PROSPECTING FOR TROUT/SALMON/STEELHEAD


When you arrive at a river you haven’t fished before, you would do well to get no closer than 30 ft. from the water’s edge. Slowly sit down and force yourself to observe for 10 minutes. Within that 10 minutes, you may see enough to tell you where the fish are and what they’re eating. But then again you may see no signs at all. If the latter is the case then you must “prospect” for the fish, which essentially means to search. Depending on the type of water, you can begin two different ways: with a searching nymph pattern or with an attractor-type dry fly. If it’s riffle water, you should lift some rocks and see the type of aquatic life that’s in this section of the river. If you find something, by all means choose the nymph that simulates this critter. Step your tippet diameter down two sizes from what you would normally use. Remember, you are searching and may have to sacrifice a fish to get the information you need to be successful. If your in a stretch of dry fly water, choose an attractor fly like the Wulff series. Again, step down your leader a couple of sizes. If the traditional dead drift float does not produce, then try skimming the fly over the surface like a riffle-hitched fly in Atlantic Salmon fishing. You’d be amazed at the vicious strikes this can elicit! I hope this information is helpful to you. 

Sincerely, Capt. Bob 

www.captainbobsfishingtackle.com