Exploring Small Streams

This little 4” native Brown rose to my first cast to a fishy looking spot on my initial trip to a small stream near Heber, AZ.

Small streams are a sacred place for many of us.  To some, they are more sacred than others, but nevertheless, they are places where we go to get away from the crowds and to achieve an inner sense of fulfillment.  My interests in small streams are purely fly fishing related, but the solitude and the unity with Mother Nature are gratifying enough to keep me going back for more, even without my rod in hand.

Arizona is home to a handful of small streams.  Chances are if you’re in the vicinity of a high country lake, there are at least 2 streams in the immediate area.  Since almost all of the lakes in AZ are man-made or have been modified by man and machine at one time or another, there are streams feeding into them and streams leading out of them, flowing through gorgeous landscapes and eventually into another lake or stream.  There are also streams you will find that come out of the ground, flow for a few miles, then quietly disappear back into the rocky ground. 

A spring creek inlet emerging from the ground that turns into a great fishery.

Some of these streams are no wider than a few feet across.  Some you may even be able to step across.  Some resemble miniature spring creeks and limestone creeks from back East.  Some of them mimic snakelike creeks freely meandering through a grassy field just like you see in fly fishing calendars and magazines.  Each person has his/her own personal favorite stream for different reasons.  One person may revisit a stream every weekend because of the great fishing.  Another person may hike further up the same stream every week in search of more and bigger fish.  Other people may frequent the same stream just because they found a favorite spot under a shade tree to have lunch, gaze at the sky, light up a cancer stick or spit chewing tobacco on the same rock, or just to take a nap.  To each his own, but for everybody’s sake, I hope that we all have enough sense to not ruin this place for others.

A pleasant surprise…..gorgeous brookie caught in an area thought to not have any brook trout in it.

A great way to find out where to go and what type of fish there are in these streams is to simply go out and explore them for yourself.  Buy a forest service map and free yourself from the online fishing reports and fly shop tips and make a gratifying discovery on your own.  Having a successful day will feel much like catching your first few fish on the first flies you have ever tied.  There will be times when you won’t catch anything, times when you won’t see anything, and even times when you won’t even find any water. 

On a recent excursion to a small stream, I was very disappointed to find abandoned littered campgrounds along the trail.  Further down, I ran into several empty sports drink bottles, followed by the occasional empty Styrofoam worm containers and glass PowerBait jars.  In a favorite pool of mine, I was disgusted to see an empty pack of Eagle Claw bait leaders floating around in the foamy scum line.  I left the stream that afternoon with my cargo pockets completely full and hiked the 3 miles back up to my truck cursing under my breath the whole way.

Are small streams plentiful enough for everyone to enjoy?  Yes and No!  If you are thoughtful, gracious, and respectful enough to preserve the stream and the fishery for yourself and the handful of other people that know about it and cherish it, then the answer is Yes.  A productive little small stream fishery can last a lifetime if the proper etiquette is practiced and you respect it.  On the other hand, if you intend on making a meal out of these naturally reproducing marvels and tell all your friends and strangers on the internet about it, then the answer will quickly be No.  It won’t take much for a precious fishery to be ruined once the information gets into the wrong hands.  A couple of Bubbas and a few stringers full of 8” fish can turn into disaster almost overnight.

During dinner one night, a non-fly fishing friend who saw some of my stream pictures asked me…”Terry, what’s up with those small fish?”.  At the time, I shrugged it off and think I said something like, “it’s fun”.  When I got home and started tying flies for a trip I was leaving for in the next few hours, I thought about that same question and answered it again in more detail to myself.  “Because I can and because I just wanted to show proof that I could catch those spooky little trout.”  I admire their beauty and admire the surroundings in which I have to travel through to catch them.  I thought to myself, “not everyone could do this, but if you really wanted to, you could.”  Not everyone would want to do this either, but to me it is very rewarding experience.  Crawling on the ground and peaking around rocks and trees just to catch a 4” fish might not sound appealing but once you’ve figured out how to do this consistently, I think that you will find that it is a very rewarding experience.

Stealth and patience will be rewarded.

Terry Chia

Fly Fishing Editor

FlyFishing@AZOD.com