Putting Down Trout In A Pool

"tmon" wrote in message
...
I've often wondered about this. What is the single worst thing that
you can do to put down feeding fish in a pool?
Sloppy wading? Bad cast? Bad approach where you line feeding fish?
Drag on a dry?


Well, sloppy wading will do it. Then again, so will bad casting, a bad
approach, drag on the fly, slapping the line (or the bug) down on the water,
large rocks thrown into the pool, the mere presence of the line....or the
leader.....or the fly....etc.

I guess you might say it's highly variable. Having tested some of the clear
mountain brooks in western North Carolina in the company of fishermen who
know them well, I'd suggest they could probably tell you more about it.
Personally, I'm inclined to believe that thinking about the worst
(problematic under any circumstances) will cause one to pay less than enough
attention to all the rest.

And let's break the components down to the head, middle and tail.

On a twenty foot diameter pool on Snowbird (yeah, there are a few that
large) or an eight footer on Flume creek (not unheard of) the distinction is
entirely theoretical and of absolutely no practical use.

Wolfgang
who realizes that big waters......say, the ontonagon, for example......are
another matter entirely.

"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...

"tmon" wrote in message
...
I've often wondered about this. What is the single worst thing that
you can do to put down feeding fish in a pool?
Sloppy wading? Bad cast? Bad approach where you line feeding fish?
Drag on a dry?


Well, sloppy wading will do it. Then again, so will bad casting, a bad
approach, drag on the fly, slapping the line (or the bug) down on the
water, large rocks thrown into the pool, the mere presence of the
line....or the leader.....or the fly....etc.

I guess you might say it's highly variable. Having tested some of the
clear mountain brooks in western North Carolina in the company of
fishermen who know them well, I'd suggest they could probably tell you
more about it.

well, i feel eminently qualified to answer this question, having more
likely than not spooked more trout than any other living person south of
maryland (thanks for taking the heat, frank).

and my answer is this: being seen. i have caught fish after fish from
a run or pool, with the line sawing back and forth above and under the
water, which i am certain caught the attention of every living being in that
piece of water. but they didn't *see* my form, a large, looming presence,
not unlike a bear, or the shadow of a kingfisher, wheeling briefly above the
surface of their world, or the large, dark, sinewy image of an otter, moving
relentlessly and without restraint in the very heart of their home. the
thrashing of their brother, and his temporary absence, was inexplicable, and
therefore, devoid of threat.
and i have failed to catch fish after fish when i waded slowly, and
quietly as a minnow, laying out line softly; but because of my rod's abrupt,
slanted shadow, or my own form, as described above, i have represented a
killer, from time unrecorded.
the lesson for those of us who fish close to fish, is this: stay low,
stay as far away from your quarry as possible.
that is what makes fishing in freestone streams in the eastern mountains
so tough. you have to have the strength and patience to make yourself so
much smaller than you are. it is painful, and becomes more difficult each
year, so that the expected benefit of experience becomes a tragic burden, as
age takes its inevitable toll. and that is a statement that does not
consider the often immense effort of just getting to the water, wading it,
and coming out.
so, forget length of rod and tippet, and the color or size of your fly.
it's all about stealth. and stealth, like many other things desirable, is
mostly for the young.

yfitons
wayno

On Wed, 01 Jun 2005 03:59:12 GMT, "Wayne Harrison"
wrote:


(snipped)

and my answer is this: being seen. i have caught fish after fish from
a run or pool, with the line sawing back and forth above and under the
water, which i am certain caught the attention of every living being in that
piece of water. but they didn't *see* my form, a large, looming presence,
not unlike a bear, or the shadow of a kingfisher, wheeling briefly above the
surface of their world, or the large, dark, sinewy image of an otter, moving
relentlessly and without restraint in the very heart of their home. the
thrashing of their brother, and his temporary absence, was inexplicable, and
therefore, devoid of threat.


Yep. Just because I can't hook them doesn't mean I can't observe
them. And when they see a human form standing up, they go away. They
don't come back for varying amounts of time. Trout that are
frequently bothered come back sooner, because nothing has happened,
and the by now sitting or squatting person no longer registers as
what I assume is a bear to them.

Shadows and stealth are your friends and the enemies of the trout.
Low profiles are your friends.

I have a major problem because I like to watch them in very clear
water and / or stand up to my knees in the water in bright sunshine.
Not that that's my only problem, but it's up there in tops in errors.

