• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Deneki Outdoors Fishing Lodges

Alaska | The Bahamas | Chile

  • About Deneki Outdoors
  • Our Fishing Lodges
    • Alaska West
    • Andros South
    • Rapids Camp
    • Rio Salvaje
  • Deneki Blog
    • Alaska West
    • Andros South
    • Chile
    • Fish
    • Fishing Reports
    • Fly Tying
    • Gear
    • General
    • Guest Posts
    • News
    • Rapids Camp
    • Rio Salvaje
    • Tips
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs

Jan 10 2017

Swinging Flies in Low and Clear Water – Fish Further Away

Fly fishing for steelhead by Nick Chambers.
Try boosting one a little further.. Photo: Nick Chambers.

We’ve said it many times before, but when swinging flies for salmon and steelhead a common mistake made by many spey anglers is actually casting too far – often missing out on the good fishy water right in front of them.

However, casting far is fun! And today our own Jason Whiting lends a tip when it might be a good idea to actually chuck a little further, and extend the distance between you and the water you’re covering.. Take it away Jason!

Low and Clear Water? Fish Further Away

When swinging flies for anadromous fish, low or clear water can create many challenges. Fish can see you much easier and tend to be far more spooky. Well, if you’re fishing such conditions, and you feel like you are fishing well, but just can’t get those fish to eat, try making a longer cast to your target!

Don’t change the area you want to fish, but let’s say you’re standing 40 feet from point ‘X’ that you want your fly to land on. Keep that same target, but try moving upstream so that you are now positioned say 70 feet from the same target. This will allow you and all the movements you are making to be just that much farther from those spooky fish.

Of course, one thing to take note of is that this will change your swing angle, speed, and depth considerably, so adjust how you let your fly sink accordingly.

In the end, there is no definite science on how to approach those spooky fish when water conditions aren’t ideal, but the next time you find yourself fishing low or clear water and just can’t get those fish to eat, give this a try.

More on Swinging Flies

  • Steelhead in Low Water – 5 Tips
  • Steelhead in High Water – 5 Tips
  • 5 Reasons to Swing for Trout this Winter

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Plan Your Trip

Let our experts plan the fishing adventure of your dreams.
Contact Now

Search Topics

Subscribe to our newsletter

All Blog Posts

Recent Posts

  • Spey Clave: Two Hand Alaska Presented By Mossy’s Fly Shop
  • Learn the Art of the Cack-handed Spey Cast
  • Common Mistakes Fly Anglers Make When Targeting Alaska Sockeye Salmon-and How to Fix Them
  • Fly Tying: Sockeye Caviar
  • The Alaska Freshwater Fish-Tastic Final Four

All About Spey

All About Trout

All About Bonefishing

All About Gear

Best Posts

Footer

Deneki Outdoors

Mailing address:
200 W. 34th Ave.
#1170
Anchorage, AK 99503

Headquarters:
6160 Carl Brady Dr.
Anchorage, AK 99502

US Information and Reservations
800-344-3628

International Information and Reservations
+1 907-563-9788

Email: info@deneki.com

Our Lodges

Rapids Camp
King Salmon, Alaska

Alaska West
Kanektok River, Alaska

Andros South
South Andros Island, The Bahamas

Rio Salvaje
Puerto Montt, Chile

Deneki Outdoors thanks Peter Viau, Tosh Brown, Abe Blair, Kyle Shea and Kara Knight for the beautiful photography used on our sites.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

#denekioutdoors

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Copyright © 2025 · Deneki Outdoors · Privacy Policy · Site by 21 Designs

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we assume that you are okay with it.Ok