Any Tips For Trout?

[smallmouth61]

I'll be floating and fishing it this weekend (mostly for smallmouth) but I'm bringing the fly rod and plan to fish for trout a little bit. I've never fished for trout in a stream like this so any tips you've got would be appreciated. Not asking you to share any secrets are anything but patterns to use this time of year would also help me out. Really excited to finally float this season!!! Thanks in advance for any replies.

[Al Agnew]

Just have some strike indicators, some small split shot, and an assortment of common nymphs. I probably catch more Current River trout on size 14 or 16 Hare's Ears and 16 Scud patterns than anything else, but Pheasant Tails, Copper Johns, and really any "buggy" looking nymph will work much of the time. Put a buggy-looking nymph in front of a trout and there's a good chance it will take it, IF it is drifting naturally.

I use 3X fluoro tippet for most of my nymph fishing. Lately I've started using "Thingamabobbers" for a strike indicator.

You want just enough weight on the line to keep the nymph or nymphs slightly ticking the bottom, whatever the current is, as it carries them downstream.

I usually fish a two-nymph rig, and I rig mine a little different from many people. Tie an 18 inch length of 3X (or if the water is very clear, maybe 4X) tippet to the end of your leader. Pick a nymph and tie it onto the tippet section with a Palomar knot, so that it is about 4 or 5 inches below the knot that attached your tippet to the leader, and the rest of the tippet section is the tag end of the knot. Then tie the second nymph to the end of that tag end. Put your split shot just above the knot that connects leader to tippet. That way, the knot itself keeps the split shot from sliding down to the first fly, and you tie one less knot that the guys who tie a separate piece of tippet to the first fly.

Concentrate your effort near the bottom of the riffles, where the water begins to slow and deepen a bit but is still choppy on the surface. Active trout can be in a foot or less of water up in the riffles, but mostly they'll be hanging out where the riffle drops off into two feet or more of water on a river the size of the Current. It's not that they aren't in other places in the river, like slower water and deep pools, but the riffle fish are the most active and easiest to catch. Figure out about how deep the good-looking water is, and place your strike indicator on the leader a few inches farther up from the split shot than the water is deep.

[jah]

Just have some strike indicators, some small split shot, and an assortment of common nymphs. I probably catch more Current River trout on size 14 or 16 Hare's Ears and 16 Scud patterns than anything else, but Pheasant Tails, Copper Johns, and really any "buggy" looking nymph will work much of the time. Put a buggy-looking nymph in front of a trout and there's a good chance it will take it, IF it is drifting naturally.

I use 3X fluoro tippet for most of my nymph fishing. Lately I've started using "Thingamabobbers" for a strike indicator.

You want just enough weight on the line to keep the nymph or nymphs slightly ticking the bottom, whatever the current is, as it carries them downstream.

I usually fish a two-nymph rig, and I rig mine a little different from many people. Tie an 18 inch length of 3X (or if the water is very clear, maybe 4X) tippet to the end of your leader. Pick a nymph and tie it onto the tippet section with a Palomar knot, so that it is about 4 or 5 inches below the knot that attached your tippet to the leader, and the rest of the tippet section is the tag end of the knot. Then tie the second nymph to the end of that tag end. Put your split shot just above the knot that connects leader to tippet. That way, the knot itself keeps the split shot from sliding down to the first fly, and you tie one less knot that the guys who tie a separate piece of tippet to the first fly.

Concentrate your effort near the bottom of the riffles, where the water begins to slow and deepen a bit but is still choppy on the surface. Active trout can be in a foot or less of water up in the riffles, but mostly they'll be hanging out where the riffle drops off into two feet or more of water on a river the size of the Current. It's not that they aren't in other places in the river, like slower water and deep pools, but the riffle fish are the most active and easiest to catch. Figure out about how deep the good-looking water is, and place your strike indicator on the leader a few inches farther up from the split shot than the water is deep.

Al-

You use tippet that heavy on the Current below Montauk? Maybe I'm using too light of tippet because I use a 5x leader with 6x tippet. Is that too light??

[ozark trout fisher]

Al-

You use tippet that heavy on the Current below Montauk? Maybe I'm using too light of tippet because I use a 5x leader with 6x tippet. Is that too light??

I could be totally off-base on this, but I know I rarely use anything heavier than 6x for trout in Missouri. But I'm not at all sure that's a necessity, because to be honest I've rarely tried anything else. I guess I don't totally buy into the whole light tippett idea, but I use it anyway because it doesn't usually hurt anything, and it might help.

I've also had the best luck where the riffles dump into the pools. But there are also some areas that aren't that obvious that can be good. For example, there is one riffle I know of that is mostly under 10" deep and pretty barren of everything but chubs, but there a little shelf on one side of the stream where it drops off to about 2 feet. That spot, and others like, generally hold some feeding fish that most people overlook, and for that reason they are often pretty easy to catch. The really pretty deep pools can be very dissapointing.

[ColdWaterFshr]

What section are you floating? Makes a big difference in the way you fish it. Below Cedargrove is stocked rainbow water. Above there, and all the way to the park, don't get caught fishing for smallmouth with plastic worms. There aren't that many smallmouth up there anyway.

Al's nymph rig is a good suggestion, but I prefer throwing big streamers in the Tan Vat to Cedargrove stretch. I never go lighter than 5x for nymphing, and streamers I use 3x. Save the 6x for the park.

[ness]

Do what Al said. But it you're tempted by the thought of catching a big brown -- throw a big streamer into the deep/slow water and strip it back quickly.

[laker67]

Do not overlook the outside bends in the river. Most have undercut banks. I don't know a thing about smb's, but I do know that rainbows and browns key on those areas.

[Gavin]

Depends on which section your fishing. The park to Baptist holds a good mix of rainbow and brown trout. Baptist to Cedargrove, your main quarry is brown trout with the occassional rainbow & a rare smallmouth. Its not uncommon to catch browns in the 16-18" range, and there are some alot bigger than that. Dont go to light on your line or tippet.

Cedargrove to Akers, your main quarry is put and take rainbow in the 10-12" range and a few smallmouth between Cedar and Welch Spring. Akers to Round Spring, is usually slow fishing for smallmouth and the occassional trout. The smallmouth fishing starts to pick up a bit below Pulltite, but its much better below Round Spring. Have fun.

[Al Agnew]

4X fluoro is as light as I ever go when nymph fishing. I'll go to 5X and rarely 6X regular mono when fishing small dry flies, but that's just because anything heavier will overpower the fly and make it not float naturally. With both smallmouth and trout, I'm convinced that most times you don't need to go real light on your line.

Tossing big streamers is always an option for the big browns, but for me it's dependent upon water conditions. Low and clear, it's just about a waste of time except early morning and late evening. Ah, but when the water is up and a bit murky, I love throwing streamers.