Frogge,
I’ve been bashed here before for my comments/opinions concerning fly fishing with such things as “What's with the 'holier than thou' b.s.?,” and “Your remarks are so illustrative of the snob mentality”, and “just more pure bunk”, and “So for those of us who are not as 'Pure' as you”. I think you get my drift.
Ironically, the old-timer here with 6 billion posts who said those things about me goes by the name of Mayfly. Go figure??? LOL
So, I must say that my comments/opinions here in no way reflect the views of North Eastern Fly Fishing or it’s members.
Anyway, there are a lot of good books with the info I’m giving you, so don’t think I’m giving you any secrets here. If you want secrets you have to PM me.
First off…I love to dry fly fish, however I do use nymphs as well. But when I approach a stream; I’m hoping to see rising trout. This being said, I don't approach a stream and start fishing. First I observe what going on around me.
Are there rising trout? If there are, I look for an air bubble in the rise form. When a trout takes a fly on the surface, it takes in air. Then when it goes back down it expels the air, forming a bubble which rises to the surface. If there’s no bubble, then most likely it’s taking emergers just under the surface.
Are there bugs floating on the water? Yes, I take out my trusty little minnow net and catch a few bugs that are floating on the surface. If I don’t see any, I hold the net in the current just under the surface for a minute or two and then see what I’ve netted. I love to “match the hatch” when I fish. By the way, I also carry tweezers, a magnifying glass and a small jar of 90% isopropyl alcohol. These can all be purchased at hobby town. This way if I catch a bug I cannot identify, I take it home and tie some up for my next trip. 90% alcohol is the best for preserving bugs. I have some bugs in jars that are 8 years old. Don’t ask me why, I just do. Also, look for bugs caught in the nearby spider webs, crawling up on the rocks and logs, on grasses and weeds, etc. and look for birds overhead catching bugs. Now that I have some bugs, I have an idea what I’m going to start fishing with. Either nymphs, emergers, duns, or spinners. This will change throughout the day, so I have to keep my eyes open to what’s going on around me.
As for sucking bugs out of a trout’s stomach…I don’t. I’ve watched guys doing it and to me it looks like their having sex with the fish. He cups his trout firmly in his hand, presses it against his crotch, and sticks his long tube down…sucks…lets not go there. Poor fish, worked all day catching bugs only to be hooked and netted, then have its lunch sucked out of it. I just don’t see the need, plus I don’t have one of those sucky sucky things.
For water temps I use the standard water thermometer you can buy at most fly shops. Temps do vary from spot to spot, but I find that it only differs by about 4 degrees whether in the current or a slow moving pool. But, that’s on the streams I fish, and I’ve never taken a reading more than 4’ down. As for fish feeding activity and water temps, I don’t buy into that except for when the water reaches 70 degrees. I fish all year and have had good days when the water was 68 and also when it was 38 degrees.
For what it’s worth I hope this helps.
Enjoy the experience, not just the fish.
Cdog