[Silver Doc]

I guess after many years of fishing the one thing I have learned (among others) is the art of patience. I say this because I have been taken to task for spending too much time at one spot on the river and also trying a variety of flies. Sometimes to great success and others not so great. Several of the guys I fish with will move frequently and try other spots. I'm curious if there are some of you who follow my "method" or are the "movers." And how frequently you change flies, (again assumming the there is no need to match the hatch." Frank

[markwaldin]

One of the beautiful things about fly fishing is that it is a sport of patience whether you are moving and looking for the right spot or changing out flies because you know that fish is in there. A combination of both approaches develops a wiser fisherman that knows when to stay in one spot and when to move on. I suspect you have achieved a good part of that wisdom. (personally, I'm still building some of that wisdom). Thanks for sharing.

mark
--
Custom Fly Rod

[BigCliff]

I end up fishing a given spot for too long before I realize that my plethora of casts have spooked any fish still in there, and I would be better off to keep moving up/downstream and come back to the spot after its rested.

I tend to change flies fairly often, unless they're working. Cain't fix what ain't broke and all that.

[Jackster]

I move... slowly, but I don't usually leave feeding fish.

[Wyatt]

I tend to stay in an area within 200 feet if I'm seeing fish feeding or not, I'll try to find a bug that will either make-um hungery or made enough to strike, I've had better luck by not stomping around in and out of the water to much.
Wyatt

[fyshstykr]

That is one of the wonderful aspects of this game we play, You against the Fish and who will outlast the other.
I have been known to work a feeding fish for a long time, whether it be nymphing or on top, if that fish is a good one and keeps eatin, I'm staying with it.

Now if it is only working a run or hole that looks "fishy", with no visible fish then my patience can sometimes fall short, I would much rather fish to a fish, than fish an area that just looks like it has fish.

J.

[Frank Whiton]

Hi Frank,

A great question. I tend to not change flies very often, especially if it is water I am familiar with. I usually zero in on what has worked in the past, at that time of the year and I stick with it. Now there has been times that I was catching fish on every cast (Alaska) and after getting tired of catching fish I would experiment with different flies to see what didn't work.

I move a lot and don't spend time fishing water that doesn't look productive. I have found that if the water doesn't look productive and I fish it anyway, I don't do a good job. I believe that you need to think every cast is going to catch a fish. I can get real intense in good water and very lazy in water that I don't believe holds fish. I had a fishing partner that loved to fish one good spot. We would be fishing together and a little while later I look up and he would be no where in sight. I would have to walk back to his spot and drag him to another location. When I started fishing with my pontoon boat I really started to cover a lot of water. I would go from good spot to good spot and never give other water a cast.

Frank

[mhd01]

If I know the hole I am fishing and I know it holds trout I will throw for a while. And I will sat down and rest and just watch and look until I get my second wind. I quess I dont catch a lot of fish that way. But when I do catch one I have been after for an hour I feel like I won that battle.

[fyshstykr]

Good point.
There is a lot to be said for just "watching the water".

[trout champ]

I tend to stay in one area for too long. I just keep thinking this is the cast that'll land the one.

Randy