We are really blessed with a plethora of productive small streams in the area. Central Washington has of course, the famous Rocky Ford and Crab Creek. However, the freestone streams of the Cascade range are loaded with great Cutthroat, Rainbow and Brookie fisheries. A big fish is 12-14 inches. I once fished a very small and local stream, we are talking 4 feet wide, and while I straddled what appeared to be a trickle of water, managed to haul out a beautiful 14" rainbow. It was actually pretty surprising since I was within sight of the road and most of the fish I was catching ran 6-8". It was a real trophy. I am always excited when the small streams and rivers open, which is this weekend, June 4th.
How To: Reading the small stream Water
This is how I would fish this hole, starting closest to me, I would fish dries in the pool from the rear to the head- concentrate on the blue lines and the blue circle. I would also run nymphs down the red slot if I was not using a Foam/Dropper combo. This might seem simplistic as entire books have been written about small stream fishing and I have read some of them. However, a simplistic approach is always best on simple water, in my opinion.
One other option, and my very favorite, is wet fly presentation in this situation. I tie on a Hare's Ear wet fly, a Partridge and Orange or even a spider and sneak directly to the top of the pool and float that down the main current and retrieve the fly back with short, quick strips. The aggressive fish will strike hard, so be ready. It's a lot of fun and good for kids too because it requires little casting and offers the "feel" of the strike.
Tight Lines,
WBFC Pro-Staff Joe
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