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Freestone Creeks Spring Creeks and Tailwaters

Posted Tue, 12/15/2009 - 16:55 by jmaslar
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Class Code: 
Class 1025 Trout Streams
Syllabus: 

Upon completion of this course, anglers should be very familiar with the basic types of streams, what characterizes each, and the particulars on how to fish them.  This will lead to more productive use of time and equipment.

Course Content: 

Basically there are three main types of trout streams which are freestone, spring and tailwater as explained below.

Freestone:
The freestone streams are born high in the mountains and are started by precipitation either snow melt or rain that collect into streamlets that continue to combine until they become a stream capable of supporting trout. They tend to be more acidic due their dependency on acid rain and due to the foliage surrounding them which are usually oak and hemlock trees. Since the streams usually have a hard rock base, they have little capacity to buffer the acidity of the water. To make a long story short, the higher the pH (alkalinity), the better the trout population because the aquatic insects will prosper. For a better understanding of the effect of pH please go to 427 Fly fishing Good Trout Streams vs. Poor Trout Streams.                                                     
 
They are characterized by having faster water with more waterfalls and more pocketwater since they are more often associated with steep changes in elevation due to their birth in the higher elevations. Also, they experience rapid changes in water level and temperatures because they are at the mercy of the rains.
 
Since these streams usually start high in the mountains, they often support fair populations of brook trout, and because the water does not support good aquatic life, nymphs are not the preferred choice for flies. The terrestrials like black ants will usually be far more effective as the trout will not have time to scrutinize them due to the faster flowing water.
 
Spring Creeks:
Not to be confused with the season of Spring, spring creeks are the result a collection of small headwater springs or more often higher volume springs that emerge from underground caverns. They many times are flat and meander across meadows, and pastures supporting lush vegetation. They will have a more stable temperature and flow volume than does the freestone streams.
 
Sometimes these streams will also disappear underground as well. Often times they will come from limestone caves or formations which will account for their higher pH (alkaline) nature. Spring creeks offer a steady constant food supply for trout twelve months of the year by providing midge pupae, blue winged olives nymphs, scuds and sow bugs. In these streams nymphs and streamers are a better bet for your flies.
 
An excellent example of this type of stream is Abrams Creek in the Smoky Mountains National Park. It emerges with good steady volume from an underground limestone bed and proceeds through the pastureland in Cades Cove. It is a most rewarding stream however when fished correctly. Here, due to the quiet slow moving water, the recommendation is for a long leader with a smaller tippet to make a very delicate cast. 
 
Tailwaters:
As a class tailwaters are the richest trout streams in the world. Dams, if they release water from the bottom of the reservoir above them, as most of the famous ones do, stabilize both flow and temperature by being miserly with spring runoff and doling it out throughout the summer. Floods are reduced, temperature extremes are moderated, and growth is easier.
 
Nutrients are concentrated in the impoundments behind dams. Trout also benefit in tailwaters because plankton is washed directly into the rivers and eaten by insects and crustaceans. Natural streams have little plankton because it's hard to maintain a trout population if you keep getting washed downstream, so invertebrate life in tailwaters enjoys a tremendous bonanza found in few natural environments. This explains to some extent why the Nantahala is such a favorite river.
 
The water temperature will remain fairly constant through the entire year often hovering in the 50 degree to 60 degree F range even in the summer. Caddis flies, midges and blue winged olives are good flies to start with using a long 8 ½ to 9 foot fly rod equipped with 3X to 5X tippet.
Assignments: 

Learn more about geology and stream quality by attending class 427 Fly fishing Good Trout Streams vs. Poor Trout Streams.

Extra Credit: 

Check out these DVDs to further your knowledge:

Fly Fishing for Trout in Tailwaters

Fly Fishing for Small Stream Rainbow

Fly Fishing for Small Stream Brookies

Fly Fishing the Green Sedge Pupa

Posted Sat, 12/12/2009 - 16:33 by jmaslar

The Green Sedge Pupae General Description:
The green sedge (green rock worm) hatch occurs from early spring through the middle of summer and occasionally on a warm day in the fall of the year. There are over 100 species of the green sedge so it may be possible that the hatch can be extended depending on that particular species. Normally, as a hatch occurs, it will last over one month before all have hatched, deposited their eggs and die.

In the late afternoon hours in the spring, you will often see them emerging and swimming to the surface of the water. Later in the season, they will emerge in the early evenings..

