Techy Thursday - Late Season Shadows

Counting down to the final couple weeks of the season and a new problem for anglers emerges.

Many anglers don’t account for low angle light scenarios, not having to consider it in such severity in their everyday angling situations across the summer months. However late season shadows are long, imposing and can cost you fish. The glare associated with low angle light can also make spotting, and tracking your flies difficult so here are a few tips from Chris to help you this April:

1. Know where your flies / indicator are. Chances are you won’t have perfect visual on the fish, and if he moves, glare is close by. Fish an indicator, or dry fly you can see as this may be your only cue to strike. White wings don’t offer a lot when looking into low angle light, and so Mirfs BLT dry, CDC Thorax Duns, Hi Viz para adams and Possum Emergers all sport strong, easy to see posts that will stand out easily in late season light.
2. Consider from which side you cast to a fish, and to which side you lay your line. With the sun behind you, even a longer leader won’t hide the shadow of your fly line projected forward by the sun. Try and avoid laying the line between the sun and the fish, instead positioning yourself so that your line shadow falls away from your target.
3. Use longer leaders, and treat tippet with Snake River Mud. Quite simply, keep the heavier, thicker silhouette of the fly line further from the fish. Dressing your tippet with Mud will dull the reflective shine and keep it subsurface, reducing the severity of line shadow.
4. Stay low to minimise your personal shadow, and your silhouette against the sky. Be aware of your position, especially along high banks as you’re a lot more noticeable now with the sun behind you.
5. Use bushes or existing shadows for cover. Move in low and either stand in behind bushes as you look for fish, or stand in the shadows of convenient cover. Do what you can do to mask your silhouette.

So keep low and think smart this autumn. The fish are there. They are feeding. And as long as they don’t know you are there, they’re there to be caught.

IMAGES: Andrew Harding