feeding the fish

phiendWMD

phiendWMD

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Apr 23, 2013
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OK so I wasn't really feeding them. But after failing to catch a couple fish I was casting to, I crossed upstream from them to start walking back. I must of stirred something up when I did. I had watched these 2 fish just sit still for almost 30 minutes. As soon as I crossed they both went crazy swimming all over the pool, I guess eating what ever I shook loose. I've been told they will do this (by PAFF members) but it was the first time I saw it.

I wish I could end this saying I cast again and caught one, but they were swimming so fast and randomly I couldn't get a fly in front of them. It was still cool to see and a something I might need to try again.
 
I am guessing they are stocked fish and were "running around like rabbits? This is typical behavior with cultured fish put into streams during the first few weeks. You spooked them and they are fleeing but really haven't figured out where to hide yet. They do this until they settle down again and fall in line with one another.

After a few weeks they begin to act more normal not reacting to one another and more independently.

If you spook a wild fish they dart to their hiding lair and likely won't come out. Stocked fish don't haven't learned that behavior yet. And probably the lies are taken so they are forced to herd up, scatter and herd up again.

So I doubt what you experienced was them eating.

Sit on them until they settle down and force feed them nymphs. Slow and deep through the pods. They will eat, it is subtle but they will eat.
 
I saw large fish do this on the San Juan river in New Mexico. They were definitely eating aquatic insects that I kicked up while wading - in fact they followed along after me looking, and munching away.
Some people out there, actually do what they call "the san juan shuffle" to get them going, then cast imitations to them.
 
Well I'm not sure when it is stocked, TU handles it not the state and I don't know how to look that up. But since there were 4 or 5 golden rainbows in the same pool I'd bet they were recently dumped in. BUt I stood near them for about 30 minutes and they didn't do this. I know they saw me. Another man came up to talk to me and watch them too, he was about 10 feet from them and they stayed still. I crossed about 20 yards up. I also saw them hiding under a boulder that must have a trench or something under it.

I could definitely be wrong, but it looked they were eating not fleeing to me.
 
it's easy to tell if they are stocked or not. after settling down for a bit throw a small pebble or stick in the water...or better yet throw a large bugger in at em, if they come over and eat it they were stockies. either way stockies, wild, or suckers, it's better than sitting at home watching tv.
 
If you think about it we probably look like a fat Great Blue Heron to a fish. . I must look like two . I feed the fish,trees,bushes,other anglers so don't feel alone. Well gotta go and feed some Steel Head.
 
If they were "lightning trout" they could have been chasing floaters in their field of vision. They are very bright. I'll guess most of us have seen a carp rooting on the bottom. Keep an eye out down stream. There's probably some trout eating what the carp stir up.
 
carp on the fly...I am not Nostradamus but in 10 years there will be a special topic on this forum for this very thing, especially if the susky smallies do not recover.
 
Spooked them.
 
phiendWMD wrote:
OK so I wasn't really feeding them. But after failing to catch a couple fish I was casting to, I crossed upstream from them to start walking back. I must of stirred something up when I did. I had watched these 2 fish just sit still for almost 30 minutes. As soon as I crossed they both went crazy swimming all over the pool, I guess eating what ever I shook loose. I've been told they will do this (by PAFF members) but it was the first time I saw it.

I wish I could end this saying I cast again and caught one, but they were swimming so fast and randomly I couldn't get a fly in front of them. It was still cool to see and a something I might need to try again.

It sounds like they were spooked, not feeding.
 
Yeah, I agree that this sounds like a spooked fish scenario.

However, as Dryflyguy pointed out, it can happen and folks have known about the "San Juan Shuffle" for a long time.
 
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