Solid information. The best advice I ever got was to use a wading staff. I am never without one. I’m 67 and often walk 3 miles up a mountain before I make the first cast. I like the 7 1/2 3 wt as well but there are some places where a 6’ or less 2 wt is essential. Depending on your location bear spray is a good idea.
I've run into a few animals on stream but not too many. One bear and one coyote that was chasing a fawn we found hiding in the creek. Still would be good to have the spray!!!
Enjoyed very much your vol. 1-5 beginner euro nymphing videos & progressed to your small stream series. I fish occasionally native brook trout streams in NE PA endless mountains & now I'm thinking of getting another fly rod specifically for that type of fishing. In very tight areas I will sometimes use my 5 1/2 foot ultralight spin rod with 2-3 lb test line and heavy barbless nymphs with good success. A lot of the streams I fish look like the one in your video and they are in remote areas. Your safety advice when fishing these areas should always be followed! Thanks!
Thanks for this. Appreciate the down to earth and truly informative content. And your personal values. A year ago I got a 6,6” 3w Beaver Meadow from JP Ross which is fantastic for small stream, short cast fishing. To be honest I had to squirrel away for a couple years for it but so worth it. And JP’s patience and guidance in the customization, well you’re just not going to get that kind of attention from a big maker. Nice guy too.
Bryan great video. As you know, small streams and those native brookies are where I started. I miss those days and keep telling myself I need to get back to them. The tranquility you get fishing the backcountry small streams is such a stress relief for me.
Yeah... It's funny when you were doing it, I wasn't. Now it's the other way around! I love being on a small stream. It's a constant game of discovery and looking for fish.
As always a great video! And great info!! I would suggest having a headlamp with a red lens in case you find yourself out after dark. The red won't mess up your vision at night like a white light will. I have a nice strong one I use coming out of the woods when I'm hunting. I put it on before I even start down the tree. They don't weigh much and you can get one with rechargeable batteries for $25 and under.
HEY! I haven't heard from you in a while! Glad to hear from you. That's a good suggestion. I do have a headlamp light that and I should throw it in my bag just in case!
Bryan - thank you so much for this series. It’s especially timely for me since I’m getting back into fly fishing after a lengthy time away. I plan to start with small streams here in North Carolina. I’ve been binge watching your videos. They’re all excellent and highly informative.
I think it is a great way to get back into fly fishing! Lots of small fish wanting to take flies and finding beautiful fish in beautiful places! Good luck to you! You should check out Wild Fly Productions if you don't already know them. Phenomenal RU-vid channel and he used to live near Ashville, NC. He has some older videos of them fishing small streams in NC.
Bryan - absolutely love this! Takes me back to rural Ontario Canada where I prowled streams whenever I could. Thanks so much. Great to have you back and best wishes to you and your family.
Just getting into your small stream videos but so far I find them on point and looking forward to more. I'm surprised you didn't mention straight nymphing. I know a few folks prefer only fishing dries or dry/droppers but I'm convinced if you want to catch the big brookies in these small streams you have to nymph heavy and deep. Personally I love nymphing.
Thanks for watching. I a big nymph guy but I almost never nymph on small streams. If I want to go subsurface, I'll do it with a jig streamer and I find that moves the big fish. I'll usually only do it in deep holes because dries don't move fish in the deeper holes a lot of times and I want that heavy streamer to scour the bottom of the deep holes. On most pieces of water, I find any fish on dries... even the big ones of the stream.
@@WhiteDogTrailCompany I've heard others talk about streamers on small streams but for the life of me I can't figure it out. That would make for a good video IMO
I did tenkara for several trips one year and even guided a few small stream trips with tenkara. I didn't dig it as much. I love the small stream fly rods over tenkara.
Great video! Sooo much like our alpine trout streams in Australia. We call them ‘twig water’ ( referring to the 6-7.5 foot 1-3 weight rods). Great to have the white dog back too. Awesome!
Thanks... Glad to be back... My year has been challenging with many things keeping me away from the channel. Several family health issues that all seem to be working out but have put a lot of stress and responsibility on us. Plus our oldest graduated and is not in college so we had a lot going on with that this year. Hopefully things are settling down. I love that you call them "twig water".. I've heard that term on some of the comments from Australia!
@@WhiteDogTrailCompany sorry to hear about the family health issues. Glad to hear it seems to have worked out. I have similar, a school leaver at home taking a year out before university next year. God, as much as I appreciate the videos, I always wonder the toll they take. A tragedy would be to hear that you loose your passion for fishing! I do hope amongst all that, you got some decent blue line/twig water sessions, as well as some nymphing. No cameras just pure soul rejuvenation and fun!!!? If not, I’m giving you some compulsory homework ok!!!! Enjoy mate!
@@anthonyclark6118 Thank you! I need some time in the water! It has been a long time. And I absolutely love my time on the streams! Don’t think I’ll lose that passion! 😊
Very informative video on how to locate and fish these little mountain streams, the techniques and safety was very well explained. A lot of subscribers will definitely benefit from this! Thanks Bryan! Hope all is well with your wife and family! Tightlines !
