Some Misconceptions About Trout Fishing in Streams

The usual wisdom is, it is easier to catch trout in streams and small creeks. Indeed, it is quite different to fly fish in streams than in larger rivers and lakes. Mostly, these changes can occur in the types, sizes and textures of flies used in trout fishing. Other than this, however, there are some equally important details that are missed and overlooked.

These are some of the misconceptions which affect our ability to catch trout in the streams and small rivers:

First, a smaller river requires smaller bait. This is not always true in trout fishing. The truth is that you can cast your line with bigger bait in smaller bodies of water. Some people take this limited perspective when fishing in smaller lakes and streams.

You do not find trout in choppy waters. This is another misconception. We should not disregard choppy waters, particularly in smaller bodies of water. There are trout fish in the choppy waters, too, and in most cases, it is a lot easier to catch them there than in calmer waters.

Big rivers have choppy waters. In these areas, the fish have to keep their energy levels up in the feeding process. This is the case because they will have difficulty in feeding themselves due to fast moving current in choppier waters. Secondly, these areas have greater volume of cascading water which tends to move faster. Understandably, under these difficult conditions, trout do not ordinarily feed in these areas.

However, this is not necessarily true in small streams. In a small stream, there is naturally an abundance of food. Competition however is stiff due to a lesser volume of water and trout tend to congregate where the foods are. Due to competition, some trout may choose to risk drifting into choppier waters to look for food with less competition.

You can try and find trout in locations with smaller eddies, small breaks as well as in rock outcroppings. Contrary to the misconception, you can indeed find trout, even larger twenty-inch trout, in these choppy waters in smaller rivers and streams.

Matching food in the stream is always a perfect strategy. Most fishermen try to match food in small streams. Many of them believe that this is a perfect strategy to catch trout. Trying this in small streams and rivers will not however yield the kind of result you expect.

When this fails to achieve the kind of results you desire, you must be ready to try different baits, especially those which can be found in the fishing area. In other words, it pays to break from your usual patterns just as the trout occasionally break from feeding to avoid exhaustion.

Apply different approaches like trying to do a dun pattern or a stone fly nymph. You can even choose to use live bait, especially those commonly seen in the area. Most trout fish go for and are naturally attracted to foods found in their surroundings.

Being different will not yield results. While it is important to follow the advice of expert anglers and experienced fly fishermen, being different will sometimes give the needed advantage in your struggle to catch the elusive trout. You must be ready to use and employ strategies which others fail to recognize. You can even make full use of flies known as terrestrials like mudller minnow, ant, beetle or even hoppers.