Question on fishing for browns...

Never caught a Brown in my life so I want to try when we go to the GSMNP in two weeks.

Questions:

I know you want to “go deep”, but how deep? 4/5-6 feet? How do you set the rig up? Do you use some weight on the bug? Strike indicator ?

Thanks for the help, I’m a novice!!!

The one word I would use, especially for larger browns is stealth. Wear muted/camo clothing, move slowly, use trees, rocks, etc. to hide yourself.

JayR is RIGHT ON!

After the proper approach, fish to the depth of the water. Better yet, if you can spot them and know they're there, it's another advantage.

I'll target my flies to be within a foot of the bottom. If I spot my target, I'll try to cast so that when it gets to the trout that it nearly touches it's mouth! Trout can be lazy.

Jim Parks

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Grampus

JayR is RIGHT ON!

After the proper approach, fish to the depth of the water. Better yet, if you can spot them and know they're there, it's another advantage.

I'll target my flies to be within a foot of the bottom. If I spot my target, I'll try to cast so that when it gets to the trout that it nearly touches it's mouth! Trout can be lazy.

Jim Parks

---

Thanks Jim! So do you still go to the bottom with a standard 7.5 leader? 3X or 4X? Do you use a strike indicator? I'm still trying to figure out the setup.

I don't really use any special techniques for browns, unless I'm targeting a big one. Just fish, and you'll usually catch a pretty even mix of rainbows, browns, and specks, depending on what's in the creek you're fishing. I catch loads of browns on dries, nymphs, streamers, right along with the others. No special stuff required. This time of year, I would definitely be fishing deep with a pair of nymphs. Indicator or not just depends on what you're more comfortable with. Just don't use one of those big enormous ugly thingamabobbers that you can hear knocking against the rocks and has birds landing on it while it's floating down the creek. ;)

I’ll use a leader length that best fits the size of the stream. Small, tight streams I’ve gone down to a 5 ft leader. If the stream is larger (Little River) and it doesn’t have a lot of overhanging trees for me to catch, I’ll go 9 ft. But in general, I use 7.5 ft with a 2nd fly dropped off that.

As far as tippet, I’ll usually go 4x. If the water is low and clear, I’ll go 5x. If it’s dingy, I’ll take advantage of a stronger 3x. I’ve landed browns up to 25” on 4x fluorocarbon, so I feel comfortable with it in most situations.

Be be sure to regularly check your leader for cuts or abrasions. Rhododendron can really weaken it.

Hope this helps.

Jim Parks