tangledup

You are. Sorry but they were 100% wild stream bred trout.

So last night while I was having my adventure I made a couple observations that I would like to get some feedback on. The fish I caught were in relatively deeper swift runs of 2-5’. Since the water was deeper and moving swiftly I could not see the fish and I’m guessing they had difficulty seeing me as well. Which is probably why I caught them. In slower or at least clearer runs I could see much larger fish feeding and all of the fish I saw appeared to be sitting on or very close to the bottom. I’m usually pretty hasty to start making casts so last night I made it a point to slowly ease up to the tail of a pool and wait at least 5-10 minutes before making my first cast. During this observation period I noticed the bigger trout did not move hardly at all. In fact, I mistook a couple for logs or rocks until they finally swept sideways a few inches. Occasionally they would slowly swing to one side or the other and take something that was drifting by, but I could not tell what it was. I was using a dry dropper dished as deep as possible as the trout seemed to be feeding on the bottom and not rising much. I threw pretty much every nymph in my box and it wasn’t until I started using a chamois worm that I got strikes. So my question is two fold: 1) In a small Missouri spring creek, what type of nymphs are trout eating this time of year? 2) What were the big trout doing? The smaller trout were actively moving back and forth feeding but the big fish just kind of laid in one spot.

BPS in Springfield is short on stuff just like everywhere else. A couple times so far this year I’ve needed to pick up a few camping items for scouts trips and family camping trips. Academy, Bass Pro, Walmart all short on camping and other outdoor gear. I went to Bass Pro this morning to return something and stopped in the fly shop part of the store just for grins. They had a decent selection of materials but pre-tied flies and apparel were really low. And don’t even mention the ammo shortage. I teach firearms classes and demand for the classes is higher than ever but you can’t find ammo anywhere. I taught a pistol class for some ladies last Saturday and spent an entire day running around Springfield, trying to find store that had 9mm and .380 ammo and weren’t limiting the number of boxes per person.

Tonight was quite an interesting experience on the trout stream. I hadn't hit the small stream near the house in a few weeks and found myself with a rare evening to myself so I decided to spend a couple hours flailing my line around in the air. I found that I had really missed that exciting feeling of my fly getting tangled in low-hanging limbs because I forgot to glance over my shoulder. Plus, I heard about the concept of a sliding dry-dropper rig recently and was itching to give it a try. Due to the lack of rain I knew the stream would be low and clear so I tried a new section of stream that, based on the Google machine, looked like it might have some deeper holes. It took me a couple attempts but I managed to put together the sliding dropper rig and it actually seemed to work. At least while it was sitting on the tailgate of my truck. I should say the third attempt at tying it worked. The first two attempts resembled a spider's web if the spider had consumed a pint of my favorite Ozark mountain white lightening before attempting to spin said web. Rod in hand I set off down the trail in search of some of the deeper pools. In about half a mile I found exactly what I was looking for: a nice deep, wide pool with several decent sized trout spread out across the head of the pool, darting back and forth as they fed. The problem was I was at the top of a 30 foot bank and the pool was at the bottom of the bank. I walked up and down the stream a hundred yards in each direction but could not find a good place to make it down the bank. Not one to be deterred by the challenge of a little rough terrain I started down the steep bank. (Did I mention it was steep? Like, almost straight up and down) About two thirds of the way down I got hung up on a grape vine and very quickly finished my descent, skillfully stopping just before I ended up in the water. As I came to rest at the bottom of the bank I heard the dreaded "snap" that makes the heart of every angler drop. I rolled off of my rod, fully expecting to see the end of it dangling from the fly line. Luckily it was just a small stick that broke under the weight of my graceful landing. Needless to say all the fish had sought cover from the giant cannonball careening down the cliff so I walked up to the next pool. A few small trout were feeding in this pool so I made a few casts with no success. I tested the adjustability of the dry-dropper rig and was very pleased with how easily I could adjust it anywhere from 18" to 36" from my dry fly. I started with a Chubby Chernobyl and BH pheasant tail but didn't get any interest in them at all. I fished two more pools with this set up and didn't get so much as a look. I tried a couple other nymphs and still didn't have any luck so I finally switched to my super secret, never fails me fly. I moved up around the next bend and found a perfect pool with several feeding trout and enough room to cast that even I couldn't get tangled. On my first cast in this pool I had a nice little rainbow actually take a swipe at the dry and miss! I was so excited as I have yet to actually land a fish on a dry fly. When I moved into the pool I noticed a small feeder stream, more of a runoff really, coming into the head of the pool. I managed to get my flies just at the mouth of that stream and they hadn't drifted more than two feet when the Chubby suddenly darted under the water. Fish on! As soon as the Chubby darted under another trout smashed it. Doubles!!! I've had doubles before when bass fishing small rivers and streams but never with a fly rod. Of all the days to leave the GoPro at home. The fish that hit the dry fly managed to shake itself loose so I didn't actually land the double but it was still an awesome experience. and although the trout that took the wor.....errrr.....other fly, was no trophy, I had to snap a picture of him just to commemorate the experience. From that point on it was like someone had flipped a switch. I caught half a dozen more fish in the next hour, although none were more than 12". The coolest part was I could move from hole to hole and quickly adjust the depth of my wor.....errr....bottom fly, to match the water depth. In the last pool I fished I let my line pull tight at the end of the drift to flip it up to the head of the pool again. When I did, I felt an odd resistance and the line came out of the water about three feet and fell back in with a plop. I figured I had messed something up, or got hung in a weed or something so I tried again and the same thing happened. I pulled my line in and found I had snagged a crawdad! Got him right in the tail. He was a feisty bugger and didn't like me taking the hook out of his tail, but I finally managed to rescue him and set him free after holding him in the water and properly reviving him. By this point it was starting to get dark and I was on the wrong side of the creek (with my truck being on the other side) so I started to look for a place to cross. I found a nice shallow spot with what looked to be a nice smooth bottom and struck out across the creek. I took three steps before the bottom of the earth fell away and I felt myself being sucked down into the abyss. Apparently in the waning hours of daylight silt can look just like a nice hard rock bottom. I grew up wading and fishing small streams and have probably walked from Kansas City to St. Louis several times with the miles I've logged wading streams. I have never encountered mud or silt this deep. Without exaggeration it was over both my knees. By the time I managed to get turned around and headed back to the bank I had sunk to mid-thigh and was wondering what my wife would spend the life insurance money on. I finally made it to solid ground and found my way back to the trail, just in time to run into a couple out for an evening stroll. I know I looked like something from a horror movie with mud caked everywhere and weeds hanging out of my beard and hair and the poor girl's saucer sized eyes made me aware that I might have alarmed them a little. As I trudged by them, one sandal on and the other flopping around on my foot like a wet noodle due to a broken strap (it fell victim to the suction of the mud bog), I just muttered, "Don't go down there" and walked back to my truck. It was definitely an outing to remember, but I still loved (almost) every minute of it.

