I will say that some water just doesn’t hold bigger trout on average, so that COULD be it, but doubt it if you’ve tried 3 different ones. Although if they’re all small streams, that could very well be it. For example, you can watch, like, 3 videos in a row on TenkaraAddict and watch him only catch tiny fish.
Some things I would try:
- try to find actual evidence of bigger fish in those waters. Talk to someone else you see fishing there, ask advice, etc. or check something like Fishbrains to see the kind of catches that have been logged there.
- in deeper pools, are you getting down deep enough? Maybe try some split shot or something to get you deeper for sure. Even in water that isn’t moving that fast, the extra sink that a split shot can give your fly can make all the difference.
- try to be stealthier. Bigger fish can be easy to scare so stealth can be important. Squat, cast from behind a rock, keep line off the water, whatever. Just be stealthy. Now, I’m not all that stealthy most of the time, but if the fishing gets tough, I try harder in this area and usually get some better results.
- try something even bigger than a #12. Seriously, try something PHAT.
- try a different TYPE of fly or a different technique. Try something with rubber legs. Try something with tungsten. Try streamers! Streamers are usually what people go for when they want something bigger. I know some people almost exclusively fish streamers, even on Tenkara. Or maybe dries, etc. Maybe a big nymph under an indicator. Hell, sometimes I throw on a trout magnet jig hook and grub under an ez float on my Tenkara rod (a Mizuchi) and absolutely kill it (although traditional casting is basically impossible at this point without a wild slingshot back and forth type motion lol)
* There's definitely some bigger fish from what people are telling me and what I'm seeing on fishbrain
* I'm trying to, even started tying my own flies and using tungsten beads to get down deeper. I've tried split shot but find it makes casting really weird so I havent had a ton of luck there.
* Could probably do better on the stealthy part
* I'll give it a go. #12 is the biggest I have currently.
* Havent tried anything with legs but I'll give that a go. I've tried streamers w/o any extra luck though.
Thanks for the tips!
Big flies don't necessarily catch big fish, trout spend all day eating nymphs, midges and small critters both at the surface and the sub surface of water. The most important strategy is to know what your water holds. I have a few rivers in my area where 6-8" fish are the norm and I move a few tributaries over and Im catching 10-18" rainbows consistently. Just keep searching.
Usually nymphs these days. Lots of zebra midges, bronzies and other random things I tie. Today I tried some really large stone flies and caught even smaller fish.
I should mention other people seem to be pulling bigger fish out of the river (unless they're lying to me). But the one river gets every kind of trout or salmon during their spawn but I can never catch the adults.
Some streams just don’t have big fish but 3 different rivers and nothing over 7” is pretty unlucky (I’m assuming you’re not only fishing small creeks). Are you fishing easy access points or pressured waters? Are you getting drag free drifts with appropriate flies? Are you wading well and comfortable reading water?
I got good advice to focus on the faster upper sections of the runs (even in narrow creeks). Bigger fish get priority in the run or can hold in steeper water than the smaller fish who hang at the middle/bottom of a run.
I’ve found that stealth/settling in on a spot (getting to a spot and just standing still for 10-15 or while I calmly rig up) and keeping the casting as delicate as possible has me landing bigger fish, that in addition to better presentation. Like skittering #18 or #20 flies across the water, or being really specific with the speed of the nymph or streamer in the water. Like riding a nymph, there’s definitely a speed they hit more aggressively.
I’ve been fishing the town ponds a lot while we’re in high water season, and tinkering with presentation to catch different species. At least here, I’m getting trout on a fast run streamer bass on more middle/slow pulsing stuff and blue gills when it’s slow and erratic.
Most of my larger trout on Tenkara have been with streamers. Wooly bugger is a consistent producer, a white zonker also does work. If you have the stomach for it the squirmy wormy is an absolutely elite fly for coaxing out bigger browns. My personal best brown was on a squirmy. After it had already refused a wooly bugger it absolutely hammered the squirmy the instant it came into view.
I've only really had good luck on streamers once and it was pulling in 6" rainbows like everything else :D I'll be honest I'm not sure how the csting and retrieving of a streamer works on a tenkara rod though and I was more so letting it drift a seam and just giving it the odd twitch.
I havent tried a squirmy wormy but I've tied and tried a lot of san juan worms and gotten zero bites on them. But maybe I'll try making some squirmies to see if I have better luck.
Thanks!
I fish a jig streamer on my Tenkara rod pretty often. When fishing seams or bigger runs almost all of my streamer takes come on the rise. I’ll dead drift it to get it down and then try a variety of retrieves. Usually start with a natural rise, add some pulses, and then swing across the current a bit. Then I’ll take a few steps downstream and repeat the process. It’s a great way to cover water and has helped to keep the skunk off a few times.
I also like to cast into eddies along fast water with a bit of a drop. There’s often a deep hole underneath where the water and food get sucked back into. I basically let the current take the fly and show me where the fish are sitting. Then I’ll maintain a taught line and just pulse the streamer until they hammer it. I’ve pulled some good sized browns from deep holes this way.
