Beginner Blue Lining for Wild Trout

[Woollybuggerz]

Hey guys, was hoping to maybe share an experience from a recent trip in hopes of seeing if what I noticed tracks with anyone else.

I was fishing a small wild brook trout stream, and at first my dry was getting attacked by what I’m guessing were creek chubs or fingerlings but not by the bigger brookies. I would sneak up on a hole and see brookies lined up feeding. They’d dart if I got too close broadside. So I’d sneak up downstream. If I got too close (10’-15’) they’d dart during my false casts. 20-25’ seemed to be the distance I could cast without spooking them. I was using a 5x leader/tippet. If I did all the above most the time they would look maybe nudge it but not commit. I downsized everything to 6x and had to drop it on their nose. Then, I started getting strikes. I’ve always heard 6x is ridiculous but I did get a lot more strikes so idk.

Does this experience track with anyone else for most blue liners in low water? If so, is this to be expected all the time regardless of flows? Would any of you have done something differently? I’ve always heard brookies were a lot more aggressive and you could afford to be a tad sloppier over them but I felt like I was trying really hard to be sneaky and still would spook them. Maybe I just have mammoth feet lol

 

[lycoflyfisher]

Some small streams are really difficult to fish in low water. Long casts and even landing your flyline on the stream bank can sometimes be needed. Or wait for better conditions.

 

[Woollybuggerz]

Some small streams are really difficult to fish in low water. Long casts and even landing your flyline on the stream bank can sometimes be needed. Or wait for better conditions.

Thanks I’ll keep that in mind. At times I was landing my fly line down stream short of the hole. Which then I ran into difficulty if I needed to mend. Somehow my line always found the one branch in the area or the one rock with an over hang. I guess that’s just the name of the game though lol

 

[dryflyguy]

Approaching them from downstream is usually the best.
Super accuracy is called for here though.
The idea is to land the fly a few feet upstream, so that the fish only sees the final tippet section.
Which should be light enough to not spook them. And yes, going to 6x - and even 7x occasionally - can make a difference.

You also need to be able to to lay the fly very gently on the water.
Which is accomplished by having the line layout high over the surface, and just falling gently down.

If there's room , I also try to make an angle cast to the target.
So that only the fly floats over the fish.
Even - as mentioned above - landing the line on the bank at times
But that's not always possible on small water
Its a challenge for sure.

And yes, the fly finding the one branch hanging down over the casting lane, seems to be a given most of the time

 

[wildtrout2]

Hey guys, was hoping to maybe share an experience from a recent trip in hopes of seeing if what I noticed tracks with anyone else.

I’ve always heard brookies were a lot more aggressive and you could afford to be a tad sloppier over them but I felt like I was trying really hard to be sneaky and still would spook them. Maybe I just have mammoth feet lol

Welcome to PAFF.

Brookies are more agressive than other trout, but like any wild trout, if they see you it's game over. Continue to approach from downstream and you'll have much better results.

 

[Bamboozle]

By my definitions, if I am fishing "a small wild brook trout stream" and I am casting 20 - 25 feet....

It ain't such a small wild brook trout stream... 😉

That being said, IF you can fish a longer rod at this stream, do so because with a longer rod you have longer reach. The goal is to try and cast shorter because your reach compensates and at the same time, keep as much line OFF the water as possible.

There is a reason I love to fish Tenkara style under the conditions you describe because I get reach AND keep line off the water...

I'd also consider shortening your leader so your rod loads better which SHOULD enable you to cut down on the line lengthening or nervous false casting. I don't know about the rest of the folks out there, but when I'm fishing at most places, most often I pick up, one back cast and then deliver. Less false casting also means less opportunities to over extend line and get snagged on a branch behind you.

IF I need to dry off a fly with false casts over nervous fish, if I can't do my false casting NOT over the fish, I often time forsake false casting completely and dry off my fly with an Amadou patch and/or some desiccant and re-dress....

That process calms me AND the fish down a bit and has resulted in sucess more times than I can count, especially on a fish I feel will only give me one shot to blunder...

Good luck!!

 

[Woollybuggerz]

Approaching them from downstream is usually the best.
Super accuracy is called for here though.
The idea is to land the fly a few feet upstream, so that the fish only sees the final tippet section.
Which should be light enough to not spook them. And yes, going to 6x - and even 7x occasionally - can make a difference.

You also need to be able to to lay the fly very gently on the water.
Which is accomplished by having the line layout high over the surface, and just falling gently down.

If there's room , I also try to make an angle cast to the target.
So that only the fly floats over the fish.
Even - as mentioned above - landing the line on the bank at times
But that's not always possible on small water
Its a challenge for sure.

And yes, the fly finding the one branch hanging down over the casting lane, seems to be a given most of the time

Thanks for the casting tips! Most my casts were definitely not as delicate as you described. I’ll have to keep that it in mind to lay it out and fall onto the water gently.

