Fly Fishing Basics (continued)
Fly Fishing Basics is organized in a sequence as follows: equipment, gear, tackle, tools, knots, leaders, leader building and tippets, adding weight and an indicator, tandem rigging, fly selection and fly casting on the leading web page. Fly Fishing Basics is continued here with identifying your trout, setting-playing-landing-photographing-releasing your trout, finding fish, stealthiness and camoflague, stream etiquette and streamside comfort.
Identifying your trout
To most of us it is important to be able to identity the fish the fish you just caught. Here are the three species of trout found in North Carolina and the southern Appalachians. All three species are Salmonids. Each species does have a differentiating look from the others.
Identifying your trout
To most of us it is important to be able to identity the fish the fish you just caught. Here are the three species of trout found in North Carolina and the southern Appalachians. All three species are Salmonids. Each species does have a differentiating look from the others.
Rainbow Trout
Greenish back with small spots Redish band from gill plat to tail |
Brown Trout
Brownish back with large colored spots Deep orange to light yellow belly |
Brook Trout
Greenish back with light green veriagation Colored spots for a sparse lateral band Leading edge of fins distinctively white |
Salmonid - Sal-mon`-id: Fsh of the family Salmonidae that includes Trout, Salmon, Char, Whitefish, and Grayling. Known to inhabit coldwater ecosystems and to have low tolerance for habitat degradation. Although common called a brook trout, our native salmonid species in the southern Appalachian is actually a Char.
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Catch-and-Release versus
Catch-and-Keep Setting
Playing Landing Photographing Releasing Finding Fish
Stealthiness and
Camouflague Stream Etiquette
Fishing Ethics
Streamside Comfort
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Catch-and-Release
Catch-and-Keep Setting: Wait for it, wait for it, set! When a trout strikes aggressively, the set may be somewhat automatic as the fish hooks itself as the line tightens. When the take is subtle, the ever vigilent angler must set the hook by raising the rod tip at the opportune moment otherwise the fly can be blown out of the mouth by the fish in a very quick rejection of your tasteless, less than perfect imitation.
Playing: Fish on! No slack in the line. Drag set for an unexpected and sudden unreeing run. Turn the fish before the end of the pool or risk losing it in the lower fast waters. Allow the fish to run but keep ongoing tension to systematically tire the fish. A small trout may be overpowered and brought in quickly. A large trout must be allowed their several runs up and down the stream and eventually tire enough for you to be able to raise the fishes head above the water line. Landing: A net is ideal about now. Slowly slip the net underwater and under the fish, then scoop up your catch. For those fly fishing who forgot their net, work the fish over to the shoreline and carefully beach a large trout. Most likely you will be able to carefully grab a small trout and hold the fish in an inverted position for a calming affect. Photographing: Should you decide to take a photo of the catch, it is best to have someone else snap the picture while you carefully hold the fish as part of your desired pose. Be sure to keep the fish in the water except for the few seconds needed to pose and take several pictures. Avoid removing the fish from the water at all costs. Releasing: Remove the hook with your hand or using forceps if embedded beyond the lip of the fish. If you lose your grip on a lively fish, most likely the fish will hit the water and swim away quickly. For a fish that is not finning to pull away, hold the fish around tail area and pump the fishes gills back and forth in the water to increase the amount of oxygen available to the gills. Continue until the fish is able to fin away from your gently grip. ------------------------------ Finding Fish: Trout need will oxygenated, cold water, food as well as structure to hold in (not fighting the current constantly) and to hide from predators. Runs, Bends, Pools, Eddies and Riffles may all provide all these needs. Pools and Bends provide the most depth in low water conditions. Runs, Eddies and Riffles provide for more food to flow by a trout in a holding position. Riffles provide the most oxygen during higher water temperatures. Trout will be found relative to the conditions and the availability of these structures.
Runs: When fishing a run, look for features like boulders, logs, holes …etc. Any large submerged object that creates a break in the current is considered a feature. Fish will hold in the slack current that is created by such features so that they can ambush prey as it drifts by.
Bends: Where a bend forms in a stream, usually the outside corner will form an undercut bank. An undercut bank is sure to be a lie for a big fish. Bends also cause the water to change velocity. Look for the changes in water speed between the inside and outside of a bend, where calm water meets fast water is where you’ll find the fish. Pools, Riffles, and Eddies: Riffles are created by under water obstructions, or changes in the stream bottom. These structures form good holding lies for trout while they are feeding. Riffles are also easier to fish because the broken water hides you from the trout. Pools are deep large areas that hold many fish. While not feeding, the trout will move to the deeper hiding spots and rest. While actively feeding, the trout will move to the head and tail of the pools and feed in a single lane, sometimes called a feeding station. It is not unusual to see the same trout at the same place at the same time day after day. Eddies form where obstructions break the water. The eddy in the illustration looks like a whirlpool that has cut the bank away over time. The fast current from the river pushes a lot of food into this type of eddy and trout know it. Look for trout facing downstream in eddies where the current is going in the opposite direction. ------------------------------ Stealthiness: Approaching a pool or run carefully and with little or no disturbance is ideal. Hiding behind rocks and bushes unseen, wading very slowly and carefully into a pool and certainly keeping downstream from the trout all give a stealthy advantage. Trout spend their entire life in a ready state to move from their holding and feeding position to their hide at the slightest indication of danger. Wild trout may actually not leave their hide for a very long time. There are cases where trout become accustom to large objects floating overhead and anglers standing at a distance waving a big stick. But even in these cases, the trout will flee. However, their return to the holding or feeding position may be fairly quick.
