How what you fish these trout?

[DaleW]

Well ... there's always dynamite, three or four sticks taped together, short fuse ... (maybe not) ~

And I've sure been there and done that business of throwing everything I had with the results being zero. Makes one want to bait a hook! But let me say that this year I have had outstanding results with a bead head tenkara (that I tied!) and I'm looking for another one of "those" opportunities armed now with my new discovery.

[1hook]

Thanks for the welcomes and advice. All good tips to try next time! I want a rematch with these trout. Hopefully I can do that before winter sets in!

I was thrown off by the lack of any thing really in the air. A few random bugs here and there but nothing major. So I get hung up...the trout are taking something emerging but I don't see anything taking to the air.

[CoachBob]

I had the same experience on the Taylor River with fish clearing the water going after whatever it was. Turns out it was emergers and I had success with a two fly rig using a paradun trailed by a RS2. They ignored everything until I went to 7x and the crazy fish broke off several flies on the strike before I realized I needed to put more slack in the mend.

[jay92]

The first inclination when seeing jumping, lunging trout is caddis. By this time in the year, they have seen every caddis pattern known to man. Try something different like a large dangly legged crane fly and move it on the top. It's worked for me many times in this situation.

[DeadDrifting]

Jumping out of the water?=caddis.
Just an EHK matching the size and color of the naturals. Walk the fly on the surface.
I know the situation and this worked OK.
Good luck.
R.

What he said!!! Try a high-riding CDC caddis for a different look.

[kglissmeyer]

The first time I discovered and fished my favorite spring creek this was the exact scenario. After several fruitless hours, my brother-in-law finally got a take on a size 14 Renegade on the surface. I put on the same fly and hooked up with my first ever spring creek brown trout.

It is unnerving to have 20+ inch fish jump clear out of the water chasing who knows what and not being able to determine what it is they are taking. I've felt your pain...

[Vinny]

First, I would seine the water and see what is hatching. You can get a good seine by buying a 5 gallon paint filter and place it over your landing net (http://www.ginkandgasoline.com/fly-f...-sampling-net/). Then I would use a dry fly and nymph dropper system and make the dropper about 1 foot. When you have exhausted all your fly selections and adjusted the depth of the dropper, I would then switch over to a small Wooly Bugger and see if the fish will take that. Once you catch a fish, you could probably take a look in its mouth and see if you can determine what it may be eating (beside your Wooly Bugger). Or keep using the Wooly Bugger.

Vinny

[oldfrat]

Here's another possibility --spawning female trout. They'll sometimes leap from the water in what I've been told is an attempt to loosen their eggs. That happened one day when a son and I were fishing the Colorado river near Parshall. It was funny as heck as we got totally skunked while being surrounded all afternoon by leaping trout, some very large.

[Allan]

Typical answer would be some form of emerging caddis. Small/medium stream/river? Big water?

[chewydog]

Here's another possibility --spawning female trout. They'll sometimes leap from the water in what I've been told is an attempt to loosen their eggs. That happened one day when a son and I were fishing the Colorado river near Parshall. It was funny as heck as we got totally skunked while being surrounded all afternoon by leaping trout, some very large.

This. Seen this many times in the same location. Sometimes when they're frisky, they're just not going to feed.
I have been told in this situation, to put on the biggest, gaudiest, Liberace looking fly in the box.