Bunch Of Bsc

[Dirtworm]

I was able to get away for a few hours on Saturday (thank you to my wife and kids). For some odd reason, I thought the best thing I could do with that time is to tackle Blue Springs Creek again.

I have decided that God designed this place in such a way that it is a little like parents putting their child's Christmas presents in an electrified box - it may be pretty, and you really want whats in there, but getting to it is going to be painful.

So again on this trip, with my limited time, I ended losing more flies than casts made (for those of you who were wondering if that was possible). I have come to the end of my complaining for now, I suppose I should here ask for some advice so that I can be better equipped to suffer blissfully at this little stream in the future.

So the question rolling around in my head at this point is this: How and where do people cast on this creek? I am seriously thinking about leaving the fly rod in the car next time, and I think maybe the best outfit for all these tight corners is actually sold by Ron Propiel and not Bass Pro.

The only time I can manage any sort of backcast is when I am right on the edge of the stream (I have already long ago sworn off getting in the water here) or once when I found a spot so close to highway N that I was able to throw a real nice loop standing right on the double yellow line, which may be hazardous. So is a traditional cast out completely?

I have heard tell about a slingshot cast, I tried a few times this trip and it seemed to work fairly well with my new 3w rod, but I couldn't hope to get it out far enough to cast somewhere where the fish wouldn't see me. Even this method is challenging with all the brush around. So, I am open to new ideas. I can see how after enough trips one would start to get to know the creek well enough that I could find a few spots that are far enough down stream from some good holes and have adequate backcasting room, so maybe thats an answer. I'm hoping that there is something else I am missing.

This is a beautiful little stream and I would feel darn good about myself If I finally wrangled a 5 inch rainbow out of there.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this, and double thanks if your reply is anything more than: "stop whining, thats fishing."

God bless,

Adam

[ColdWaterFshr]

BSC isn't a place to go to make long elegant casts. The limbs and branches there are hungrier than the fish and laugh at us all equally and therein lies the challenge of the place. Go again and you will only get better. And then go again. You will learn to side cast, flick cast, skitter-dapple, flip and pitch, and crouch like a tiger. Whatever you do, avoid the bow and arrow cast unless you want to deeply embed a hook in your thumb the way I did a few years ago. Frickin Lefty Kreh technique I had read about in a book.

[2sheds]

Hi Adam,

< ... losing more flies than casts made ... >

Been there, done that, and more than once !

• That is what makes this such a passion for those on this forum.
• It helped me to practice in tight spots on creeks closer to home (sometimes stalking sunfish, sometimes no fish at all).
• Don't worry about a textbook pretty cast, focus on efficient placement from point A to point B.
• Stealth is crucial - Sneaking up on the stream, No flailing, Avoid splash-landings, et al. Practice helps reinforce the discipline.
• On wild-trout water new to me, it helps to have a few go-to spots picked out in advance which provide confidence that they generally hold fish with reasonable access for approach and also for safe release. Consider spending a day (perhaps to watch the upcoming spawn season) and just enjoy hiking along the shore while hunting for those few holes that allow more reasonable casting access. These will usually hold trout (unless scared off by an unstealthy approach), so settle in while you enjoy your lunch/beverage and watch the fish return and go about their business. See how small of a disturbance is enough to set them off and watch how long it takes them to return to feeding - reinforcing the benefits of stealth.
• BSC is about as challenging as it gets in MO. There might be a few other wild trout opportunities that offer easier access for casting.
• And as you realize - if this was any easier, BSC would get fished out.

[Al Agnew]

That last part that 2sheds said should be considered closely. There are places on a creek like BSC that are almost unfishable, and you just have to accept that. On such a creek, you'll spend a lot more time getting yourself very slowly and carefully into position to make one good cast than you will actually fishing, not to mention the time it takes just to study the situation and figure out how you might be able to make that one good cast...or to figure out that there just isn't any way to do it.

[Gavin]

Bow and Arrow cast, switch cast, and the standard roll cast instead of overhead. Make the first cast count. I've never mastered the bow and arrow cast, but Dave Dawson (Former Proprietor @ Eagles Park on the Current) had it down. Glow Ball Dave had it down cold. I do better with the switch .

[tanvat]

Sometimes at BSC and similar streams the best cast is no cast at all. I've had success at particularly tough lies - typically scour holes around rootwads - by fishing the lie from uptream and feeding the fly down into the mess at an angle where it'll swing through. Often its a one and done deal, but if you can let the line swing down and over to the bank and then pull it back slowly, you can sometimes catch fish on a second try. Used to go down there so much, but two small children puts a crimp on all that - throwing rocks and catching craws does not mix with still-fishing; but I wouldn't trade it.

[Gavin]

Nice tip Tanvat. That sounds like something I call the drop, drag, & drift. Get it out there. Drag it to where you want it & mend.. Drift it. Works for dries, nymphs, steamers. Downstream mostly,but it can work across if the angles are right.

[ness]

Good stuff in this thread.

It's about adapting and being resourceful on these little cricks. You size up your spot, and do what you need to get to it. Also, you look what you might mess up and decide if you're going to fish it or pass on it for the greater good. So many times I look at a spot, and know that's THE spot, but realize what I've got to do to get to it is gonna send those gossipy wild rainbows telling the whole stream I'm coming. Or, a lot of times I'll go way out of my way to approach from a different angle. After you've fished a while, you'll learn the ways to approach without doing so much back tracking.

Bow and arrow is the very last resort for me because, as easy as it looks, I never know where the heck it's going. Usually about 3 feet off the rod tip is a good bet. The other techniques mentioned are all useful. Basically -- whatever you can do to get your fly to the spot without spooking the fish is OK. The long, graceful casts are mostly for spectators or photographs.

I always drilled this into my kids heads: Don't count on luck to keep your fly out of the trees. Look around you and adapt your cast to the situation at hand. Flies in trees wastes time and money, and generally screws up your good time.

[tonethetiger]

Roll cast works well. I went down there today and caught 3 tiny (4-5") par marked trout, the biggest I seen was maybe 7-8". Best times are 8-10am and 2-3pm. I haven't been able to nail it but something to do with the sun. I have been here in cold temps and the fish are very docile and hardly to be found. Best luck had been in late summer last year. Definitely no fancy open river casting here. It does work to drift in the lane from upstream a good riffle, and get it through the deep parts to the tailing water. You can draw them out from overhanging banks or roots that way. Fishing here is a meditation on patience and careful movements. It is like Kung fu fly fishing. I have many go to spots on this little stream, hit me up directly and I will give you a bearing.