Funny that you should mention that....when he saw the sign listing Crane Creek as a blue ribbon area he asked me what that meant. Being the helpful father I am, I made him look it up to find out. In the process of doing that he stumbled across the the MDC page talking about the blue ribbon stream slam and now he wants to do that. I'm all for it. It means more time spent together on the road and more time fishing. Both of which are VERY good things.

Ness- This was only his second time fishing this creek but he got skunked on the first trip. We went for a hike along the creek as a family Wednesday night and he spent most of the time flipping rocks and looking for spiderwebs, checking for insects. After the hike he asked if we could come back and fish the next night and of course I said yes. On our way to the creek he told me I was fired as a guide since he didn't catch anything on his last trip and decided he would pick the fishing spots on this trip. When we got to the creek I just put my rod together but didn't rig it since I figured I would have plenty of time while he was picking his fishing spot. He has been tying brassies after I told him I had success with them, and "created" his own recipe of a red brassie with peacock ice dubbing and a nickel tungsten bead, so that's what he tied on. We took off down the trail and he spent almost 30 minutes walking the creek and carefully examining each pool until he found one he liked. He has recently decided he wants to be "YouTube famous" so I let him create his own YouTube channel, which I carefully monitor. He wanted to bring the GoPro along on this trip and I was told I would be the camera guy. A job for which I have discovered I have no talent. Once he decided on a pool I figured I had a few minutes to rig while he got his line in the water and made a few casts so I stuck the camera in my pouch. On his second cast I heard him start whooping and hollering and, sure enough, he had a beautiful little rainbow on. I got the camera out as quickly as I could and managed to catch most of it on film. I'm pretty sure his beaming face lit up the entire stream as he pulled that fish up to the bank. A trophy size brown trout could not have made that kid smile any bigger than that 10" McCloud trout did. All fish handling etiquette went straight out the window but eventually the little trout was returned to the safety of the stream and my son's chest was puffed out bigger than Arnold Schwarzenegger's. With my son jabbering a mile a minute I attempted once again to rig up, setting the GoPro on the ground as I did so. A couple minutes later there was another explosion of celebration behind me as another fish fell victim to the "super fly" as my son called it. I grabbed the camera again and managed to catch a few seconds of the battle. As he removed the fish and slipped it back in the water my son chastised me for neglecting my duties as his camera guy so I abandoned my rod and concentrated on filming. We fished a few more pools with no success until my son finally allowed me to wet a line. He wandered up to the next pool above us and caught yet another small trout off camera. By this time it was getting dark but glow from my son's face lit our path as we made our way back to the truck. Fishinwrench- You are absolutely correct! My son and I fish together and hunt deer, turkey, and ducks. Watching him learn to love and respect the outdoors and develop a love of hunting and fishing is one of the proudest parts of my life. Fly fishing is just one more hobby that brings us together and keeps our bond strong. Here is the video that he put together from our outing last night.

