II, or equivalent, is also a good line to have. It sinks at about 2.5 inches per second. I carry Wet Cell IIIs and Wet Cell IVs, but rarely use them because they sink through the feeding zone too quickly. The heavy lines are good for brown and brook trout, though, because you usually find them right on or near the bottom.

What do you think about the new clear lines, such as the Scientific Anglers Stillwater line?

Clear lines are a real advantage. They're less likely to spook fish when you cast, and it's like extending your leader all the way to the rod.

There are several clear lines on the market today. Most of them sink a little too fast. The SA Stillwater line tends to kink and coil in cold weather, which can be a problem. Cortland and AirFlo have new lines that look pretty good. The AirFlo Delta 7000 should be a good line, and the Cortland Camohas almost no memory, but I don't know how it will hold up to heavy use.

So the proper choice of fly line is crucial. What about matching the line to the rod?

Most river fishing is done with five-weight rods. I think a six-weight is better for lakes. You have to cover more water, so long casts are important, and the trout are bigger. American rods are mostly bought for fishing in rivers with a double-taper line, but fly lines for lake fishing are weight-forward. So you need to make some adjustment when you buy lines for lake fishing. Usually, the best strategy is bump up one line weight. For example, if you have a six-weight rod, get a WF7 line.

Do you think fluorocarbon leaders are suited to lake fishing?

Fluorocarbon is the only way to go on lakes. You lose a little strength for comparable thickness, so you might need a 2X tippet in fluorocarbon to get the same strength you'd find in a 3X monofilament tippet. But the fluorocarbon is much harder for fish to see, so it's a good trade-off.

Pick your leader based on conditions and depth. For example, on a flat, windless day you will probably need a 16-18 foot leader if you're fishing near the surface. Other days, a 12-foot leader is sufficient.

Well, that's a lot of good information about line choice, which you said is the first key to successful stillwater fishing. What about the second key, fly pattern?

Trout feed opportunistically in lakes, but in rivers they are more selective. So matching the hatch is critical to success in a river, but in a lake the trout are usually not as fussy about what fly they take.

Anglers who learn to fish on rivers get hung-up on fly patterns when they go to a lake. If they're not catching fish on a lake, they change flies. This is often the wrong strategy! Pattern is not as critical as the zone you fish in, which is why line choice is so important. Most of the time, if you're not catching fish it's because you're in the wrong place or at the wrong depth.

So on a lake, you need a pattern that is consistent with what the trout are eating. Your flies can be more suggestive and less imitative. The important thing is they need to look alive.

What flies do you use?

Most of the time, I only use my five patterns: Seal Bugger, Stillwater Nymph, All Purpose Emerger, Callibaetis Nymph, and Black Diamond. [These patterns are not widely available in stores, but you can find the recipes in Denny's book.]

Only five patterns?

When you're fishing subsurface, you only need a few. It's different when you're on the top. I've traveled to a lot of trophy trout lakes in the West, and these flies produce fish on all of them most of the time.

What about the third key to success--presentation?

In lakes, most flies are presented subsurface and moving. They have to have a life-like action that triggers a response from the trout. I have five standard retrieves that I use: long, slow pulls with no pause between pulls; long, quick pulls with pauses between some of the pulls; short (two-inch), quick pulls with no pause; short (four-inch), slow pulls with a pause between pulls; and a slow hand-twist retrieve. The latter two work well with smaller flies, such as Callibaetis patterns. Remember, if you're not catching fish and you're in the right place, it's probably because you're either fishing at the wrong depth or using the wrong retrieve, not because you've got the wrong fly.

Denny, this looks like it's going to be a cold spring. How will that affect our fishing?

Spring is always an adventure because you don't know what to expect. High, cold water in the lakes will scatter the fish. Also, the warmer water is on the bottom in spring, so fish will tend to be at a deeper level.

So for spring fishing, you need a faster sinking line to get down deeper and explore depths from six to twelve feet (depending on the lake). With cooler temperatures, trout won't feed as much or be as active. Present the fly slowly, so they have a chance to look it over.

Some anglers pay a lot of attention to the phase of the moon. Do you think it's a factor in lake fishing?

I don't know why, but it's definitely a factor. Trout don't feed as much during the day if there's a full moon. The day before the full moon, to two days after, daytime fishing won't be as good.

Denny, I have to say that your book, Fly Fishing Stillwaters for Trophy Trout, is superb. Where can anglers find it?

It's at most fly shops and in many of the catalogs, such as Kaufmann's.

I understand you do seminars, too.

Yes. I've got several coming up in late April and early May in Oregon. We'll cover lake fishing strategies, then have some on-the-water time at some private lakes with huge rainbow trout. Anyone who's interested can call me at 541/381-2218 for details.

One last question: do you have bad fishing when the wind is from the east? The old saying is, "Wind from the east, fish bite least."

Yes. But it's worse when it's from the north. The rest of the saying is,

Wind from the north, don't go forth.
Wind from the south, fish will take it in the mouth.
Wind from the west, fishing is the best.

Denny, I wish you many west winds. Thanks for talking to Westfly.

Scott Richmond is Westfly's creator and Executive Director. He is the author of eight books on Oregon fly fishing, including Fishing Oregon's Deschutes River (second edition).

Uploaded 04/10/1999.

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