Why I chuck the Meaty Goodness

Rainbow with a vendetta

Imagine walking along a stretch of new water, enjoying the beauty of the area while searching for "fishy" holes, when you come across some faster riffle water cascading down into a bottleneck that then plunges into a deep hole.  If you are like me, you will stand drooling for about 10 min before you snap out of it and begin preparing for a presentation.  But how do you present to the fish holding therein?  Heavily weighted nymphs might do the trick, however, they are difficult to keep in the strike zone for an extended period of time, not to mention the difficulty had ensuring a proper/natural presentation.  Dries are always a possibility, but can easily get lost in the turbid water by fisherman and fish alike.  So what's a guy/gal to do?

There's only one solution...Give 'em the MEAT!

It's no secret...Trout are some of the most voracious, greedy carnivores in a river/stream/lake ecosystem.  They, especially the larger fish, will eat almost anything presenting itself as a potential meal. While trout will typically key in on specific food sources that will require the least amount of energy to obtain, they are always in search for those opportunities to obtain a high calorie morsel.  This is especially true in water systems holding a large number of said morsels.  Last weekend we found ourselves fishing around crayfish, large leopard frogs, and plenty of small baitfish.  It only made sense to show them something that could make their day and fill their stomach.

Not only are trout massive predators, but they are also territorial.  In a river system, the larger fish will hold in various locations, but can often be found in the front of the chow line.  My first presentation to the fish above was altered when my fly line found a rock in the riffle.  While quickly bringing in my articulated streamer to make another cast, this bad boy chased it all the way out of the hole before darting back in.  I quickly made another cast and found him hammering the streamer with anger and force.  He may have been that hungry, or he may have just been saying, "get out of my spot bro".  Either way, it worked like a charm.

The next time you find yourself drooling over a fishing hole, give em the meat first.  You'll be glad you did.