What Your Small Stream Hook-Up Rate?

[Swattie87]

Good advice too. I nymph fish a lot, and when a fish takes your fly in that style of fishing the hook-up is instantaneous. For dry fly fishing it is always paramount to wait just a hair before setting, giving time for the fish to completely consume the fly before setting. Great advice Swattie.

Yeah, for me, the mistake is more often I’m too fast, than too slow, unless I’m completely distracted by something.

Thankfully, the bikini hatch on Brookie streams is generally pretty sparse. Though one time I did come across two East Stroudsburg U. students in bikinis swimming on a relatively popular Poconos waterfall type stream in one of the waterfall pools a couple miles in from the trailhead. There were no other cars at the trailhead so no clue how they got in there.

 

[sixfootfenwick]

Yeah, for me, the mistake is more often I’m too fast, than too slow, unless I’m completely distracted by something.

Thankfully, the bikini hatch on Brookie streams is generally pretty sparse. Though one time I did come across two East Stroudsburg U. students in bikinis swimming on a relatively popular Poconos waterfall type stream in one of the waterfall pools a couple miles in from the trailhead. There were no other cars at the trailhead so no clue how they got in there.

This makes me think there is probably a good chub population on the Breeches in the Messiah College area.

 

[wildtrout2]

Does that 7' include tippet or is it 7ft. of leader before adding additional tippet? I have found that short is fine on tiny creeks, quite ideal to better control the fly and an easier amount of leader length to whip around brush.

Yes, including the 5X tippet that I always use.

 

[Mikey2006]

I went 4 for like 30 something today. Two were chubs so only two trout I felt like snapping my rod in half

 

[Silent Ocelot]

I felt like snapping my rod in half

Know they feeling! Fishing expensive/rare rods that are irreplaceable usually prevents one from intentionally breaking one. Thankfully I took all of my rage out on gear during my conventional tackle days. I would never THINK of doing what I did to the those closed-bail reels with my current fly rods!

 

[Silent Ocelot]

I went 4 for like 30 something today. Two were chubs so only two trout I felt like snapping my rod in half

I find that tossing the chubs onto the bank usually quells my temporary rage. Ok, I'm permanently angry but there's varying degrees to it. When targeting a specific species I always toss any other species that is not what I am targeting onto the bank. I mostly give browns a toss to the bank. Remember, only you can control what species of fish decides to eat your fly!

 

[Bamboozle]

Does that 7' include tippet or is it 7ft. of leader before adding additional tippet...?

Yes, including the 5X tippet that I always use.

I often fish a leader about 5 - 6 foot long or less on small creeks because I never felt a need for anything longer and a shorter leader gets me into the the fly line belly without having 30 feet of line in play or over-lining.

My base since the early 2000's is a 3 foot thread furled leader or a 1 meter woven silk blend leader to which I'll add one foot of 3X and two or so feet of 4x if subsurface or two or so feet of 5X if fishing on top.

Before I discovered thread furled and woven silk blend leaders I used a knotted leader which was a scaled down version of one of my favorite 9 foot leaders OR just two 2+ foot sections of tippet (3X & 4X) attached directly to the loop in the end of my fly line.

 

[jeffroey]

1. Are you using different rods for these small streams as in something shorter or slower...?

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2. If so, have you had similar issues with the same rods on larger streams?​

I build and fish mostly glass but this year I've endeavored to add mono rigs to the tool box and for that, I've been grabbing faster carbon rods most off the rack when heading out. I'm still fishing a lot of fly line especially when slapping just an Adams or stim on the water.

Thinking about it, I don't think my hook rate is related to the rod i'm using or the stream conditions I'm fishing.

This year, even on the smallest of streams, I'm usually walking in with a 8' 3 or 4 WT unless I know it won't work. Rarely dropping below 7-1/2' on rod length these days. Leader length to a dry fly (including tippet) is usually 6-1/2' to 7-1/2' max - pretty much tie a Joe Humphreys small stream 6' and 7' leader recipes unless Maxima sends me a few of his to use (where is that guy by the way?).

How’s your line control? That’s another thought I had. It’s less of an issue for me on Brookie streams, where you generally don’t have a ton of line out, but it happens to me a lot, without me noticing it, on bigger water fishing dries…

I really think this is my particular problem. I'm horrible at line management and i know it. Ref mono rigs above, the one thing I'm subjectively noticing is I do think my hook rate improves when I'm fishing a mono rig - mostly because I find it easier managing mono on the short runs you'd see on small streams compared to fly line and leader. Mono rigs and dry flies IMO are a little length limiting, at least for me.

 

[jeffroey]

Those natives aren't leader shy so heavier leader/tippet material 3 or 4X is fine.

Pretty similar in setup here as well. I carry 3X-4X-5X tippet. Nothing smaller. Standard rig is 4X nylon to a dry, 4X flouro to a streamer, 5X flouro to a dropper.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

My hook up rate is about 95% on all streams, but I am that dirty nympher so many cry about

btw, the 5% that I miss are all small too

 

[jeffroey]

My hook up rate is about 95% on all streams, but I am that dirty nympher so many cry about

Nymphing is never on the exclusion list when I fish. I tried focusing my initial ask on dry flies so I didn't confuse those among us that can't grasp complex nymphing techniques and hide mostly behind dries and their limitations.

Sorry. Couldn't help picking that fight and helping derail this productive thread so far.

Seriously though, I'm with you - maybe not 95 pct but much more positive hook rate with nymphs and droppers. I always attributed that to the smaller food forms and usually smaller hooks but who knows.

Streamers would be the worst of the three primary tactic groups but generally speaking, that seems pretty expected.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

Nymphing is never on the exclusion list when I fish. I tried focusing my initial ask on dry flies so I didn't confuse those among us that can't grasp complex nymphing techniques and hide mostly behind dries and their limitations.

Sorry. Couldn't help picking that fight and helping derail this productive thread so far.

Seriously though, I'm with you - maybe not 95 pct but much more positive hook rate with nymphs and droppers. I always attributed that to the smaller food forms and usually smaller hooks but who knows.

Streamers would be the worst of the three primary tactic groups but generally speaking, that seems pretty expected.

I was just busting chops a little too because it is another reason modern nymphing is so productive.

You got a lot of good suggestions here, real ones! Honestly, you identified line management thing for yourself it seems, and I also think the best dry fly guys have good self control with hooksets. I grew up fishing topwater for bass and striped bass in the surf, along with dry fly fishing, and you are going to miss some surface strikes, but being able to wait a blip does increase your chances all other things like small fish, small hooks, aside...

 

[Roofin' Trouter]

I went 4 for like 30 something today. Two were chubs so only two trout I felt like snapping my rod in half

It happens . Not snapping your rod was a good move. Anger and frustration are emotions that can really slow learning. Take a deep breathe and flip some rocks when you get frustrated.
For the OP, 50 for dries sounds better than I do.

 

[sixfootfenwick]

This thread is short but has some other insight that might be helpful.

Try the search bar function. A wealth of knowledge on this site

increasing hookups with tiny dry flies

Today I had a great day on a special regs/wild creek. After some experimentation, It turns out what the browns really wanted was a really tiny, size 22 (maybe 24, it was real small) parachute adams hi-vis. I was getting what I believed to be complete strikes but I couldnt hook up. I'd say 70%...

www.paflyfish.com

 

[JeremyW]

I've been FF'ing for a long time and the past several years, I'm spending nearly all of my time on small streams. When I self assess, I think I'm pretty good at researching streams, finding productive water, identifying where the fish are likely to be holding, and making a cast that intices a strike. All good there.

My hook-up rate is in the crapper. Without actually counting, I'm guessing I'm batting .500 . . . at best. Great if it were playoff baseball but it's not. Missing half the fish that strike feels a little sub par.

Sharp hooks, small flies, quick reaction, gentle line set so you don't perform an aerial relocation, missed strike may be a refusal . . . yep.

All that considered (and for simplicity's sake, keeping it to dries; not underneath), what is your hook-up rate and what techniques do you use to obtain a high hook-up rate w natives/wilds on small streams?

Depends if I'm actually watching, sometimes I cast and look off for a second and miss them. I think I'd say I hook up on 75% or more for brookies where I fish.

 

[JeremyW]

That's interesting and was not aware there could be a difference.
For reference I don't use manufactured barbless hooks. I do smash down the barb on my flies but they all had one at one time.

When I noticed it was only once. I had tied up a number of size 10 Caddis dries and on a brookie stream I caught 7 fish in the first 1 hour. All 5 brookies had eye damage and the two browns nothing. I quit for the day, as I only brought an altoid container of the size 10 dries, when I got home I tossed them in the trash and went back to size 12. I've never had it happen again.
🤷

Could be a fluke, as I'm only going by that one outing but it was noticable. I'm sure those 5 fish died or at least had permanent damage.

yeah with small fish I tend to do sz 14 and lower for this reason as well.

 

[JeremyW]

Yea. That's a great point I hadn't necessarily thought of even though it's pretty obvious the times you see the fly next to the fish. Sometimes I wonder how the fish was able to get it in its mouth in the first place.

what size flies?

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

Seriously though, I'm with you - maybe not 95 pct but much more positive hook rate with nymphs and droppers.

Droppers = bobber fishing.
Call me crazy but I'll always default to dry flies. I don't catch as many as nymphers or droppers, but it has always been my preference.

 

[jeffroey]

what size flies?

Mostly carry dries in the 12-16 range on small streams with a few 10s and 18s. Standard packout is some assortment of paras, Humpy's, stims, caddis, beetles, ants, and a couple of foam hoppers in case I want to drop something on the heavy side.

Call me crazy but I'll always default to dry flies. I don't catch as many as nymphers or droppers, but it has always been my preference.

I'm usually with you there. I'll typically rig up a para or humpy to start the day (unless I'm walking into a deeper hole - in that case I'll start streamer). Depending, I might add a dropper but as soon as I start seeing action on top, I'll usually cut the dropper off. That said, I do like trailing a #18 hard bodied ant behind a bushy dry often.

 

[sixfootfenwick]

Mostly carry dries in the 12-16 range on small streams with a few 10s and 18s. Standard packout is some assortment of paras, Humpy's, stims, caddis, beetles, ants, and a couple of foam hoppers in case I want to drop something on the heavy side.

I'm usually with you there. I'll typically rig up a para or humpy to start the day (unless I'm walking into a deeper hole - in that case I'll start streamer). Depending, I might add a dropper but as soon as I start seeing action on top, I'll usually cut the dropper off. That said, I do like trailing a #18 hard bodied ant behind a bushy dry often.

I like using a wet fly for my dropper when fishing caddis on top. Swinging the caddis and wet fly gets a crazy amounts strikes at the end of the drift.

I like Adams and hates ear wets