** NOTE ** Find the YouTube Video Below Seeing the fly is one of the most enjoyable aspects of fishing. But there's a world of education inherent, too. Watch the fly dance and fall as it mixes with the currents. Notice how it responds to rod tip animation and line...
Today's article is a favorite from the archives. You can find it here: Streamer Anglers -- Be Like the Drift Boat Enjoy the day. Domenick Swentosky T R O U T B I T T E N domenick@troutbitten.com
** NOTE ** Find the YouTube Video Below When the water levels rise, you know the advice - fish the edges. And while targeting bank water and edge seams can be a great strategy under many conditions, fishing the edges is almost required at the highest flows. Let's look...
Last week I sat on the back bench of an old Jon boat, drifting around a large pond and tossing Zoom Super Flukes at the brushy banks. My son, Aiden, and I caught enough largemouth bass to keep the smiles easy, but we caught few enough to make us keep asking questions....
Nymphs and streamers, dead drifts and animation. I settled into a rhythm and covered water, without thinking too much, just enjoying the best winter fishing day of the year.
By that, I mean that things seemed normal, for a change. The weather was cold and windy, creating ice at the edges of the river. The river had its characteristic limestone-green in the deeper parts. And the fish responded well enough to keep things interesting. It was good, hard winter fishing.
Small nymphs, light split shot and a yarn indy won the day. Some dedicated streamer work got little attention. Trout were mostly shallow.
Nymphing may have technically caught just as many trout, but the process was tedious. Streamers were a better choice, but only because I could cover water and be extremely accurate with the presentations. I placed the fly very close to the structure, over and over, as I worked upstream. Without that accuracy, I think the streamer fishing would have failed.
. . . I’m tired of the low water fishing, but I continue to learn things every day. And that’s good fishing.
Troutbitten has always been primarily focused on fishing for wild trout. But let’s talk about water selection, patterns, strategies, and the things that make fishing for stocked trout different. Here’s what changes from targeting wild trout.
This season has been all about options for moving the streamer. Our focus has been on the animations available to attract and then sell the trout on the streamer presentation. In this season finale, we talk about river scenarios and share some tips and strategies that help tie all of the previous episodes together.
We use a visible streamer for the tight line dance. We watch the streamer dip and swoon around rocks, tree parts and the river bank. Wherever there’s good structure, that’s the next target. The concept of the tight line dance allows us to hold the streamer around structure for longer, animating the streamer in every way imaginable to convince the trout.