When you fish small streams like the one pictured, what fly are you throwing and how do you pick the stream? I did some bush whacking on Saturday in Wilkes county, NC and had no luck. Not the first time. I saw some great pools and lots of bugs, but no fish. For me, small stream brook trout are the pinnacle of NC fly fishing but I keep coming up empty handed outside of the heavily stocked areas. Any advice?
Posted by Adventurous-Might597
2 Comments
Tactical advice: Brooke trout are super spooky and can see you much more often than you can imagine. You need to approach these streams very thoughtfully. Be sneaky. Get low, approach slowly, and carefully deliver a cast (slingshot or bow cast if you have to). You probably only get one or two chances per pool.
Two schools of thought for fly selection: 1. Anything super small that matches what’s hatching (very small Light Cahills tend to work well). Or 2. Brooke trout are voracious, opportunistic hunters that’ll gobble anything up (medium Stimulator). Can’t go wrong with anything tied in Orange. Brookies love orange.
Lastly, there just might not be fish there! That’s part of the mystery and appeal of blue lining. Maybe you just struck out with this one.
Dm me. This looks like my favorite creek in Wilkes I may can help.