By Stephen Tomasovich
I was standing waist high on the east side of the Chattahoochee River at Buford Dam across from Haw Creek. I was fishing a popular run, trying to replicate my success from a couple weeks prior, when I ran into a pod of recently stocked trout. A football field away entering the river they came, three comp guys with their big nets and chest packs. âMan I canât stand those guys,â I muttered to myself as they proceeded to catch a ton of fish in water I walked through minutes ago, laughing and bantering about.
Then it hit me, I was jealous. They werenât doing anything wrong, just having fun catching fish in water I didnât think held anything. In fact, as I began to further self reflect, they were the group that posted quality information on the forum I had learned so much from. I was the one with the problem.
Turn the page a couple of years and I began to dip my toes in competitive fly fishing. I have met some of my best friends and learned a ton from the competitive experience. It is a very small group of folks, and if you fish in one you are likely to compete with someone from Team USA or the national youth team, high level anglers. I thought I would share a few of the things I have leaned that really impacted my ability to catch trout.
Find someone really good to fish with at least once. I fished with some pretty good guys before I competed, but when I saw just how many fish the best comp fishermen were catching, I didnât know that was possible. I knew then that I had a lot to learn, and still do.
Fish donât just live and feed in big pools and deep runs. Competitive fly fishing forces you to fish areas we call B and C water; the shallower stuff, the off the beaten path stuff. Being able to catch fish in these areas make fishing crowded water so much more enjoyable.
If you arenât catching a good number of fish, it is unlikely that âthey just werenât biting todayâ. After all, trout live on a treadmill and eat breadcrumbs. Change something â flies, technique, location etc. until you figure it out. And if you never figure it out, at least you made the effort to change up.
I also learned about patterning trout, much like a bass angler. On any given day, or even during the course of the day, trout may be feeding more actively in certain water types. Once you figure that out, target that type of water.
Being competent in multiple techniques is a key to being a good angler. Comp guys get pigeonholed as the euronymphing guys. And while the method is widely used in competitions, the top guys know how to dry drop and fish a streamer with the best of them.
I figured out that barbless hooks donât lose fish but sure are better for them, and me. Big nets are good even if your fish are small. Competitive fishing is less about competition and more about camaraderie. While I could go on, I will end it there.
Fish on-Big T
Stephen âBig Tâ Tomasovich is the owner of Big T Fly Fishing, Outfitter and Ecommerce Fly Shop. Visit them at 106 Grand Ave, Suwanee, Georgia, or look them up online at bigtflyfishing.com