Fly Fishing with Cressbugs and Shrimp for trout

Fly Fishing Firehole River - Yellowstone National Park

Fly Fishing with Cressbugs and Shrimp for trout produce many nice fish year round in many areas.  Many of our richest trout streams have great populations of shrimp (scud) and cress bugs (sow bugs).  The greatest numbers are found in the sections of the streams downstream of where the springs enter the main streams.  Depending upon the volume of the stream and the springs the productive areas to fish may reach well over 100 feet downstream of these springs.  Here are my three favorite tactics to fish these areas with Shenk’s Cress Bugs sizes 14 and 16 and a Shrimp size 14.

1.  If the stream is one to two feet deep along the bank below the springs you can often actually see the trout feeding.  Here you can go one-on-one with each trout by casting your Cress Bug two feet upstream of him.

2.  If the water is three feet deep or more below these springs a better ploy is to fish the whole area upstream dead drift using a MFS Indicator to help detect the strikes.

3.  If the stream is over 30 feet wide I often use an across stream presentation by casting my Cress Bug tight to the bank below the springs.  A very slow two inch fly-twitching action is very effective.  I usually start right below the spring and continue this method for at least 100 feet on downstream.

The abundance of natural cress bugs and shrimp in the rich areas of these streams often prompt many large trout to move into these areas to feed so be sure to devote extra time to fishing here.