Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3911 May 2020 | Page 11

How To couple times and finally before moving on to another spot drop the bait directly into the pocket’s slack water and let it set there for a several seconds. Since you’ll be casting up current, slack is going to develop in the line as the bait drifts back toward you. It is important to limit the amount of slack that forms since it will rob your ability to feel the bite and will result in more frequent snags. A skilled stream angler keeps the line between the rod and a drifting bait nearly tight, walking the bait along like a dog on a leash. With a short cast the slack can be picked up by simply raising the tip of the rod. That is one of the reasons I like a long rod. In situations where a longer cast is need, the rod tip should still be raised, but the reel will need to be used to pick up extra slack. Since current velocities vary a great deal across a stream it is important to keep a high rod tip as this will keep as much line as possible off the water. If your bait is drifting with a moderately fast current and the line is lying in a fast current, the fast current will catch the slack and pull the bait along unnaturally. So how do you identify a bite? At times a trout will dart out, grab the bait and shoot back where it came from. This type of bite is obvious, since it results in a hard tug and the trout generally hooks itself. At other times a trout will inhale the bait and then drift along with the current. With this type of bite you feel a small sharp tap or two. Wait a beat or two before lifting the tip and loading the rod and the trout will be hooked. If your rod tip is already held high, set the hook by cranking the reel several times. The third common type of bite comes when the trout inhales the bait and doesn’t move at all. This type of bite is signaled by the line stopping dead in the water as if the bait is hung on the bottom. If your line stops, it could be a snag or it could be a trout, but you’ve got to assume that it’s a fish. As a result when the line stops give the rod tip a short sharp tug. If the sinker is hung up this will often jar it loose, if there is a trout mouthing the bait it’s Fish On! The strategy for fishing with nymphs is much the same as when fishing bait, except rather than retrieving the bait and casting again when the rig drifts back to your position as is the case with natural baits, I like to allow a nymph or wet fly to continue drifting downstream until it reaches the end of the line. Even then I allow it to hang in the current for a few seconds as I jig it a bit. Trout will seldom hit a natural bait when held in the current in this way, but they will often hammer a wet fly. Lure fishing requires a significantly different strategy than fishing with bait or flies. Instead of moving upstream, the lure angler is most effective traveling down- stream. It doesn’t matter if you are fishing a spoon or spinner the basic presentation with a lure is to cast straight across the stream and allow the lure to swing across the current on a tight line. You rarely need to work the reel, because the current plunging past the lure will give it action. Once the lure has swung directly downstream of your position, let it hang in the current for a few moments before retrieving it slowly along the bank. Strikes can come at any time during this process. Lures don’t need to be fished as close to the bottom as baits or wet flies, but you don’t want them skimming along the surface either. If the current is such that your spoon or spinner isn’t digging deep enough, add enough split shot above the leader to get it to the desired depth. In general, I like my lures to run about two thirds of the way to the bottom. For example if the water is three feet deep, I want my lure running a foot off the bottom. In closing I’ve got a couple final thoughts 11 May 2020 VOL.39 • ISS. 11 By Cal Kellogg to pass on in relation to stream fishing. First of all most stream anglers with the exception of fly guys don’t carry a net. While I often don’t carry one either, it is a good idea to have one on hand. You can take care of most fish nicely without a net, but when you catch that brown trout of a lifetime you’ll be glad to have a net hanging from your belt. Finally, as you traverse your favorite trout streams, be sure not to leave any litter behind in the form of discarded line or empty bait containers. It is bad enough to see this type of junk dotting the shoreline of a man made reservoir, but it is a real shame when trash ruins the ambience of a babbling trout stream. I carry a large zip lock bag with me on the stream to carry out some of the trash that other folks leave and you should do the same. 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