In the first of two parts, Kiel offers a simplified introduction to fishing freestone trout streams.

Starting out flyfishing can be daunting, and even starting a new chapter in your flyfishing journey can be overwhelming. I grew up fishing lakes and the salt, so when it came time to venture further up and into the mountains, I had to adapt and learn, read and listen. The whole approach to fishing streams was foreign: the casts, the smaller rods, those slippery rocks and of course the trees I hooked every third cast.

With this in mind, here are some tips for flyfishing streams I wish I’d known when I began wading up the flowing stuff.

Before you go

Be sure to buy a fishing licence for the state you’re fishing. And unlike saltwater and mainland trout lakes, the rivers and creeks have a closed season during the trout’s spawning time (the cooler months). This timing differs between states, and exact dates vary year to year, so your best bet is to check online for the state or area you wish to fish.

The fish and the streams

Both rainbow and brown trout inhabit our mountain rivers and creeks; mostly naturally recruiting, though stocked in a few waters. These two species are by far the dominant ones in Australian streams. Occasionally, you may find wild brook trout, although usually these fish (and all Atlantic salmon) have hatchery origins.

Some of the rivers are vast bodies of water, tailwaters flowing from huge man-made dams such as Lake Eildon or Blowering Dam. Others are tiny mountain creeks no more than a step wide. Some require a day’s hike in, others have a carpark and picnic table a short cast away.

To start your stream fishing journey, I’d opt for easier fishing water, where the currents aren’t as strong, and the drifts aren’t as technical. The list of possibilities is endless. However, the mountain streams of eastern Victoria, from Warburton north to the New South Wales border, and east to Gippsland, are the perfect option for Melbournians to explore. While New South Wales has solid stream options in the Central West and New England, for Sydneysiders, I’d recommend the Snowy Mountains streams for straightforward public access and plentiful opportunities. For Tasmanians, you’re spoilt – it’s never more than an hour’s drive to a great trout stream!

Gear
This page could quite easily turn into a series of books if I included all the flyfishing gear you ‘might’ need, but here are the musts (remembering we’re not focusing on advanced streamcraft, European nymphing or swinging wets with a double hander…).

Fly Rod

4 or 5 weight rod, 8ft to 9ft would be perfect. Of course, there are plenty of other sizes and weights, but these should work as good all-round river and stream rods.

Reel

4/5/6 weight reel to match. A decent drag is important – maybe you won’t use it as much as on lakes or saltwater, but when you need it, you’ll need it! The physical weight of the reel is also an issue: you don’t want to over-balance the rod.

Backing

Like a decent drag, you’ll be glad of backing even if you only use it occasionally. Backing is cheap and easy to attach, so load up.

Fly-line

You’ll need a floating fly-line to match the line weight of your rod. There are hundreds of different tapers, cores and finishes: ask a trusted fly shop or guide/ instructor for the latest recommendations; based upon where and how you are most likely to fish.

Leader
A standard 9ft 3X mono leader is a good all-round base for stream fishing. To this, you can add tippet according to the overall leader length and breaking strain required.

Tippet

Typically, I would add about 3ft of tippet to my stream fishing leader. With this in mind, I’d carry two spools of 3X tippet – one mono, one fluorocarbon; and the same in 4X.

Flies

Let’s consider a shortlist of my stream favourites (the long list would fill 10 boxes!), comprising dry flies and nymphs.

Dry flies are floating flies which imitate insects like beetles, grasshoppers and mayflies… or simply suggest floating food (generalist dry flies). The line between the two can be blurred; for example, a Stimulator can be used as a buggy generalist, but it can also work as a passable imitation of a grasshopper. Anyway, a starter pack of stream dries should include:

• Parachute Adams – size 12 & 14
• PMX – size 10 & 12
• Royal Wulff – size 12 & 14
• Stimulator – size 12 & 14

Nymphs are flies generally fished sub-surface. Some can imitate the nymph or larval stage of specific aquatic bugs; or, as with dry flies, there are other nymphs which are just buggy generalists. Start with:

• Bead-head Hares Ear nymph – size 14
• Bead-head Pheasant-tail nymph (often referred to by the acronym PTN) – size 14
• Duracell Nymph – size 14 & 16

Beads come in a few different metals and sizes. It’s best to have a selection of beads on your nymphs so you can match the water you’re fishing.

The two most common beads are brass, with a moderate sink rate for shallow or slower water; or tungsten. Tungsten beads sink at about three times the rate of brass, so they’re great in deep or faster-flowing water.