 

[Woollybuggerz]

Welcome to PAFF.

Brookies are more agressive than other trout, but like any wild trout, if they see you it's game over. Continue to approach from downstream and you'll have much better results.

Thanks yea for sure was where I had the most success!

 

[Woollybuggerz]

By my definitions, if I am fishing "a small wild brook trout stream" and I am casting 20 - 25 feet....

It ain't such a small wild brook trout stream... 😉

That being said, IF you can fish a longer rod at this stream, do so because with a longer rod you have longer reach. The goal is to try and cast shorter because your reach compensates and at the same time, keep as much line OFF the water as possible.

There is a reason I love to fish Tenkara style under the conditions you describe because I get reach AND keep line off the water...

I'd also consider shortening your leader so your rod loads better which SHOULD enable you to cut down on the line lengthening or nervous false casting. I don't know about the rest of the folks out there, but when I'm fishing at most places, most often I pick up, one back cast and then deliver. Less false casting also means less opportunities to over extend line and get snagged on a branch behind you.

IF I need to dry off a fly with false casts over nervous fish, if I can't do my false casting NOT over the fish, I often time forsake false casting completely and dry off my fly with an Amadou patch and/or some desiccant and re-dress....

That process calms me AND the fish down a bit and has resulted in sucess more times than I can count, especially on a fish I feel will only give me one shot to blunder...

Good luck!!

Hahah well I guess width wise it was small, but clearance for casting was good. It seemed like I had to stand pretty far back to not spook them.

Just wondering, do you find you can get pretty close to them down stream with just one back cast? I’m sure my false casts was just too much of a racquet. It seemed like every time my rod tip came forward they were gone if i was too close.

Thanks for your other tips too!

 

[jifigz]

I haven't read a response where anyone has addressed this part of your post, so I will. Sometimes, dace and other fish will attack your fly so quickly that it is almost impossible to catch anything other than them. While I don't have an easy solution to this problem, I admit it's frustrating. This usually seems to be the case in low, clear water and warmer temps.

Also, some streams are prone to these issues while others aren't so much.

 

[Bamboozle]

Just wondering, do you find you can get pretty close to them down stream with just one back cast? I’m sure my false casts was just too much of a racquet. It seemed like every time my rod tip came forward they were gone if i was too close.

Thanks for your other tips too!

Yes, because I usually shoot line to the rear if needed and have the room, not on forward casts.

Another thing; I learned a LOT about stealth from watching herons fish. When they move toward their prey, their feet & legs move, but their upper body remains motionless. I try my best to wade or move the same way which I feel helps a LOT because I can get a lot closer to fish since I stated moving like a bird. 😉

It's not so easy to cast without moving, but that's the reason I also keep false casting, especially forward casts to an absolute minimum.

This isn't directed at you, but one of the first things I try and correct with beginning fly anglers is to cut down on false casting. Almost to an angler they do it WAY too much because of a lack of confidence or because they think that's the way you are supposed to cast a fly....

Been there, done that... 🙄

Usually it isn't necessary, especially when fishing sub surface and on a 2nd or 3rd cast to the same spot. All it does is create more opportunity to get into trouble or spook fish.

Good luck and keep at it!!

 

[Bamboozle]

I haven't read a response where anyone has addressed this part of your post, so I will. Sometimes, dace and other fish will attack your fly so quickly that it is almost impossible to catch anything other than them. While I don't have an easy solution to this problem, I admit it's frustrating. This usually seems to be the case in low, clear water and warmer temps.

Also, some streams are prone to these issues while others aren't so much.

Some of best and most abundant trout I ever hooked miraculously turned into dace & chubs when brought to hand... 😉

 

[dryflyguy]

I haven't read a response where anyone has addressed this part of your post, so I will. Sometimes, dace and other fish will attack your fly so quickly that it is almost impossible to catch anything other than them. While I don't have an easy solution to this problem, I admit it's frustrating. This usually seems to be the case in low, clear water and warmer temps.

Also, some streams are prone to these issues while others aren't so much.

Good point
There is a small stream fairly close to where I live, designated as supporting WT.
I talked about it with another forum member who had fished it.
And he confirmed that there are some WT in it.
I decided to give it a try rather recently

But it is just loaded with chubs too
And that's all I caught for the first few hours spent there.

When I finally did hook a nice size trout, it kinda caught me off guard.
And guess I didn't get a good hook set, and it got off just after I got it to the surface, and got a quick glimpse of it.
Only trout I hooked there all day

 

[Woollybuggerz]

I haven't read a response where anyone has addressed this part of your post, so I will. Sometimes, dace and other fish will attack your fly so quickly that it is almost impossible to catch anything other than them. While I don't have an easy solution to this problem, I admit it's frustrating. This usually seems to be the case in low, clear water and warmer temps.