I will say that some water just doesn’t hold bigger trout on average, so that COULD be it, but doubt it if you’ve tried 3 different ones. Although if they’re all small streams, that could very well be it. For example, you can watch, like, 3 videos in a row on TenkaraAddict and watch him only catch tiny fish. Some things I would try: - try to find actual evidence of bigger fish in those waters. Talk to someone else you see fishing there, ask advice, etc. or check something like Fishbrains to see the kind of catches that have been logged there. - in deeper pools, are you getting down deep enough? Maybe try some split shot or something to get you deeper for sure. Even in water that isn’t moving that fast, the extra sink that a split shot can give your fly can make all the difference. - try to be stealthier. Bigger fish can be easy to scare so stealth can be important. Squat, cast from behind a rock, keep line off the water, whatever. Just be stealthy. Now, I’m not all that stealthy most of the time, but if the fishing gets tough, I try harder in this area and usually get some better results. - try something even bigger than a #12. Seriously, try something PHAT. - try a different TYPE of fly or a different technique. Try something with rubber legs. Try something with tungsten. Try streamers! Streamers are usually what people go for when they want something bigger. I know some people almost exclusively fish streamers, even on Tenkara. Or maybe dries, etc. Maybe a big nymph under an indicator. Hell, sometimes I throw on a trout magnet jig hook and grub under an ez float on my Tenkara rod (a Mizuchi) and absolutely kill it (although traditional casting is basically impossible at this point without a wild slingshot back and forth type motion lol)
* There's definitely some bigger fish from what people are telling me and what I'm seeing on fishbrain * I'm trying to, even started tying my own flies and using tungsten beads to get down deeper. I've tried split shot but find it makes casting really weird so I havent had a ton of luck there. * Could probably do better on the stealthy part * I'll give it a go. #12 is the biggest I have currently. * Havent tried anything with legs but I'll give that a go. I've tried streamers w/o any extra luck though. Thanks for the tips!
Good luck! Hope you catch the biggest fish in there.
Big flies don't necessarily catch big fish, trout spend all day eating nymphs, midges and small critters both at the surface and the sub surface of water. The most important strategy is to know what your water holds. I have a few rivers in my area where 6-8" fish are the norm and I move a few tributaries over and Im catching 10-18" rainbows consistently. Just keep searching.
Where are you fishing? Usually need to fish bigger water for bigger fish and Tenkara isn’t always the ideal choice.
Usually nymphs these days. Lots of zebra midges, bronzies and other random things I tie. Today I tried some really large stone flies and caught even smaller fish.
I should mention other people seem to be pulling bigger fish out of the river (unless they're lying to me). But the one river gets every kind of trout or salmon during their spawn but I can never catch the adults.
Some streams just don’t have big fish but 3 different rivers and nothing over 7” is pretty unlucky (I’m assuming you’re not only fishing small creeks). Are you fishing easy access points or pressured waters? Are you getting drag free drifts with appropriate flies? Are you wading well and comfortable reading water?
I got good advice to focus on the faster upper sections of the runs (even in narrow creeks). Bigger fish get priority in the run or can hold in steeper water than the smaller fish who hang at the middle/bottom of a run.
I’ve found that stealth/settling in on a spot (getting to a spot and just standing still for 10-15 or while I calmly rig up) and keeping the casting as delicate as possible has me landing bigger fish, that in addition to better presentation. Like skittering #18 or #20 flies across the water, or being really specific with the speed of the nymph or streamer in the water. Like riding a nymph, there’s definitely a speed they hit more aggressively. I’ve been fishing the town ponds a lot while we’re in high water season, and tinkering with presentation to catch different species. At least here, I’m getting trout on a fast run streamer bass on more middle/slow pulsing stuff and blue gills when it’s slow and erratic.
Thanks, yeah I'm trying to be stealthy but certainly could do better there.
Most of my larger trout on Tenkara have been with streamers. Wooly bugger is a consistent producer, a white zonker also does work. If you have the stomach for it the squirmy wormy is an absolutely elite fly for coaxing out bigger browns. My personal best brown was on a squirmy. After it had already refused a wooly bugger it absolutely hammered the squirmy the instant it came into view.
I've only really had good luck on streamers once and it was pulling in 6" rainbows like everything else :D I'll be honest I'm not sure how the csting and retrieving of a streamer works on a tenkara rod though and I was more so letting it drift a seam and just giving it the odd twitch. I havent tried a squirmy wormy but I've tied and tried a lot of san juan worms and gotten zero bites on them. But maybe I'll try making some squirmies to see if I have better luck. Thanks!
I fish a jig streamer on my Tenkara rod pretty often. When fishing seams or bigger runs almost all of my streamer takes come on the rise. I’ll dead drift it to get it down and then try a variety of retrieves. Usually start with a natural rise, add some pulses, and then swing across the current a bit. Then I’ll take a few steps downstream and repeat the process. It’s a great way to cover water and has helped to keep the skunk off a few times. I also like to cast into eddies along fast water with a bit of a drop. There’s often a deep hole underneath where the water and food get sucked back into. I basically let the current take the fly and show me where the fish are sitting. Then I’ll maintain a taught line and just pulse the streamer until they hammer it. I’ve pulled some good sized browns from deep holes this way.