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Fishing is a story . .
We’ve had a lot of rain this spring, so the rivers are full. I love it, because trout like water, and so do I. More flow offers more opportunity, and I had a few hours of fun, picking my spots in some favorite water, narrowing down trout tendencies, and pushing upstream. I had plans, and I adjusted them. I fished nymphs and streamer on a tight line and had some great surprises, with good fish in the soft water edges.
This day ended up as a great example of methodically working a shift by fishing hard, trusting the techniques and believing what the trout are teaching. For me, this is the best kind of fishing, full of failure and a little frustration, but also with the frequent reward of a fish at the end of the line. I followed through with plans but remaining flexible. And at the end of the shift was a nice Whiskey.
Here’s the video . . .
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Enjoy the day.
Domenick Swentosky
T R O U T B I T T E N
domenick@troutbitten.com
Timely as I was fishing higher water yesterday too and also almost didn’t go out but had a decent day (admittedly stockers)….but what works for me is a streamer on top and nymph/squirmy below so I can either dead drift or move the streamer and/or just let it swing – which I think works well with a squirmy or girdle bug. I see you are 100% upstream which I also like in some cases…but anyway, do you ever swing across and downstream?
oh – also pro’s/con’s of streamer top, nymph bottom vs. the other way? I feel like on the swing, the nymph below probably presents better as it rises at the end…
Dom,
I agree that fishing soft seams when the water is high and dirty can yield some surprisingly good results. I was surprised to see you working upstream though. It takes a lot more effort to walk upstream in any conditions, but moreso when the flow is up. In addition, hanging up becomes much more of an issue when casting streamers and nymphs upstream and retrieving them towards you. I prefer to fish streamers across and downstream. I also think it’s not only easier, but better to work downstream when fishing streamers and wet flies. Just my two cents. Keep the great articles and videos coming.
Thanks for you comment, Charlie. I almost always work upstream. Upstream presentations are the only way to get dead drifts on nymphs. And although I’m not trying to get dead drifts on the streamer very often, my presentation options are MUCH greater with upstream angles. When casting downstream, we are limited. And many of the presentations, like swinging, are not a natural presentation. If we’re lucky, they can be attractive to a fish, but they don’t look much like what real baitfish are doing down there. Upstream angles allow for head flips, lane changes, jigging, slow slides and so many other looks to the fly that are impossible when we start the presentation downstream. Lastly, hookups are much more solid when made upstream, and I have a far better chance of landing big fish that start above me.
Check out the Streamer Presentation series here on Troutbitten. Here’s just one of about 40 resources.
https://troutbitten.com/2025/03/30/podcast-streamer-presentations-10-strategies-tips-and-scenarios-s14-ep10/
I don’t agree that hanging up is more of an issue when casting upstream. Well, it might happen more, but that’s a good thing — because the flies have a chance to ride lower. But we can also choose to ride mid-column too — just be on top of the line maintenance and slack recovery, which is always necessary anyway.
Those are my reasons. But you have to keep in mind that the trout here can be a lot more picky than in other places, where swinging might be the thing to do.
Also, when the current is super strong, and the river is big, I often wade downstream, but I STILL mostly cast up and across with a streamer.
Lots to think about.
Cheers.
Dom