Also, some streams are prone to these issues while others aren't so much.

Thanks for your response! I didn’t land one to know for sure what they were but yea it was almost instant and was frustrating at times

 

[Woollybuggerz]

Yes, because I usually shoot line to the rear if needed and have the room, not on forward casts.

Another thing; I learned a LOT about stealth from watching herons fish. When they move toward their prey, their feet & legs move, but their upper body remains motionless. I try my best to wade or move the same way which I feel helps a LOT because I can get a lot closer to fish since I stated moving like a bird. 😉

It's not so easy to cast without moving, but that's the reason I also keep false casting, especially forward casts to an absolute minimum.

This isn't directed at you, but one of the first things I try and correct with beginning fly anglers is to cut down on false casting. Almost to an angler they do it WAY too much because of a lack of confidence or because they think that's the way you are supposed to cast a fly....

Been there, done that... 🙄

Usually it isn't necessary, especially when fishing sub surface and on a 2nd or 3rd cast to the same spot. All it does is create more opportunity to get into trouble or spook fish.

Good luck and keep at

Thanks for your responses, those are good tips!

 

[sarce]

I agree with others and attribute the tough fishing to the low water. It is DEFINITELY not usually that hard to catch brookies. But when it is extremely low water, you have to go next level with stealth techniques. I have done a lot of brookie fishing and I adjust my expectations for super low conditions - I'm happy to catch 4 or 5 in a place that might produce 20-30 in the spring.

A lot of good advice already. I'll add that you do not want to overlook the tailouts of pools in low water. When the flow is just trickling in, the pools are more like mini ponds than part of a stream. And the fish can hang out anywhere and sometimes cruise around all parts of the pool, since the current isn't strong enough to deliver food in the drift. They have to go find the food themselves. A delicate cast with a dry fly that is only a foot from the downstream lip of the pool can sometimes draw a curious fish to travel several feet and sip the fly, and as a bonus you haven't casted far enough to spook any other fish. If you can lay your cast over a flat rock it will help the fly sit there in the shallows without current (weak as it may be) dragging it downstream out of the pool

If they are all clustered on the bottom in the deepest part of the pools, that's a sign they are stressed, and it's tough fishing when it gets like that. Who am I kidding, I still take some casts then, but it is hard to enjoy after you've had infinitely better days in normal flows.

 

[salmo]

If I'm fishing brookie water after the spring I always fish 9-10 ft 6X. I almost always fish upstream and rarely fish bigger that size 16 flies. Never false cast over the pool if you can avoid it. Learn the bow and arrow cast.

 

[Woollybuggerz]

I agree with others and attribute the tough fishing to the low water. It is DEFINITELY not usually that hard to catch brookies. But when it is extremely low water, you have to go next level with stealth techniques. I have done a lot of brookie fishing and I adjust my expectations for super low conditions - I'm happy to catch 4 or 5 in a place that might produce 20-30 in the spring.

A lot of good advice already. I'll add that you do not want to overlook the tailouts of pools in low water. When the flow is just trickling in, the pools are more like mini ponds than part of a stream. And the fish can hang out anywhere and sometimes cruise around all parts of the pool, since the current isn't strong enough to deliver food in the drift. They have to go find the food themselves. A delicate cast with a dry fly that is only a foot from the downstream lip of the pool can sometimes draw a curious fish to travel several feet and sip the fly, and as a bonus you haven't casted far enough to spook any other fish. If you can lay your cast over a flat rock it will help the fly sit there in the shallows without current (weak as it may be) dragging it downstream out of the pool

If they are all clustered on the bottom in the deepest part of the pools, that's a sign they are stressed, and it's tough fishing when it gets like that. Who am I kidding, I still take some casts then, but it is hard to enjoy after you've had infinitely better days in normal flows.

Yes the pools really did seem more like ponds. That’s a good way to think about it. Thank you!

 

[Woollybuggerz]

If I'm fishing brookie water after the spring I always fish 9-10 ft 6X. I almost always fish upstream and rarely fish bigger that size 16 flies. Never false cast over the pool if you can avoid it. Learn the bow and arrow cast.

Thank you I feel justified then to have dropped down to 6x. I for sure will be trying to break my false casts habit on the next trip. Also I can somewhat do the bowstring cast but probably 20% of my attempts end in very strong language after burying the hook in my finger lol I’ve started to pay a bit more attention on how I hold my fly but every once in a while I still manage to get myself haha

 

[dryflyguy]

Another tip for fishing in low water:
I use terrestrials almost exclusively during summer and fall
And think they work better during low flows than attractor flies
Plus - since terrestrials typically fall into the stream, plopping them on the water can still be effective too