Cyli
r.bc: vixen. Minnow goddess. Speaker to squirrels.
Often taunted by trout. Almost entirely harmless.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli
email: lid (strip the .invalid to email)

Wayne Harrison wrote:

and my answer is this: being seen. i have caught fish after fish from
a run or pool, with the line sawing back and forth above and under the
water, which i am certain caught the attention of every living being in that
piece of water. but they didn't *see* my form, a large, looming presence,
not unlike a bear, or the shadow of a kingfisher, wheeling briefly above the
surface of their world, or the large, dark, sinewy image of an otter, moving
relentlessly and without restraint in the very heart of their home. the
thrashing of their brother, and his temporary absence, was inexplicable, and
therefore, devoid of threat.
and i have failed to catch fish after fish when i waded slowly, and
quietly as a minnow, laying out line softly; but because of my rod's abrupt,
slanted shadow, or my own form, as described above, i have represented a
killer, from time unrecorded.
the lesson for those of us who fish close to fish, is this: stay low,
stay as far away from your quarry as possible.
that is what makes fishing in freestone streams in the eastern mountains
so tough. you have to have the strength and patience to make yourself so
much smaller than you are. it is painful, and becomes more difficult each
year, so that the expected benefit of experience becomes a tragic burden, as
age takes its inevitable toll. and that is a statement that does not
consider the often immense effort of just getting to the water, wading it,
and coming out.
so, forget length of rod and tippet, and the color or size of your fly.
it's all about stealth. and stealth, like many other things desirable, is
mostly for the young.

Nicely stated. I hope you don't mind if I print this post and keep
it with me on my trip to Graham County later this month.


Chuck Vance (who has been known to be a bit overzealous in
approaching fishy-looking water)

Wayne Harrison wrote:
"Wolfgang" wrote in message
...

"tmon" wrote in message
...
I've often wondered about this. What is the single worst thing
that you can do to put down feeding fish in a pool?
Sloppy wading? Bad cast? Bad approach where you line feeding
fish? Drag on a dry?


Well, sloppy wading will do it. Then again, so will bad casting, a
bad approach, drag on the fly, slapping the line (or the bug) down
on the water, large rocks thrown into the pool, the mere presence of
the line....or the leader.....or the fly....etc.

I guess you might say it's highly variable. Having tested some of
the clear mountain brooks in western North Carolina in the company of
fishermen who know them well, I'd suggest they could probably tell
you more about it.

well, i feel eminently qualified to answer this question, having
more likely than not spooked more trout than any other living person
south of maryland (thanks for taking the heat, frank).

and my answer is this: being seen.
snip

I have often wanted to visit and fish the mountain streams of TONS, and
now it seems I'll be able to pack lighter by leaving my fishing gear at
home. Being 6'3" and a svelte 265 lbs makes a helluva shadow on big
water, so I'd probably cover the entire Snowbird area with darkness.

One thing I've found that *does* help me catch some fish in crystal
clear water (from time to time) is to start fishing before I enter the
water and then, once I do wade in, staying in one spot while I cast to
different runs. That way, if I do spook the fish during the wade-in, I
have a chance of them returning. I've also been trying to minimize other
body movement, just moving my forearm for casting, and slowing down any
other movement (like changing flies, adding tippet, etc.) to a very
slow-motion pace.
--
TL,
Tim
------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

Wayne Harrison wrote:
snip
it's all about stealth. and stealth, like many other things desirable, is
mostly for the young.

Ain't it the truth. Five days of crawling around in those mountain
streams left me bruised, abraded, sore and exhausted.

Can't wait to do it again, I'm thinking the second week of October
right before hunting season makes wandering around in the woods a
scary proposition.

--
Ken Fortenberry

"Ken Fortenberry" wrote

Ain't it the truth. Five days of crawling around in those mountain
streams left me bruised, abraded, sore and exhausted.

Can't wait to do it again, I'm thinking the second week of October
right before hunting season makes wandering around in the woods a
scary proposition.

i hope you can make a decision about the actual dates in time for me to
plan to meet you. i can't stop thinking about how good you are gonna look
in powder blue.

fwiw, late september, first week of oct. would be more pleasant for
water/air temps...

wayno

Wayne Harrison wrote:
"Ken Fortenberry" wrote
Can't wait to do it again, I'm thinking the second week of October
right before hunting season makes wandering around in the woods a
scary proposition.

i hope you can make a decision about the actual dates in time for me to
plan to meet you. i can't stop thinking about how good you are gonna look
in powder blue.

I'll have to finalize plans pretty soon before the leaf peepers
rent all the cabins.

fwiw, late september, first week of oct. would be more pleasant for
water/air temps...

I was thinking about those big browns heading up Slickrock to
spawn. Besides, I'm a yankee, I ain't afeared of no cold. ;-)
I'm somewhat flexible but SWMBO is planning to be on this trip
so her calendar will have to be consulted. I'll let you know.

--
Ken Fortenberry

Wayne Harrison wrote:


so, forget length of rod and tippet, and the color or size of your fly.
it's all about stealth. and stealth, like many other things desirable, is
mostly for the young.


there it is...nc mountain flyfishing (and more) in two sentences. but
it's still fun, even for an older man who's lost his cloak of
invisibility...


jeff (who discovered when fishing the "end zone" stream with davePA near
state college,pa, dollar bills can be effective camouflage as well as an
attractant pattern for hooking a bit of youth, albeit momentarily.)

On 5/31/05 8:42 PM, in article , "Wolfgang"
wrote:


who realizes that big waters......say, the ontonagon, for example......are
another matter entirely.

Damn you, man! There goes my day.

Day dream believer,
Wm