What do "the Experts" say about strea stealth? Give me what I want and I'll go away.

[NightOwl]

I usually wear camo( shirt AND HAT) when fishing on wild trout streams. Is it necessary? i know if I wore bright orange I'd look like an idiot, but most trout face into the current. I mostly fish dries upstream. Do you think the fish would notice. I also always wear camo when ba$$ fishing. I KNOW that they notice, but the water is usually calm and not moving. What say Ye ?

[Drifter]

Jeff,

I'm no expert but I'll throw in my dos pesos.

I believe that most of the animals (including Homo Sapiens) that prey on trout attack from above. With this being the case, I think any movement from above that the trout detects, will send him/her scurrying for cover. As you well know, you spook one fish in a pool, he in turn will spook the rest of the fish in that pool. So any degree of camo will help...IMHO.

I recently saw a camo pattern in a magazine which featured fishing camo. The pattern had specks of blue indicative of the sky above. I believe regular old BDU camo would suffice in a trout stream since most streams have overhanging limbs, etc.

I have found camo to be particularly helpful when fishing for native brookies on those tiny headwater streams. I always try to avoid stepping in the water as tiny ripples will generally spook wild fish. And I always try to approach from the tail of the pool with a "hunched over posture". If you can see the fish, he has probably seen you!

My $00.02, usual disclaimers apply, your mileage may vary.

The Drifter

[Loren]

I'm not as expert as drifter, but read their books and have fished with some. Last fall, Hound and KB took me to a brook trout stream and taught me to stealth fish. I was productive. (and I'm usually not productive), so, on small streams I believe in stealth fishing. Trout are similar in any stream, so as much as I can, I stay out of their faces and wear dull clothing (everything I own is dull).

Loren

[SHAWN]

Well, you could where the brighter colors on the stream but sneaking up on fish is a heck of a lot easier when your wearing something dark. If you blend in with the background, even better. Keep on wearing the Camo Jeff.
Shawn

[spinner]

Jeff....I always wear camo...I scout holes a day or two before I fish them...When I'm sure there is a monster in there...I match the surroundings of the hole as well as I can....I have a lot of different kinds of camo...I also try to open up a casting lane on that first scouting trip....I usually crawl the last 20 yards to the hole...I try to be as quiet as possible...It works really well..I usually where a billed hat to...I wear glasses...I flash off a pair of glasses can spook the entire hole....spinner...

[KB]

instead of "real tree", how about "real rhodadendron"?

[Banker In Space]

But dont we have a fashion statement to make?

[Drifter]

Fellow camo fishheads,

In due time, Orvis will come out with the Charles F. Orvis Exclusive Battenkill Presentation Stream-Camo Scrubs retailing for a couple o'hundred dollars a set. You'll be able to get the Orvis Rocky Mountain Clearwater Stream-Camo Scrubs for about $100. Remember you saw it here first!

One thing I forgot to mention with regard to approaching a promising pool. I try to walk as softly as possible, even when 15 or 20 feet from the stream bank. My logic is this:

I have a small pond in my front yard that is stocked with catfish. During the warmer months they are fed fish feed (protein pellets similar to trout chow.) When I walk toward the pond, the catfish come to the surface when I am within about 50 feet of the shoreline. I can only surmise that these fish "hear" my footsteps and respond by coming to the surface.

Would this not hold true for trout also, particularly on the calmer stretches of water? Could they hear a clumsy fisherman stomping toward the stream? My $00.02, usual disclaimers apply, YMMV.

The "Camo" Drifter...tiptoeing to his favorite stream!

[flybyshot]

Living in Columbus, Bill Jordan's Realtree, and Advantage have alot of following here. I did talk, not too long ago, to one of there designers about fishing clothes. He told me they received numerous request from all over the country. Trout fisherman seem to ask more than others. So buy camo, and help the Columbus economy.

[KB]

Drifter is right. I think wild fish instictivly pick up on the surroundings especially outside the water. Not only do they have peolplr to contend with, but hawks, bob-cats, and all kinds of critters that enjoy a nice little speckled snack. Its survival of the fitest. Don't worry NO. I won't mention the "D" name.

[Rod]

Above the water is not the problem. Our dear friend is more prone to run from you because of your foot fall than from the color of Polo you are sporting. Disturbed currents and re-echoing of stones under wading boots will spook a fish faster than a orange hat.--My opinion--although from my limitid experience.

On easily spooked fish, in clear mountain waters, I try to keep my profile low to keep from allowing my ugly mug to spook the fish--more importantly I try not to fall in the pool I'm trying to fish--

Rod

[jeffg]

Stealth is key!! but remember on most streams there is always that one fish that holds in the tailing of the pools. If you spook that one fish the rest of the pool is usually done for a while.
Another thing is resting a pool. Most fish forget so a nice contemplative moment resting yourself and the pool can usually make up for the first intital fish scare.

