First, how many of you fish for trout on a regular basis?
If you do so, do you do most of your trout fishing in moving or in still waters?
If we break it down to moving or still water trout fishing, which do you percieve to be the easiest?
And, finally, which do you prefer to do? (and, if you’d like to add it to your response, why?)
Thanks in advance for all who choose to play along.
Buddy
Okay, I’ll play along
A. I do most, if not all, of my fishing for trout.
B. I spend most of my time switching back and forth from rivers to still waters. I can never make up my mind.
C. I have never been able to determine which is easiest. I get skunked on both.
D. I will have to go with still water as my favorite just because the peacefulness of sitting in a pontoon boat and fishing chironomids can’t be beat. Of course I just purchased a drift boat and will “have” to float the river a lot more.
Lou
I’ll play…
A. Most of my fly fishing is for trout and I also fish warm water
B. All my trout fishing is in moving water because I have no trout still waters
C. Having never still water fished for trout, I cannot comment
D. Cannot make a choice ( See answer above on item “C”)
I just enjoy using a fly rod for all my fishing whether it is warm water, cold water, rivers or still water
A. I fish for trout primarily. Sometimes I fish for spiny rays with spinning gear, but mostly trout with a fly rod.
B. About 50/50 stillwater and moving water.
C. Physically, stillwater is easiest for me. My wading looks like a drunk trying to walk on ball bearings so I sit on a bench.
C(a) I think it’s easier to find fish in moving water though.
D. If I had the physical ability I’d much prefer moving water, but stillwater is really comfortable.
Okay…here you go.
I do 90% of my fly fishing for trout. About 10% for warmwater
All of my trout fishing is “currently” on moving waters
“Easier” is a double edged question. I think still waters are easier physically and technique-wise. But still waters can be by-far the toughest nut to crack technically.
I prefer streams. And I prefer riffles and runs over slack waters. I am 95% dry fly fisherman. so for me, moving waters and drifting riffles and pools are what I enjoy most. No surface action…and I get bored:^) That being said, I love to fish smaller still waters that I can cover with a float tube. Most of that has to do with available waters though. When out west I fished many lakes and ponds that held trout. Not so many where I am now. But plenty of moving trout waters:^)
Mostly trout. Why?.. “Trout must be God’s favorite fish because He put them into His most beautiful waters”. And I usually fish moving waters. In fact,if the water doesn’t move, I do.
Mark
rarely fish for trout, used to be the opposite
on the rare occasion i fish for trout i prefer rivers and streams
rivers and streams are easiest
definitely prefer moving water
Buddy,
My fishing is primarily for trout.
I greatly prefer moving water over still water. I like the challenge of reading the water and finding the fish.
I don’t find that either is “easier”, they’re just different.
Best Regards…
Mostly trout fishing (rest saltwater)
mostly moving water
I think stillwaters are harder - in the good ones, there’s so much food the trout can just swim around with their mouths open and gorge themselves whenever they please; also, there’s a lot more room for them to spread out so finding them can be a challenge, especially on water you’ve never fished before and if you don’t use a fishfinder/depth gauge. Although there are variables on a stream that can dictate where the fish are, I think it’s easier to figure out
I prefer fishing dries and find streams lend themselves to this type of fishing
Regards,
Scott
Buddy, thanks for starting this thread. Many of us probably take for granted that most everyone else does what we do, in my case, fish for trout almost exclusively. It’s definitely a bigger world out there.
One of my best trips was to Alaska a few years ago where I fished for salmon both in rivers as well as stillwater. The methods were very similar to trout fishing so I can’t really call it different (with the exception of the size of the fish on the end of the line ;))
Anyway, I’ll play.
Trout fishing, A couple of questions for all…
First, how many of you fish for trout on a regular basis? I fish for trout most years 100% of the time.
If you do so, do you do most of your trout fishing in moving or in still waters? Prior to moving to Idaho in 2002 I fished stllwaters almost exclusively while in southern Utah. Since moving here I have fished mostly moving water; I.E.: rivers, streams, creeks and spring creeks. Since having some pretty serious health problems with my hip and ankle and after receiving a new hip and waiting for an ankle fusion, I have had to change it up a bit due to being restricted from getting to and wading in my favorite moving waters. I have become converted more to the use of my pontoon boat on local stillwaters, and have found some new stillwater opportunities, and, I have had a blast getting back to the stillwater type of fishing. I still miss my rivers, but at least I’m able to fish again, despite my health challenges.
If we break it down to moving or still water trout fishing, which do you percieve to be the easiest? Moving water is still the easiest. No pontoon or float tube to assemble, inflate, haul, etc. Just me, my gear and the water. Access to good water is always a concern when wade fishing in moving water, but there is a lot of fishable water where I live.
And, finally, which do you prefer to do? (and, if you’d like to add it to your response, why?) I think I will always love fishing moving water best because of the constant variety and changing situations and conditions, as well as having honed my fishing skills and flytying on moving water, but I’m grateful for the opportunity to get back on the water through stillwater opportunities in spite of my ambulatory problems and still have some quality experiences.
