Category: Fly fishing basics


After learning about the trout itself, you should learn about rivers. You’ll see that it’s easy to un derstand where you’ll find the fish if you understand the anatomy of a river. Luckily for us, it’s not that complicated. If the trout’s figured it out, hopefully you’ll be able to.

River currents tend to flow with a pattern that repeats itself over and over. Just remember: “riffle-run-pool” Source: Troutlet

Here’s a basic breakdown of each section and how it translates to trout fishing.

 

River Riffle

The riffles of rivers tend to be where water is shallow and the current is strong. In large rivers, this area would be the white-capping rapids. In all rivers, you might see banks of gravel or pebbles breaking the surface of the river throughout the riffle. For the most part, this area of the river will only contain small trout, because the water isn’t quite deep enough to ensure large fish cover.
 

River Run

The run of a river is deeper and slower than the riffle. If you’re looking for the area of the river that house the most adult trout, this is your best bet. It provides good cover and the current is a great moderate speed that allows the lazy trout access to a sufficient buffet. After all, the trout’s ideal habitat is one that provides him with adequate shelter and delivered food.
 

River Pool

River pools are the laziest part of the river. Here the water is deep and the current runs slow. Some trout, especially big Brown trout, may be found here, but the slow current doesn’t provide enough food for most.

Now that you understand the current and its effect on trout, perhaps you can be the one in your group that seems to have a nose for where the action is. Good luck!!

 

Rainbow in a run

 

The Pause

The pause is the most important part of a retrieve when stillwater fishing. When insects are rising in the water column in preparation for hatching, they will tire and pause momentarily. Trout will key in on this and dart in on paused insects.

Watch out Fly Gal!

Watch out Fly Gal!

We’re getting ready for fishing season to open here in Patagonia, and since we’ve got ants in our pants we took advantage of nice spring weather to practice our fly casting technique.

What is fly-fishing? How is it different from bait casting or fishing with lures? What are the mechanics of casting with a fly rod and reel?

Since I’m still working on a write-up of a recent trip to Valle Hermoso and the “Cordillera” in Mendoza, I thought I’d share something that might serve as both instructional and as entertainment over the weekend.

Some time ago Orvis produced some 40+ short videos on fly fishing. They all look like they were produced in the 80’s, and the guys who do the instruction look pretty nerdy, but then again it probably means they know what they are talking about.

These videos were a great help to me on many aspects of fly fishing and got me over some hurdles that might have otherwise discouraged me from the sport. All the videos are a few minutes in length, so you get plenty of info without feeling like you’re sitting in a class.

If you enjoy these videos, please let me know. Leave me a comment and tell me if you’d like me to post more. There are over 40 so I can sort through the ones I think are most useful for immediate application (in other words, you can watch, learn and use in the same afternoon). If you want more right away, don’t wait for me. Visit YouTube.com and search for “Fly Fishing Lessons” and you’ll find several links to all the videos.

Warning: This can become addictive… 😉

Enjoy!