Tips for fishing small creeks

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FlynnFisherman
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Tips for fishing small creeks

Post by FlynnFisherman » Sat Mar 17, 2018 8:33 pm

I'm new-ish to fly fishing and fished a small creek for brown trout today for the first time. I went from about 11am to 1.30pm (which i know are pretty poor times to fish for trout but it was the least windy at the time) and saw some trout and had a few follows but i reckon if i was there a few hours later they would've taken the it. I noticed there where lots of grasshoppers flying around and was wondering if using them as bait would do the job? Also, does anyone have any tips for fishing small creeks? Like where to cast, what flies to use, how to avoid spooking the fish and how to read the creek.

Cheers :thumbsup:

:water:

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meppstas
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Re: Tips for fishing small creeks

Post by meppstas » Sat Mar 17, 2018 9:30 pm

Hoppers are a great bait for trout at this time of year, you can use them unweighted and let them drift on the surface or with a small bubble float..
When fishing small creeks and streams be as quiet as possible when wading them, always fish (cast) upstream, look for small eddies or flat water close to the river banks as well as bubble lines on the water.. Can't help you with the fly fishing side of things but I do know there are plenty of Hopper pattern flies around in tackle stores or online.. you can always check out trout fishing info on Google too, plenty to be found on it..
cheers
Adrian
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Hopper trout fly
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Mix of hopper trout flys
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Trout lie in a small stream..
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FlynnFisherman
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Re: Tips for fishing small creeks

Post by FlynnFisherman » Sat Mar 17, 2018 11:28 pm

meppstas wrote:Hoppers are a great bait for trout at this time of year, you can use them unweighted and let them drift on the surface or with a small bubble float..
When fishing small creeks and streams be as quiet as possible when wading them, always fish (cast) upstream, look for small eddies or flat water close to the river banks as well as bubble lines on the water.. Can't help you with the fly fishing side of things but I do know there are plenty of Hopper pattern flies around in tackle stores or online.. you can always check out trout fishing info on Google too, plenty to be found on it..
cheers
Adrian
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s-l400.jpg
IMG_0311 (Medium).jpg
Cheers Adrian, some great advice :thumbsup:

:water:

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Re: Tips for fishing small creeks

Post by Stumpjumper » Sun Mar 18, 2018 9:19 am

I reckon the biggest mistake I see on small creeks is blokes walking right up to the bank to cast. Stay low and stand back from the creek to make your cast to a fish or likely spot. Always work upstream too and scale down lures and tackle to the conditions.

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Re: Tips for fishing small creeks

Post by pwalnuts » Sun Mar 18, 2018 11:01 am

Agree with Stumpjumper, I used to spook heaps of fish because I had no idea. It's tempting to try and cover as much water as possible but I've caught more fish since I started to slow down, even just sitting and watching a likely stretch of water for a few minutes before fishing it.

This thread is gold too:
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=10726

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mazman
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Re: Tips for fishing small creeks

Post by mazman » Mon Mar 19, 2018 7:16 pm

In small creeks pattern often makes little difference, getting the fly in front of the fish on a natural drift is far more important.
This means knowing where the fish are likely to sit and then getting your fly there is where it's at. Where the fish sit really comes down to time on the water, reading online etc. will help initially, worth noting that where they sit changes thoughout the year as water temp and river height changes. Casting, instruction is definitely beneficial but not 100% necessary, practice casting with obstructions as well. In contrast to whats mentioned above don't be scared to go a little closer to get the cast right, you can get very close to trout if you hide your silhouette and don't send any ripples upstream.

For patterns if you're really stuck the following will have you covered most of the times on Vic streams.
Royal stimulator sz 16 (generalist)
Adams parachute 14-16 (mayfly hatch/generalist)
Foam bodied stimulator 8-10 (hopper pattern)
Tungsten head brown nymph 14-16 (when they aren't surface feeding)
Foam willow grub
Elk hair caddis 14-16
95% of my fish have come on one of these patterns

Early season - High water no real bug activity on the day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3ftnXqACyw

Later in the season - not much bug activity during the day but a bit around as the evening came around
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6WJi3RZAuA
Youtube channel:Hawkesy Fishing

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Re: Tips for fishing small creeks

Post by Basti » Tue Mar 20, 2018 9:14 am

regarding what ALex posted above, I've found one of my biggest mistakes was not getting close enough to the fish and trying to bomb a long cast out on a 2wt rod. For example in the second vid, check out the 7min 34sec mark where i was casting to a fish and got my nymph stuck. Alex then casts in and pulls a fish. As he moves on, I go in to retrieve my fly. Skip to 8m54s and you'll see me hook up to the fish we were originally after and note where i'm standing. almost on top of the fish's lie.

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Broomstick
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Re: Tips for fishing small creeks

Post by Broomstick » Tue Mar 20, 2018 10:11 am

Some great advice here! Credit to the forum members.

pwalnuts
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Re: Tips for fishing small creeks

Post by pwalnuts » Tue Mar 20, 2018 12:53 pm

Also, the roll cast and bow & arrow cast are invaluable on small streams.

See here for some basic examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aRaCV5c63mY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFBdtQfw-ZI

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Truedogz
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Re: Tips for fishing small creeks

Post by Truedogz » Tue Mar 20, 2018 1:18 pm

Lots of great tips here, I'll add a few.

Stumpjumper and pwalnuts have highlighted the importance of not being seen by the fish. Sometimes when there is a grassy bank I stand well behind it and cast so that the line partially lands on the grass. If the grass is tall it is sometimes possible to, while standing back, just drop the fly over the edge. That way they don't see me. Also select appropriate clothing, I wear dull green.

An important skill to learn in tight fly fishing situations is the bow and arrow cast. Google it, watch some clips, and practice at home. That way you will know what distance it works for your tackle and when to use it. If your casting skills aren't great try shortening your leader from 9 ft to 7 ft or even less in tiny waters.

When I tried to submit this I saw that pwalnuts just made the same recommendation on the b&o cast plus added the roll cast!

Mazman came up with a great list of general purpose flies. It is easy to get sucked in and buy too many patterns. My list would also have a stimulator and elk hair caddis. Bead head nymphs are the best allround wet flies, brown the best colour but green and black are also good. For me my most valued dry flies are a white moth for fishing in twilight, a red tag for fishing under tea tree, an orange spinner and a blue dunn. I really like also an ant fly that has a red plastic bead for a body whether ants are about or not. Add in a stimulator, elk hair caddis and a muddler minnow or other grasshopper pattern and that is a fairly comprehensive collection for smaller streams and alpine rivers. If pushed to just three patterns it would be a white moth, a small stimulator and the elk hair.

Another tip is don't make the flies too big. Smaller flies offer less resistance when the small fish typical of small creeks take them - you get more hook ups.

Also, right now is cricket season so on dark a black muddler minnow can be very effective.

Best Wishes

Truedogz

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