 
 Presentation Information:
As with the pupa you should fish the imitation fly on the bottom of the fast moving waters, riffles, and runs. Of course weight will be necessary to compensate for the depth and the speed of the water. An alternative is to fish it as a dead drift somewhat below the surface, or you can fish it as if it rising to the surface. As you swing the rod, lift it up and let it down to simulate the movement of the pupa as it rises to the surface. 

 

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Fly Fishing the Little Black Caddisflies Adults

Posted Thu, 12/10/2009 - 18:19 by jmaslar

Adult Caddisflies General Information:

As a rule the trout will eat more little black caddisflies as pupae than they will eat as adults on the surface. However, it is still worthwhile to fish the little black caddisfly adult imitations. In fact many good anglers will prefer to fish the dry fly during this important hatch.
 
The body of the little black caddisfly is dark charcoal brown and the wings are gray with tiny black veins. The males approximate a #18 hook but the larger females will approximate an #18 hook size. We prefer and sell only the #18 since the females are the ones laying the eggs on the surface and as such are our main target.
 
Since the hatch takes place in the spring, the water is usually about 50 degrees F when the hatch commences. Sometimes they will float in the water for 20 feet or more before they fly off to the banks. In the earlier part of the hatch while it is still cold some of the adults are lethargic and not eager to fly off, preferring to sit on the rocks protruding out of the water. On the colder days, the adults will start flying more aggressively by the mid afternoon.
 
Presentation Information:
The female little black caddisfly will deposit her eggs on the surface of the water or she may dive and deposit her eggs. If she dives to deposit her eggs, she will return to the surface for a short time before flying away. Either way they become a source of food for the trout.
 
When the hatch starts, the best fly will be the pupa, but after the hatch is mostly over, it will be time to switch to the dry adult imitation fly. Start fishing the dry fly allowing it to dead drift where you see the action on the water. As the day progresses, there will be collections of spent caddisflies, forming in the eddies and in the slower pockets of water along the banks. This is where you will want to use the adult pattern. Sometimes the trout will hit it as it circles the eddies or as it floats below the riffles and runs.
 
 

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Fly Fishing the Little Black Caddisfly Pupa

Posted Thu, 12/10/2009 - 17:31 by jmaslar

Little Black Caddis General Information:)
The little black caddis hatch is an important hatch due to the fact that the pupae swim up to the surface when emerging causing the hatch to look very much like the typical mayfly hatch. The caddisflies hatch will usually take place in relative smooth portions of water.


The hatch will start usually in the early afternoon hours often lasting until the late afternoon hours. Usually, but not always, the hatch is still going on the female adults will start to deposit her eggs on the surface film of the water.
 
The trout create a feeding frenzy once this activity commences. As they hatch on the surface, they shed the thin pupa skin and start to dry their wings. Note that the shedding of the skin enables the wings to become strong enough to fly away to the foliage beside the stream. The process of ascending to the surface and shedding the skin causes them to change into an adult and this process makes them vulnerable to the trout. The trout will gorge themselves at this time.
 
As the trout feed, they take the pupae just below the surface and you might see a slight swirl on the surface of the water. However, sometimes you might miss the slight effects on the surface, none the less, be assured it is happening if the trout are present. We believe that more little black caddisflies are eaten in the pupae stage than are eaten as adults.

Pupae Presentation Information:
The little black caddisflies pupae usually hatch in the slower, smoother areas of the stream such as pocket water. Using the up and across stream presentation would be appropriate for the pupae imitation fly. It is suggest that you will do somewhat better fishing upstream because you will get closer to the feeding trout.

Using either the across stream or the downstream presentation will be effective if you duplicate the pupa swimming to the surface to hatch. To duplicate this action, stop the rod near the end of the drift, allowing the fly to rise up to the surface. Let the current at the end of the line, bring the fly to the surface much the same as the rinsing pupa.
 
The caddisfly hatch can be detrimentally affected by the early heavy spring rains in the freestone streams of the Southeast USA like the Great Smoky Mountains, however, it still remains the most important early season hatch.

 

 

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Fly Fishing the Little Brown Stonefly Adult

Posted Wed, 12/09/2009 - 15:46 by jmaslar

Little Brown Stonefly Adults General Information:
The Little Brown Adult Stoneflies can live a long time after the hatch but before depositing their eggs and they can be seen along the banks of the streams at these times.  So when you see them on the banks, it does not necessarily mean that they will be depositing their eggs on that day. They will deposit their eggs in the daytime or in the evenings depending on the particular species of stoneflies. Therefore you should fish the adult imitations only when the stoneflies are depositing their eggs. 

