Am I the only one?

[Wild One]

I just want to pose a question here. I absolutely love fishing small streams. I think there is nothing better than crawling up to the bank in the tall grass and casting around corners from my knees in pursuit of spooky fish, due to low and/or crytal clear water. But, I haven't ever met another angler that would rather (given the choice and chance) fish a smaller stream than a bigger, well known river, as I would. I would rather fish a tributary to something big--just a little spring-fed creek or somethin--than fish the big uns, any day. I understand that the fish are typically smaller, but so are the crowds and I've caught my fair share of 16 and 17 inchers in a foot of water that I could stradle. I can almost always either see the fish or know where they'll be, versus playing the casting-guessing game with 50 yards across-stream to cover. Don't get me wrong, I love standing in a rushing torrent or freezing water and watching a hog charge up-stream with my reel screaming, but given the choice, I'd take the solitude, the silent whisper and the ever-so delicate presentation of a dry-fly any day. So, am I the only one?

[Jonezee]

My kids have a very nice pond on their farm with nothing but waist high grass and some head high brush around their pond. Full of big bluegill. I too crawl around but have to head home after fishing, strip down, hit the shower and look for the ticks. Even though I dose myself with repellant, I usually find one or two. Not exactlly a place I would want to sit around a campfire after fishing and turn into a sleeping bag for the night. All good things have a price.

[Betty Hiner]

The only one? Not hardly! You'll more than likely find us in little mountain streams, dry fly fishing for tiny brookies. It just doesn't get much better than that!

[fish4trout]

I already have 3 camping trips planned for the summer to streams like you describe. It is awesome because I am usually the only one there.

[GT2FLY]

I agree with you all!! My favorite stream is 2 hours from my house and is as small as they come in most places. Though the crowds are heavy due to a hiking path beside the stream, there are hardly any fisherman that visit!! Just the way I like it!

[PastorEd]

WildOne,
My idea of heaven is a bit of water, maybe 4 miles long, that in most places you can jump across if you get a running start. It is upstream of one of the most over fished peices of water on earth and with in an hour and a half of 2 or 3 other places that I can assure you will be elbow to elbow even on week days. It is is full veiw of a state highway, and I have never had to share it with anyone when fishing it. I only hope that the folks fishing the Gunison, Arkansas and Taylor rivers don't figure out that there is much better fishing just around the corner.

Ed

[Gringo]

I like doing what you do to, even though my fitness and ability level kind of ensures that I mainly fish larger and more accessible water. Yet to me, the thrill of a truly wild trout in its own environment is greater that any other trout or fish, despite the size!

[Bamboozle]

I have always preferred smaller streams since they are where I got my start fishing. I'm talking about streams that struggle to have 15 foot wide sections.

Last season during a season of exploration; I concentrated on streams that were barely 10 foot wide with many sections a few feet wide at best. I now find myself wanting to fish nothing but and I'm having a 5'6" rod built to fish them too!

I always tell folks that the type of water I enjoy best changes every 10 yards or less as I travel upstream.

[J Castwell]

Those are fun but I prefer to fish upstream & dry with a cast of at least twenty feet of line.

[Canoeman1947]

I generally prefer the small streams also. Maybe because there is less water to search out, and I am basically lazy.

Larry