# Upstream or down?



## Mr. A (Apr 23, 2012)

Wading has its hooks in me. But I have to admit that having not been a wader until my few trips this year, I always seem to have questions and feel like I should know the answers, but I just don't have enough time in the rivers and creeks IMO.

Anyway, in your opinion, does it generally matter if you wade up stream or down? Assuming no special obstacles, waterfalls, dams, landmines, boobytraps, or other "what if" types of nonsense.

I normally go up stream but have wanted to go down stream of my access point. The problem I have is finding an access point below where I want to be. fishing up stream going out and down stream coming in has made more sense to me when out. Just wondering if it really matters or not.

Thanks!

Mr. A


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## grub_man (Feb 28, 2005)

You can go either way, but I suppose it depends a bit on the size of the stream you are wading. Moving downstream in a small stream can make your presence known much more readily as the silt you stir up and small stream dwellers readily travel downstream. In a larger river, it won't affect nearly as much of the river.

In a small stream, if I wanted to fish a stretch below my normal starting spot, I would slowly make my way down, and perhaps target a few known feeding locations, push water, obvious eddies, etc. You may pick up a fish or two, or perhaps, you may trigger a feed by pushing forage to the fish. It's always worth checking things out, but if you aren't catching any, continue down, as you may be spooking fish on your way. Once you get as far as you want to go for the day, turn around and fish your way back up. It doesn't hurt to go a little past where you want to start, or take a break and let the last hole settle for 20-30min. before fishing an area you just walked through.

On the way back up you have the benefit of most of your disturbances being flushed downstream behind you, and you can approach fish holding areas a little more easily.

As you can see, I have a bias for fishing my way upstream, but it never hurts to check some things out on the way through, as your disturbances will settle down after a little time.

Joe


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

I am the opposite of most. I like to fish downstream for whatever reason it seems like I catch more fish going downstream. Either way though I think the key is to move as slowly as possible not to spook fish. I have fished in waters with cabrewers everywhere making noise though and that seemed to put the fish in a feeding frenzy. So who knows.


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

I'm with Grubman 200%.

But the cabrewer thing. That is a FACT. I don't know why it is. But without fail, when a couple canoes come through, you can just about catch fish in their wake.
Waders, nope. But a couple of canoes, even noisy canoes, smallies seem to light up.

So clearly it is best to JOG downstream, behind a canoe.


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

Kicking up dirt doesn't disturb the fishing. In fact, you are probably kicking up some goodies that are going to get the fish interested. And you can creep along a lot quieter with the water than against it. Anyway, don't step in the water unless you have to.


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

I've read all that hub-bub about kicking up goodies for the fish. I think all that's book learning mumbo jumbo. Upstream is the way to go!!!
Although I will say I've seen smallies hanging just downstream of a carp, presumably gorging on the dislodged goodies.

And don't get in the water unless you have to?.....phooey! The whole part of wading is getting in there with the fishies. Heck, I'll move 20 feet in through the water just to get a better angle for my cast.
I got my wet up to my boys just last weekend trying to get about 10 more feet so I'd be directly in line with the seam.
Didn't work. And my nutsack got chapped. So what do I know...


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

Well, you always get misunderstood on the internet. Fish it effectively, up or down. It doesn't matter. I didn't mean you don't get your balls wet. I've usually got my fishing bag hitched all the way up to my armpit to get deep in the water...Look at my avatar-- I meant you don't go sloshing through a foot of water on your way to a hole when there is a perfectly good gravel bank to walk along to get there. Pick your way as easy as possible and disturb as little as possible. 

Yeah, if you go wading like a cow and try to fish at your feet you got a problem.

If the book learning mumbo jumbo you are talking about is from Holschlag, well, maybe you got something. I read his book 15 years ago and pretty much thought he didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. He just made me not concern myself about kicking up a little dirt.


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## Mr. A (Apr 23, 2012)

Thanks fellas, I just needed to heart some opinions. I didn't really need to great about bubbagon's "bpys" though.

Mr. A


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## BASmead (Jan 11, 2008)

I've always had better luck going upstream. The concept, I guess, is that predators tuck away and and face upstream to ambush food that is flowing by in the current. And the whole debris flowing away from the water I'm casting makes sense. I did read an article somewhere about a trout guy that would kick up debris just upstream of the pool he was targeting because it released all manner of larvae and goodies into the flow, triggering feeding activity. Also, I've twice caught nice smallies trying to place a small jig in the path of mudding carp. The one bit my jig so near to the carps face that I thought for certain I had a take and was setting the hook in the carp. Really cool.

posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

streamstalker said:


> If the book learning mumbo jumbo you are talking about is from Holschlag, well, maybe you got something.


