Basic Trout Fishing Tactics

Basic Trout Fishing Tactics

For those of you who are new to trout fishing I figured I'd write an article
on some basic trout fishing tactics.

http://fishing-hint.blogspot.com

Dinac wrote:

Basic Trout Fishing Tactics

For those of you who are new to trout fishing I figured I'd write an article
on some basic trout fishing tactics.

http://fishing-hint.blogspot.com



basic spam phishing tactics...

On Wed, 14 Nov 2007 07:56:00 -0500, jeff
wrote:

Dinac wrote:

Basic Trout Fishing Tactics

For those of you who are new to trout fishing I figured I'd write an article
on some basic trout fishing tactics.

http://fishing-hint.blogspot.com



basic spam phishing tactics...

And with worms too.

DUDE!
Learn to FLy FISH!


"Dinac" wrote in message
...
Basic Trout Fishing Tactics

For those of you who are new to trout fishing I figured I'd write an
article
on some basic trout fishing tactics.

http://fishing-hint.blogspot.com

On Nov 14, 2:13 am, "Dinac" wrote:
Basic Trout Fishing Tactics

For those of you who are new to trout fishing I figured I'd write an article
on some basic trout fishing tactics.

http://fishing-hint.blogspot.com

Do you also hunt exotic game animals on a farm in Texas??

On Wed, 14 Nov 2007 07:56:00 -0500, jeff
wrote:

Dinac wrote:

Basic Trout Fishing Tactics

For those of you who are new to trout fishing I figured I'd write an article
on some basic trout fishing tactics.

http://fishing-hint.blogspot.com



basic spam phishing tactics...

Ah...I didn't go to the site, but I figured it was one of the sockpup,
er, real live lads who writes Mike all the love letters...

TC,
R

wrote in message
...
On Wed, 14 Nov 2007 07:56:00 -0500, jeff
wrote:

Dinac wrote:

Basic Trout Fishing Tactics

For those of you who are new to trout fishing I figured I'd write an
article
on some basic trout fishing tactics.

http://fishing-hint.blogspot.com



basic spam phishing tactics...

Ah...I didn't go to the site, but I figured it was one of the sockpup,
er, real live lads who writes Mike all the love letters...

Uh huh......so, you have nothing to say about something you know nothing
about. Well, that's quite a surprise.

Wolfgang

On 14 Nov, 11:13, "Dinac" wrote:
Basic Trout Fishing Tactics

For those of you who are new to trout fishing I figured I'd write an article
on some basic trout fishing tactics.


Quite a few people beat you to it................... this guy had a
completely different spin on things..............

This is the only other piece that William Clouston Stewart wrote on
fishing that was published. Some of you might enjoy it. It is from
"Fishing Gossip" by H.Cholmondely Pennell H. (Henry), 1837-1915

Which you can find here;

http://www.archive.org/details/fishi...pors00choliala



FLY-FISHING, AND HOW IT SHOULD BE DONE.

FLY-FISHING has always been, and we believe always will be, the
favourite method of angling ; and deservedly so. Few who have once
owned its sway are capable of resisting its attractions. What golden
memories of the past it recalls ! What bright visions of the future it
portrays ! And when May comes, that month pre-eminently the fly-
fisher's, with its bright sunny mornings and soft southern breezes,
once more, unencumbered with anything save a light rod and small box
of flies, the angler wends his way to some favourite stream. Once more
with elastic tread he climbs the mountain's brow, and having gained
the summit, what a prospect meets his gaze ! There, far as the eye can
reach, rises into the blue sky summit after summit of the heath-clad
hills, while underneath lie the grassy slope and luxuriant meadow, the
green cornfield and waving wood, and, glittering and circling among
all like a silver thread, winds the far-stretching stream in its
beauty. There is nothing to break the solitude save the plaintive
bleating of the sheep or the cry of the moorcock.

