Stealthy Tactics for Catching Trout

It was many years ago, but I clearly remember looking upstream in a mountain creek and seeing at least dozen trout holding in the current a short cast’s distance away. I don’t remember the lure, but it was one that had proven itself and seemed ideal. I cast past the trout and began working my lure toward them with high anticipation. To my dismay, none made the slightest move toward my offering. Instead, they moved slightly sideways to let it pass and then returned to their positions. After a few casts I changed lures. A few casts later I changed again. Every cast brought the same result.

I know now that I took myself out of the game before ever making a cast to those fish. As clearly as I could see them, they undoubtedly had seen me. Although they were mostly oriented away, fish turn periodically to look for threats. And I suspect I was a bit too abrupt with my initial approach. By whatever cause, they knew I was there, and they were shut down.

As important as it can be to choose the best lures and colors for the situation and to use the best retrieves, few things will positively affect your trout catching success more consistently than learning to keep the fish unaware of your presence as long as possible. This can be true with other types of fishing, but it’s accentuated with stream trout fishing because the water tends to be clear and often is shallow and because in many cases you are standing in the fish’s home or close to it.

Incorporating stealth into your trout fishing approach can be extra important through the latter half of autumn, when low stream levels and extra clear water are common.

I recall watching a veteran trout fisherman stop his approach a good eight feet from a creek’s edge, downstream of the spot he wanted to target, and then proceed to catch half a dozen trout from a run that looked too small to hold two fish. He assured me that if he had walked the edge of the creek before casting, he wouldn’t have caught anything.

Whenever possible, stay out of the stream you are fishing and even back from the edge. This helps keep you out of sight of the fish and prevents them from detecting you by vibrations or splashes. Not all spots can be cast to or even accessed from the bank based on stream size, the character of the stream, the steepness of the bank and the cover along the bank. Fortunately, streams that require more wading to reach fish tend to be a bit larger, which sometimes makes the fish less easily spooked.

Whether you’re on the bank or in the stream, you can guard from being seen by staying near edges and as far from the runs as possible without losing casting accuracy. For smaller streams and extra clear water, using boulders and other obstructions to break your profile and dressing in drab colors can also help.

In addition to staying back from the fish as much as the situation allows, an easy way to lessen the chances of being detected is simply to be aware of the sharpness of your movements and of your profile.

Moving slowly as you walk from spot to spot or wade to a casting position maximizes stealth in a couple of ways. Visually, you’re far less prone to being noticed and seen as a threat if you minimize abrupt movements. As importantly, fast walking tends to be louder walking. Beyond slowing footsteps, soften all movements as much as possible.

Staying low mostly comes into play with small clear streams or specific shallow runs and on flat water with open banks where your profile against an open sky really stands out. In those situations, stooping a bit like stalking hunter or even casting from a knee can make a substantial difference.

Most trout streams have at least a decent flow, which is something you can use to your advantage in the stealth game. Because fish are propelled by tail power, to hold position in current they must face the current. Except in big back-eddies, where everything is reversed, that means the trout mostly orient upstream. Therefore, by remaining downstream of where you want to cast and working upstream as you fish, you can remain mostly behind the fish.

Take that another step, though. Stealth isn’t only about remaining unseen. It’s about making natural presentations that don’t reveal that something is amiss. Knowing how the fish are apt to be positioned and where food should come from makes it easier to plan and execute natural presentations. Even in an eddy behind a boulder, were no current dictates how the fish must hold, feeding trout will be oriented toward the adjacent current – mostly watching the spot where foodstuff caught in the current would sweep past.

Consider also the lure you are using as you consider angles. If you’re casting a Rebel Tracdown minnow, which imitates a baitfish, it is reasonable to cast across the current because minnows can battle current and will swim across a stream and even upcurrent. With a jig, like a Lindy Little Nipper or Bobby Garland Mayfly on jighead, you’re imitating critters with far less independent mobility, so it’s far more natural to orient casts upstream and let the current carry them naturally. Crawfish fall in-between, in terms of speed and mobility, opening more angle options for crawfish-imitating lures.

Another easy step to increase your stealth is to downsize lures and lighten your rod and reel combination and the size of your fishing line. Specifics vary substantially based on the size of water you are fishing, the number of obstructions and the prevalent size of the fish and most forage. However, erring on the small side, relative to the situation, increases your stealth game.

Smaller and lighter offerings make less of a splash when they hit the water and look like easy prey to the trout. Spoons and jigs that are light, relative to their size, move less decisively in the water and allow for slower presentations with more fluid motion.

A lighter rod and lighter line often equate with longer and more accurate casts, even with small lures, allowing you to stay farther back from the fish. Lighter line is also less controlling and allows many types of lures to move more naturally in the water.

New Matte Series Rebel Crawfish colors provide an extra measure of stealth because there is no unnatural glare. The colors, created by master lure painter Frank Scalish, take natural attraction to a new level. Five Rebel Crawfish models are available in four Matte Serie colors. The Teeny Wee-Craw, Deep Teeny Wee-Craw and Middle-Wee Craw are especially well suited for common trout fishing applications.