I'll Start - Why I Love Small Streams

I'm not gonna post any pics of the little blue lines I fish closet to home.
I have done pretty good on the N. Umpqua in the fly only water.
Great pics from the rest of you guys
 
I learned to fly fish on many small streams in Utah and my reasons I enjoy small streams have already been mentioned, but here are a few more reasons. They relax me faster than being on large rivers, no drift boats or pontoon boats around, I feel more connected because I like seeing the rocks in the water, the sudden turns, the transition to a pool excites me because fish may be there and my heart beat increases, the trickling sounds of water, the fact that I won’t drown in a shallow stream, the bug life, the small trails, dry flies or just high sticking a small nymph.
Overall I just feel more connected to nature and catching a trout is a bonus.

3D0D8F45-930B-4779-AE91-FE6CAF3B1402.jpeg
 
Jim, if I get to MT to fish this year, and I hope that I do, I’ll help you down the bank of some small streams. Or, I’ll bring a boat and row you!
Not need help getting close to my Skinny water. The banks of the streams I fish are even with the water.
 
cool photo! Is that "tilt shift"? I've heard the term but I don't understand it.
It comes from large format photography - sheet film and view cameras and later smaller film cameras with perspective control lenses. Those camera have 'movements' where you can change the orientation of the lens and the sheet of film. Some of them you can change both. Things like shifting the lens to be off center from the film while keeping the focus plane parallel to the film plane, tilting the lens so the focus plane is not aligned to the plane of the film. Or both at the same time. The most common use is to adjust for key holing or converging verticals with wide angle lenses - trees looking tilted at the edge of the frame and such. It can also be used to produce the 'miniature effect' you see in that photo.

Based on the Scheimpflug Principle.

As in so much of photography, there are now digital effects that can do things that used to be purely mechanical. I wax nostalgic about carrying around my 4x5" and 8x10" large format cameras until I actually pick one up. No effing way I'm lugging that shit around any more.
 
I view small streams being are similar to small towns, more relaxed as opposed to large rivers being similar to large cities. busy and stressful. Flyfishing is meant for a person to take their mind off everyday worries and commune with nature. Flyfishing gives a person a more meaningful reason for being outdoors. The sound of the rushing water relaxes a person just like listening to the radio in the car..
 
I think she was just trying to find out where your honey holes were.. ;)
They are here in Montana. I gave away all my honey holes in Washington. But I just figured out how to load pictures on here so I'm gonna stick a few up on here in Montana
 

Attachments

  • IMGP0717.JPG
    IMGP0717.JPG
    128.2 KB · Views: 23
  • IMGP0747.JPG
    IMGP0747.JPG
    133.3 KB · Views: 24
  • IMGP0745.JPG
    IMGP0745.JPG
    128.3 KB · Views: 23
  • IMGP0667.JPG
    IMGP0667.JPG
    129.3 KB · Views: 25
  • IMGP0673.JPG
    IMGP0673.JPG
    129.5 KB · Views: 25
When I lived down South (4th - 8th grade) I loved fishing those small streams. If y'all ever watch Moonshiners on TV, lots of shots of some great streams. I envision, I would fish that hole, those ripples, below that small fall, the undercut on that bend. Brings back great memories...

I have hiked all over the Northwest, but those Southern streams are different in a good way...

Edited to add: There is something about limestone creeks that are crystal clear that can not be matched.
 
Last edited:
I used to fish T creek with a hatchery named after it. One of my favorite streams to fish back in the day. I remember fishing it one day and my fly went straight up stream and kept going. That was not a trout! I went back after the logging. Such a SHAME! Never been the same since...
 
Last edited:
I LOVE small streams, and am fortunate to have several as home waters.

AM-JKLWgM9YHlK5tQF0ffxk7yJAqxP6IX7hh5tpYYUYJ3eXsiu_l66sIuw8AAaIxCWeGkWu4ypa1LQaAlHOh3HrBNXrK5hqiTZCqtXpBb4tifu5nBCWhdy9oGkiHFu2R5nQwayZ2XpdGXclL7KwA4iEfPOje=w600-h800-no


AM-JKLUvrtfPw86lnRrqrcM5GOKVpaZwFs8uOpRHhwOdZ38IPOSHwkXbeZWpl5N8h_8eFKija597aFdxe3OcGRmddXhVhrye6P01ZUlTERQt9_-QdU9SpMcj5X_f1oUlqUUbnxfS28s3MDS2bBgLSronZAe3=w800-h586-no


AM-JKLVuNDHjbvEx3u2vVv_uhxsNPYZfWpLG_S0TMrAQS-QRbIrLqaYNSkkdBYbkgCF3bKkvVxVMAHXCvCnK85qYV-SBdWbPWtajHi4M48yH_UmZoP0VS3kjVhWYLHno1ZeFGPZHbr_nqPzgqGTzxAOBTFjF=w1024-h768-no


AM-JKLXnJPkMMlc-druj1XF6to9X3SXphU0NYvK1P1JZGwP3PDQsTuZJLX_G42nHZaLWOpfBNIZj2R13D309iH53bfSE9XHLLdBbFdvTol8FQMTC7VYZJe6n-BpMr7Q3EH41RTsnNnkzm1KPoIzm3ZvIjbRM=w1024-h768-no


AM-JKLWVAlbeRtUpIzyraR1DlkmZBzVQjLOyKWzEdoOb0hsmAEZe24DZFq1RgW6ws6CrbZB-sD3ZVSvvFRkRWRtSfFnG6tTTWQQhMElsvzBgp97sxKN_TlyDCKDJtJUfCQyMvAyAMXMR9CeFQKDasTgWMKrW=w1024-h768-no


AM-JKLXqQbwVrtHgqKxOelwpk6y7obC5g_BphDtd1Kq7a_LJbe_S-qiqRIP4TZ0ScQ3j3iJotq1At6hRfMK3kHVVzf3DP7g1rjyMM961umEqb-l4pMmyt_IWYfP3T3LObykyQLsBd3guDUs_AFuwBGoBqJAJ=w1024-h564-no


Kenneth
 
I have a few places here in Montana that I fish in the middle of the week that doesn't have anybody on it but Me. I usually find these places by exploring and driving around the Backroads of Montana. I was headed to Long creek one day and discovered that I had a flat tire. I stopped right in the middle of the road to change my flat. It took me a while to do that because I don't move that fast anymore. I got it done after a while. I was way out in the boonies. There was just no traffic on this road. Never saw another soul that day.
 
These are great pictures guys. Definitely giving me an itch to hit the smaller water with the 3wt or even better, try out the Tenkara that is just sitting right now.
 
Back
Top