really tricky brookie

oncorhynchusmykiss

oncorhynchusmykiss

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Jan 10, 2009
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There is a native brook trout in my favorite stream that is easily 12". every time I try to approach him he spooks no matter what. Today I found myself low crawling toward the pool but the rod seems to scare him when I get close. I tried from far away but the leader would have to be alot longer for the fly line not to hit the water, it's a 7'6" 1 wt in a small stream. not much back casting room either. The pool he is sitting in has a large log toward the head and the water goes under it. so that eliminates the possibility of casting from up stream. From downstream I can't get a perfect cast in because he is toward the head and it would line him. I tried low crawling and dropping the fly off of the log but he spooked when I slowly moved the rod over the edge. I always use dries for natives so nymphing is out of the question. any tips?
tight lines!
 
Might not be possible because of the surrounding brush, but you can lay your cast out from back off the water so the line falls on the ground and just the leader makes it into the water.
 
mykiss,
Are you familiar with the "bow and arrow cast?" Perhaps you've already tried this but it sounds like it may be the solution. It's served me well in many tight small stream situations.
While I respect your dry fly commitment, frankly, you really might consider a streamer or large nymph. With a streamer, you can let out about 2' of leader from your rod tip; position yourself upstream from the log, and (if possible) extend the whole front tip section of your rod underwater and under the log. Since the fish sits at the head near the log, he would likely see the fly and hit it. You could then pull him upstream and out from under the log.
Good luck - sounds like a challenge.
 
Also could be a case of the right tool for he job. Maybe a longer heavier rod is in order.
 
Tom got it right. I'd fish a mickey mouse rod before a 1wt in that situation.

A heavier line turns over a long leader better, so you can flip it out there without lining him easier.
 
Spook him and then throw a big fat night crawler into the middle of the hole with a #6 snelled hook. That oughta get him! :-D
 
tie about 10 lbs of lead to a stick of dynamite that should get that nasty thing out of there
 
I'm with FI. I'd bow and arrow cast from behind, maybe a bit of an angle so you don't line him.

Why is it such a bad thing if the line hits the water? So long as its not right on top of the fish, whats the big deal? And is there a reason for the 1 wt? Thats a major disadvantage in and around brush.
 
pcray1231 wrote:
Why is it such a bad thing if the line hits the water? So long as its not right on top of the fish, whats the big deal?
Click to expand...

IMO, this is an important point to reiterate.

If a trout got spooked for the rest of the day every time some foreign or terrestrial object floated overhead, he'd starve in no time. Fly line is no different. As long as it doesn't land nearby, you should be fine.
 
I was assuming by the description provided that the line hitting the water was necessarily close to the fish in this situation. Don't discount my advice about laying the cast out over land and letting only the leader hit the water. In very skinny water, this can be a very helpful variant on the cast.
 
There is a reason this fish is living in this location.

However, don't assue he'll in the same spot every time you fish this stream. Big fish like to patrol their water.

My advise is to fish for him after a heavey rain. The added water with disguise you better and make him less jumpy.
 
Second what MKern said--off color water cures a lot of those problems.
 
move the log and come back in a few days or climb a tree and drop it stright down.

This might be a chance to try one of those tenkara rods out?
 
Thanks alot guys I haven't been able to get to the stream lately so I haven't tried any of these things yet. Much appreciated!

Tight lines!
 
I did it with success a bunch of times as a kid, believe it or not.
 
Do not move the log. That log is the reason the large brookie is there.

As already suggested: Sell the 1 weight and get a 4 wt or 5 wt.

Go out after a good rain. Stay low and fish a bushy dry downstream. Don't worry about a "perfect" drift. Movement and skating etc. often provokes violent strikes.
 
Spyder20oz wrote:
Try throwing rocks at him to get him to move
Click to expand...

A fishing friend of mine told me a story using a "spook" technique.


Fishing for steelhead he saw a LARGE undercut rock wall. He figured it went about 10 feet back. There was a large riffle slightly upstream of this. He found a large branch, stuck it in the back of the undercut, and shook it all the way up. He saw upwards of 30 steelhead come out from underneath there into the riffle. He and his 2 buddies continued to catch fish in the ripple for the next 20-30 minutes, figured the fish went back underneath, which they did, and used his technique again. He said it worked to a charm and got a small boy to catch his first steelhead by him putting the fish in the faster moving water. I have done this by walking through a hole to put fish in the riffles before and had success, or thowing rocks to scare fish out of areas I can't get to them and coming back soon after to fish where they were then laying.
 
I use a spook technique on Spring sometimes. At certain riffles the fish will be reluctant to swim past. So I will walk through a lower pool and then position myself is a fishing position for the small riffle. I usually take a couple practice drifts to see how my fly reacts to the water and hat I need to do to get the best drift. Then within 5 minutes the fish start feeding again and I usually catch some.

Discovered this on accident a few years back.

I think this can only happen on streams that have large fish populations and where fish see people a lot.
 
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