As the angler descends, the music of the song-bird meets his ear from
every bush, and the groves resound with the cooing of the wood-pigeon
or the soft notes of the cuckoo. And now he approaches the scene of
his anticipated triumph. There is the deep rocky pool and racing
shallow, the whirling eddy and rippling stream now foaming over rocks,
and now meandering slowly between green banks. Now it pauses as if to
enjoy the glory of the pro spect, then rushes impetuously forward,
eager to drink in the grandeur of some new scene. Everything seems
endowed with life to welcome the return of summer, and the very river
is alive with leaping trout. No wonder that with Sir Henry Watton he
finds "fly-fishing" a "cheerer of the spirits, a tranquilliser of the
mind, a calmer of unquiet thoughts, a diverter of sadness."

And then the art itself is lively and graceful. Look at the angler as
he approaches some favourite spot. See him as he observes the monarch
of the pool regaling himself on the incautious insect that sports in
fancied security upon the surface. Inwardly he vows that it shall be
avenged. Cautiously he approaches, concealing himself by kneeling, or
keeping behind some bush, lest by any chance his expected prey should
discover him and so be warned. Gracefully wheeling his long line
behind, he lays
his flies down softly as a snow-flake just above the desired spot. A
moment of expectancy succeeds ; the flies approach the very place
where the trout was last seen. Look at the angler how with keen eye he
watches, to strike with alert hand the moment he either feels or sees
the least movement. There is a stoppage of the line and an
instantaneous movement of the angler's wrist, and the trout is fast.
At first he shakes his head as if surprised and bewildered at the
unwonted interference with his liberty, but gradually awakening to a
sense of the danger of his position, he collects his scattered
energies, and makes a gallant fight for liberty. Frequently he will
leap in the air several times as if to ascertain the character of his
opponent, and then make a frantic rush ; but the figure on the bank
follows him like a shadow, and at last, strength and hope both
exhausted, he turns on his side and becomes an easy prey, leaving the
angler to congratulate himself on having achieved such a feat with a
tiny hook and tackle like a gossamer.

The victory, however, is not always with the angler more frequently
the other way. Often at the last moment, just as he is putting out his
hand to secure his prize, the trout makes a bolt, and is gone, leaving
the disappointed artist the picture of blank dismay, and in a very
unenviable frame of mind ; indeed, of all the trials of the temper
which occur in the ordinary course of life, there is none to compare
with that of losing a good trout at the last moment, and anglers have
various ways of giving vent to their pent-up feelings, depending upon
their peculiar idiosyncrasy. But of all the different means of relief
there is perhaps none at once so satisfactory and so reprehensible as
that referred to by a late great humorist who, if not an angler, was
the friend and associate of anglers :

" The flask frae my pocket
I poured into the socket,
For I was provokit unto the last degree ;
And to my way o' thinkin',
There's naething for 't but drinkin',
When a trout he lies winkin' and lauchin' at me."

Everything, we say, combines to render fly-fishing the most attractive
of all the branches of the angler's art. The attempt to capture trout
which are seen to rise at natural flies is in itself an excitement
which no other method possesses. Then the smallness of the hook and
the fineness of the tackle necessary for success increase the danger
of escape, and consequently the excitement and pleasure of the
capture ; and for our own part we would rather hook, play, and capture
a trout of a pound weight with fly than one of a pound and half with
minnow or worm, where the hooks being larger, there is less chance of
their losing their hold, and the gut being stronger, there is
less risk of its breaking. Fly-fishing is also the cleanest and most
elegant and gentlemanly of all the methods of capturing trout. The
angler who practises it is saved the trouble of working with worms, of
catching, keeping alive, and salting minnows, or searching the river's
bank for the natural insect. Armed with a light single-handed rod and
a few flies he may wander from county to county, and kill trout
wherever they are to be found.

But besides being the most attractive and valuable, artificial fly-
fishing is the most difficult branch of the angler's art ; and this is
another reason of the prefer ence accorded to it, since there is more
merit, and therefore more pleasure, in excelling in what is difficult.

But there is one great error in fly-fishing, as usually practised, and
as recommended to be practised by books, and that is, that the angler
" fishes down " stream, whereas he should " fish up."

