10 Ideas for Fly Fishing Solitude

How to Avoid the Crowds!

We’ve probably all had this experience at one time or another. We’re wade-fishing a beautiful river, greatly enjoying the sights and sounds of the outdoors as we work a promising hole. We’ve also been looking upstream as we plot our future course, looking forward to the fishing to come. Then, all of a sudden, a group comes in and sets-up fishing in the very next hole above you, the prime spot you’d been so much looking forward to. Then, before you know it, another group slots-in right behind you. Now you’re pinned-in and future movement on the water will be very limited. This is a common scenario on many popular waters as the sport of fly fishing has become more and more popular.

Contrast that scenario with the other extreme. You and your buddies have just reached a remote lake, deep in the wilderness. You had an outfitter take you in on horseback 10 miles from the trailhead, which was itself quite remote. Then your group backpacked an additional 10 miles the next day to a remote chain of alpine lakes and headwater steams. The lakes and streams are yours alone, as is the opportunity to catch unpressured trout that have likely never seen a fly before! You’re 20 miles from the nearest trailhead, and there likely are only a few people within many miles of you. Check out my books on Spot Pack Flyfishing if this type of extreme sounds appealing to you.

Those are two extreme scenarios. There are some practical ways by which fly anglers can find fishing opportunities that lie somewhere between the two. They are planned and intentional steps that anglers can take to find great fishing and avoid water that is overcrowded. One piece of fishing etiquette that I’d like to offer, before listing my 10 ideas for fly fishing solitude, is that if you arrive at a lake or stream and see other anglers, try to give them space if at all possible. That doesn’t mean to give them room in the hole they’re in and to jump in the one right above them. It means giving them several holes, room to advance up the stream, if possible.

Here are my top 10 ideas!

1 – Distance yourself from the parking lot: Obvious, right? This means to hike, or better yet backpack, a minimum half-mile away from where everyone else is parked. Often, the further you get from the parking lot or trailhead the better the fishing will be. A great example of this is in a place like Yellowstone National Park. It’s a place I try to go every year, if possible. There are millions of people in the park every summer. Yet, those who are willing to walk a mile from the parking lot will leave 95% of the crowds behind. Of those 5%, probably only 1% (or less) are dedicated fly anglers. This also works on popular rivers. Plan on walking at least a half mile, even committing to bypassing holes that look good, because you know the area close to the parking lot will fill up with anglers. Backpacking, obviously, will further remove you from the crowds. Be careful though, if you pack to a well known destination you still might be surprised to find a lot of people there as well.

2 – 4-Wheel drive and disburse camp: First of all, the further you can drive or fly away from a major population center the better. Next you’ll want to make sure you get off from any major interstates and explore. Now, let’s take it even a step further. Go to water only accessible by dirt roads. If you have a 4-wheel drive vehicle, using high clearance only roads will even further remove you from crowded fishing areas. For years our family has planned trips using the DeLorme Colorado Atlas & Gazetteer which has very detailed maps, clearly showing roads that are 4-wheel drive and high clearance only. A similar gazetteer is available for most states. Be prepared to camp when you get there. Such a long drive to such an area will likely require overnight stays. Besides, once there you won’t want to come out right away anyway.

3 – Fish on weekdays: Not much description is required for this suggestion, other than to say there are far many more people camping, backpacking, and fishing on the weekends. National Parks may not be impacted in quite the same way because visitors to the parks are often there for extended stays. National Parks can be busy seven days a week.

4 – Access private water: Here are five ways to gain access to private water; 1) rent a cabin where access to private water is included, 2) hire a fishing guide that can take you to water that is private, 3) join a fly fishing club that has leases on private water, 4) gain access from a friend owns or has access to private water, or 5) buy your own riverfront or lakefront property.

The points above I’d like to highlight are the first and the fourth ones. Regarding cabin rentals, often when planning an overnight trip anglers either camp in the national forest or book a hotel room in a town close to the water they want to fish. Consider taking the time to look online for rental cabins on property that includes private water access. My friends and I have done just that each of the last two years. We booked a cabin, on one of the most famous rivers in the state, that granted us access to over a mile of the river. It cost us a little more than a hotel would have cost, but it has been well worth it.

