Is this possible to fish, or way too fast? I’m still a beginner and was hoping to fish here but it would have been tough to stand in the water, and I didn’t have much room behind me to cast. Would it have been possible, or was it reasonable that I didn’t try?
Posted by PeppercornOliveOil
11 Comments
Pat’s rubber legs in the soft water next to and in between the white water should work fine. More of a Euronymphing scenario
You could have fished it. Your instincts are right that fish aren’t going to be sitting in fast water, or water with a lot of hydraulic lift. While the creek might look too fast, this can actually make your life easier because it forces all of the fish to relocate to the slow areas. So it’s the same amount of fish, condensed into a smaller proportion of the river, that is easily identifiable. Target the slow water next to the bank or behind structure. I find nymphing or streamer fishing works best in these conditions. You’ll spend less time fishing and more time walking to find this water, but you can be confident there are fish there.
Definitely fishable. It’ll take time to learn how to read, but if you put the effort in you’ll gain some excellent and transferable skills.
I appreciate the responses! I guess this means I need to learn to roll cast…
This is where euro nymphing can have a big advantage. Just high stick it and flip the line.
Keep in mind that a trout’s goal is to minimize energy use while maximizing energy intake. In practice, this means hanging out in slower currents next to faster currents that are delivering food. In this fast water, you’ll find holds behind rocks, right against the bottom, at current seams, and on the edges of the stream.
Those are the places I’d be hitting.
Bow casting and roll casting are valuable tools.
I personally wouldn’t bother fishing the rapids – far too fast water imo. But the margins on the far bank looks kind of fishy. Forget about fishing across, your line will be ripped out of there too fast. Perhaps feeding a line down your own margins with a streamer could work.
I personally wouldn’t bother fishing the rapids – far too fast water imo. But the margins on the far bank looks kind of fishy. Forget about fishing across, your line will be ripped out of there too fast. Perhaps feeding a line down your own margins with a streamer could work.
Personally? I’m not a confident wader, and getting down that steep of a bank alone would make me super sketched. That said, there’s always opportunity in fast water if you can find those big slow eddies or pockets behind big rocks. I’m one of those machochists that likes high water – makes it easier to see where the fish will hang out (they’ll rest in a slow spot, then move to where the food is). Foam is home!
But *safety* first dammit. Unless you hiked up and down to find something you felt 100% comfortable in? I’d say you’re smart to have passed.
Looks like a hole on the other side. I’d fish that with a dry dropper rig.