The East Gallatin Proves Again! 6/12/13

       The East Gallatin has once again proven to me that it remains a top-notch fishery within the city limits of Bozeman. Having such a place so great, and under-fished, ten minutes away, I often forget its even there. With the big rivers also within a reasonable driving distance, many people don't pay much attention to the East. The day was June 12, 2013. Thunderstorms were threatening my day in the water and time was against me. The temp was seventy-five degrees and the barometric pressure was falling. Water level was a bit high but visibility remained well enough for an excellent day of fishing.
     
         I started off at the Cherry River fishing access right off of Frontage Road. I had rigged a nymph-style, red san juan with a pheasant tail flashback on the bottom. The first hole I fished was at the end of the meandering foot trail that branches off from the main walking path. There is a nice little informative display about the fish that are found in the East Gallatin. It often poses as a good place for visitors to watch a fisherman catch a trout. Today I was on display, performing a handful of catch and releases for an audience of three people. It was enjoyable for me and them alike and I eventually had to move on. Around the next bend there are a couple of good runs but nothing produced fish. I crossed the river which was knee high and reasonably easy to pass. I made hast to find another similar hole such as the previous before the weather turned.

         By now, Im fairly secluded from yards and trails. Way back deep in the oasis that is the East Gallatin, I was hearing trout left and right. Big fish slurring in the shallows under trees. Little trout were flinging themselves out of the water about every eight to ten seconds. I was getting a feeling that these fish haven't been disturbed since last fall. The incoming weather was also for my advantage. I managed a few more twelve inch rainbows and a few more snags, resulting in using up my leader. I figured since I had a short leader, why not tie on a streamer? I chose a fairly heavy, large black streamer. I'm pretty good at pitching them right into the strike-zone, sometimes its within the same area as a basketball hoop. The risk at hand is losing a good fly and the time lost re-tying. The rain had started lightly falling and the wind had picked up. I was inside of this miniature wilderness which was coming alive as the thunderous anvil remained ominously in the background. Deer were on the move, birds and waterfowl were flying with a mission it seemed. The trout were hitting bugs off the water left and right still, and I now had a streamer in hand.

          I was quickly targeting the banks of either side, where there was slower moving or still water. Often with a backdrop of rip rap or gnarled up driftwood, bushes, and sometimes a car, I cast within an inch of the bank. The sound of the heavy streamer hitting the water will turn the head of any predatory trout. Brown trout are the beast within these slow pools of water. I noticed a small piece of water that was much slower, the current blocked by underwater debris. I knew there should be a fish lying there. The first cast hit the water with a hefty splash and I could see a bronze flash, a turn of the head and my streamer inhaled. I set the hook hard knowing what I had. The water then exploded and the fight was on. I was using a four foot leader with some 3X tippet tied on. I wasn't all that concerned about the tippet breaking until he ran into some deep, fast flowing water. It took me about three minutes to get him in calmer water. He then got tangled up in some sticks and I had twenty feet between me and him. I ended up getting him freed and to the shore. I snapped a few pictures, revived, and released him. I didn't get a length, but to me that was not important. It was a heck of a fish for such a small river and a very beautiful one at that. I managed two more nice browns on my way back and missed another nice one, perhaps the biggest of the day.

            Overall, it was an absolutely epic day in my book. I'm still avidly learning this sport and its great when you can catch a lot of fish. This greatly speeds up the learning process when you have so many opportunities to hook a trout. Its better yet having wild trout at the end of a line. That adds another layer on the cake. I managed a dozen or so rainbows and small browns with my nymphing set-up and three very nice fish on the streamer. I enjoy fishing both styles, but the process and reward of effectively using a streamer is incredible. Sure the East G. is a smaller river and has plenty of small fish, but it holds some very big trout, perhaps more so than the Gallatin River. I will always appreciate the East Gallatin River, it proves to be a quality river with little pressure right at home. Maybe I will see you out there in the water!

Streamers 101

               I was going to call this section "newbie corner" or something like that, but I myself was just a newbie fly guy a couple of months ago. I learned every time I fished, much like everyone else out there who is not a master angler, I learned lessons, took note and got better. For a guy like me stepping into the fly fishing world, I come up with weekly awakenings or revelations where things come into sight all of the sudden. I will be fishing and then out of nowhere I will yell with excitement, "WOO HOO I got it!", after I've mastered or succeeded with something like mending line, or tying properly tapered leaders with tippet, etc. It happens every so often where Ill take a good firm step forward and can throw a little bit more confidence in my bag. This has recently happened to me with fishing streamers.

