Few people know Lewiston Lake like Trinity Fly Shop guide Kit Kreick. He has devoted over half of his life fishing, guiding and unraveling its year-round challenging fisheries. He wrote this article for the Trinity Fly Shop’s ANGLERS UPDATE back in 1996. Since Lewie has been firing off lately, I thought it would be appropriate to recycle his insights on such a unique tailwater fishery. Enjoy and apply-Herb
Wading Lewiston Lake is the most effective approach for bank huggers
An actively feeding bank hugger is undoubtedly one of the most exciting targets to encounter
Some of my favorite fish on Lewiston Lake are the bank huggers. A term used to describe fish cruising shorelines looking for the easy meal. They look for the collection of bugs that are pushed up along the banks and vegetation lines. Lewiston is rich and fertile tailwater so there is often a current flowing through the lake. During aquatic hatches bugs drift and get forced into the shallows by the flows and wind. Bank huggers find these clusters of insects in water depths of four ft. to as shallow as six inches and routinely graze. They know which cabinet to go to and when to go there.
Who dat- Kit hunting the shallows 1996 circa
I prefer to target bank huggers wading and stalking the flats. Maintaining a low profile permits you to get close to your targets; giving you the edge. I concentrate on the upper flats and bush lines from the mid-lake, above Pine Cove, down past Lakeview, which is often referred to Lower flats and Duck Blind. These waters are a waders dream and often over looked by anglers fishing from boats, prams, pontoons and float tubes; unknowingly floating over some of the best and often biggest fish in the lake. If you do choose to use a floating device try using it for transportation to get out on the islands, flats and shallow weed beds and then carefully wade these waters.
Hungry shallow cruisers-always be prepared, they come from nowhere when you least expect it
Bank huggers are very spooky; therefore you have to stalk them like a trophy elk or deer. One good, accurate presentation is better than twenty hacks. Minimize your presentations, make them count. How many times will that four point buck let you shoot at him? You need to be patient to be successful. Tune in and carefully observe the aquatics and the bank huggers feeding behavior and rhythms. They tend to roam, feeding up and down the flats during the hatch. Moving in and out, using deeper waters for sanctuary, and return to the shallows when they feel comfortable and undisturbed. Again, be patient, let them come to you. Don’t go chasing them;
they will outrun you every time.
2014 Kit exercising his passion–hunting huggers with a fly
Be ready at all times, using your peripheral vision and scan the waters. When you see a target feeding, judge the distance, and attempt to deliver an accurate presentation. Use a spring creek approach, long leaders, light tippits, and downstream presentations so as not to line the fish. Lead your target three to four ft. It’s like leading ducks on a pass shoot.
Some of the biggest and most challenging fish in Lewiston know what is along the shores. Watch out for these fish cruising and cautiously feeding in the shallow dining rooms. Give wading and targeting Lewiston’s bank huggers a shot; it’s hunting with a fly at its finest. If you have the patience for one or two of these fish, they’ll make it well worth your while.
Bank Huggers unsuspecting feed buckets-shallow ideal vegetation lines and waiting for someone, patient to wade in
