Did they really stock? The water looked high but you couldn't see any fish where you normally can after a stocking. The water was high and had a slight stain to it. That still didn't give an excuse to why no fish were seen. I tried to start with a two nymph setup that usually always does the trick. I didn't get a bump or see any signs of life. The current was swift and the water seemed cold but I could tell something else was off. I worked spot after spot and started doing things to just see if I could get a follow or see a flash. I eventually was able to entice a fish into hitting. It was a place where the fish usually stack up after being stocked. The fish was rather ugly even with stocked fish standards.
The fish looked new though. The situation was puzzling. I decided to try a unfamiliar spot altogether and the scenarios were the same. No signs of life anywhere in the water. I came to a pool where my buddies were fishing. Both were standing on either side of the location giving away the obvious signal that someone caught something. "The fish are deep" one yelled. The spot they were fishing was a pool about 10ft deep. The only action they got was from dredging the bottom. It took almost all the weight they had to get the fly down far enough. I honestly can't stand fishing like that. Not only is it a pain to cast it just seems lame to fish that way. I refused to do it and kept in denial about that being the only way to catch fish. I stuck with streamers, then heavy nymphs and finally with all the strength I could muster I put on some split shot. I definitely had more hits and tugs on my line than I had before but it didn't make me happy. Fishing with a ton of weight is just not fun. I guess I'd rather fish the way I want and not catch fish than fish another way and catch a ton.
I think that attitude is fine as long as you don't feel too badly about not catching anything. I learned a long time ago that beggers (me) can't be choosers. If I want a fish bad enough I'll go for dredging.
ReplyDeleteOf course I want to catch "something." I do find as I get older it's more about the fishing and less about the fish.
DeleteKevin
ReplyDeleteI have to agree with you when it comes to fishing with a lot of weight to fish that deep. We have depths that deep in our tailrace but I haven't fished those spots in years. If I am going to fish that deep I will warm water fish on our lake for bass using a jig or worm. The trout you landed is a nice size for a fresh stocker, what is the average stocking size? Glad you were able to make out on the water. Thank for sharing
The average stocked size is probably between 12-13inches. It varies quite a bit. I wish I could find a chart I saw once that showed how many they stock at each size range. I know they usually put 2-3 in over 20inches.
DeleteThat's why I opt for a spinning rod when the fish are in deep water or in heavy current. I don't like lobbing split shot, it's just an excuse to catch a fish on a fly rod. Keep up the good work Kevin, I really like your blog.
ReplyDeleteI'm like you, Kevin. Fishing deep just doesn't appeal to me that much, especially on fly equipment. If trout aren't hitting a dry fly or a wooly bugger, I'm probably just not gonna catch them.
ReplyDelete