Spring is here! Anglers get ready for the kickoff of trout season. Great hatches, great weather and overall great fishing is approaching us. With that said, follow this guide to make the most of fly fishing in the Spring.

Fly Fishing Gear

Rod, Reel, Line

When you are fishing rivers, we recommend the tried and true, 9-foot 5 weight fly rod. One of our personal favorites for top performance without breaking the bank is the Redington Vice. If you like a more moderate action rod, we like the Moonshine Rods Drifter. Pair that really with any 5 weight compatible fly reel and a quality WF line like the Rio Avid Trout and you are good to go for rivers.

If you will mostly be fishing smaller streams, we generally choose a 3 weight rod, if there is a lot of brush and cover that makes casting difficult we opt for a 7.5 foot model. With creeks we often experience fish that are a bit smaller in size so we like to use click-pawl drag reels to make the fight a little more fun and technical. 

If it is stillwater you are chasing after, then we use 1 of two rods, a 9-foot 5 weight or a 9-foot 6 weight. If we are bombing heavy indicator rigs from the bank or a float tube we use the a 6 weight. That little bit of extra backbone makes managing the rigs a bit nicer. If we are stripping streamers or even throwing dries we like to use the 9-foot 5 weight to make the fight a bit more fun. Feel free to use a heavier rod in stillwater and match the rod to the size of the fish you are fighting and flies you are throwing. Pair your rod with any reel that matches the rod as long as it is equipped with a decent drag system. I say to include the drag because some lakes can hold some hefty trout and if they decide to go for a longer than usual swim after taking your fly, you’ll have a better chance landing them if they are on the reel. 

Still water lines can vary and we can get super in depth about this but there really isn’t any need to. Whatever fly you are fishing, pair it with the appropriate line. If you are fishing streamers, use a sinking or intermediate line or a sinking leader to get the fly down to your target depth. If you are fishing indicators, go with a weight forward floating line or a line made specifically for indicators to reduce any frustrations. If you are fishing dries, your standard floating line that you use when river fishing, works great!

Extra gear

Packs, boxes etc.

Gear is something we all get lost in and something we either bring too much or too little of. For a more in depth look at what you should bring on the water, we recommend you check out our article, What to Carry in Your Fly Fishing Pack. This will cover a lot more items you should always carry with you on the water.

What we recommend is a couple of extra leaders, for river fishing we generally like 9-foot 3x - 5x tapered leaders depending on conditions. Tippet rings are also a necessity in our eyes. They save time tying on new tippet and also extend the life of your leaders. Ample amount of tippet, our go-to is usually 4x tippet so we carry a couple of spools. But staying stocked with different sizes will ensure you are prepared. Indicators are another thing to never leave home without. When you are fishing subsurface it’s good to have a variety of strike indicators in multiple sizes and styles to match whatever conditions you are nymphing in. Finally, a hat is an absolute essential to keep the sun out of your face and if the weather starts to warm up, dipping your hat in the stream can help to keep you cool while fishing. Check out our different fly fishing hats here.

Where to Fish

Locations

When Spring rolls around, the options start opening up on areas where you can fish. Not only can you fish the rivers that have been open throughout the winter, but you can also start to check out still waters as the ice melts away and explore mountain creeks as regulations and conditions allow. 

Where to find the trout

Knowing where to find fish is probably the single most important thing about catching fish. Having the perfect fly tied on does you no good if you are casting to an area with no fish. Below, I dissect some key areas to look for trout to increase your chances of catching fish.

Rivers and Streams

In river systems, this is the time of year when you’re going to more than likely experience increased flows from snow melt often referred to as “runoff.” If your local river or stream is still able to be fished during this period there’s a few places to look for trout as they begin to feed and become more active as weather warms up.

Current seams are an excellent place to look for fish. If you have been fishing for a while you probably already know that fish like to hang out on the slow edge of a quick current to find food. These current seams are attractive to trout for two main reasons. One, trout can sit in the slow current adjacent to the fast seams to reduce the amount of energy they waste. Two, it allows trout to browse the fast water and quickly snatch insects that have been caught in the current. 

Pocket water is another place to look for trout and is one of our favorite places to look for fish. Pocket water, simply described, is a pocket of slow water that is formed by an object or contour of a river. For example, a boulder in the middle of a stream will do a great job of breaking up an existing current and redirect it around the boulder. Trout will often sit in these pockets of water and wait for food to pass by in the current that has been redirected by the boulder. 

