Tactics for Larger Trout
by: Mike Lawson
Early one summer I overheard a couple of guys talking about fly fishing. One of them said that fly fishing is more fun but you don't catch big trout on flies because they don't feed on small insects. Another guy came into our fly shop and looked at the tiny artificials on the counter and was amazed at their small size. "What do you catch on these, minnows?" he asked. Most of us progress through a natural evolution in fly fishing. We start as a beginner with low expectations. After gaining a little confidence by landing a few trout with consistency, we start to keep score. Some anglers take this to extreme keeping track of each and every trout they catch or release. Eventually most of us end up looking for a more quality experience, understanding that it isn't the number of fish caught but the degree of difficulty in catching them. The pursuit of big wild trout offers a greater challenge.
Some anglers spent thousands of dollars, traveling to the far corners of the world, in search of trophy sized trout. Alaska has the biggest resident rainbows. It isn't an exceptional trip, if you go there in September, unless you catch a double figure rainbow. There are brown trout that run into the rivers from the sea in Argentina, which average over ten pounds, with some fish over twenty. Normally, you must use heavy rods with fast sinking lines to catch the largest trout in Alaska and Argentina. In New Zealand you can catch big trout on dry flies. The rainbows and browns there average about four pounds and you have a good shot at getting one over ten.
Most of us don't have the money or the time for such exotic fishing on a regular basis. There are still big trout in our local waters. The definition of a trophy-sized trout can vary according to the water it lives and the techniques used to catch it. One of my most rewarding experiences was landing a 15 inch brown caught on a hopper pattern fished next to an undercut bank on Robinson Creek. A fish of that size isn't going to raise any eyebrows on the Henry's Fork or South Fork of the Snake, but it was an exceptional fish for the waters it was caught. I also get a lot more satisfaction from catching an eighteen inch trout with a size 20 dry fly on 6X tippet than dredging up a five pounder on a heavy nymph.
Big fish are harder to catch because they are instinctively more wary. Most of them have had several encounters with anglers during their lives which has imprinted a greater degree of caution and awareness. Large fish are also less common. In most trout streams it takes four or five years for a trout to reach twenty inches. The number of trout that live on continues to decline with each age class because of predation and other natural causes. Even in a healthy trout stream, the number of four or five-year-old trout is only a small fraction of the total population.
There are anglers who take catching big trout to the extreme. They don't seem to be satisfied unless they catch a monster. Most of us are happy just to be on the water but if there is an angler who isn't thrilled with catching an exceptional trout for the water he's fishing, I'd like to meet him. While luck plays the biggest role in catching a whopper trout, there are plenty of things you can do to increase your odds.
Timing is important. The warm days from June through August are the most popular times for fishing the waters of southeastern Idaho. While I've caught plenty of big fish during that period, I've had more consistent success early and later in the season. There is good water on the South Fork and the Henry's Fork which is open year round. The pre-runoff period from late February through the middle of April has produced some exceptional fishing for me. As the water temperature warms and the aquatic insect hatches start to emerge larger trout become more active. Since the fishing pressure is usually light the big trout are not as wary and are easier to catch.
Late season is one of the best times to fish for large trout. Light fishing pressure is a major factor. Many anglers put away their fishing tackle after Labor Day. Trout seem to become more active as the daylight hours shorten and the nights start to get cold. Browns and brook trout spawn in the fall. Prior to spawning they go on the feed. There are some excellent insect hatches in the fall. Terrestrial insects are also more important when they start to become sluggish due to cool weather. Hoppers that once flew like missiles in July and easily avoided the water auger aimlessly into the water in September.
The time of day is also an important consideration. Some of the best feeding activity occurs in the late evening hours during the heat of the summer. I caught the biggest brown of my life fishing a streamer through a shallow run after dark. I've also caught some exceptional trout in the Box Canyon fishing its deep runs before dawn.
Several years ago Bob Lamm and I went to Henry's Lake in hope of catching a trophy sized brook trout in September. We arrived well before dawn just after the beginning of legal fishing hours. We caught some exceptional brookies in brilliant spawning colors on bright wooly buggers. After the sun came up we continued to catch some nice cutthroats but no more brookies. We didn't catch another brook trout until the next morning before dawn. After the sun came up the brookies once again quit hitting.
