One Tip for Spring Creek Fishing

[joe cool]

If you could give someone a single piece of advice when it comes to fishing spring creeks, what would it be?

I ask because I plan to try fishing the Mad River here in Ohio in the next few weeks. I have read lots of articles and a few books already, but never trout fished before so I'm just curious what everyone here thinks is the most important thing to know going into it. I'm hoping this starts an interesting discussion that everyone can learn from.

[JohnScott]

Think about presenting the fly downstream.

[Steve Molcsan]

Observation...

"The beginner must look with eyes that see. Occurrences of apparently little
importance at the moment may, after consideration, assume proportions
of great value"

From The Dry Fly And Fast Water by G.L.M .La Branche

[MSD53X]

In the spring you should consider SAFETY FIRST, watch the footing very closely, and be very very aware of hypothermia, don't stay in the water too long.

[kglissmeyer]

I have my favorite spring creek I fish about 80% of my total trips each year. Two things: wade quietly and very slowly - sight fishing works if they don't see or sense you first. Present your nymph at the depth exactly where they are holding - I use a Parasol Emerger and drop two nymphs, with the first a bead-head measured to the depth of the holding water, trailed by a smaller unweighted offering (usually one of my special spring creek scuds in size # 14). It works great.

This is a picture of a typical fish from my favorite spring creek and the water I fish in the background:



Another great fish from the same water:



A great shot of the water last year:



Anyway, good luck.

[Silver Creek]

Parachute cast

[gbflytyer]

presentation, presentation, and did i say presentation.

tippit size, fly size, wade carefully

[redietz]

wade carefully

Or better yet, not at all.

If it's possible to fish from the bank, do so, preferably from a kneeling position. When walking along the bank, stay back from it.

[tailingloop]

Don't forget your sinking lines and streamers.

It seems that most of the literature on fishing spring creeks deals with floating line dry, emerger, and nymping tactics. A couple of guides that a I fished with years ago at a Northern California lodge asked me if I wanted to learn some often overlooked spring creek tactics. I worked with both guides on different days fishing intermediate, sink tip, and full sinking lines with leech, crawfish, buggers, and streamer patterns. We caught alot of fish, and the average size was bigger too. It was not as simple as just chucking and hoping for the best. I learned severa presentations, including upstream sinking line presentations.

[joe cool]

Thanks for all the replies so far.

I just got back from listening to Kelly Galloup present his modern streamers concept at Mad River Outfitters here in Columbus and the owner said he had his best day ever on the Mad using those techniques so I'll definitely be picking up a full sinking line this weekend and tying up some more big streamers.

Of course thats a big fish strategy and goes against most traditional trout fishing docrtine, so I'll probably start with the small stuff and being as stealthy as possible until I get the river figured out.