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Colorado has thousands of small creeks and streams that run off tributaries of the larger rivers that get little to no pressure.
When approaching the water
be sneaky. Small streams have less room for fish to move around
in. The good news is that there are
fewer places for the fish to hide. The
bad news is that the fish are far more sensitive to disturbances. Any trout that has become aware of your
presence is very unlikely to feed, while the one that is unaware of you will
keep going on about his business of looking for food. Before heading to the hole you want to fish
assess the situation. What are the
obstructions? Do you need to roll cast
because of the trees behind you? Does
the overhanging tree near your target require a sidearm cast? Every pool, pocket, and run will be
different and should be treated as such.
This is one of the reasons small stream fishing is so
challenging. Decide how you are going
to fish that water. If you cast to the
start of the run like you might on a large river you may catch a fish but how
many did you spook? Fish face upstream
so it may be more effective if you make your first cast to the tail of the
run, then your next cast to a good lie off to the side, and lastly to the
start of the run. Working your way to
the start of the run may give you shots at several trout. Now that we know how and where we are going
to fish, move to the spot slowly. Do
not wade if you do not have to. Creep
along the bank in the quietest way you can to a good casting position. Wear subdued colors of camouflage that
blend into the background to help mask your presence. I have often seen a trout turn and swim
downstream to get a fly only to spot the bright colors of my shirt and turn
away. If you have to wade do not
splash around or stomp. Try to put
your feet in gravel or sand to keep stable smooth footing. Large rocks are often covered with slick
algae which can make you stumble around spooking fish. Be prepared to move. You should cover a lot of water when
fishing small streams and creeks. Most
strikes will occur on the first or second cast to your run. I know it’s hard to want to get that
perfect cast. However, if your first
cast was bad and smacked the water there is little chance that there are any
trout that stuck around to go for your second offering. It’s better to move on to another run to
better your chances. Even if you make
a good cast, and still get no response, you should move on. If you can see the fish and they are not
biting you probably spooked them, however if there is a large fish there and
you want to keep trying for him switch flies.
Make it a drastic change. Small stream fish will usually be willing to
take any fly so if your fly is not working only big changes in your fly
selection will make a big difference.
If you are fishing a dry fly switch to a nymph or streamer or if you
are throwing a small fly try the biggest gaudiest fly you have in your
box. Don’t work the fish to hard.
If he still won’t take it move on maybe come back to him later. You
want to put your fly over as many fish as you can so keep moving. Putting your fly over more fish means you
will find more willing fish, which means more strikes and hopefully more
hookups and more After fishing a few small
streams, you will most likely spot a few prime pools that you will want to
rush over and start casting in to. Do
not get into this habit. As you move to that pool you will blow out
some nice fish in your haste. It is
common for large fish to reside in these rare large pools, but they regularly
feed just upstream or downstream. It
is important to fish the unlikely waters that you normally wouldn’t on a
large river. I have spooked more big
fish and sent them darting upstream than I care to say ignoring riffles or
pockets on the edges of big pools. On
small streams you should never ignore pocket water. (In my opinion you shouldn’t
ignore pocket water on large rivers either but that’s another article.) The majority of trout on small streams are
caught out of pocket water. It’s well
oxygenated, provides cover, and plenty of food moving down stream; everything
a small stream trout needs. Get out! Enjoy the
beauty of the Colorado Rocky Mountains, the solitude, and the wildlife of the
thousands of small streams and creeks here in Colorado. Small streams may hold fewer large fish but
for what they lack, they usually make up for it with tons of aggressive
little trout in an extraordinary fishing environment. The numbers of small trout streams far
outnumber those larger rivers which get the most pressure. With all the hiking trails that follow the
tributary streams or cross them here in Colorado you have endless
possibilities. If you need more help
finding some small streams to fish stop by our website http://www.coloradomountainfishing.com
Join in the forum and we will be glad to help.
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Before we
get to the water lets first talk about equipment.
well tied and durable. Often times you will catch large numbers of fish in a
day on small streams and the trout’s teeth are rough on the flies.
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