Dry Fly Fishing Tactics For Trout On Streams

Most trouters fish far too rapidly. A few casts in one pool and then they are off to the next. Small pools, say 50 feet long and 40 feet across, don't take long to cover, but some of the larger ones, 100 to 200 feet long, call for a couple of hours of fishing to work them properly. Many times, especially when fish are rising, I take two hours to fish a pool 200 feet long and 100 feet across. And I have action the whole time.

The approach to a pool is more important than many fishermen think. Before even starting to fish, the dry-fly man should study the pool or run carefully. Trout always lie facing upstream as they feed and therefore the logical approach in order not to be seen, is from the tail of the pool. But somehow the beginner naturally gravitates to the head of the pool. Once there, he either stands on the highest rock, where all the trout in the pool can see him, or he wades noisily out into the center and casts hither and yon as he walks down the middle, flushing trout helter-skelter from their feeding places with every clumsy step.

If you start at the head of the pool, crouch as low as possible and wield the rod horizontally and try to fish from the bank. If there are bushes, stand in front of them so that your movements will not be flashed against a clear sky. Walk softly so that vibrations will not be sent out to be picked up by the fish. It all sounds extremely on the cautious side but if you would take more fish and take them consistently, these things do make the difference.

Even at the bottom of a pool it is always wise to move in with caution. In some pools the water hesitates before dropping over the lip and trout like to lie there, taking their food the easy way, where the water slows and they can rise up to their prey with a minimum of effort. In front of rocks the water also backs up and slows and usually there is a fish there, ready for whatever tidbit the current offers.

The fast current on either side of a rock is another natural feeding place for trout, as is the eddy behind a rock. Fishing such an eddy means only a foot or two of float before the fly drags and it is necessary to get close, drop the fly lightly and hold the rod high as you can to prevent the line from catching in the swift current between you and the eddy and thus hastening the drag. But fish hit fast in eddys and usually a float of only a foot will bring a strike from a fish that is there and is hungry.

Fish out the bottom of the pool and work your way slowly up along it, fishing the different currents as you go. Once an angler is in the pool and working quietly along, the fish will usually become accustomed to him and often begin to break all around him, some of them practically leaping into his pockets. It is always startling when a trout rises right up in front of you, and usually it happens just when you are tossing your fly to some spot 60 feet away. It makes you realize - too late - that short, well-placed casts will usually do the trick.

As an example, one day while I was fishing the Taylor River, trout started to rise all around me. I took one fish 10 feet directly upstream from me and after things quieted down and the risers appeared again, I had a hit from a splasher not 15 feet below me. He had made a wave when he broke for a natural and he seemed like a good fish. I sent a downstream cast to him, throwing harder than I needed to for the distance and stopping the rod upright so as to land the line on the surface in serpentine fashion and allow the fly to float naturally over the riser before drag commenced. It didn't go over the riser, however, as he came up to meet it with determination and accuracy. The fight was on and he came out in a sidelong leap that showed me that I had been right about his size. He looked close to 3 pounds - but - another jump and my line flew high in the air as he shook the hook.