That all being said, what I love most is getting out and having the opportunity to fool something with a brain no larger than a pea and considering myself superior if I do and a failure 
if I don’t :D.
Kelly.
A) Probably 60% trout.
B) ~80% of my trout fishing in moving water.
C) Moving water is easier to read (for me), still water is less physically demanding. (Smarter people than me probably can wade with fewer physical demands!)
D) Prefer moving water, likely due to starting my fishing in moving water.
a) Trout 80% of the time
b) 99% moving water
c) I don’t think either is easier or harder, just different
d) I definitely prefer moving water, still water bores me to tears (YMMV)
I usually only get to trout fish 2 or 3 times per year for 5 to 10 days per trip. This is usually at the stocked trout streams in southern Missouri, like Bennett Springs. This is all moving water although some of it isn’t moving very fast. There is one pretty nice riffle area that is good for late afternoon dry fly action which i enjoy, but I also enjoy stripping Cracklebacks in another area or just catching fish on the fly rod almost anywhere. I did manage to catch a few trout in the Blue, the Yellowstone, and the Gallatin this summer and that was both different and about the same fun as fishing at Bennett Springs. Most of my fishing, due to location, is warm water fishing but still mostly with the fly rod. I have 5 days comming up next month trout fishing at Bennett Springs and am soooo looking forward to it.
Trout in rivers.
No access or places for others yet.
Will still fish predominately trout in rivers because stillwater is boring.
Dry Flies more than sunken, as I can’t catch fish on sunk flies.
Rivers are, on average, prettier.
I fish for trout when you need to get out the plastic worms to catch bass then I get out the trout rods.
I fish the Chattahoochee River which moves unless I get to come to the Mogollon Rim in AZ.
Although I don’t really know what I am doing, moving water is easier to figure out. There are more visual clues, a lake with trout is pretty much a crap shoot to me. I starting fishing when I was about 5; I start seriously fishing for trout at about 60, almost 5 years ago, so my general knowledge of trout fishing is equilvalent to a 10 year old.
I really don’t care much what the water is doing if the fish are biting. If I had to go to a strange lake or a strange stream, I would probably chose the stream, because there are more visual clue on where the fish will be hanging out. My friend in Phoenix and I went to Ft. Apachee about 01 for the first time, he grew up in Utah and did not have a clue what to use on the lake. The only fish we caught was an Apachee Trout on a AZ Peacock Lady that was basically being trolled. The next year some veteran of Earl Park Lake told us what the fish were hitting and we did well.
I fish for trout on a regular basis
I fish mostly in still waters
I don’t know, it’s just two different way of doing the same thing
I don’t prefer one over the other, lake fishing is usually cheaper and closer to home
Thorarinn
A. I fish for trout almost exclusively from late July on.
B. Fly Fishing… it has kind of changed. Last year I was 70/30 still waters trout fishing. This year, I’m about 90/10 moving water. The main reason for this is due to the fact that every time I plan to hit the lakes, it is windy. Have much better luck fly fishing in calm waters.
C. For me, Still Water is the easiest. I can generally position myself so that I don’t have to worry about my back cast. Additionally, the fish aren’t as spooky to my presence in a still water environment. That being said, I have not caught a single fish on a lake fly fishing this year. So maybe streams are easier?!
D. I prefer still waters, less likely to get tangled up on a back cast. My dog is easier to track, as she is normally in the boat, or tied to a tree next to my fishing spot. Stream fishing, she has been known to run off a 100+ yards from where I’m fishing. Can be a little worrisome when I’m in wilderness country of the Winds.
Paul
LoL! I have NEVER fished for trout! All I catch on my fly rod are bluegill, bass, and crappies.
That is because I live in the troutless zone of the midwest. Smack dab in the middle, north of the Missouri trout streams and south of the Iowa trouts.
But I’m not fretting it. I am taking advantage of the warmwaters and ponds to improve my technique in casting and learn to present the fly. And next fall, when my boyfriend and I are married, We are going to buy our first pair of waders and we are going on a fly-fishing honeymoon!
(I just realized it sounds like we are buying just one pair of waders for the both of us! LoL, now THAT would be a good wedding present…!)
No. Not on a regular basis. Once a year or so for a week is about it. Other than that, it’s warm water for bass, bluegill, crappies, etc. There are some stocked lakes around here and I’ve tried it but it just isn’t the same.
Moving water almost excusively. I’ve done a little lake fishing locally for stockers, but not very seriously and with no luck.
I think moving water is easiest because I feel that the fish have less time to examine the “meal”. But then again, it may be my prejudice because that’s been the majority of my trouting.
If I could, I’d fish moving water for trout every day, twice a day and three times on weekends. I can look at lakes and fish lakes any time I want and they really hold no great attraction for me anymore. Unless it’s way up North…that would be something different!!!
Most of my fishing is for trout, and nearly all of it is in moving water (I find rivers to be more interesting than lakes, just my opinion). I find moving waters to be easier, but that may just be because that is all I really have practice in. However, I would rather just be out fishing (moving or still water) than doing most anything else.