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Small Stream Fly Fishing
By: Dale East

Small Stream Fly Fishing

I believe there are more fish lost before an angler makes his first
cast than at any other time when fly fishing the small stream.
Picture this; you've spent some time hiking into a small stream in
the back country.

It's early morning, mist is rising and the midges that have been
swarming around you are breakfast for the small browns you have come
to catch. You quietly walk up to the stream, watching the swirls of
rising fish. You tie a nymph onto your leader and step into the water.

A trout skids away from under your feet, its flight sending out
warning signals as bright as any neon light. The feeding fish flee in
response and you are left with a section of river devoid of all but the
midges. Welcome to fly fishing the small stream.

Stop and look before fly fishing the small stream

Before you get into the water stop and look at what is in front of you.
This is especially true when approaching the small stream. Trout are well
camouflaged, especially when you are looking down into the water.
(A good pair of Polaroid glasses helps here.)

I like to make my first cast well back from the waters edge. If there
is little cover then I tend to use a long leader and lay the line on the
riverbank, allowing only the leader to enter the water, as close to
the near bank as possible. That way, if there are any fish lying close
under the bank, I will have given them first look at my fly.

Reading the water of the small stream

The waters of the small stream are like those of any river, just
on a smaller scale. The fish will be in the same types of water that
they would be in if you were fishing any trout stream. When you are
fly fishing the small stream, look for those areas that provide the
fish with their need for protection from predators, relief from fast
flowing currents, and access to food.

Fishing the pocket water

I like to use dry flies when fly fishing pocket water in a small
stream. The fish will usually be holding out of the main current but
close enough to grab any food that comes floating by, and a drifting
fly is often too tempting to resist.

Often it is not necessary to match the fly closely to whatever is
hatching. Instead I like to fish a fly that is visible enough for me
to see in fast moving water. Something like a light elk hair caddis
works well. When the strike comes I can see it and I catch more fish
this way than missing the strike by using a less visible, hatch matching
fly.

Fly fishing the small stream usually requires a more sensitive
approach and a finesse that is not necessary in larger rivers.
Experience and practice are the great tellers here. Ability to read
the water is more critical as the fish are often more easily spooked
than their big water cousins. But when you make your way home at the
end of a successful fishing day in the back country you know that
the time spent learning to fly fish the small stream has been worthwhile.

About the Author

Dale East is a long time outdoorsman and fly fisher and publisher of
Fly Fishing Wyoming
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