Some anglers avoid fishing during foul weather. That is a serious mistake if you're after big fish. Wary trout don't like bright sunlight. They are more comfortable in the depths, shadows and undercuts when the sun is high and move into shallow feeding areas only when ample food is available. On cloudy days they frequently prowl the shallows throughout the day. Mayflies dehydrate quickly in hot, dry weather. That's why the best hatches occur during cool, cloudy or wet weather. The best Green Drake hatch I've ever seen occurred on the Railroad Ranch during a snowstorm. One of the most essential pieces of equipment is a good rain jacket and you should be prepared to use it. The exception is when thunder rumbles and the lightning streaks across the sky. A graphite fly rod is an exceptional electrical conductor and is therefore extremely dangerous. Get out of the water and away from your fly rod during a lightning storm.
Another reason fishing for larger trout is more productive in the early morning, late evening and during inclement weather is because most other anglers leave the river. Larger trout are extremely wary and easily frightened by careless wading and reckless casting. Your odds are greatly increased as fishing pressure is decreased.
Most anglers believe that the larger trout are caught on the biggest flies. While it is true that as trout grow they change their diet from small insects to larger nymphs, small forage fish and other larger food forms, it is still possible to catch them on dry flies. Rich waters abundant in aquatic insects offer the best opportunity to catch a giant trout on a dry fly.
Your best chance is when the trout are up on the surface and actively feeding. Look for a big fish and focus your attack. Randomly covering the water, hoping to raise a good fish is usually a mistake. You'll likely spook most of the large trout in the area. It's a game of hunting and stalking. Big fish usually rise softly, making only a slight disturbance on the surface. They usually make a deep sucking sound when they feed which is a dead give away to the knowledgeable angler.
After you locate your fish you must wade cautiously into position. Vibrations and sound waves travel better through the water than in the air so you should try to avoid grating against the gravel and pushing a wake on the surface to avoid detection. I try to get as close to my trout as possible. If you can learn to stalk your prey like the resourceful Great Blue Heron, you can get within 20 or 30 feet. You can cast more accurately without false casting at close range. I believe that the first cast over the fish is most important and each additional cast reduces your odds by 30%. After thirty or forty casts the trout is more than likely laughing at you than looking for your fly.
Some anglers place so much emphasis in having the perfect fly pattern that they neglect the importance of making a natural, drag-free presentation. I've heard it said that success is 50% pattern and 50% presentation but I don't agree. I believe I have a much greater chance of hooking a great trout with the wrong fly but a perfect presentation than with a perfect fly imitation and a poor presentation. Of course your best chance is having the right fly and an acceptable presentation. If you have a pretty good idea what the trout are feeding on and an imitation which resembles it in size, shape and color, you can remain confident it will take fish if presented properly. Some anglers waste so much time changing fly patterns that they never give the fish a chance to see their fly. Learning to fish nymphs effectively will almost certainly increase the number of trophy trout you catch. Watching a big fish inhale a dry fly on the surface is one of the most rewarding experiences in fly fishing but trout feed on the surface only a small percentage of the time. Stoneflies, mayflies, caddisflies and other aquatic insects spend more than 99% of their lives in an aquatic form, emerging only a few days each year to mate. The nymphs and larva of these insects are available to the trout throughout the day on a year round basis.
Nymphs can be more difficult to fish effectively than dry flies because you can't see the fly. It's hard to know if your presentation is right without the advantage of watching the fly. It is also difficult to know if the trout takes the fly. Trout feed in streams by holding their station and waiting for food to drift to them. They simply open their mouth and intercept a drifting nymph. In fast water the line will quickly hesitate or stop indicating a strike but in slow, smooth water the trout can take the nymph and spit it back out without the angler knowing it.