We believe we are not beyond the mark in stating that ninety-nine
anglers out of a hundred fish down with the artificial fly ; they
never think of fishing in any other way, and never dream of
attributing their want of success to it. Yet we are prepared to prove,
both in theory and practice, that this is the greatest reason of their
want of success in clear waters. In all our angling excursions we have
met only one or two amateurs, and a few professionals, who fished up
stream with the fly, and used it in a really artistic manner. If the
wind is blowing up,
anglers will occasionally fish up the pools (as for fishing up a
strong stream they never think of it) but even then they do not do it
properly, and meet with little better success than if they had
followed their usual method. They will also, if going to some place up
a river, walk up, not fish up to it, their plan being to go to the top
of a pool and then fish it down, never casting their line above them
at all.

We shall now mention in detail the advantages of fishing up, in order
to show its superiority over the old method.

The first and great advantage is, that the angler is unseen by the
trout. Trout, as is well known, keep their heads up stream ; they
cannot remain stationary in any other position. This being the case,
they see objects above and on both sides of them, but cannot discern
anything behind them, so that the angler fishing down will be seen by
them twenty yards off; whereas the angler fishing up will be unseen,
although he be but a few yards in their rear. The advantages of this
it is impossible to over-estimate. No creatures are more easily scared
than trout ; if they see any object moving on the river's bank, they
run into deep water, or beneath banks and stones, from which they will
not stir for some time. A bird flying across the water, or the shadow
of a rod, will sometimes alarm them ; and nothing connected with
angling is more certain than this, that if the trout see the angler,
they will not take his lure. He may ply his minnow in the most
captivating manner, may throw his worm with consummate skill, or make
his flies light softly as a gossamer all will be unavailing if he is
seen by his intended victim.

The next advantage of fishing up we shall notice, is the much greater
probability of hooking a trout when it rises. In angling down stream,
if a trout rises and the angler strikes, he runs a great risk of
pulling the flies straight out of its mouth ; whereas, in fishing up,
its back is to him, and he has every chance of bringing the hook into
contact with its jaws. This, although it may not seem of great
importance to the uninitiated, tells considerably when the contents of
the basket come to be examined at the close of the day's sport ;
indeed no angler would believe the difference unless he himself proved
it.

Another advantage of fishing up is, that it does not disturb the water
so much. Let us suppose the angler is fishing down a fine pool. He, of
course, commences at the top, the place where the best trout, and
those most inclined to feed, invariably lie. After a few casts he
hooks one, which immediately runs down, and by its vagaries leaping in
the air, and plunging in all directions alarms all its neighbours, and
it is ten to one if he gets another rise in that pool. Fishing up
saves all this. The angler commences at the foot, and when he hooks a
trout, pulls it down, and the remaining portions of the pool are
undisturbed. This is a matter of great importance, and we have
frequently, in small streams, taken a dozen trout out of a pool, from
which, had we been fishing down, we could not possibly have got more
than two or three.

The last advantage of fishing up is, that by it the angler can much
better adapt the motions of his flies to those of the natural insect.
And here it may be mentioned as a rule, that the nearer the motions of
the artificial flies resemble those of the natural ones under similar
circumstances, the greater will be the prospects of success. Whatever
trout take the artificial fly for, it is obvious they are much more
likely to be deceived by a natural than by an unnatural motion.

No method of angling can imitate the hovering flight of an insect
along the surface of the water now just touching it, then flying a
short distance, and so on ; and for the angler to attempt by any
motion of his hand to give his flies a living appearance, is mere
absurdity. The only moment when trout may mistake the angler's fly for
a real one in its flight is the moment it first touches the water ;
and in this respect fishing down possesses equal advantages with
fishing up. But this is the only respect, and in order to illustrate
this, we shall give a brief description of fly-fishing as usually
practised down stream.

The angler, then, we shall suppose, commences operations at the head
of a pool or stream, and, throwing his flies as far as he can across
from where he is standing, raises his rod and brings them gradually to
his own side of the water. He then steps down a yard or two, repeats
the process, and so on. Having dismissed the idea that the angler can
imitate the flight of a living fly along the surface of the water, we
must suppose that the trout take the artificial fly for a dead one, or
one which has fairly got into the stream and lost all power of
resisting. A feeble motion of the wings or legs would be the only
attempt at escape which a live fly in such a case could make. What
then must be the astonishment of the trout, when they see the tiny
insect which they are accustomed to seize, as it is carried by the
current towards them, crossing the stream with the strength and
agility of an otter? Is it not much more natural to throw the flies
up, and let them come gently down, as any real insect would do ?