Camoflague: Just like a hunter, wearing clothing and gear that blands into the surroundings also gives a stealthy advantage. Keep in mind that sudden movements and shock waves in the water are not maked by any camoflague. ------------------------------ Stream Etiquette: As more people are learning to enjoy our fine trout streams in our North Carolina mountains, it is necessary for all of us to use a little common sense and abide by the following guidelines when fishing:
Rule #1 In order to maintain good relations with the landowners and as a common courtesy please remember the following: most land adjacent to the water, unless it is state land, is privately owned whether it is posted or not. Crossing private land to reach a Public Fishing Area is neither legal nor ethical; especially when simply asking permission usually produces a favorable response. Please be aware that other fishermen would like to fish there too so don’t spoil it for the rest of us. Rule #2 The first person in a pool or run has the fishing rights to it. If the stream is not crowded, give the whole pool to the other guy. If it is mobbed with people, make sure that you are at least a long cast (80-90 ft,) away from anyone else; more if the water is crystal clear. Rule #3 While working the stream and you see another angler casting to rising fish or not moving at all, get out of the water and move well past him before entering again. This also applies when another person is fishing from the bank. In both situations stay far away from the edge so you don’t spook any of the fish. Rule #4 Whoever is working UPSTREAM has the right-of-way. If you are going downstream, get out of the water. If you are going up, hope the other guy has read this. Rule #5 If you meet another fisherman who is just sitting on the bank, ask from a distance if he is resting the pool or his body. Some people wait for a hatch at a particular place. If that’s the case, then get out of the water and go around him. Rule #6 The most important rule is naturally the one that we always forget whether fishing or doing something else: “Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you”. When encountering someone else on the stream, put yourself in their waders and think. Remember that the streams belong to all of us, and the other guy has just as much right to be there as you. The above rules of etiquette are simple. The more people that follow them, the more enjoyable the experience will be for everyone. Reprinted from: The Trout, Salmon, and Steelhead Fishing Guide to Western New York Published by Western New York Chapter of Trout Unlimited, 4th edition. ------------------------------ Fishing Ethics
Whether you are a beginner or experienced, there is nothing more intolerable if you have spent your precious time on the stream sneaking up to within casting distance of a large, wary trout only to have that trout scared off by another angler wading or floating right over the fish. We all have such a story to tell of the idiot that waded too close or cast right on top of your target or was otherwise simply insensitive. Some anglers just do not understand that there is or at least should be a fishing ethic among us. Here are some general guidelines since there are certainly variations by regions and also variations by the types of waters we all enjoy and fish: First, use your judgement and when in doubt watch what other anglers do. Some factors to consider is the size of the water, the type of water (i.e. stream, river, spring creek, tailrace, pond or lake), the number of fish per pool, per run or per mile, how tolerant the fish are to humans and the amount of fishing pressure the area receives. For example, on opening day which is the busiest day of the trout season everywhere at very popular hatchery supported access points, anglers using bait and spinning gear often stand literally side-by-side and fish. As a fly fisherman, we encounter an environment similar to this most often when fishing a migrator steelhead run and the opportunities are limited and the anglers are many. The distance between aglers must allow proper casting at a minimum. On some Altlantic salmon rivers anglers sit on benches at each pool and take turns waiting to start at the head of the pool and then work systematically down stream at reasonable intervals. On the Yellowstone River in the park, where fish are fairly tolerant of humans, it is usually accetable to wad within 50 or 60 feet of another angler. On delayed harvest streams where the fish are tolerant of humans, anglers often share a pool once they strike up a conversation. On private waters and some spring creeks, only one rod is allowed per each marked section, so you sign up for a section and fish alone or take turns with a buddy. One of the most challengng places is on small wild streams where a fly fisher is fishing up stream and a spin fisher is fishing down stream and they meet only to discover that the rest of their angling time is directly over the fish that have been walked over by the other anglers. In general, small wild streams are almost solitary or alternating buddy fishing waters. Just be aware of any upstream access points that may bring a spin fisher your way and be understanding that the encounter impacts you both. Streamside Comfort: Spending a long day on a stream is not work but it certainly can be tiring and may become uncomfortable. Some anglers go to the extreme of packing in a folding chair and cooking equipment, taking a lunch break, cooking a meal and taking a nap before a next round of fly fishing. However, most anglers simply pack a simple, light lunch, maybe bring along a beverage and a snack, and for long hikes to a stream, use hiking shoes and change in and out of the waders for the hiking portion.
Note: Many of the narratives above were provided by the Seth Green Trout Unlimited Chapter, Rochester, NY website. Some of the narratives above are in part from the Federation of Fly Fisher Fly Fishing pamphlet series. |
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Rocky River Chapter of Trout Unlimited - 2014
Rocky River Chapter of Trout Unlimited - 2014