Small Stream Fly Fishing Techniques

      Whenever you are fishing on one of the small, mountain streams here in western North Carolina, there are three key elements that you must keep in the forefront of your mind in order to be successful and they are: approach, precision, and presentation. Therefore, it is often helpful to adopt the mentality of a hunter rather than that of a fisherman. For instance, your approach must be stealthy and done in such a way that the trout is not aware of your presence or it will run for cover and ignore your fly. Also, in order for the trout to see you fly, you must present it precisely so that it lands within their Cone of Vision which can be quite small in shallow water (see How a Trout Sees His World). Last, in order to convince the trout to strike your fly, it must be presented in such a way that it drifts drag-free so that it appears as if it truly is an insect rather than a piece of drifting debris. So, while all of this may seem obvious to you, the actual execution is far more difficult than it sounds and thus requires good planning, good casting skills, and an understanding of how the insect you are imitating, acts when it's floating in the water column.