Stillwaters

A great option when runoff is in full effect are your local stillwaters. Lakes and ponds can be tricky to fish because they don’t always have clearly defined current seams and structure like rivers and creeks do. 

When you are fishing in stillwaters, a good place to start is by inlets where streams flow into the lake or pond. Inlets are great sources for food and trout will usually position themselves so that they can catch the insects and baitfish that flow in from the creek or river.

Trout will also hold in areas where vegetation grows for the same reason as inlets, because food is abundant. Insect larva and small baitfish will use grass and weeds as protective areas and they are rich in nutrients. 

Finally, look for structure. Fallen trees and boulders as well as islands offer amazing holding areas for trout and are a great place to strip streamers through in the Spring. 

A helpful hint for when you are fishing indicators is to use a pair of forceps to clip onto the end of your fly line and drop it down to the bottom of the lake to determine the depth you’re fishing. Once you have figured out the depth of the water, set your indicator so your bottom fly is about 6 inches above the bottom of the water. Doing this will put your fly in the strike zone of cruising trout.

What to Fish

In the Spring, nymphs, dry flies, and streamers all work well. Below we have divided these flies into 3 categories and have given some of our favorites to fish in both rivers and stillwaters

Nymphs

Rivers

As the hatches start to get larger and more diverse with the arrival of Spring, our options begin to broaden with the types of flies that become available to fish. Some of the nymphs we like to fish in the Spring are:

1. Pheasant Tail nymph - sizes 16 - 12
2. Frenchie (pink / orange hot spot) - Sizes 16 - 12
3. Guides Choice Hare’s Ear - Size 16 - 14
4. Zebra Midge (Try several color combos) - Size 20 - 12
5. Pat's Rubber Legs - Size 12 - 8
6. Soft hackle - Size 16 - 12

Stillwaters

1. Balanced Leech - Size 12 - 6
2. Bomber chironomid (multiple color combos) - Size 18 - 10
3. Zebra Midge (Various Colors) - Size 20 - 12
4. Scuds (Various colors) - Size 16 - 12
5. Egan’s Frenchie Chironomid - Size 14 - 10

Dry Flies

Rivers and Streams and Stillwaters

1. Elk Hair Caddis (Carry multiple colors)  - Size 12 - 18
2. Parachute Adams - Sizes 12 -16
3. Griffiths Gnat - Sizes 12 - 20 (we find this fly works in a variety of hatches and will fish it in several sizes)
4. Stimulator - Sizes 12 - 16
5. F Fly - Sizes 14 - 20 (Great on small creeks and finicky fish)

Streamers

We keep it simple with streamers. No need to overcomplicate it in our opinion. We will often fish the same streamers in both still waters and rivers with the exception of maybe a couple. When it comes to streamer colors we usually stick to three main choices: White, black and olive. Of course we will also throw different colors and we always let the fish dictate what we throw, but those are the main colors we toss. These are our “go-to” patterns:

1. Wooly bugger
2. Peanut Envy
3. Conehead Zonker

Again, we will throw much more than just these patterns, but they work and they are confidence patterns for us, especially when fish are chasing streamers. We like to carry a variety of sizes to make sure we can match what the fish want. But for streamers, these patterns and colors will bring you success throughout the spring season.

Tactics and tips

I’ve laid out some useful tips below to help mitigate some of the frustrations you might experience on the water and some ways to make your spring fishing trips more successful.

1. Don’t stand right on top of the fish.
2. If you aren’t catching fish on nymphs change your depth, it’s often not the fly that’s the problem.
3. If you see fish rising but they won’t take your dry fly, try an emerger pattern.
4. If you are new to fly fishing, try swinging a soft hackle. It’s a great way to get introduced to fly fishing and still have success.
5. Talk to the local shop. Especially if the body of water is new to you, some local intel can help take the guesswork out of figuring out where the fish are and what they are taking.

Conclusion

Overall, spring fishing is an amazing time to be on the water. Bugs start hatching, water warms up and the fish become more active. Let the fish always tell you what they want. Be sure to check out our different categories of hats and apparel to get geared up for your next fishing trip.