My son and I snuck out to the stream for a couple hours last night and he caught his first wild trout....on a fly that he tied no less. Needless to say he was very excited. The water was pretty high but we managed to land a few fish anyway.

Plateau on S. Campbell.

One really good piece of advice I received when I first started tying flies was to pick one or simple flies to learn. Purchase what was needed for those flies, get proficient at tying them, then pick another one to learn. Theory being, if I chose my materials wisely, before I knew it I would have materials for many different flies. He was absolutely right. And for someone like me, who likes to jump into any new hobby with both feet, it was a great way to get started but stay focused and organized. I am still only tying nymphs and streamers (haven't graduated to dries yet) but my small collection of tying materials has grown exponentially since I began tying in February. Unfortunately I did not receive similar advice regarding the streamside aspect of fly fishing. It was a hobby that my son and I decided to pick up together and have received most of our education from YouTube, podcasts, and furiously flailing our lines around in the air. I'm sure we've pissed off numerous other fisherman as well as giving them some laughs. We are slowly getting better and actually manage to even get our flies in the water sometimes. We have recently discovered a local fly shop and the owner and employees have been a great help to us. They have given up casting and tying tips and lesson as well as just general fly fishing advice.

Sooooo basically what I'm hearing is that I'm over thinking it and making it too complicated. Got it!!! I have a tendency to do that.

It looked very similar to that (although I have to admit that I'm not very good at picking the subtle differences in these insects yet). The flies that I noticed on my creek were lighter than the one pictured on trout nut. They were almost yellow.

Just added it to the cart, along with "Stories of the Old Duck Hunters". Those will go in the pack for our next camping trip.

Thanks! So far my tying has been restricted to nymphs but I would like to start tying some dries. That looks like a good one to start with. Thanks to all of you for the input! I do far more reading on here than posting, but when I do put a question up I get lots of helpful advice.

Oh sorry, should have been more specific. I was asking what the fly pattern was. Or is that taboo? I'm still learning the nuances of the fly fishing culture.

Soooo what is it???

You’re right, you absolutely did. I accept your advice and relinquish my crown as the world’s greatest angler.

You’re right. It probably wasn’t a 14. Prob closer to 16, but like I said, I’m horrible at this stuff.

I have no doubt the correct dry fly would have "done better" lol. It was more of a Hail Mary, "let's just see what happens" cast than anything since I was done fishing at that point. It was the only dry fly I had with me.

I'll apologize ahead of time for the length of this post. It's more of a story really, but I'll try to add a concise question at the end for those who have shorter attention spans. Last night I went to a local spring fed creek to wet a line. I only started fishing this creek in February so I'm still learning what kind of little critters inhabit the stream, but I can typically take 4-8 rainbows using a size 16 brassie with red wire. Last night was the first time I've made it to the creek in almost three weeks and the weather has warmed considerably since then. I'm not sure about the water temp as I don't carry a thermometer but we've had cool nights and lots of rain so I wouldn't think it has warmed significantly. Last night I decided to go directly to two pools where I had seen feeding fish on previous outings but I have not actually fished these pools. On the walk to these pools I was determined to practice my entomology skills. I know less than nothing about identifying aquatic insects, but I've been reading and researching and was also armed with a new iPhone app designed to help intellectually challenged people like me identify these bugs. I examined spiderwebs, stopped along the creek and watched the water, and even flipped a few rocks. In the air all I saw were some almost microscopic flying insects with a wingspan of less than 1/4". Try as I might I could not catch one of these. I didn't observe anything flying over the water and the rocks revealed a couple stonefly nymphs and caddis larvae. At least I think that's what they were. Failing miserably at attempting to act like a real trout angler and match the hatch I finally arrived at my destination and decided to go with the tried and true brassie. There were at least one or two trout rising, with small subtle splashes, but only once every minute or two. Encouraged by knowing there were at least still SOME fish in the pool I started poking my fly around the pool. No strikes. I walked up to the next pool I had on my list and watched. The fish seemed to be following the same feeding pattern, just small rises every minute or two. I was watching the air above the water as well and still only saw the same tiny flies (almost as tiny as gnats). I methodically fished this pool with the same nymph and was rewarded with exactly zero strikes. Frustrated, I began walking the creek and ended up at a couple pools from which I had caught fish before. I fished these pools as well and had no luck. I continued walking the creek until came to another pool I could see a couple small fish in. I switched to a BH flashback pheasant tail and caught a small 8" rainbow on the first cast! I continued fishing the pool and caught two more small trout. Confident that I was now the greatest angler in the world, I began walking the creek again. I came to another pool that has consistently produced fish and tossed my new found "super fly" into the pool. As I began fishing the nymph I noticed the trout began to rise and feed aggressively. There were consistent rises every 30 seconds or so in three specific spots in the pool. On my next cast I forgot to watch what I was doing and got myself hung in an overhead branch. Even the greatest anglers in the world have difficulties sometimes. As I was untangling my line I happened to notice a flying insect with sailboat style wings. Low and behold, the air was full of them! I'm not great at estimating sizes, but they were maybe around a size 14. I swiftly improvised a makeshift bug net (read: I took off my hat) and captured one of the elusive creatures. I believe it was a mayfly, at least that's what it looked like to me and the app agreed. I only had nymphs with me but found a lone elk hair caddis in a corner of my fly box. I tried a few casts with it over the rising fish with no success. By this time it was almost dark so I gave up and walked back to the truck. My main question is this: I've read about selectively feeding fish. Is this what I encountered last night? And to follow-up with that, was the reduced success of old faithful (the red brassie) due to an increase in insect hatches?