Quite often when the egg laying is in progress, the water is cold making the trout metabolism low so they are not active enough to take the flies from the surface film of the water. However, there may be times during the day on any given stream that egg laying will occur. In these instances it is good to have an adult little brown fly imitation in your fly box.
 
Presentation Information:
The adult little brown stonefly will skip around as she deposits her eggs, you can just let your fly drift along in the current especially in the fast or rough waters or in the seams. As a rule, you may not expect a lot of catches when fishing this stage of the hatch. However, on any one afternoon in the winter or early spring, at the right time or the right stream, you may be very successful proving my earlier comments incorrect. Give it a try!

 

 

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Fly Fishing the Little Stonefly Adult

Posted Wed, 12/09/2009 - 15:01 by jmaslar

Little Yellow Stoneflies Adults General Information:
There are several different species of the Little Yellow Stoneflies and they deposit their eggs at different times of the day. The yellow sallies will usually start to deposit their eggs in the late afternoons just prior to dark. You need to watch them depositing their eggs before you start to fly fish with the adult yellow sally. Since they are a relatively large insect they can be easily spotted as they drop down to the surface and bounce along on the surface of the water depositing their eggs. 

The eggs usually will be brushed off as the adult touches the surface but there are times when they will actually lite on the surface of the water. When you see this show progressing, you should fish the imitation of the adult yellow sally. You will notice a wide variation in the size of these flies, and you should try to match the size as nearly as practical.
 
Presentation Information:
As you watch the bouncing of the adults along the surface, you might think that it would be an improvement in your presentation if you were able to match the action. However, should you try that, by jerking the rod up and down, you will most likely spook the trout. Use an up and across cast along the seams in the water. Remember to keep your presentation delicate so as not to spook the trout. 

With the little yellow stoneflies in a good hatching situation during the middle of summer, it is possible to catch and release a dozen. 

 

 

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Fly Fishing the Light Cahill Duns

Posted Wed, 12/09/2009 - 14:19 by jmaslar

Light Cahill Duns General Information:
Unlike the March brown duns, the Light Cahill duns do not spend much time on the surface of the water; and as the weather warms up, they spend even less time on the water. Generally, their wings will dry fast enabling them to fly away almost as soon as they hit the surface of the water often within a few seconds. The trout do not waste any time in searching out these mayflies and eating them. As a result the trout are frequently just as happy to take a Light Cahill imitation. 

 Presentation Information:

Present your dun imitation along the current seams of pocket water and the edges of the runs. Use short upstream or slightly upstream and across casts keeping your rod high. Keep as much line as possible up off the water to avoid a faulty drag. Use frequent short casts in order to cover as much water as possible remembering that the duns will not remain on the surface for long periods of time. Be sure to hit the best possible seams of water, and keep moving. Do not expect to see a heavy concentration of duns in any one area since they do fly away fast. 

You might consider using a 2 foot size 4X tippet and keep the leaders around 8 feet in length to give you good control. As with any dry fly the presentation should be delicate. 
 

 

 

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Fly Fishing the March Brown Dun

Posted Wed, 12/09/2009 - 13:12 by jmaslar

March Brown Duns General Information:

How long the duns remain on the surface of the water varies depending on the temperature, the colder the day, the longer they tend to drift before flying away. The duns are an important stage to fly fish with so watch for them especially on the cooler days.
 

Presentation Information:
March browns like other mayflies are normally found in the faster moving waters and the rougher pocket waters but it depends somewhat on the species. In these waters fish the dun imitation in an upstream presentation along the seams of pocket water and the edges of the runs. Use a 2 foot size 4X tippet and keep the leaders around 8 feet in length. As with any dry fly the presentation should be delicate. In the more moderately moving water where there is little drop in elevation, you may consider using a down and across the stream presentation.  If so, a longer leader and a smaller tippet size may be more appropriate. As a rule of thumb, stick to the current seams and make a number of short slightly upstream and across casts. This will keep the fly in the target zone longer.

 

 

 

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Fly Fishing the Golden Stonefly Nymph

Posted Wed, 12/09/2009 - 12:33 by jmaslar

Fly Fishing the Little Brown Stonefly Nymph

Posted Wed, 12/09/2009 - 11:34 by jmaslar