[Drifter]

To expound on JeffG's post:

This past November, I took Little Drifter on a backpacking trip, deep into the Smokies. I tried to instill in him the importance of the fisherman's approach to a particular pool. We were walking up the trail alongside the stream when we eyed a likely pool. We accessed the stream a good 20 yards below the pool. After easing up to the tail of the pool we both sat on a rock to see if there were any fish rising. Little Drifter pointed out a 7 inch rainbow at the tail of the pool, about 8 feet in front of us. The fish was in a feeding lane and periodically would turn onto his side, flashing silver, as he consumed yet another nymph. We watched this fish for about 10 minutes. I couldn't stand it any longer so I tied on a 18 Pheasant tail nymph.

As the nymph floated down the lane, I saw the trout positioning itself to take the nymph. As he turned onto his side, I saw the tippet twitch. A slight lift of the rod, and the rainbow was hooked. I immediately landed him, and released the fish into the pocket water downstream of the pool.

We worked our way up the pool in the next half hour, landing three more rainbows. I guess the point I'm making is.....we began at the downstream end of the pool, catching fish. Working our way slowly upstream.

I suppose if we would have wandered into the pool at the midpoint, we would have spooked the fish at the tail, and he in turn would spook others. In my opinion, approach is as important as fly selection.

Drifter

[Rod]

Drifter,
I couldn't agree more--I've chased more than my share of fish out of great pools at Duke's and Smith's by "falling" or rushing into a pool. I also have found what Jeff says to be true--especially on big water. when I smoked, I loved to fish a hole really hard and when I was confident that the fish had been put down--I'd light one up, relax and try the whole again after I put the butt in my vest pocket. Anyone else have luck with tobacco flavored flies?

Rod
Member of Piscatoral Unorthodoxy

[Rod]

Drifter,
I couldn't agree more--I've chased more than my share of fish out of great pools at Duke's and Smith's by "falling" or rushing into a pool. I also have found what Jeff says to be true--especially on big water. when I smoked, I loved to fish a hole really hard and when I was confident that the fish had been put down--I'd light one up, relax and try the whole again after I put the butt in my vest pocket. Anyone else have luck with tobacco flavored flies?

Rod
Member of Piscatoral Unorthodoxy

[BT]

Unfortunatly I haven't given that nasty habit up yet and yes after spooking the fish I will take up a position out of sight and fire one up, seems to both calm me down and slow me down. Downside is now my vest smells like an ashtry and sometimes I forget to take the butts out of the one pocket I keep them in.

[Drifter]

BT says:
"after spooking the fish I will take up a position out of sight and fire one up"

I find that a freshly wrapped Don Diego does wonders for calming the fish in a pool. Fifteen minutes into the stogie, and the fish are rising again.

The Drifter

[Rod]

Or you could "accidentally" be hooked from behind by a Ninja FF? Plastic Surgery never bothered a fish.

[The Ole Man]

I usually light one up first, the smoke obscures the trouts view and I can walk right up to the pool. When I get to the edge, I look at them, they look at me. I ask them, are any of you SxB's hungry? If they all run, I go find another pool. BT, take one of those Altoid tin's with you for the butts and save your vest. http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/smile.gif

[BT]

Thanks Ole Man i'll stick one in there tonight and also put one in my Wood River guide box I like to use in the warmer months. It's embarassing to think that after all these years of flyfishing I haven't thought of something so simple.

[Rod]

Shear genius--I may start back -- or break out my pipe....
I've been afraid of takin it out---I'll hook into the fish of my life, get chop-jawed and watch $100 float down stream. Some wiley heron will be holding it in it's big arse beak laughing at me. Then the sobs would be following me around for tobacco rather than for some unfortunate fish i might kill and throw their way.
Rod
torn between 2 evils

[NightOwl]

or - you could munch ona Snickers and die of a heart attack ( like me http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/smile.gif ) instead of the lung cancer! http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ubbngto/smile.gif

[Loren]

BT and Ole Man

I smoke a pipe constantly while fishing (Rod, not quite $100 pipes) and occassional cigar. Nice thing about cigars is that the butts can be tossed in the stream as long as they are 100% tobacco and -- as is written in my favorite ff book "Foolin Fish With Feathers" -- if it ain't 100% tobacco, you don't deserve to live.

Loren

[NightOwl]

please fish downwind. Allergies to tobacco smoke. and it stinks, phew.
MY .02

[NightOwl]

please fish downwind. Allergies to tobacco smoke. and it stinks, phew.
MY .02

[The Ole Man]

Night Owl
Looks like .04 cents worth to me. You upping the ante or something?

[NightOwl]

OOOps - Sorry I had " repeat-it-itius. I do't even own 4 cents.