It's possible. The first fish I caught out of the stream was around 11" and it has been by far the biggest. Average is around 7-9". With the exception of one that was around 3" lol.

You're exactly right. Most of the rises are to the left of the big log, between the log and the bank, but some on the right as well. This picture is taken facing almost due north and a little to the NW. I mostly fish in the evening which puts the setting sun in my face when standing on the side of the creek I took the picture from. Now that I've covered it with nymphs multiple times, I'm considering trying a new fly each time I go. Like holly buggers at each hole on my next trip, then a dry fly the trip after that.

I'm usually wearing some kind of green or khaki pants and a darker colored hoodie. Last night was khaki pants and a dark gray hoodie I think. Honestly, I alway thought those trout anglers who made a big show of crouching super low to cast looked kind of silly. But now I guess I know why! I'm definitely not done! I only live about 20 minutes away so I'm trying to make it there once a week. Last night was my third trip: one fish on the first trip, nine the second, and three last night, so I'm catching fish. They're just all small, so I assume they are the dumb ones. I know there are bigger fish in there and I am determined to catch them. So far I haven't tried any dry flies, just nymphs. Mainly because that's all I'm tying right now and I have a hard time keeping track of the natural colored dry flies that I have in my fly box when they get in the swift, ripply water.

I actually have been watching some of Joe Humphreys' stuff! Amazon has a documentary out about him too. It's pretty cool stuff. I've experimented with the bow and arrow casting a little and have managed to not impale myself. This stream is actually very similar to the small brush covered streams of Pennsylvania that Humphreys is known for fishing. Lots of low limbs and clear water with very little room to maneuver. From what I'm reading from you guys, I'm wondering if I am overfishing. Coming from a smallmouth (non-flyfishing background) I tend to fish the heck out of one spot on a river or stream that I KNOW has fish in it. Maybe I just need to concentrate on making a few really good casts to a possible holding spot and then move on to the next one. Its just so hard when I know there's trout in there. I also discovered just how spooky these fish are last night. I try to be fairly quiet and still while fishing but I severely underestimated them. Last night, just before dark, I noticed one little pool about 50 yards upstream from me that had a ton of surface activity. Every 30 seconds or so a fish would rise and grab something. I watched it for a few minutes and didn't really see a way to fish the pool from the bank due to the trees and brush. So I decided to walk up the bank until I got to the riffles at the bottom of the pool and figured I could enter the water well below the riffles and slowly move up, always keeping either a pile of gravel or the rushing part of the riffles between me and the fish. I got to within 20 yards of the pool and the surface activity died. I waited until it picked back up again and tried tossing an olive woolly bugger in there a few times but didn't have any luck.

I finally made it back to the creek today. I only had about an hour and a half to fish so I was a little rushed. But I did manage to make it to one of the log jams I was referring to (the least messy one). I only caught three tonight but I spent more time watching than fishing, or at least it seemed so to me. Anyway, here are some pics. I know there are trout in there because I spent about 20 minutes watching it and every few minutes a fish would come up to grab something off the surface right in the logs.

Orvis has a podcast all about tippet and their process for finding the perfect tippet material from the manufacturer, whether it be nylon or fluorocarbon. The interview is with one of the mechanical engineers for Orvis and Scientific Anglers. If you really want to geek out on tippet material it's pretty interesting. I think it was dated February 6 and titled "The Ultimate Tippet Podcast". The interview about tippet starts around the 43 minute mark (the first 40 minutes are a live Q&A session with Tom Rosenbauer).