My good friend and I were flaoting the upper Yellowstone River yesterday when we encountered a number of sizeable fish rising agressively all around us. These were not small trout by any means, and some of these fish were coming completely out of the water while others looked as it they were savagely attacking something on the surface of the water, or just below it.
For the most part, these fish were in relatively large, deep, slow moving water, but there were other similar rises just across the river from us where the water was shallower.
This happened in the early afternoon. The temperature was pretty warm, in the mid-80’s, there was some cloud cover but no rain, and just a slight breeze.
We couldn’t see any noticeable insect hatches, and nothing of any significance on the water’s surface to trigger these rises.
I’ve encountered this twice before on the Yellowstone River, once 2 weeks ago, and another time a couple years ago. Both of the other times were much different weather conditions - cool, cloudy and rainy.
My friend was able to get one smallish Cutthroat trout fooled on a black foam ant during this feeding frenzy, but I don’t think that it was terrestrials that caused the fish to rise in that manner (grasshoppers didn’t work at all for them yesterday during this frenzy, although my friend caught a very nice brown trout on a big streamer when we saw those rising trout 2 weeks ago - and that was probably just coincidental to the agressive fish rises.)
Anyone have any knowledge or thoeries of what caused those fish to rise like that?
John
p.s. We did catch some other nice fish yesterday, including one big brown trout that smashed a hopper pattern, and jumped several times before being netted and released.)
Had that experience a few weeks ago; a cutt was rising to something (never did see any real hatches that day) in a run just like you described, aggressively slashing on the surface. First cast with a hopper and the fish climbed all over it. What was interesting was that a twin of that fish slashed the hopper at the same time but missed, then followed the hooked trout for a while before heading back to it’s lie.
In 4 hours fishing that was the only trout I saw rise, even though the fish were very willing to take dry flies. I’ve seen lots of trout launch themselves out of the water chasing bugs, but I don’t know that I’ve ever seen one before that acted like a bluefish chasing a school of bunker; hate to sound anthropomorphic but that fish seemed p.ssed off, even before I hooked it.
Fish don’t get big by expending too much energy eating. Can’t imagine a slashing rise like I saw for #24s (when they’re up for stuff like tricos they do that sip-sip-sip). Ants maybe, but once a flying ant hits the water it’s a drowning ant isn’t it? Again, it seems like too much energy vs. nutritional value but they get weird for ants, so maybe so.
I’ve experienced your situation often. A few weeks ago I noticed that there was a hatch downstream of where trout were aggressively rising. I assumed that emergers were stuck in the surface film and therefore hatched downstream of the rises.
I have also witnessed the phenomenon. While I agree that big trout usually don’t get too excited about size 24 emergers they will sometimes abush the smaller fish that are feeding on the invisible hatch. Next time try swinging a small streamer through the frenzy and see what happens!
My guess would also be caddis. That trout are burning a lot of juice so it has to be worthwhile thermodynamically (more energy gained than lost). That means a bigger bug. Also if they are being agressive they are chasing something that is in danger of getting away - not just taking bugs from the film. A larger actively moving bug - caddis fit that bill.
David
I have seen this a few times up at Camp Tahosa on the lake. This is when I tie on a Royal Coachman dry in a #10 or #12 and go to town. The fish nail those hard time after time. I have caught as many as a dozen in a half hour. A fish per cast.
That raises my hope a little, I tied a parachute Royal Wulff yesterday in hopes of solving the mystery of rising trout on the Hooch that ignore most of my offerings to them. I will still have a black ant dropper until it gets cold.