[steeldrifter]

I have become the type of angler that likes to learn a short section of river (maybe 100 yrds) and spend most my time fishing that section that I know very well rather then jumping from spot to spot.

Could be age is creepin' up on me and I don't feel like walking alot, but I like to think I just feel more confident fishing a short section I know like the back of my hand rather then hitting a bunch of unknown water.

Anyone else fish like this or do you like to cover as much water as you can?

SD

[mcfly]

I have a few spots I know and I like to make sure I've covered an area before moving on. I don't care for those two casts and move down folks that think you are holding them up.

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[Sean Juan]

If its a new river to me I almost always spend more time walking/climbing/swimming/stuck in the mud than fishing.

I just like exploring I guess its all part of the fun.

When I find a pool its generally a few casts with a nymph, and then a few with a big streamer or sculpin - then its off to the next. Not the most effective way to fish of course, but I'd rather see more of a new river the first time anyways.

[fishinlk]

It depends a lot on the type of water and where/when I'm fishing. Just normal afternoon fishing on a new stretch of water I'll cover quite a bit of water. I'll take enough time to pick out the really "fishy" spots but I always want to see MORE! When I'm fhing the even hatches. I'll hit the water a little early and fish a pretty good stretch then work my way back to where I want to be when the action occurs and I'll camp out there till the bugs are done. If I work less than 100 yrds of water when I'm stream trout fishing either it was super stretch of water or it was just too crowded to move(like Neshannok crk most weekends)

[Michigan Trout Guy]

When I'm fishing water I know pretty well (the only of which so far is the Rogue) I fish a lot like steeldrifter. I have found a couple of pools that I know very well. I know they contain fish, and even where the big fish tend to hang out in them. I know the depth at certain points and where I can and can't wade, and usually where I can cast without decorating the trees (of course this doesn't always hold true )

I think I do this because when I hit the Rogue, it's usually not an all day thing. I'm usually just going to be there for a few hours, and I think I feel comfortable knowing that I can go to these holes and pretty much be gauranteed to catch at least a couple fish.

When I know I'm going to spend a considerable amount of time on a new river, I usually end up doing a lot of walking and exploring unless I'm fishing with someone that knows the system and has a piece of water they prefer to fish.

[JarrodRuggles]

I catch myself keepen on walkin till I find somtin better than where Im at. Last year in Co on a small creek, my parents dropped me off on this crazy gravel road up in the mtns and I fished 3 miles down that thing.. Its a wonder they found me.... (knew I shoulda gone 4 so I wouldnt have to come back to AR) J/K!!


But I really did fish 3 miles.....Later that day people were watching where I had been fishing...We asked what there were looking for. They said bears, cause a lot have been spotted in the area...go figure. All the streams to fish and I fish the one with all the bears.

[Redleg]

I'm an adventurer....

[Graham]

It depends where I'm fishing. On one trip a good buddy kept called me Barnacle, because I spent a few days fishing the same hole from dawn till dusk, was great fishing though and makes the urge to move on weaker. If the hole was not producing I would have moved on.
Graham

[skeet3t]

It all depends on the river/stream and how the fish are biting, hatches, etc. I have caught a limit of 7 in a spot not much bigger that my living room. Other times, I have fished a number of places to get a limit. I watched a friend of mine who seems to catch fish just about anytime. He has fished the river for a number of years and can almost predict if he is going to catch a fish there. I watched him once and noted that he is very deliberate in fishing the river. He casts to every place that could possibly hold a feeding trout. He worked a small run for at least 15-20 minutes before catching his first fish. I guess patience is the word here.

[FL H2O]

When I find a spot I feel good about I'm pretty stubborn.
"They're comin' in with the tide, just be patient."
"Those guys down there aren't doin' any better."
"Maybe I'm just not gettin' it down to 'em, gonna try somethin' deeper."
I think it's about 50/50 between persistance paying off
and me just wasting time-err practicing casting

[epz]

this will be my third season flyfishing and i fish the central sierra nevada's pocketwater streams, granite pebbles, large slick granite rock, huge boulders others and everything in between. first season, i would fish an area i thought looked good for hours. i also didn't catch many that first season, went over a month before that first hookup.

i went out with an orvis-endorsed guide recently and he advised about 5 casts to each good spot, then move on upstream. i do something in between. i'll move much faster than my buddy, maybe 5-7 casts to a spot, if nothing happens, i may change the dry fly or try a nymph (rarely) or an emerger, just something different. then move on. it really becomes a workout for me, scrambling over rocks, through water at times, bushwackling through brush on some occasions. i feel like a frontiersman i guess, crockett, bridger, boone, etc etc. it's fun and i get to see what's up ahead. there's always something interesting around the next bend... and even though i hit areas accessible by a road, oncei head downstream or up, i'm quickly the only one around.

eric
fresno, ca.

[GlobalFisher]

I like to cover as much water as possible, and get to fish that haven't seen the fly in a while. If I am catching a lot of fish at one hole then I tend to stick around until the hole gets spooked by something or the fish just stop biting and activity slows down.

I like to keep moving though, seeing and fishing new areas.

[appalachian angler (tn.)]

I'll fish a stretch of a stream and move quite frequently the first few times until I've located the promising holes. When I return, knowing the water better, I'll spend a whole lot more time at the "good" spots. I tend to change flys more often when hanging tight like that. I find that the promising looking holes often hold more trout than I would have originally expected. If I really feel the need for challenge, I'll fish the pockets in fast and tumbling moutain water. Hard to place the fly where the fish are lying, but also harder to spook the fish amidst the commotion.

A.A.

[Addict]

In the twelve years that I've been flyfishing I know most of the rivers within a two hour drive pretty well. I have my favorite holes that I know will produce fish and spend most of my time working them until the fish quite biting. I even have a few holes that seem to have hungry fish in them when other holes aren't producing. When I take a trip to water that is further away I tend to explore more. I will stay in a good hole till it dries up then move on.

Addict

[Joe Hard]

I find new water keeps me still as I want to learn it and fish real slow, trying all techniques. If I know a body of water, there are hury up and fish spots, I fish them but look forward to the bend or the pool or run comming up. It is great when a strike comes from one of these "rush through" areas as I have fished this water for years, and know it well. Fish are tricky and you never know where they will be, or where they will come from. I camped along side a pool with my girlfreind one weekend. all I did was relax, drink, watch the pool and her fish. The water was clear and I could see fish entering and leaving the pool all the time. As the season changes so do water conditions, and so do the fish we hunt. I wish I had Grahams patience, I know I would catch more fish, but I like to be on the move throwing streamers. Its a fun way to fish, and my prefered way. Great topic Steve.