Regarding joining a fishing club, for a long time I told myself I would never pay to fish. After all, there is so much publicly accessible land with fishable water on it. The problem for me is that so many people have moved to Colorado that the public access points on our good rivers almost always draw a crowd. I told my wife one time that I was thinking of joining one of these fly fishing clubs when I retired. After all, it’s not that different from joining a golf club or something like that. To my complete surprise, she said I ought to do it now! Her argument was that now is when I need it. I almost always go fishing on weekends, like everybody else, because I’m working from Monday through Friday. Once retired, I’ll be able to go during the week when there aren’t as many people. It made perfect sense, so I accepted an offer from a friend to join a club with him. I discovered that it’s wonderful to fish private water. There’s a whole different mentality, that’s more relaxed, never having to worry if the good holes are already taken or will soon be taken. Another advantage is that good sections aren’t fished every day. Instead they are often given rest between bookings.

5 – Buy or borrow some kind of boat or watercraft for lakes: There are all kinds of shapes, sizes, and costs of lake watercraft. Options include nice boats with motors, kayaks, canoes, pontoon boats, and float tubes. The key here is to get off crowded shorelines and gain access to the entire lake. My family grew up with a canoe that we would take turns in on various lakes. While others appeared to be relegated to spots on shore we always had freedom of movement to go up and down shorelines, varying our distance from shore, to find where the fishing was best.

Buying some form of watercraft doesn’t have to be an expensive option. Float tubes, for example, can be very inexpensive. I used a float tube for years, kicking around many lakes. The advantage of a float tube is that your rod is always in your hand to set the hook on strikes. The disadvantage is the work of having to kick around lakes. My father bought himself a single person pontoon boat when they first became available. Rowing across a lake appeared so much easier than kicking my way across, so I followed his lead and bought my own. I decided upon the Skykomish Sunrise made be Dave Scadden. I love that boat, and highly recommend it. I’ve had wonderful days with my dog sitting on the platform behind me while I fished. I have a lot of stories about that, but will have to save them for another day. Lastly, fishing kayaks have become very popular. I can’t really speak to them because I’ve never been in one, but they’re most definitely an option to consider.

6 – Float a river: Floating a river can be another way to leave the crowds behind. Be careful though, because on certain rivers, like the Green and the Madison, river traffic can be significant and you might still feel quite crowded. Floating a river is a lot of fun. I grew up walk-and-wade fishing and am just now learning to float and fish rivers effectively. I have a Dave Scadden Dragonfly XT2 that has been an excellent boat. It has many positive traits, but also some limitations as well. Whether or not it’s the right boat for you depends entirely on how it’s intended to be used, and in what situations.

7- Fish smaller tributaries: Another suggestion for avoiding crowds is to fish tributaries and smaller headwater streams as opposed to prominent rivers. The fish will likely be smaller on average, thought that’s not always the case. Fish can grow to respectable sizes even in small streams as long as there are pools deep enough for them to live in year-round and if there is plentiful food. Headwater streams in close proximity to lakes may also hold nice migratory fish. However, even though nice sized fish are possible, it’s still much more likely you’ll be fishing for smaller fish when fishing smaller water. The choice then becomes, what do you prefer? Would you rather catch a 12″ cutthroat in a small headwater stream you have all to yourself or an 18″ rainbow out of a more crowded river. There is no right or wrong answer because both are fun.

8 – Giving others space will by definition give you yourself space: At the beginning of this article I mentioned the etiquette of giving others space when you first arrive at your fishing destination. There will be a benefit for you when following this practice. It may give you additional elbow-room as well.

9 – Seek advice of fly shops and friends with experience fly fishing: Local fly shop’s are used to giving out information on the famous waters in their areas, but don’t be afraid to specifically ask them about water in their areas that are more off the beaten path. Good fly shops will have this local knowledge. It will help them if you tell them what you’re looking for. If it’s less crowded water, let them point you in the right direction. If you have friends who have been fishing a long time you might want to ask them as well.

10 – Trout Routs App: A couple years ago I bought the TroutRoutes app at the Denver Fly Fishing Show. There is a cost, but it is extremely helpful in terms of identifying what sections of a river are private, and what sections have public access. When planning a trip to a specific destination, check out the app. There may be a little section where you’re going that is public that not many people know about. Give it a try. You might stumble upon a great piece of uncrowded water because people simply don’t know they’re allowed to fish it.