I’ve been fortunate to grow up fishing the West Branch Delaware River, which is a beautiful stream in Upstate New York and contains some enormous wild trout. However, the river receives a lot of angling pressure, causing the fish to be highly educated and difficult to catch. Here are five tips for success with fishing highly pressured streams:

First, fish the fast water. Trout in fast water have only a split second to decide if they want to take you flies or not, so this is a good area to fool educated trout. Fast water generally receives a lot less angling
pressure than slow water because it is difficult for a lot of people to wade, and is simply just overlooked by many anglers.

Second, cover some ground. Most people fish within a short distance of their car – get off the beaten path to places that less people target.

Third, go down a tippet size. Trout are more likely to see heavier tippet because it has a greater diameter, so use 5X and 6X fluorocarbon tippet.

Fourth, nymph more and use emerging fly patterns. Most anglers’ dry fly fish, so using patterns that people do not fish as much is always helpful.

Last, approach quietly. Educated trout know when anglers are present and will stop feeding and swim for cover when they feel threatened. Make sure your fly line does not smack the water when casted, stay as far back as possible from the water that you are targeting, and move quietly. Trout can even feel vibrations through the water as you walk on the river bank. Also, wait some time when you first get to a spot so fish can relax and return back to feeding.

More information on trout nymphing can be found in my guide book SIMPLE NYMPHING FOR TROUT IN RIVERS & STREAMS.

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