Brookie

Stealth is important on a small piece of water as MTB says. Don't concentrate on the slack water in pools where you see bull trout resting. Bull trout feed in areas where whitefish and trout feed. Dead drifting streamers works well. It's hard to dead drift in some currents though. Hope this helps.

Chernobyl ants are a tough pattern for hook setting. Lots of trout are attracted to Chernobyls but getting the whole thing in their mouth is another matter.

It is often said that walk and wade fishermen walk through some of the best water along the bank when fishing rivers. Downstream casting is one method to avoid disturbing the fish. What other methods work well without walking into the river?

Put them over your wading boots. Make sure you have a safety line attached to the fins because they don't float.

Hope you are feeling better Jim. Best wishes!

I am going to Veradero next week for some R & R. Might try a day of flats fishing if it isn't too much trouble. I read that the best fishing is a couple of hours east of Veradero near Las Salinas. Does anyone have recent experience fly fishing in this area of Cuba? Thanks in advance.

Excellent thread Don. Alberta should have done something 15 years ago. Allocating rod days would be the way to make a positive impact on the Alberta trout fishery. I wouldn't want that job.

Thanks MTB. Very moving. FFC is more than fishing.

Wading boots with metal cleats are the ticket to wading in fast current with slippery rocks. You still have to use common sense though. A wading belt is a good idea as well.

Congratulations Russ! He looks beautiful.

I caught three browns on the weekend that jumped high and continuously. Somewhat unusual IMO. Maybe because brownie spawning season is close. I also caught some rainbows that didn't jump once. Go figure.

I agree with Rusty. Try nymphing without an indicator once in a while. It works very well once you have confidence in the technique. If using a yarn indicator, lots of floatant will keep it buoyant for a long time.

Taking all possible slack out of the line while nymphing is extremely important IMO. Big fish can spit a nymph out in a microsecond. You must mend the line immediately after casting then strip all slack out as quickly. It takes line control to catch larger trout. It's a delicate balance between a natural drift and a relatively tight line.

One of the best threads I have seen on a FF board. I often wondered why hopper fishing changes dramatically from year to year. Some of the ideas and observations posted here help explain. Thanks!