help from the experenced trout fly folks TIA

[diesel298]

Ok so im not expert but also no stranget to the flyrod, also no stranger to trout, now combining them is a bit different story.
Im a avid (again not expert) bass fisherman, i love catckin them on my flyrod but spend most of my time on the water with a baitcaster.
I have been tying flies for 20 ish years and have a decent selection of materals and a compatent skill set there.
I have been out a few times this year and NO TROUT! what the ! am i doin wrong. is it my fly selection/ hook size, my leader selection, rigging?
A little info here. I have a 8'6" 6-7wt rod 2 piece riged with 7 wt line rod and reel cost me about 100$ a few years back Ugly stick rod and SA reel using double taper line. leaders are generally 3x or 4x 7'6" long and i tire on a 3x or 4x tippet about 3' ish or so ive fished wollys in white and olive, some mickey finns and gold head (bead head) nymph
sizes generally are 10, 12, or 14 Im fishing brooks and small rivers in waders, fishinh up stream down stream and across the tream. the head or pools tail of pools and around obstructions and banks. all the waters i fish are stocked either this year or last. so
Wheres my dinner?
any help is appricated. short of get a new rod and or reel. we just finsihed a kitchen remodel so the boss is not gonna be onboard for buys a new rod or reel. :)

TIA

[notime]

Rod is a little big but I've caught 8" trout on my saltwater 10-11 wgt so that is not the problem. Tippet and leader might be a little heavy for the waters you are fishing. I like to go smaller at first. If it tangles or I have breakoffs than I move to a stronger line.

My guess it is more presentation than anything else. As a saltwater fisherman who does some trout fishing I'd suggest the following:

Try black wooly buggers as well, though olive should work.

I would focus on the presentation and get the "right" fly off your mind. If you try some basic basic prospecting flies you should be okay. Wooly bugger is good. I'd also try some caddis and mayfly nymphs. For example: Hares ear nymph, pheasant tail, and bead head caddis. I have also rigged one caddis and one mayfly at the same time to see what is working.

[pete santini]

Thoe trout are freshly stocked and the water is still really cold a few more sunny days and the'll start hitting also try putting some scent on your fly it wont hurt

[jackduckhunter]

If you're fishing ponds you're likely not getting deep enough, not nearly deep enough this time of year. Especially with a floating line. Short of buying another line you can extend your leader to 12' or so and hope for the best. 5x or 6x will help you get down deeper too and you can land some very large fish on that you just have to play them properly.

FWIW: 7 weight is grossly overkill for our trout fishing. The heaviest I use around here is my 4 wt. and most of the time I'm throwing a 2 or 3 wt. I've caught fish up to 6-7 pounds on my 4 wt. with no issues.

When you see suggestions of the best all around trout rod is a 6 wt........in my opinion that's hogwash unless you're talking big water out west and that's due more to the prevailing windy conditions than anything else.

[Scunz]

I have a 5 wt......and I bought a back-up spool with full-sinking line......it's great, I just exchange them for the application.......nice at this time of year......you don't need a weight on the sinking line to get those woolies to the bottom. Also troll it out the back of the SS LOL(Lap 'o' Luxury)with a streamer for salmon and trout.

[lhonda]

Speaking of...are we a go for W, boss?

[Scunz]

Speaking of...are we a go for W, boss?


Absolutely....The SS LOL leaves my driveway at 0500 Weds.......I'll shoot you some directions later.

[lhonda]

Absolutely....The SS LOL leaves my driveway at 0500 Weds.......I'll shoot you some directions later.

Aye, aye skipper. Look forward to it!

[ShaneY]

My first move would be to change up your leader, I use a 5x or 6x and if the water is really clear or the fish are finicky I go to a 7x. I am a fan of flouro but the cheaper stuff works ok too. I would try some general nymphs like a size 14 prince or pheasant tail. And don't hesitate to use smaller flies on nymphs or streamers. If your fishing a pond work it slow and low, in a stream look for structure where the fish might be holding and work the current seams. Lastly don't be afraid to change things up and experiment, eventually you will figure out what the fish are doing.

[diesel298]

thanks guys ill drop to a smaller leader and tippet and i tied up a bunch of bead head wollys ill try and i have some prienc's and hares ears in my box already. see what tomorow brings, and hopefully report some success

[gseries69]

My personal opinion is that the equipment has nothing to do with your success but might dampen the enjoyment. You could catch trout with a stick if you had too.

Presentation is the key to catching trout in rivers and ponds. You mentioned river fishing so lets start there. For the most part, trout spend the majority of their time feeding subsurface, in general that means they are feeding right on the bottom. The fish will hold in areas that provide safety, food, and oxygen. Oxygen you do not need to worry about this time of year. Safety relates to safety from predators and also protection from currents. In terms of food, trout will not expend more energy to take food then the energy they take in from food. That being said, you want to look for prime lies. These will be seams where there are current changes, drops off where there is protection from current, edges of back eddies, pools, cushions of water in front of boulders, etc. These holding lies provide protection from currents while bringing food to the trout. A prime lie will also include or be close to an area that provides protection from predators. These might be deeper pools, brush piles, deep eddies, etc.

One of the best methods to fish lies with nymphs is called the high stick method. The key is to keep your fly flowing naturally at the right speed right next to the bottom where the trout feed. To do this you will need to change the amount of weight you use to keep the fly on the bottom as the conditions change. Place your weight 12-18 inches above your fly and cast upstream. You want to position yourself near the area that you believe is the prime lie. Line control is key. Any amount of drag on your line will cause the fly to look unnatural. Mend your line to ensure a drag free drift and follow the line with your rod tip. Lift your rod up as the fly comes close to the prime lie lifting as much of the fly line off the water as possible while keeping the fly on the bottom. Often times you you will have only the leader in the water. As the fly goes past, begin to lower the rod so you extend the drift through the entire run. You can use an indicator to help you or simply stay in contact with the fly. Often times you can feel the weight hitting the bottom. Along the seams there is often some foam caused by the swirling currents. You want your line or indicator to be going at the same speed as the foam with your fly ticking the bottom. If you are not hanging up from time to time, add weight. If your hanging up every other cast take some weight off. When the line or indicator stops, set the hook.

For nymphs in general, the size and color of the naturals will go from larger and darker in spring, to smaller and lighter as you get into summer. Match the leader to size of the fly. Typically in rivers that means 4x-6x with 5x being about perfect 80% of the time. Anything over 6x will exhaust a big trout and likely kill it.

[diesel298]

well i got out for a few hours today..
went down to a 5x leader and tippet. had obe break off with a tree trout (never liked them too much good fiber but a little woody)
ill keep plugging at it. i think ill try another location next time out too.
i dont think this water was ever stocked before this year.

[smcisaac]

If you have a floating line but the fish are deep, you certainly need more than 3' of leader. You should have at least 9' of tapered leader, gradually decreasing in diameter from a fat butt section to (say) 4x or so at the tippett end. (With larger streamers the tippet can be 2x or 3x, but with smaller wet flies or nymphs it should be 5x.) You should also consider using a weighted leader rather than a regular mono one, weighted flies, and/or putting what is called a "mini lead head" (made from a section of lead-core or other weighted line) between the fly line and the leader butt. Tapered leaders, weighted leaders, and mini lead heads are all readily available at fly shops.