Smallest Fly I ever fished - big payoff.

[rgreenland]

Due to my eyesight I rarely fish with anything smaller than a 14-16 size fly. Also, I guess I have been pretty stubborn with my thinking ......that a fish can actually see something so small in a river and that they would actually go for it. I've had phenomenal days and just good days always using the size of fly's I've been use to using. Never felt the need to go smaller to catch more or bigger fish.
A few weeks ago I was convinced that I should use a size 20....I don't recall what name of the fly was.
So after a good struggle with my fingers and with the help of some clip-on magnification glasses to my cap, I was finally able to get the fly in the water.
I quickly thought I made a mistake because after only a few casts I managed to get that tiny bugger snagged and the 6X line broke.
Again - after another 20 min of trying to tie on such a small bug and a few choice words under my breath I was back fishing.
The time, effort, and frustration was all worth it after about 10 min. I landed this nice fish. It was also the first time I have fished with a #4 rod and 6x line. Landing it took some time and finesse but it all worked out.
Still hard to believe that a size 20 fly can catch something like this.
It has certainly changed my mind about the tiny ones and opened up the possibilities for future trips to the river.
Guess its never too late to find something new (to me). I'm now excited and looking forward to more trips to the river with the lighter and smaller.
I have all the gear I need - no new big dollar items needed to move forward.....However, I'm thinking that the investment into laser eye surgery may be my next fly-fishing must-have.
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[OldTroller]

Looks like an excellent pay off.
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[T-DOG91]

Nice work!
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[riverdog]

I always carry some size 18-20 dries and nymphs. I have had some rare but amazing days when larger flies weren’t working throwing the small stuff. However I just enjoy throwing large flies more and can make them work 99+% of the time. In the winter tailwaters that get pressure such as the Provo, SJR and Marble Canyon I’m always ready switch to the small stuff if larger flies, streamers and egg patterns aren’t working. Those places are low on my fishing priorities but sometimes they’re the only places that are really fishable during the winter. The only other place I found small flies a must is the small tributaries into Strawberry Reservoir. In the late Spring sometimes the big Cutts will run upstream before it closes for their spawn. If you throw larger than 18 you will only catch the 10-16 inch year round Cutts and not the lake run 18- 27 inches ones. And believe me despite those fish being wet rags in Strawberry, they can really put up a fight in the current of those small streams. While size is important almost any standard small nymph will work there.
I don’t fish the Provo all that much. Does it even have salmonflies or that many stoneflies? That lack of biodiversity probably means the fish aren’t eating larger nymphs year round and you need to adjust to it’s limitations especially in the winter. It’s always good to understand the intricacies of each river you fish.
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[fishroof]

I have fished many winter seasons before and NEVER used anything bigger than a #20 with 7x tippet and a 5wt or 6wt rod.I very rarely nymph almost never,there is usually a hatch somewhere.Hope your eyesight gets better,the best local hatches of the year are this month.
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[tubbyama]

You have been inducted into the 20/20 club. 20"/#20 fly!
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[pookiebar]

I almost never fish with anything bigger than a #18 or #20 fly. Fish eat a lot of small stuff in the stream. You should be able to get 5x tippet through the eye. Just have to use nail clippers to make the tag end of your tippet very crisp. That little bit of extra strength in 5x makes a big difference.
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[riverdog]

[quote tubbyama]You have been inducted into the 20/20 club. 20"/#20 fly![/quote]
What’s the prize for being a member of the 20/20 club? I didn’t know it existed. I don’t think I’ve entered that club yet. Is there an 18/27 club. I’ve made that in Utah on a day with a half dozen over 20 inches. Just saw no reason to move further down in size that day. I stop with the smallest that works well for me. Now I’m starting to get slightly presbyopic. I don’t know if that will change even with my first pair of transitions bifocals in the past year. I still have productive days in winter I never go smaller than size 10. Outside of winter I don’t fish smaller than 16 except targeting those prespawn Cutts out of Strawberry.
I guess I just prefer the opposite spectrum of fly size as long as it is productive. My absolute favorite fly fishing in Utah will always be hitting the massive Salmonfly hatches (with size 4-10 dries and nymphs) that some of the states most productive streams have. Yes it’s stupid easy nonstop catching but the real challenge is finding the hatch at all.
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[tubbyama]

No prize just an achievement. Big flies are always more fun for my old eyes, but there is something fun about that technical small stuff as well.
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[ru22dizzle]

Amazing catch! Nice work trying something new and sticking to it. That's awesome!
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[richyd4u]

Very nice fish! We have caught many a pig on the Green using size 20 and smaller. However, I find that people tend not to fish big enough flies, and I tend to go larger than most people go. When I have people ask me what I am hitting them on, they are always surprised at the size.
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[catchinon]

Beautiful fish--I envy you. I feel your pain about tying on such a small hook.
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