In fast water the trick is getting the nymph down. Big trout like to hold in the deep pockets that offer protection from the current. You need to use enough weight to get the fly down quickly. Keep the line short enough to keep as much slack out of the line as possible. A short line is also easier to cast with a heavy nymph. False casting a heavily weighted nymph is next to impossible and dangerous. Before you begin the cast, let the nymph drift through until it pulls downstream, tight against the current, and then lob it back upstream in one fluid motion.
A strike indicator makes it much easier to make a proper presentation and detect the strike. A strike indicator can also act as a bobber by keeping the nymph drifting at the proper level. This is especially helpful if you're fishing nymphs from a drift boat. Without a buoyant indicator, the weighted nymph will continue to sink until it snags on the bottom.
There are plenty of commercial strike indicators available. Most of them are made of some type of high floating foam in bright fluorescent colors. My favorite strike indicator is made of bright water-resistant polypropylene yarn. The macramé yarn available in most craft shops is perfect for making your own strike indicators. Double a section of yarn back a couple of times, tie it to the leader with a clinch knot and clip it to shape. The distance from the indicator to the fly will be determined by the average depth of water you intend to fish. The size of the indicator you need is determined by the weight of the nymph. For heavier nymphs you'll need a bigger indicator to prevent the weight of the fly from pulling it under.
In clear, smooth flowing spring creeks I employ a nymph technique I learned in New Zealand. It is called sight fishing. You don't watch the line, the indicator or the fly. You simply watch the fish. It is important to see the trout through the water. Mid morning is the best time for spotting trout on bright, clear days. Big trout are difficult to see camouflaged against the bottom. Look for the movement of the tail or the shadow of the trout.
After you spot a trout, try to work in close below the fish. It is very important that you see the trout in order to detect the strike. Trout have excellent eyesight but you can work in very close behind them if you do it slowly and cautiously. Make your cast so the fly lands far enough ahead of the trout it give him a chance to see the drifting nymph. Be careful not to cast too far ahead so that the line spooks him. As the nymph drifts downstream keep your eye on the trout. If you see the slightest movement toward the nymph, firmly pull back on the rod to set the hook. If you strike hard, you'll likely break the fish off or spook him if he didn't take the fly.
Sight fishing is extremely effective for larger trout because you can see the fish before you cast to him. You'll be surprised at how many big trout will hold in shallow clear water. I've spotted some monster browns on the shallow riffle sections of the South Fork of the Snake and the Madison River in Montana. Sight fishing with a nymph is as exciting as dry fly fishing because you can see the trout take the fly as well as a deadly method to catch big fish. Streamers are also very effective for large trout. Trout are predators and become more dependent on smaller fish as a food source as they increase in size. Streamers are tied to imitate sculpins, minnows and other small forage fish. The trick in fishing them is to make the trout think the fly is an injured fish trying to escape. The most common mistake made is casting across and downstream and retrieving by stripping the fly back upstream. An injured minnow would not try to swim upstream against the current to escape a giant trout. It would likely take the path of least resistance and try to swim with the current.
It is important to try to give a streamer a broadside presentation. Remember, trout always hold facing into the current. They like to attack smaller fish by going for the head. You can present the streamer broadside by mending the line as the streamer drifts downstream. I like to cast upstream and mend upstream on a tight line. After the fly starts to drift below me I start mending back downstream to keep the fly drifting broadside as long as possible. Resource conservation is the greatest factor in the quest for larger trout. If large trout are not available in sufficient numbers, your changes of catching one is greatly decreased. In southeastern Idaho we now enjoy some of the finest trout fishing available in North America. We must work hard to keep it that way. You must get involved with the organizations that are working to protect these resources. The Henry's Fork Foundation, Nature Conservancy, and local chapters of Trout Unlimited and the Federation of Fly Fishermen have made great strides in preserving our precious resources. They need your help.
Waters that are rich in aquatic life can produce some exceptionally large trout. Such trout must be protected so that they have a change to grow. Regulations in force on the South Fork and the Henry's Fork that limit the number and size of trout killed are important to protect these fish. Not only is it necessary for wild trout to have time to grow to trophy proportions but large healthy trout are genetically important because their offspring are also more likely to grow fast and large. Don't forget the late Lee Wulff's famous quote, "A trout is far too valuable to be caught only once."
