Small Stream Fly Fishing Techniques,
Green meadows,beaver dams,spruce forests, willow jungles,canyons,boulder strewn runs and fine gravel tailouts are just some of the features of small stream fishing in Alberta. Hopefully some of these techniques and tips I’ve used in fishing the east slopes can be added to your bag of tricks.
The one thing about fishing small streams is the variety of structures and challenges they present. The golden rule of fishing our smaller waters is a quiet stealthy approach and a low profile. If your not wearing out the knees of your waders your probably spooking or putting down a lot more fish than you think. The crystal clear waters out here enable a flyfisher to observe trout easily and one learns real quick when you’re doing things right or when you’ve screwed up and spooked your quarry into the next mountain range. When fishing small streams always try to take an upstream approach. A trout spends 99.9 % of it’s time facing upstream. A downstream fishing approach in these close quarters almost always alerts a trout to your presence. If I have to fish downstream I’m always looking ahead for pools, key structures such as deadfalls, large boulders or a change in the streams direction. I then try to take a wide detour around the key water and fish from the downstream side of the target water.This technique netted me a great afternoon of Cutt fishing on the Livingston. Another unusual approach I learned came from a nice Cutt in a small feeder creek to the Ram river. Two strides is all it takes to cross this creek. I spotted a small trout on a sunny afternoon holding in a tiny pool. I was crouched at the tail end of the pool trying to get some action with a beadhead prince when something happened. A small bunch of cloud blocked the sun and immediatly a 14″ Cutt made his way up the side of the creek almost bouncing off my boot and made his way into the pool. A minute later the sun was back and he left the same way he came. I watched this trout repeat this 4 times over the next 15 minutes. This experience taught me that just a small break in the sun can turn the weariest trout active in a hurry and a pool that seemed void of fish can suddenly turn on.
Small streams have a limited carrying capacity for fish and holding water for larger trout is at a premium. The good thing about this is that it makes trout easy to find. Undercut banks are key hiding places for Browns and Specks in slower meadow sections of streams. If beavers frequent your area they create a ton of fishing opportunities. Above and below the dam,feed branches around the lodge and the burrows and tunnels they dig at the streams edge all provide prime lies for trout.When fishing canyon water look for dark ledges carved into the rock walls and the stream bottom. Isolated boulders provide cover and a break in the current. Look for seams in the current at the head of the pool. Trout tend to hang out at the edge of these seams. Log jams and deadfalls are also key spots for all kinds of trout. When fishing small streams put some mileage on your waders. By fishing further away from road access points you will see your catch rates increase as well as the size of the fish you catch. Lastly in fishing smaller streams or tributaries the fishing pressure is almost always lighter or none existent compared to the popular rivers.Most of the creeks I fish I rarely run into other fisherman and I’m talking about fishing weekends. I hope some of these tips help those new to our sport. I’ll take a run at some fly choices and casting techniques for small streams in a future article. Tight lines to all.