Also, this double foam Caddis/hopper pattern that you mentioned , is it similar to the tutorial video where you tied a foam Caddis but has a double layer of foam ?
She is doing well and coming along. Long road ahead (many months up to a year for full recovery) but happy for the progress! Thanks Jim! The double foam fly is quite a bit different from my foam caddis. I don't use any feathers or hackle on it. I super glue 2 layers of foam together and cut it to shape. I cut a couple slots in the sides of the foam for my thread wraps so they don't bend the foam too much. I put some super glue on the hook shank an tie the foam to the hook. Then I tie some sexi floss legs to it. I've found that legs help fish realize it's food very fast and draw strikes more easily.
Glad to hear this , and with time I hope she makes a full recovery. Oh, forgot to mention ,the underwater footage of that beautiful brookie rising to the surface and take your foam fly and then dive down so fast. Fantastic capture! Boy, they are like lightning fast. Awesome clarity and quality of your videos and photography. Cool stuff Bryan!
@@wildbrookies That one shot took me hours of sneaking up on holes, trying to get a GoPro in place and not get washed away by the current while not spooking the fish... and then getting a take in front of the camera. When it finally happened I was ecstatic! lol
@@WhiteDogTrailCompany omg! Yeah, I can imagine. I knew it would’ve taken quite a bit of patience and your equipment to be in just the right spot. Nice work! Special treat for us!! Thx!
Good video. I live in NEPA and blue line for native trout mostly in the winter. All the tributaries to the Delaware River have trout in them in my area. One thing I have found if the stream is really good I see fish often before I ever catch one.
Wow. I find I never see fish before I catch them. Maybe it’s because the streams I fish have more elevation change and lots of turbulent pocket water. My streams also have larger rocks for the most part so fish are usually tucked along or under rocks. I wonder what your streams are like.
@@WhiteDogTrailCompany I'm pretty new to trout/fly fishing but I have 45 years experience tournament fishing for bass. Tournament fishing requires developing efficient ways to locate fish. It's not so much catching fish I can see and more intentionally spooking fish to quickly evaluate location and population. Once I establish there is a good population and how they are set up I can go back and catch them.
@@edwardcowan7012 OH!! Gotcha! Yeah... I can spook and see fish sometime too. I'm usually not looking to do that. I just throw flies and if the fish are there they're pretty much going to smack my fly :)
@@WhiteDogTrailCompany I’m mostly fishing non stocked waters often ones that aren’t listed as containing trout. In the winter Dustin and I can look at 3 or 4 new streams in a day and determine if any of them are worth fishing. One we looked at last winter Dustin climbed down to it and came running up the hill 2 minutes later and said it’s loaded I saw 6 in the tail out of the first pool! I drive by it every day and sometimes fish it on lunch, never saw another angler there. Of course know that I know it’s good I try not to spook them.
@@edwardcowan7012 Most of the small streams we fish are not documented as having fish either and none are stocked. All Native and Wild fish! I love that!
Thanks! I've recorded most of the first volume. Recording again this weekend to wrap up filming for volume 1. First volume is planned to cover the basics. An overview of what the series will cover, some basics on safety, general steelhead behavior/seasons and then diving into the evolution of fly fishing gear for steelhead and where I have ended up with what I feel is the perfect setup. Much more to come in the rest of the series. And I'm asking people what they want to see in the series to make sure I cover as much as possible..
Maybe the answer is already down in the other comments, but what size flies do you recommend for this type of fishing? I’ve used size 12 with some success but maybe those are too big?
I typically use a size 14 hook. I often use the TMC200R in size 14. It is a longer shank that bends down which allows me to tie slightly bigger flies that float well and are easy to see... BUT the hook gap is small and the hook percentage is really good!
Yup! It happens all the time. Social media has put many places into higher use. Not just fishing, but hiking and paddling communities feel the affect of it too. I think you have to put in the work to explore and find great places!
I'm trying to keep them small because these are small fish but they always end up bigger than I want lol. I use a size 10 hook though. Sometimes I miss some fish because it's a big fly but I think I attract more fish with it too... especially the big ones. I do want to tie some a little smaller.
Hey Bryan, quick question Choosing between euro rods, 4wt 10’ Or 5wt 11’ Do I go after the extra length or the sensitivity given only those two choices?
To be honest, both seem heavy as a euro rod. Is it a euro nymphing specific rod or another rod you’ll repurpose as a euro rod? I would say if you’re looking for a euro specific rod I would go 10’6” 3wt. If it is a normal rod you’ll use for euro then either would probably be ok. Sensitivity is a function of how good the rods are and not necessarily related to length or rod weight.
@@WhiteDogTrailCompany thanks for the reply! Love your channel. It is a euro specific rod (I’m on the dirt poor budget) . I’ll keep looking for a lighter weight then.
@@toxico1152 Yeah. I think 10’6” 3wt is a good all around fit. Check out the comments on my Euro Nymphing on a Budget video. Lots of suggestions for euro rods there from people.
