Getting Back to the Blue Lines

by Matt Walters

Photo by David Cannon (click here for more photos by David)

I learned how to fly fish on smaller water.  I practiced the intricacies of this type of fishing for years on these technical stretches.  When moving to an area where my home river was much larger I didn't have to pay attention to some of the smaller details and utilize some of these fine tuned skills as often.  I'm not saying that larger rivers are easy and not technical, but you can get away with making more mistakes and you have a much larger buffer room for error.   My tendencies now, after spending a great deal of time on a large river and also saltwater fly fishing, are to pay less attention to the smaller details, walk around freely in the water, and bomb long casts just because they are fun to do.  Unfortunately, these techniques and fun tendencies don't correlate to success on small water.  I have to really remind myself of the tactics and ways that were once second nature to me when I make trips to smaller streams and rivers.  Here are a few tips when dealing with smaller water that I have to make a mental note of when getting back to the blue lines:

-Stay out of the water as much as possible.  The sight of your large silhouette will scare fish away.  I'm a taller guy and I have spooked more fish because of this than I realize and probably will ever want to know.

-Use faster moving sections of water and seams to disguise your movements and your body underwater.  The bubbles and stronger current act like an underwater visual barrier.

-Keep as much fly line out of the water as possible and make smooth softer landing casts.  A good friend of mine once told me after I returned from a saltwater fly fishing trip to fish a smaller river, "don't try to kill the trout with the strike indicator." I may have been still using similar casting force as I was when throwing large clousers and crab patterns long distance.

-Use rocks, branches, logs, and downed trees to your advantage by hiding and crouching behind them.

- Be mindful of your shadow and use shaded spots to your advantage versus standing in the direct sunlight.   

- Wear colors that match your surroundings to blend in with your background and break up your silhouette.  I once had a red rain jacket when I first started fly fishing, but quickly retired that for obvious reasons.  Trout can pick out these colors above the surface.

- Use small white or neutral colored strike indicators to mimic bubbles on the waters surface versus unnatural colors that can alert fish to your presence.

-Approach the water slowly and methodically.  I have a tendency to want to rush out of my car after blasting music to get pumped up and walk right into the water.  The best approach is to take your time and devise a plan of attack.  Take a deep breath, the fish were not head banging to the Allman Brothers band for an hour before you arrived and are on an entirely different pace.  Therefore, you should slow down to their speed.  Planning helps you maximize your opportunities as there may be fewer chances to catch fish on a smaller stream or river so every cast counts.

- Avoid kicking up rocks on the bottom and walk in a slow speed not creating wakes especially in slack water conditions.

- If you are in the water attempt to create a decent distance between you and the area you are fishing but, do your best to not compromise your casting angle on the fish (typically casting around a 90 degree angle to the fish in the current).  

- Use finer tippet material and leaders to catch more fish.  The fish may be more difficult to actually bring to net, but you will have many more opportunities and hook sets come your way as the shallow clearer water allows better vision for the trout.

-Teaming up with another person to spot fish is always very beneficial.  Two sets of eyes is better than one.  Having a buddy high on a bank overlooking upstream can yield great results.

Small streams and rivers are great to fish and are one of my favorites.  With the variety of fishing I do these days, it helps to have a mental checklist to remind me of some of the smaller details that may have slipped through the cracks when targeting other species of fish and on larger bodies of water that require less finesse. 

Please feel free to add any other tactics to the comments below as we would love to hear them.