Other

• Vest or similar (e.g. chest pack)
• Landing net, with lanyard attachment system so you don’t unwittingly lose it in the tea-tree!
• Nippers
• Floatant
• Good wading boots. (Waders are a nice extra when the water is cold!)
• Low-light polarised glasses, with a hat or cap to shade them.

That’s more than enough to work with. I’m sure a year or two down the track, you’ll have six full fly-boxes and five rods. But for now, that will do on the gear front.

Rigs

There are lots of different ways to chase trout on our rivers or creeks, whether that be swinging wets downstream, drift-boating larger waters while throwing size 18 caddis patterns under the willow trees. Or slowly walking the banks looking for the subtle sips of a willow grub feeder. But to keep things simple for now, here are three rigs to get you started.

1. Single Fly

Simply one fly, often a dry fly, tied straight to your tippet. A visual way of fishing. Predominantly a rig for outside the coldest months, it works best when insects are hatching or falling onto the water, and the trout are looking up. Matching the most abundant insects on the water can help, although often, a ‘generalist’ dry like a Royal Wulff or Stimulator will bring a fish up. Of course, keep an eye out for rising fish, and if you find one, try to lead it by about a metre, allowing the fly to land and drift onto the sipping trout. Remember, it’s often going to take a few casts to get the right drift, so don’t give up on a certain feeding fish (or your fly) too quickly. Only after you’re satisfied you’ve made a couple of drag-free drifts (more about this in part 2), and on target, should you consider changing your fly.

Even without spotting a single trout first – they’re designed not to be seen after all – you can definitely ‘search the water’ very effectively with a single dry fly rig, and in fact a lot of the time we’re doing just that. Cast upstream or diagonally upstream, allowing the fly to drift down. Keep up with your line floating back to you. Be thorough but stealthy.

2. Indicator Rigs

Not enough people fish this way, but take my word for it, it works and sometimes is the only technique that will. Please keep in mind that not all trout food floats on the surface. No bugs hatching or falling? Deep water and/or high flows? Early or late in the season when it’s cold? Indicator nymphing is a great way to get one or two flies down deeper in front of the trout. Even though trout are very obliging surface feeders, it’s worth remembering that typically, most of their diet is coming from under the water. In the conditions just described, they often won’t move far for their food, so you have to get the fly down deep to the trout, and right in front of them.

By using an adjustable indicator, such as the New Zealand Strike Indicator (wool or yarn on a plastic sleeve), or the Oros strike indicators, we’re able adjust the depth of the flies, whilst also having a visual indication of when a trout eats. Cast upstream, allow the flies to drift down, and if the indicator suddenly stops or sinks, STRIKE! Unlike with a single dry fly, there is no pause at all. Immediately lift the rod and set the hook.

We most commonly use indicator rigs in deeper pools, heavier/ faster water or larger rivers – places where it’s necessary to get the fly(s) down more than a couple of feet and keep them there.

Indicator rigs provide a great way to cover good water in three dimensions, but please don’t do what I see too often: walking and casting. Spend plenty of time in one spot before moving, making sure you’ve thoroughly covered the like spots. It can take a lot of casts to get just the right drift, and often, the trout won’t move far from its feeding station to eat. Your fly will have to drift to the fish, and there’s a lot of water between each trout.

With the trout on or close to the bottom, if your indicator is wobbling or twitching as it’s floating down, good! It means you’re deep enough for your flies to bump the bottom on their way downstream. So many people fish their nymphs too shallow. True, these flyfishers definitely get less snags and lose fewer flies, but they also catch less fish.

3. Dry/ Dropper

Probably the most popular way to fish streams: using a dry fly with a sinking nymph tied off the shank of the dry fly hook. Like most compromises, this rig is not the perfect solution. However, it certainly works. Use a nice buoyant and visible dry, as it’s now also your indicator. If the dry suddenly drops, a trout has taken the nymph.

The right length of line between your dry and nymph will depend on water depth and flow. Please don’t be lazy: between different runs and pools, it may be necessary to adjust this length. If walking up to a deep run, fish it first with your nymph under dry, then lengthen the distance.

Still no eats? Maybe it’s time to take a deep breath, take a seat out of sight, and re-rig with an indicator and two bead-head nymphs, helping you to get the flies right down. The few minutes it takes to change will have the added benefit of resting the water, allowing any spooked or nervous fish to begin feeding freely again. If a spot looks fishy, fish it properly!

That’s probably enough to digest for now. More to come in part 2, stay tuned…