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Discovering Fly Fishing with Jason Akl
Canyon Pocket Water
By: Jason Akl
 Some
of our favorite trout streams across America that are suppose to be a sure
bet for catching trophy trout are not always able to live up to all the
expectations placed on them. Especially during the hot summer months these
special rivers see hundreds or even thousands of anglers that drift
endless amounts of dries, nymphs and streamers in every possible color and
pattern. The fish in these so-called hotspots become wise to anglers; and
the chance of catching a trophy becomes slim due to the increased angler
pressure. The answer to catching trophy trout in these rivers is sometimes
as easy as taking a hop, skip and a short climb.
Some of the best fishing opportunities in every river can be found in what
is known as pocket water. Canyon pocket water is easy to identify from
other sections of the river because it has an almost white water rapids
appearance. With fast deep runs cutting between steep canyon walls, the
fish that are in these pocket waters are usually some of the biggest found
in the river. Their large size is usually coupled with a bad disposition
for flies trying to travel throughout their respective pools. One of the
main reasons that pocket water is so productive is because of the
extremely rough terrain to get to the fishable water. One of the key
concepts that I try to follow when fishing pocket water is that the harder
I have to work to get to a spot, usually the better the fishing will be
when I get there. I want to inject a word of caution to all: fishing
canyon pocket water is not for the faint of heart. Most of the best pools
in the canyons have long hikes through treacherous stretches of rock that
can come in the form of massive boulders or algae covered wash rocks.
Another good idea to follow is to not wear your waiters when trying to
fish this type of water. With the rough terrain, steep slopes, and fast
flowing water, a slip in your waiters on could prove deadly.
To be a successful pocket water fisherman, one must master a wide range of
techniques to coax the fish to bite. First of all, learning a good roll
cast will make your days on the water go much more smoothly. You will be
spending most of your time down in the canyons or near thick brush, so
there will not be room for long back-casts.
 Paying
attention to the water is the next most important point to consider. Some
fish will be found in the white wash of the rapids, but an equal number of
fish can be found on the outsides or breaks of fast pools. Targeting these
fish is rather easy; simply search out points of breaks in the current and
slow water and you will find actively feeding fish. Current breaks can
come in many different forms. When fishing canyon pocket water you will
usually find them behind large rocks or at the bottom of small waterfalls.
As for fly selection, I find it best to use weighted streamers that
contrast the water color. If the river I am going to be fishing is clear,
I like to use a black or olive pattern; and if the river has a dark tint
to it, I use a white or tan streamer. I have had some of my best luck
using wooly bugger and cone-head leech patterns. Check with your local
stream's regulations before going out to fish the pocket water of your
favorite river. Some rivers do not allow certain types of weights to be
used in flies, so you might have to purchase some lead-free alternatives.
When fishing canyon pocket water I use an upstream and cross direction to
my casting. The instant the fly retrieve, stripping a few inches at a
time. I try to keep the rod facing upstream so that the fly faces into the
oncoming water hits the water I start my this gives it the longest drift
possible. If the first few drifts go unnoticed by fish I usually cast
again across and upstream. This time I let the fly sink and drift
unaltered until it reaches the half-way point of the pocket that I am
fishing. Once it hits this point, I start again actively stripping in the
fly upstream- back to myself.
On a recent trip out to Yellowstone National Park I spent the first two
days fishing what I call "brochure spots". These are spots on well known
rivers that have easy car access coupled with low rolling meadows
providing anglers with easy walking and casting on the river. Sure, my
fishing partner and I caught fish but not anything that would justify a
twenty-hour drive and two eight-hour fishing days. On our third day in the
park, we decided to try the same river but this time fishing the river's
canyons and its pocket water. As we parked the car in the early morning
fog we looked for a spot that would allow us to enter the canyon below the
fast running water but still a good distance from the beaten paths of the
meadows. We hiked down the side of a steep cliff to the rivers edge where
we positioned ourselves on some small boulders. We noticed immediately
that there was a fewer number of tracks on the river bank. Our first casts
into a large pool yielded nothing and raised some doubts into our minds
about our choices but those doubts were soon to be settled. In a small
intermediate run with a downed pine I swung a large black leech streamer
downstream and was surprised with a beautiful 14 inch cutthroat. Minutes
later I was again dumbfounded, this time I hooked a majestic 15 inch
cutthroat. Within a matter of fifteen minutes and three meandering river
bends my friend and I had already eclipsed the amount of fish caught in
our first two days of fishing. Not only were the hits coming continuously,
but the size of fish being caught was significantly better than that of
the previous days. The further we worked our way up the canyon, the
rougher the walk became and the fewer tracks that were present.
 Near
the end of out day's journey, we entered a narrowing portion of the canyon
where the water became increasingly fast. After some careful wading and
exploring, we came upon a deep hole which I have never seen the likes of
before. It was turquoise in color and incased by a solid rock canyon on
three sides it also looked to be deeper than anything we had fished all
day. We positioned ourselves on top of a weathered granite boulder and
began to swing our flies into the large pool. The fish were every where
that our flies seemed to go. We spent the better part of two hours fishing
off of this rock, changing flies every so often to keep the fish
interested. We landed multiple fish in the 16-18 inch class and could have
spent the rest of the week fishing this spot. This deep pocket had
something special about it. It looked like the fishing hole that you have
been dreaming about for years, but was so much more because it was real
and we were there in that moment doing what we both enjoyed the most.
On the walk back we laughed to ourselves about our great day and wondered
why others had not tried tapping into this wonderful fishery. Inside I
know we both were thankful that others didn't know or want to venture to
the canyon pocket water. For now we would always have a place to go where
we could fish by ourselves and at the same time have the chance to land a
real trophy trout.
Tight lines and Smooth Threads,
Jason Akl
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