I’m damn close to throwing in the towel. Was super excited about trout this fall. Stream was stocked that I started fishing this year (my first year fly fishing) and I can’t catch a thing. I caught everything you can catch in va all summer(except trout) had a blast and now I’m watching dudes with power bait kill it and I can’t do a damn thing. I can still find trout on the creek, but they don’t want a thing to do with most of what I’m casting. I did miss a set with a woolie bugger which about drove me to dive in after the trout. Thoughts? I’ve tried every fly I can think of dropper rigs, grasshoppers, egg pattern to mimic feed pellets/powerbait, elk hair caddis. Trout are hanging in deeper pools, I’m not really seeing them rising for anything. Very tempted to just go get the old spinning rod out.
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by jarrelltennis
That’s why the call it “fishing”, and not “catching”
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by hendostacks
Appreciate the insight.
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by jarrelltennis
I caught one fish this year.
Spent a few long days with the same frustrations you are having. Was packing up one day and some dude rolled up in his truck; we chatted for a little while about nothing being attractive, despite the hatches. Trout get real wise this late in the season.
The fishing vs catching line was his comment as he drove off.
So I cracked a beer, watched the sunset and reminded myself that it’s not always about the end result as much as it is the process of it all.
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by hendostacks
Have you tried hucking meat?
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by jhundo
Sounds vaguely dirty or like an insult, but I’ll bite. What exactly do you mean?
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by jarrelltennis
Big articulating streamers. Commonly referred to as meat.
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by jhundo
Hahaha whoosh right over my head. I’ve just been using regular streamers. I’ve seen what your talking about, might have to run to the fly shop this week. Taught me something new, decent experience with these on a smaller creek?
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by jarrelltennis
I was mostly joking probably not great for small streams and smaller fish. but actual advice try some egg patterns maybe even a bead try a crystal meth fly fished under a "indicator" with a bit of split shot. Maybe try earlier in the morning when its cooler out. There are a lot of variables and everyone gets skunked occasionally.
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by jhundo
Just tie on a salmon egg fly or pellet fly to catch one and keep yours going worst case powerbait on your fly rod lol
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by smungung
Haha.....wait....brb I gotta go buy some powerbait
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by jarrelltennis
lol let me know how it goes
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by smungung
Try throwing some nymph patterns like bead head pheasant tails, zebra midges, etc.. Smaller sizes from 18-22 or so. Get them deep in the pools with some split shots.
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by PavlovDawg
Have you flipped any rocks to look for bugs?
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by Copper_John24
I haven’t. Honestly I’ve just assumed it would be crazy easy since everyone said stocked trout were crazy easy.
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by jarrelltennis
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