Nah, that came from Dan Gapen, the father of The Ugly Bug. He has a whole chapter on "Body fishing". Now stick with me on this as it gets a little weird:

He says that during fish migration periods (he's an Upper Mississippi River guy), that smallies make their way upstream and will hold behind each rock for 15-30 minutes before moving on. (OK, I'm with him so far).
He suggests that the angler get into waist deep water and remain perfectly still. That this will form micro eddies downstream of where your body is blocking the current. Wait 15-20 minutes, and by that time the migrating smallies will start using the micro eddies formed by your body, as holding spots as if behind a large rock.
He says stand there and cast downstream, using a Gapen Ugly bug of course.

I say PHOOEY again. Actually I have no friggin idea if it works or not. I just think the whole notion is kind of funny to picture.


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## imalt (Apr 17, 2008)

Bubbagon said:


> Nah, that came from Dan Gapen, the father of The Ugly Bug. He has a whole chapter on "Body fishing". Now stick with me on this as it gets a little weird:
> 
> He says that during fish migration periods (he's an Upper Mississippi River guy), that smallies make their way upstream and will hold behind each rock for 15-30 minutes before moving on. (OK, I'm with him so far).
> He suggests that the angler get into waist deep water and remain perfectly still. That this will form micro eddies downstream of where your body is blocking the current. Wait 15-20 minutes, and by that time the migrating smallies will start using the micro eddies formed by your body, as holding spots as if behind a large rock.
> ...


I might be overly tired from not sleeping last night but this makes some sense. Plus it would be hilarious if I could convince my buddies that this works. Seeing them all standing like statues in the river would be awesome. They might get upset though when I start casting into their micro eddy though.


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## streamstalker (Jul 8, 2005)

Bubbagon said:


> Nah, that came from Dan Gapen, the father of The Ugly Bug. He has a whole chapter on "Body fishing". Now stick with me on this as it gets a little weird:
> 
> He says that during fish migration periods (he's an Upper Mississippi River guy), that smallies make their way upstream and will hold behind each rock for 15-30 minutes before moving on. (OK, I'm with him so far).
> He suggests that the angler get into waist deep water and remain perfectly still. That this will form micro eddies downstream of where your body is blocking the current. Wait 15-20 minutes, and by that time the migrating smallies will start using the micro eddies formed by your body, as holding spots as if behind a large rock.
> ...





> _What makes body fishing work? During the peak of summer feeding activity, bass in large pools move around a fair amount looking for food. This is particularly true of smaller fish, which are quite numerous and don't have the best feeding/holding sites to start with. As these fish move around, they detect protection from the current (your eddy) and swim into it. The body fishing technique seems to work best on a gravel or pebble bottom, possibly because your feet stir up this bottom material and make the fish think food sources are being dislodged(64). _
> 
> Holschlag, Tim. Stream Smallmouth Fishing. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole, 1990. Print.




I laughed when I pulled out that book because I hadn't read it in years, and the chapter is titled, "Steam Stalking: Fishing on Foot." I didn't get my site name from that. I was drinking a few beers when I joined the site and started with "River Wader" and tried about five or six names which all got rejected because they were used before I landed on streamstalker. 

But I digress...There was one time I was fishing a local flow a few years back in one of my favorite spots. It is a classic outside bend with some riprap to hold the bank, and I was working it very slowly starting at 1:00 (direction) and moving down the dial. By the time I got to 5:00 I had been there a while, and I caught a fish on the retrieve right before it got back to me. By this time, I was pretty much facing downstream and had been in the spot for about 10 minutes, and I started picking up dink smallies one after the other. I got bored after about 5 or 6, and moved on, but I remember noting that Holschlag was spot on about that technique.

As a fisherman, I have to say that there is no substitute for experience. As a teacher, I have to say that there are a few things you can learn (or confirm) from books.


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## Bubbagon (Mar 8, 2010)

That's awesome. I'm sitting here right now with both books in front of me. But Gapen has a whole chapter devoted to body fishing. 
Both of them are pretty good books, or at a minimum good enough to give you something to chew on while you're out there in the water.


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