Unexplained waves without a boat making them can be caused by either something falling into the water, a tree, a large rock, the bank sliding in. Another cause would be a subsidence in some spot of the bottom. In a larger sense this is the cause of Tsunamis. Lifting or subsiding of the bottom. No need for an earthquake in a small body of water. Another possible cause is a strong down draft of air in a very localized spot which Bounces the surface water down which in turn rebounds in waves. But waves from a boat can travel around a corner from an unseen portion of the water body.

Another way to do this: tie your 18” 24” of tippet and it’s indicator fly. Then tie another section of tippet a few inches above that fly with a blood knot. Then tie your nymph onto that tippet. You can even add a third section of tippet and another smaller nymph. If your allowed three hooks or three flys. They can be barbless without fear of the tippets coming off a hook. Use a longer length tippet because you will loose a few inches tying on the tippet. Worth a try. For attaching to the bend of the hook, I like a nail knot. Like that knot into the eye of a hook if I can. An even better knot for a fly is a looked loop so the fly can swivel in the loop. Much more natural presentation. I think it’s called a perfection knot. Same one used as the loop on a shelled bait hook.

Use the tippet rings as suggested.

I use them for wet and dry fly fishing. They don’t weigh the drys down. And I try to tie them at home. I’ll get one on the table and pick it up with a wet finger. Poke the tipped
the tipped or leader tip through and tie with a barrel knot. Then tie the tippet with a barrel know, much better than other knots for strength and longevity. The ones I have are very small. A larger size would be easier. Before getting some tippet rings I used QuickClips with them tied shut with flytying thread like finishing a fly. They still floated fine. But the rings are better.

Best idea was to use a section of inner tube to make a drip dam. I’d sacrifice an old bike inner tube rather than a car inner tube. Cut a section that will wrap the handle. Split the outside edge and secure with a metal screw tightening band of harbor Freight so it stands up. Water won’t drip or run done the handle. Could be a cheap fix until a kayak store opens and you don’t have to modify the paddle.

It could come apart with too few wraps. But with the proper number of wraps, the line takes a set as it passes back over the wraps and through the eye. After tightening , it looks pretty secure with mono and Fluoro.

Doing a whip finish as we do to finish off a fly works too and is not hard to do but doesn’t leave a tag line for a second hook.

I have problems with seeing and feeling small tippet material and most small fly hook eyes. And I don’t like taking the time to fuss with knots on the water. So what I do is use tippet rings at the end of my leaders and add the 18-24” of tippet material, usually fluorocarbon to that ring. As has been said it saves the leader from getting shorter and shorter as you clip and tie a new fly. But I also use the smallest KwikClip clips I can find and they work on all but the smallest flys for a quick change of fly until I find out what the fish like. They come in a larger size for really tough fish and for use with larger flys like Wooly Buggers. But if your gonna do the knot thing, the improved clinch knot is an easy one and you can try the Davy Knot which is even faster. There are tools to help tie nail knots which are great for the tippet rings and nice but over kill on the fly. Tight lines!

Got a chance to throw some parachute Adams at trout today. Caught a dozen and a half like this one in about five hours of fishing. Got tired of turning ten loose. It was fun.

When I had a Fulboat years ago, I had two finger wide rubber rings on the paddles to let the water drip off before it got to me. There is either a product you can buy to slide onto your paddles or make something that works. A disc cut from thick rubber or soft plastic sheet material with a center hole that makes a tight fit on the shaft. Locate outside the width of the yak.

Salt water fishermen often report larger fish attacking their hooked fish. Hooked fish don’t swim like a free fish and are more vulnerable thus eliciting a hit from a larger fish seeing an easy meal.

Washington Fishing and Hunting along with State Parks and Lands will open on May 5. Facilities at such state access points may not be open yet depending on whether staff are available to do so. I get a kick out of the sea lawyers here who interpret Law. The Washington Governor shut down what he shut down on tge advice of many and used his executive power to impose a state emergency provision to do so. It lasts 30 days without a continuation approved by the Legislature and in that context had the force of Law. I personally think he over reacted but he did have the power to do what he did. As to a personal Right to Hunt and Fish, you don’t. You and everyone in the state whether users or lookers own all Wildlife in consort. As in The State Owns All Wildlife and all state Lands. We have hired or appointed agencies to manage those resources and given them tge responsibility to set seasons, etc.through the Line of aauthority the Governor is their boss and in consort with them, commissioners, Departments, etc. a season or all seasons can be shut down. Remember that 30 day rule. Seasons can be canceled with little justification.danger to the resource. Danger to the public. Actual or perceived. Those of you who don’t respect that reality can certainly for go a license, or go fish or hunt during a closed season, but you can be ticketed and fined if caught, if the Game agents want to push it. And that’s just the reality with no bravado. . Remember I did say I think the Governor over reacted and didn’t really need to shut down fishing and hunting. I’m a WA Master Hunter and Hunter Ed Instructor. And I’m not telling anyone what they must do.

I’m wondering if a pyramid sinker in reasonably small size might be the ticket?

Lots of good ideas here. In the PNW we can’t take a steelhead that is going to be released out of the water. So my go to tool is a nylon jaw pliers that grip the lower jaw while I take the hook out by hand or with steel pliers. And as suggested, on gut hooked fish just cut the line and let the hook rust away. We also have to use barbless hooks and I use them even on trout. I loose very few if any fish even hard fighting steelhead and they make releasing very easy. Even steelhead and salmon have enough teeth you don’t want your thumb in there.

The fly fishing blogs recommend starting bigger with any fly if your not seeing the size of a hatch or bait and going smaller if big doesn’t work. Most aquatic insects aren’t that big as it is. Wooly buggers are imitations of some of the larger food items. But I have tied some smaller versions to try next week when the season opens in WA. Black is a traditional color but green is supposed to work too, brown, olive might also be goodcolors.

I like to fish stocked ponds too. I like fly fishing best but I’m not a purist, I’ll fish with bait or lures. I’ve had the experience of fishing a day or so after stocking and limiting out in a couple hours using bait like worms and power bait and wooly buggers with slip bobber float supported bait and buggers and come back two days later watching guys on both sides of me catch fish and me not catching anything. So I guess you need to be flexible. Watched a guy using a water filled clear float with a small spinner a couple feet or more behind catch fish.others using a small slip sinker catch fish with worms or power vbait fishing off the bottom catch fish. I like skip bobbers with just enough wwight to sink the bait and float the bomber upright so I can play with depth. Went s seem to help.smsll spinners and spoons seem to be the ticket at times. Very sharp hooks and not very big hooks. Some times letting bait sit on the bottom for a while. Sometimes a slow retrieve along the bottom. Sometimes a retrieve through different depths with enough speed to get action from the spinner or spoon. Lots of traditional lures to try. Sharp hooks.barbs don’t help with a solid hook up and are hard to get out of a deep trout hookup. Tight lines!