New Stream Techniques

[unforgiven]

Question: When you guys are fishing a new stream, do you try to
catch the fish you see or do you fish the structure that the fish should be located?? I'm trying to fish the structure because I can't for the life of me see any fish!!!!

 

[wsender]

Try to stick where I think fish might be, but I always keep my eyes peeled.

 

[Fishidiot]

If you see a fish, and it's fairly close (a short cast)...take a break and study the situation for a few minutes. There may be a bigger fish nearby, probably deeper in the water column or under shade. If you don't see a bigger fish within casting distance, go for the first trout and, after you've caught or spooked him, move forward.

If when you see a fish or several and they are further away (a long cast or beyond range), look for fish holding cover or water closer to you and fish it blind first. After several drifts or casts to the holding cover/water close to you, then push through or past it and cast to the fish you see.

Obviously, every situation is a bit different and experience will give you a better sense for how to handle these individual situations. I often suggest to beginners that, at least when the water clears, to take some time to just walk along trout streams and observe them. Leave the rod in the car for while; don't worry about knots or flies or other stuff - just put on your polaroid sunglasses and look for fish. It's plenty fun and will definitely improve your fishing when you do pick up the rod.

 

[MKern]

I rarely fish to specific fish because you'll miss too much focusing on that particular fish.

If that fish doesn't take your offereing within the first couple cast move on, there are plenty of fish willing all around.

I fish what I think to be holding/feeding positions of fish. However, this isn't something that just happens. It take a lot of stream reading and trial and error. Well, someone could tell you how to read the water, but where's the fun in that. Plus you have to experience things like stream reading for yourself IMO.

Once you can read the water, that skill or skills will tranfer to other and most trout streams.

Also, in my oppinion, rarely fish the slow pools. Waste of time and casting energy. Those fish have all the time in the world to inspect your fly. Don't be afraid to move just around the bend, there's always better fishing water.

 

[JackM]

I look at the water I am approaching to imagine where I think the fish will be holding. Then I see if I can actually see any fish. If not, I approach casting as if there was a fish everywhere I imagined them to be, but a few blind passes, usually results in my concluding that lie is not being held presently. I then turn my attention to the next likely hold and scan for fish, once again, fishing it blindly anyhow, based upon the fish I can imagine.

If on any scans, I see a fish, I then take fishidiot's approach and observe long enough to have some educated guess as to what is going on. Of course, my eagerness to cast to a known trout sometimes interferes with my patience in observing the situation thoroughly.

 

[jrcll]

remember fish like to sit in the " seam " that fine line between fast and slow water, they will sit in the slow water and not have to use as much energy and wait for the faster current to deliver their food

 

[ryguyfi]

First things first, make sure you have a good pair of polarized glasses. Second is take your time. I never tie on a fly until I stand by the stream and study it for a minute or so. You'll see what's going on and adjust accordingly. Take your time, enjoy the surroundings and you'll see things that will adjust how you fish. Watch other fishermen and ask a lot of questions. Those are my key's to success.

 

[unforgiven]

Thanks a bunch, guys!!! If I whittle all of your responses down, this
is what I come-up with: 1. Take your time and read the water
BEFORE you start casting, 2. I should look for where fish SHOULD
BE (usually the transition point between fast and slower water), 3.
If I see a fish, cast to him a couple of times and, if I he isn't interested, move on.

Question: How much water do you guys cover when you stop reading? I mean, if I see, let's say, 5 good spots within 100 yards, should I fish those, one at a time, moving up stream or should I wait and hit the best possible spot first, maybe 200 yards up the stream?
Sorry to be so ignorant....

 

[pete41]

Seams,eyes,eddies and before and after above and underwater obstructions.However it only takes a small obstruction to deflect current upwards and provide a comfortable holding place for trout.Often good ones, so learn to spot the slight surface swellings.

 

[MKern]

I want to add that I don't wait to start fishing; I dive right in, but that's me.

There are typically more than 5 good spots withina 100 yard stretch, but on most streams there are 100 yeard stretches without any good spots. However, the next 100 yards can have 100 fishable lies.

I cast no more than 5 times (with good presentation; or what I think it good presentation) and move to the next seam or to a different section of the same seam.

Usually, I hook a fish within the first 2 cast with good presentation.


If you are anal about catching fish like me, it will take a good year or two of hard fishing and obsessing about catching fish to just pound out a stream.

My number one rule is move a lot; cover a lot of water in a short time.

 

[pete41]

My number one rule is move a lot; cover a lot of water in a short time./quote/ agreed
and if you ever make it out West,what they don't tell you is even the great streams have LOOOONG stretches of minnow water:}

 

[osprey]

my $00.02 worth is this , cover ALL the water as you work your way towards what looks like a good lie and at those times where a good lie doesn't produce anything , when it really looks like it should , chances are there is a bigger trout there who claimed that area as it's own. Trout are greedy when it comes to territory so a good looking pool/lie that seems devoid might hold the Boss.

 

[pete41]

I don't know how relevant this is to eastern streams but in the West some of the best holds are in fissures in the bedrock and where bedrock meets the gravel.

 

[bam]

If I can see a fish, chances are it sees me or is in relatively shallow and relatively flat water. This equals a tough fish to catch. I'll only put in time for this fish if its size is too big for me to pass up.

I fish much the same as pcray. The easiest fish are the ones you can't see, or can only pick up glimpses or movement through broken water. As far as productivity goes, you'll have a much better catch rate if you can ID the type of water a trout will occupy, rather than identifying the trout itself.

 

[pete41]

Keep in mind,because of refraction the fish can see you before you spot them and the deeper the pool,the truer that can be.

 

[pcray1231]

I fish much the same as pcray.

Assume you picked that up from other threads, cause I hadn't posted in this one yet.

If I see fish, I usually fish for them, but its easy to get carried away with em if they aren't hitting. There are fish elsewhere as well that you aren't seeing, and likely some of those are hungrier and less spooked. But most of the time when I see fish it's a rising situation, and thus its very easy to tell where to fish.

1. If you fish a stream when fish are rising, it helps a lot! Learn where the fish hang out in each pool. Hit it again when they ain't rising, and more often than not, they're in the same general spots.

2. Smaller streams are very easy to tell the holding water in. Fish only the good spots, cover water quickly.

3. The difficulty is in a new, large stream with no rising fish. I gravitate towards riffles and pocket water in these situations, fishing deep, fast runs and cuts, and only 1 or 2 good casts to each spot unless I get a hit or a fish. I'm basically trying to split up the larger stream into a bunch of small streams, perhaps it fits my personal comfort zone better. But I really struggle in the big full stream holes on big rivers.

Pete, I struggled out west on the larger rivers. So much of it just looked the same to me. Big and fast everywhere!

 

[pete41]

You could easily cry the first time you hit the Missouri:}
Many people have noted that-after a while big rivers actually become easier than the smaller ones as experience will teach you where they will be-much less blind casting.

 

[bam]

sorry... meant mkern

 

[unforgiven]

I can't thank you guys enough for all of the valuable info!!! I'm fishing a small stream right now, the Donegal in Lancaster, PA. I couldn't imagine fishing a large stream/river. But I guess with experience it becomes easier. I've fished the Donegal about 7 times now and never landed a trout. I did "land" a minnow :lol:
Believe it or not, I was kind of happy with the minnow.

 

[pete41]

I have had as much fun fishing for minnows as trout-it's all fishing.