In addition to drawing their flies across the stream, some anglers
practise what is called playing their flies, which is done by a
jerking motion of the wrist, which imparts a similar motion to the
fly. Their object in doing this is to create an appearance of life,
and thus render their flies more attractive. An appearance of life is
certainly a great temptation to a trout, but it may be much better
accomplished by dressing the flies of soft materials, which the water
can agitate, and thus create a natural motion of the legs or wings of
the fly, than by dragging them by jumps of a foot at a time across and
up a roaring stream. Trout are not accustomed to see minute insects
making such gigantic efforts at escape, and therefore it is calculated
to awaken their suspicions.

We believe that all fly-fishers fishing down must have noticed that,
apart from the moment of alighting, they get more rises from the first
few yards of their flies' course than in the whole of the remainder ;
and that when their flies fairly breast the stream they seldom get a
rise at all. The reason of this is clear : for the first few feet
after the angler throws his flies across the stream they swim with the
current ; the moment, however, he begins to describe his semicircle
across the water, they present an unnatural appearance, which the
trout view with distrust. Experienced fly-fishers, following the old
method, who have observed this, and are aware of the great importance
of the moment their flies light, cast very frequently, only allowing
their flies to float down a few feet, when they throw again. We have
seen some Tweedside adepts fill capital baskets in this way ; but as
we have before stated, it will only succeed when the water is
coloured, or when there is a body of clear water sufficiently large to
conceal the angler from view ; and even then he may have much better
sport by fishing up. The angler drawing his flies across and up stream
will catch trout, and this is the strongest evidence that trout are
not such profound philosophers as the notions of some would lead us to
suppose. But though he does catch trout, they are in general the very
smallest.
Indeed the advantages of fishing up are in nothing more apparent than
in the superior size of the trout captured. We believe they will
average nearly double the size of those caught with the same flies
fishing down, and though generally not so large as those taken with
the worm, they are not much behind them, and we almost invariably kill
a few larger trout in a river with the fly than with the worm.

Though our remarks in this article have principally reference to
angling in small rivers, where fishing up is essential to success, the
same arguments hold good in every size or colour of water in a less
degree, as even though the trout cannot see the angler, the other
advantages which we have mentioned are still in his favour.

If we were fishing a large river when it was dark-coloured, and
required to wade deep, we should fish down, because the fatigue of
wading up would, under such circumstances, become a serious drawback.
In such a case we fish in the following manner : Throwing our flies,
partly up and partly across from where we are standing, we allow them
to swim down a yard or two, when we cast again, never
allowing them to go below that part of the stream opposite us. But
though the angler gets over the ground as quickly this way, and casts
as often, as if he were fishing up, yet he has not the same chance,
because if a trout catches sight of his flies just as he is lifting
them, their sudden abstraction may deter it from taking them on their
again alighting ; whereas in fishing up the angler casts a yard or two
further up every time, so that every trout may see his flies at the
moment they alight.

The reader must not suppose, however, that fishing up is all that is
necessary for success ; on the contrary, the angler may throw his
flies up stream, and know less of the art of fly-fishing, and catch
fewer trout, than his neighbour who is fishing down. The mere fact of
an angler throwing his flies up stream is no proof that he is a fly-
fisher. Of those who fish down stream, some catch more and some less,
and in
like manner with those fishing up, one may catch three times as many
as another, depending upon the particular method they each adopt ; and
unless the reader pays strict attention to the details referred to in
our Practical Angler, we are afraid he will not derive much benefit.
Fishing up is much more difficult than fishing down, requiring more
practice, and a better acquaintance with the habits of the trout ; and
we believe that a mere novice would, in a large water, catch more
trout by fishing down than up, because the latter requires more nicety
in casting. But to attain anything like eminence in fly-fishing, the
angler must fish up, and all beginners should persevere in it, even
though they meet with little success at first, and they will be amply
rewarded for their trouble.

