Plunge Pools Techniques

[NJpatbee]

I spend much of my time chasing wild trout on smaller streams and those with plunge pools have always been a challenge - I am talking about smaller streams and brooks that are crystal clear and loaded with great looking plunge pools where, especially in the Spring, the water at the top of the pools is loaded with air bubbles, and the pools can be anywhere from 18 inches to 5-6 foot deep. I have had some success fishing the sides of the plunge pools upstream with nymphs or dries, and lesser degree of success fishing a soft-hackle downstream to the tail of the pool casting on from well above the pool itself. I catch some trout, but I always feel that I should have done better.

Does anyone have any other plunge pool techniques to recommend?

 

[Broadheadscreek]

Hi NJPB ,
Love fishing plunge pools and what I like to do and have had great success with is a high floating dry dropper combo . I fish up stream mostly on small streams so I toss it right up where the water dumps in. Some times you loose track of your dry for a second but it pops back up and you are on your way.When things warm up the dry usually disappears pretty quick. But with the colder water temps it is the nymph that gets the most attention. I like to use a beadhead prince and maybe one small shot behind it if needed , tied off the bend of the dry on 5x so it gets down quick. Give this a shot and see how it works for you put lots of frogs fanny on your dry to help keep it up on top.
Fishing down stream on a wild trout stream just doesn't work unless it is a rather large stream the fish are spooky and any unnatural movement or break in the water flow is detected by these wary fish.

http://burntdrags.blogspot.com/

 

[emoussa]

I sometimes try to cast above the pool right into the little waterfall and let my nymph go all the way to the bottom of the pool with the main current. I've had limited success but strike detection is somewhat difficult. Each pool is different though and sometimes snags make this technique impossible.

 

[JeffK]

I find much of the time they are on the side or tail, so stalk carefully.

The flow of a plunge pool usually favors one side or the other and the fish tend to be right against the bank looking into the flow. They also feed in the tailout, but will spook quick to the deeper spots. Always approach the tailout carefully.

One cold water pattern I have been becoming more and more keyed into is that the fish rest in the deeper water, but often move to the shallower water against the banks to feed. Lot's of feeding fish seem to hold tight to the bank around holes.

In summer, they tend to be under the foam a lot of places.

 

[coolkyle]

If it's a longer pool, I've seen many instances of fish crowding the foam towards the tail, especially when a hatch is on. The pool is a great hiding/resting place, and the fish won't go that far to feed, and it's always worth checking riffle/pocket water immediately downstream, you might find lots of fish.

 

[AKSkim]

NJPB plunge pool fishing, is the one single thing that each year always
brings me to head south to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Fly and line control is paramount, second and which for me is the hardest
part of plunge pool fishing is being "quick" on the hook set. I like to think
I can get my speed back up within a days fishing. Just have to be on edge
at all times when that fly hits the surface. Again, Line control.

You don't want to throw your fly into the cascading water for it to be
sent below the surface.

Stealth as in all fishing is all so important. Blend into the background,
no quick movements, stay out of the water if possible, use cover
to hide behind when ever possible.

Short casts are very important, to get into that postion you need to get
there without being discovered. shorter casts, less chance of drag.

Fish "The Bubble Lines" put that cast to the soft side of the bubble line,
it is their main source of food so they will be looking and very quick to
move and take your fly.

Smoky Guide Ian Rutter believes that a fish will come up once for a fly
and rarely a second time on smaller plunge pools, so the first cast takes
on far greater importance. Brook Trout like the softer water, it is why you
cast to the softer side of a bubble line.

BRK TRT use of bushy fly patterns like his Ausable Bombers on small
streams float high and can be seen. I enjoy smaller Wulff patterns,
because when I was first in the Smokies fishing plunge pools that was
the pattern Ian put on the end of my tippet, so why change success.

 

[emoussa]

That excellent post reminds me to plan a trip to the Smokys in the near future.

 

[BRK TRT]

NJPB
When fishing these small streams......... Stealth is the most important thing to your success, very important. The small streams I fish are plunge pool central, and this is home to the better fish.

I like to fish a Bomber, by itself most of the time, some times I'll hang a dropper of a 16 or 18 nymph especially now with cold waters. I fish it downstream, allowing the fly to be sucked under and then letting it pop up or get swirled around under water.
The trout will take it at any time. You can loose some flies this way, but you'll take a lot of fish too.


Brk Trt

 

[redietz]

and lesser degree of success fishing a soft-hackle downstream to the tail of the pool casting on from well above the pool itself.

Try the soft hackle (or better yet a team of soft hackles) upstream instead of down. Cast into the the corners -- between where the water is bubbling over and the eddies on either side. Stay tight to fly, but don't pull it. If the fly wants to either into the fast water or the eddy, let it.

 

[streamfisher]

For me, I just say to myself - this is the square inch of water where a fishy is going to taste my oferring and only have it in his mouth for less than a second. and then I set the hook.


I've posted this pic before. This is a plunge pool where I would drop my copper wrapped nymph or a black wet #20. It's a small plunge so feel my strike zone is about 2 foot square.

 

[NJpatbee]

Thanks for all of the great tips! I will give each of these techniques a try this season and also try to work on my stealth - not quite the soft-footed native I used to be 40 years ago. I also tend to shy away from droppers but it may be time to use them more often. The photos by BHC and AK hit the nail on the head regarding the type of pools that I know hold many more trout than those I can attract to my fly.

 

[strike proof]

AK: I don't post often, but I needed to break silence to thank you for this helpful and educational post. It is obvious that you are passionate about this aspect of fishing. I look forward to improving my small stream presentations and utilizing a lot of the wisdom in this thread.

 

[AKSkim]

AK: I don't post often, but I needed to break silence to thank you for this helpful and educational post. It is obvious that you are passionate about this aspect of fishing. I look forward to improving my small stream presentations and utilizing a lot of the wisdom in this thread.

Thank you very much for the very - very nice post.

However, if you go back and re-read my PM; there is another section to it that you didn't post.

Oh never mind, if you can't do it right the first time.....