situational fly fishing Trout streams that get a lot of fishing pressure can also make trout finicky. If you have ever fished a small to medium wild trout stream behind another fly fisher even a few hours later you will not find many fish feeding. Every time I fish I’m always on the lookout for signs that someone has already fished through. Consistent water marks, water foot prints on rocks, or splash marks on the rocks is a dead give away. If I find that’s the case then for me, its off to plan B. Low and clear water will make for some spooky and cautious trout. If while fishing you notice trout are spooking easily but still feeding then your presentation may be the key to catching fish. For me, low and clear water is the time to fish a dry and dropper combination. This technique as opposed to fishing a high sticking method will allow you to cast farther and effectively catch fish without spooking as many trout. When streams get extremely low and clear trout may feed exclusively at night. Wild trout most of the time will be extremely selective feeders depending on what their feeding options are. If there are a few good food options the trout population may be split on what they are selective on. For example, a smaller trout may be looking for something smaller with a specific color and the larger trout may be looking for something much larger with a specific profile. There will even be times that a brown trout and a rainbow trout may even be selective on something different.
64 l December 2015 l Southern Trout l www.SouthernTrout.com