The only circumstances in which fishing down has the advantage of
fishing up, is when the water is so dark or deep that the fish would
not see, or if they did see, would not have time to seize the flies,
unless they moved at a slower rate than the stream. We think that this
rarely applies to angling for river trout, as when inclined to feed
upon flies they are generally on the outlook for them, but it does
apply to salmon and sea-trout fishing. Both these fish lie in strong
deep water, and as they are not accustomed to feed upon flies, they
are not on the outlook for them ; so that if the salmon-fisher were to
throw his flies up stream, they would come down at such a rate that
the salmon would never see them. Besides which, it is obvious that
whatever salmon take the angler's fly for, they cannot take it for
anything they
have seen before, and therefore there is no reason for supposing they
can detect anything unnatural in its motion.

We have devoted this article principally to the errors of fly-fishing
as generally practised, and we hope we have succeeded in convincing
the reader of the truth of our observations ; but as we have
frequently endeavoured in vain by viva voce demonstration to persuade
anglers to fish up, we have no doubt numbers will adhere to their own
way. As no amount of mere argument will convince such, we offer to
find two anglers, who, in a water suitable for showing the superiority
of fishing up, will be more successful than any three anglers fishing
down after the ordinary method.

We have just given the same reasons for fishing up stream as in the
first edition of our Practical Angler, because upon this point there
can be nothing new ; and we are as ready as ever to find anglers who
are prepared to do battle in their behalf, on the terms just stated ;
but while one or two have come forward to dispute the theory, none
have accepted our challenge and come forward to dispute the practice.
One reviewer the only objector we can remember who gives a reason
says, "that so long as streams run down, carrying the food of the fish
with them, so long should anglers fish down." While, however, his
premises are undeniably correct, we entirely dissent from his
conclusions. Streams certainly run down and carry the food of the
trout with them, but along with that food they do not carry an
apparition in the shape of ail angler with rod and line upon the
bank ; and as nothing will familiarise them to such an apparition, we
draw the conclusion that that apparition had better keep out of sight
and fish up stream. Moreover, the fact that the natural food floats
down is
anything but a reason that the artificial lure in imitation of that
food should be pulled up.

We must confess, however, that fishing up stream with fly has not been
adopted by a large portion of the angling community, and that for
various reasons. In spite of the strong manner in which, in our
Practical Angler, we cautioned our readers about the difficulties of
fishing up stream, numbers who read the arguments for it, and were
struck with the soundness of the theory, thought they saw at a glance
the
cause of their previous want of success, and that in future the result
would be different. Having equipped themselves a la Practical Angler,
and even taken a copy of that excellent work in their pockets, they
started with high hopes on their new career, but the result was not
different, and after one or two trials with no better success, not a
few have condemned fishing up stream as erroneous and ourselves as
impostors ; though we imagine the fault lies with themselves. We have
met anglers fishing down stream and this is no suppositious case, but
one which we have seen over and over again with a copy of this said
volume in their pockets, who complained that they had got
everything therein recommended, and were getting no sport. On pointing
out to them that there was one important mistake they were committing,
in fishing down stream instead of up, they stated that when they came
to a pool they fished it up that is to say, they first walked down the
pool and showed themselves to the trout and then commenced to fish for
them.

" The trout within yon. wimplin' burn,
Glides swift, a silver dart :
And safe beneath the shady thorn,
Defies the angler's art."

John Younger objects to this as incorrect, but we rather think that
Burns is right, and the angler wrong ; as it is evident the poet
alludes to a trout that has caught sight of the angler, and safe he
is, at least pi'O tern., as our pupils who first frighten the fish by
walking down a poolside, and then fish up it, will find to their
cost.

Others object to fishing up stream, as requiring too frequent casting,
being too fatiguing, and because they have been accustomed to fish
down, and would prefer fishing in that way, even though they do not
catch so many trout. If any angler prefers catching five pounds weight
of trout, fishing down stream, to ten pounds weight, fishing up, we
may wonder at his taste, but it is no concern of ours.

w. c. s.