        This 101 Id like to go over my recent trout fishing revelation. I've had such a hard time with streamers that is was driving me nutty. I had a background in swim baits and have had much success with spinning swim baits but not fly fishing streamers. The first problem I faced was getting that nine foot leader and fly line down to where it needed to be. If you are a newbie you may slap the appropriate weight on and toss into a pretty turbid, good looking hole hoping for a fat trout if the newbie knows they're in there. Alright, so the newbie hopes he's not getting snagged because he's just letting that  streamer swirl around in the deep hole. He cant feel a strike because he has barely any sensitivity in his rod while the line is swirling around without tension. If he strips or has a taught line, he can feel the lure but knows that the streamer isn't getting down deep enough. This may discourage someone just starting out. He makes another cast, right next to the bank where a tout awaits in a nice slow eddie behind a pool. Right when his streamer hits the water, he watches as his fly line, caught by current drag, sucks the streamer quickly away from the fish. Lets try this again. Another cast, this time right into the deeper pocket pool itself. So while he believes since the streamer has made it down to the bottom he might get lucky and maybe the fish will take it. He's trying to mend the line here and there to keep that streamer right in the hot zone. He still doesn't know what the lure is doing down there and this can be discouraging. Meanwhile while two trout have already nibbled and spit out his streamer in 1/10th of a second because there was no connection/sensitivity, too much slack line. This could go on and on until eventually, a trout big enough eats the streamer and hooks itself. The smaller fish are harder to feel on the heavy fly line, and so blindly bouncing it off the bottom is difficult.

            That was me for many days. Always frustrated at why I was unproductive with streamers when I heard how great they are. I was under the impression that streamers were a lot like the rapalas and spinners, this is true because both represent fish prey, but they have to be fished completely different. I felt there was a barrier between the fish and I when I used streamers. I've learned a few things the last few days that can help one beyond the hurdle of figuring out the initial first steps to becoming very productive with streamers.

           First, good casting is needed to succeed with streamers. Think bass fishing. In most of the river around here there are sections of river with slow moving water around bends and under banks. The slowest water is along the outside of either bank on straight runs or on the inner side of a bend. Because the water force is less here, the trout stack up right along the banks, these are the fish we are after. The number one predator of streamers are brown trout. Big browns especially, sit under brush and low hanging foliage which provides a resting area and a safe place from predators. These resting areas will often be in tight pockets between trees, near the bank, between log jams, and on the edges of slow moving bends where there will often be a deep bank. These are the areas to focus on. There are just as many of these pockets as there are runs, pools, and riffles. I've spent a lot of time fishing runs and pools with streamers but its hard to manage the line and to guess where your bait is unless there is slack water you can access.

            Now, you really need to adjust your rig away from a typical nymphing rig and more of a bass rig. Choose whichever streamers you like. I prefer the ones with a bit of weight in them. I use a 5 weight rod, so I will usually use a small weighted streamer with an additional split shot three inches above. This helps with action and control, that's right, there's actually some control and sensitivity now. Experiment with weight. You don't want something too heavy but it also needs to be heavy enough to get down to the fish and act realistically. I find myself pitching into very tight places where a big brown could be waiting and I would need to put that streamer right on his nose. The weight its a contributor to casting. The leader is the next important subject. You can take a 9 foot 5x tippet and cut it in half or less depending on how much weight you're throwing. The shorter leader allows for much more control and sensitivity to strikes. The control factor of having a 4 foot leader makes all the difference. If you cut off too much or are getting to the thick part of your leader, It's ok to add some 1x or 2x tippet. A sturdier/heavier line will act better with something like a big streamer.

Streamers with weight provide better control in my opinion

          Ok, you've got a better setup for streamer fishing an now you need to know how to fish them. I find it most productive to target the areas I mentioned before such as slack water next to moving water, the slower water next to banks, and between jams and brush piles. Wade in to the water depending on how clear the water is. If its real muddy I get as close as I can to pitch a white streamer next to the bank. Often the water will explode as the trout that you knew was there pounded your streamer. This is probably the funnest part of this kind of fishing. Its amazing how many trout sit next to the bank. The secret is casting the streamer within inches of the bank, and give it all you can to let that thing sit there until it starts drifting on its on. If you haven't had a strike by then, just strip and twitch your rod until you're out of the strike zone. The strike zone is literally a foot or less sometimes and controlling the fly line is something to practice. The current will want to pull your streamer back into the middle and not allow the streamer to stay in that spot long enough. If you can get your bait to stay in that zone for, oh, three seconds or more, you'll be getting fish. Cast and move cast and move. The day can yield a high number of fish by doing this when the barometer is falling especially.

          Streamer fishing takes some getting used to. The least a beginner can do is set themselves up for success. It took me a little over a year to build up the confidence I have for them now. I cannot wait to get back out there and put on a streamer. Thanks for reading today and check back for updates or reports!