I?m captivated by flowing water, partly because that?s what?s most available to me, but also because it?s often overlooked and because of the variety and abundance of fish species available in most streams. I fish mostly a warmwater stream on the back edge of my property, with occasional trips for wild brook trout in the nearby Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia.

Below are some pictures of small streams, in order of increasing size. For the mountain trout streams, I think it?s getting big when I can no longer use the protruding boulders to jump across at will. Hiking through the woods in waders can be risky, and being mobile on the stream is a big advantage when I want to keep my feet dry. A warmwater stream becomes a large stream to me when a canoe can be navigated during normal water flows (even large rivers may be challenge with a canoe during a drought).

01 IMG_0282.jpg
I?ve not actually fished this mountain stream, but it is reported to have trout. I suspect they are in the lower reaches (and on private property), but every time I visit, I look in the water just to check. There are several pools that look capable of supporting trout, but I?ve not seen any.

02 IMG_8301.jpg
This is a trout stream tributary, and I?ve caught a trout from this pool, though I didn?t see or catch any upstream of this point.

03 Creek.jpg
This is another mountain trout stream and I?ve caught many brook trout from it, but usually not more than one per pool.

04 IMG_0109.jpg
This might be my favorite mountain trout stream, and it is still small enough to step across on the rocks in most areas. Some pools may be 2 or 3 feet deep, and runs may be 30 feet long or more. From the air, it can be difficult to pick out the exact stream route because the forest canopy is unbroken.

05 Hughes.jpg
This is the cover of a popular book showing a small stream, that is noticeably bigger than any trout stream I regularly fish. The stream appears to be several rod lengths wide. Rock hopping across the stream may be possible, but hazardous. The tree canopy does not completely cover the stream, but this is likely due to the semi-arid location.

Continued in Post 2