Favorite small stream tactics

[terry13111]

Anyone else love small stream fly fishing for trout? Its my calling. I would like to start a discussion about favorite techniques, why we love fishing this way, gear selection, or anything else you would like to discuss.

There is something about fishing a small stream that just grabs me. I love stalking brook trout with a fly rod in my hand on streams that most fly anglers would never consider fishing. You know, the kind of fishing where you never make a long cast(or even a traditional cast), or stand up straight.

I have a few small stream rods. A 7-1/2' 4 weight, a 7-1/2' 3 weight, and a 6' 5 weight for really brushy streams. None of them are high dollar rods, but they all perform their given task nicely. I don't get fancy with my reels either. For line, I like a quality, dark colored floater. Preferably a double taper.

As far as flies go, I fish the classic small stream patterns. Mainly because they work very well. Yellow humpies, adams, EHC, fur ant, hares ear nymph, prince nymph, and wooly buggers. Nothing too technical.

I don't get real technical with my casting either. I don't even have a name for some of the cast I have performed. And some of them i could never duplicate. They are just something I pulled off to fish a certain pool. There more like "flips" and "flings".

I always try to stay low when approaching a stream, and wear drab colors. False casting is a no-no alot of the times, it spooks too many trout. I kind of crawl up to a stream, read the pools, and fling my fly to the closest trout hiding spot. Works for me. Well, some of the time.

I have been away from this kind of fishing for too long. I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of NY's season. April 1st is the opener. It will probaly be closer to May, or even in May, before the fishing is good for how I like to fish. Until then I only have books and the internet.

[Morneb]

My favourite type of fishing: Everything that you said is pretty much the same here, exept my 3 weight is the heaviest rod I use. Short acurate casts, spooky fish and beutifull scenery. I love it.

I mostly fish dry flies, and will ocasionaly and very reluctently tie on a nymph.Flies that work well here is EHK, Para Adams, RAB(local pattern), CDC flies and in summer beetles and Ants.

some of our small streams are very much overgrown and you got to make those one of a kind casts(which im sure have a fancy name) to get your fly in the zone.

Our season runs till the end of May and opens in September, though at the moment it is to hot to fish these small delicate streams. We are normally on the water at first light and fish till about eleven when it get's to hot.

[terry13111]

Cool. I never associated South Africa with small stream fly fishing. Thats awesome!

[Bamboozle]

Count me in this fan club!!

I fish really, really small streams where a 10 foot cast is super long! I fish other places where flips and bow & arrow casts are all that you can manage. I love fishing places like this for a lot of reasons:

• They are never crowded

• They are often unparalleled in beauty and tranquility

• The fish are always wild and the streams are almost always open

• Wading is an option, not a requirement

• They fish great in the cold of winter

• The ruggedness of the terrain keeps me warm when it's cold

As far as tackle goes, I prefer slower action rods and bamboo & fiberglass always gets the nod with glass being my preferred rod material in most cases.

Even though many people have different ideas of "small", the places I am talking about are NEVER wider than 8 feet across. I call them "dinky" creeks. Anything wider than that is a small or medium stream where I could get by with a 7' or even a 7'6" rod. The dinky creeks I love so much are the territory for my really short rods. I have rods from 5'0" to 6'6" and everything in-between, with most in the 3wt to 4wt range.

As far as tactics go, in the warmer months I am usually flicking dry flies but I find beadhead nymphs fished with an indicator on a short leash to be DEADLY. I almost never throw a streamer. As we speak I am putting together a fishing bag specifically for this kind of fishing. The funny thing is, it only contains one small fly box. That's all I need!

[terry13111]

I have a Fenwick glass 6' 5 weight that is a joy to fish. I love the "alive" feeling that glass rods have. Thanks for the post.

[ET custom flyrods]

I'd say 80% of the streams I fish are small and alot are choked with overhanging branches or high banks. for the most part I prefer using shorter rods in the 7 to 7 1/2 ft range. Mostly 3 or 4 wt. All the casts if you can call them that ,are in the "Small Stream Casting Book" which is written on a daily basis depending on conditions. As for flys , I use a lot of soft hackles and when I see surface action I'll switch to a dry. Most of the drys never exceed size 16 with the majority being size 20. On rare occassion I'll use a wooley to search a pool if needed. Small stream fishing is unique unto itself and stealth is an absolute necessity in most cases. You'd be suprised sometimes how many fish can hang out in these spots and the lack of pressure these streams get. For that reason alone , I enjoy fishing them.

[Clay]

I fish many small spring creeks and much prefer longer rods. When the whole stream is able to be crossed by jumping acorss at most places I still prefer longer rods. If I am in the water a couple of feet deep wading and the grasses that I can reach on both sides of me are 4 to 5 foot tall I want a long rod so that I can cast above the weeds. I also like to hit those very small pockets where I use my fly rod like a can pole to present a fly, or dappling as some would call it. Give me a 9' rod any day of the week.

[JohnScott]

A few pics from a small mountain spring creek I've fished several times already this year.









John

[MontanaMoose]

John, I'd have a hard time fly fishing there for a while due to the scenery...but I'd get over it ! What is your tech there if you don't mind me asking?

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

[wizard]

Some small stream locations I think I may have posted before but they have a place in this thread. Mostly just small wild browns. The headwaters of something more famous. Hard to reach places makes for few visitors.: