Fly Fishing

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

I was trout fishing today on a river here in Maine and realized that one of the things I love about trout fishing (and salmon/steelhead too) is how 1 good river with a good fish population can supply lots of different opportunities. Not just opportunities for how to catch the fish on flies, but where to catch the fish on flies. For example - there were blue winged olive hatches in crystal clear tail out slicks and fairly slow moving water, then deep pools where swinging streamer patterns works best and then the very shallow riffles were holding fish as well as the very broken up and bubbly pocket water. Anyway, I dabled in all of it and love all of it .. but, I kept getting drawn back to the bubbly broken pocket water. I then realized that I tend to really like that kind of water best .. where there are literally thousands of currents and micro edies and little micro pools and micro tailouts etc... I tend to be more engaged in the pocket water like this because I have to read lots of water and interpret the water and i can spend a great deal of time in a relatively small area and really pick it all apart. So, I guess for me, I really like the pocket water best .. what is your favorite type of water?

rustayy · Location: Islamorada,FL

Which water I like the best......that my good man is probably impossible for me to answer. I guess I like it all. Pocket water is a blast. I also love to pick apart a small section of river. The drifts are quick requiring often pinpoint accuracy to get the groceries down into the goods. Lots of weight in some circumstances, no indicators, short tight lining....I love it all. There is nothing like seeing that leader make the slightest tick and setting the hook into a fish in the strong current. Just knowing at any minute that fish could turn and run downstream a put you in a serious bind is the best for me. I think I like steep gradient pocket water the best.....difficult and dangerous wading at times, tight quarters, often over grown banks all help in keeping out most fisherman. I would also have to say that I really enjoy fishing riffles, especially in the fall. Swinging a streamer through the skinny can produce some explosive takes! Browns and bows chasing the meat fly with nothing else on their mind but to kill and fatten up. The strikes are visible and can be a blast when the fish are on the chomp. On the other hand, sometimes all I want to do is fish dries on my 4 wt. Especially where super long leaders and 6x tippets are a must. Anywhere is fine, spring creeks, tail out of runs, slick pools.....they all work for me. I really enjoy the hunting and stalking aspect of the dry fly game. Watching a trout rise, finding out what it is eating and making that perfect or in some cases that not so perfect presentation is hat it is all about. I guess all trout fishing appeals to me. It is a never ending constant learning experience...and just when you think you got it all dialed in...the fish turn around and fin slap you right in the pecker! But that is what keeps me going back for more, the abuse is amazing!!

goin2themountains · Posted: Wed 03/24/10 11:46 pm Post subject:

I fish alot of tailwater, but the most fun I had last year was on a high country lake in Colorado with a Creek pontoon boat and a 4 wt 8'6" rod whacking the morning rise with dries. Almost too much fun to be legal.

Andrew_91 · Posted: Thu 03/25/10 12:34 am Post subject:

my favorite stuff to fish is spring creeks and small rivers, because they are almost always wadeable.

Kennebecster · Posted: Mon 03/29/10 8:19 pm Post subject: favorite water

I would have to say that my favorite type of water is big rivers. Big riffles that settle into deep pools and channels with ledge holes that turn black. Although I do enjoy fishing smaller and medium sized streams as well there is something about the big heavy water that always draws me back. I guess its that you never know what can happen on a pool or run that can hold such big fish.
A close second would be gentle riffle water about thigh deep( in a large river). I enjoy matching the evening hatch in such a setting and catching the trout that are feeding on the surface. Still there is nothing like swinging a big streamer through a hole so deep its black never knowing what will be waiting below.