Stack Mending for Longer Drifts

Stack Mending for Longer Drifts

As long as your flies are floating naturally, and the drift is good, there’s no rule against making multiple mends to cover lots of water. In fact, in big rivers, like the Colorado at Lees Ferry in Arizona, and up on Oregon’s Deschutes, stack mending for long drifts is a smart way to fish.

Make your cast, let your flies settle, then make your mend. As the flies float downstream, make another mend, feeding more line as you go. Then another. And another. Mete out line gently by wiggling the rod tip to feed line through the guides; at the same time, don’t get caught with so much slack that you cannot set the hook when your indicator stalls 50 or 60 feet away from you. It can be tricky. The key is making many small, gentle mends as you feed your line through the run.