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Have you noticed that your favorite fly fishing spot has been overrun by other anglers and vacationers alike?  If so then you may not be enjoying your sport as much as you used to or as much as you'd like.  Even with river fly fishing you can be interrupted by kayakers, canoes, kids floating by on tires, and even swimmers.  And of course the best rivers get fished out so quickly!  Some anglers find themselves practically tripping over other fly fishers as they jockey for position.  If this sounds like your recent experiences then maybe you should consider short or small river fly fishing.  Many anglers overlook these shorter streams and creeks because they assume they won't catch anything but in reality this can be one of the best fishing experiences you may have.

When you're going small river fly fishing you may need a shorter rod than typical.  The longer rod guides the line for the typical ten to twenty foot cast, whereas a shorter rod is better for the streams and creeks that are just a few feet wide.  You may also need to practice your casting with the shorter rod in order to not overdo it with the small river fly fishing.  Most casts are a good ten to twenty feet in front of the angler, whereas this might be even wider than the actual river itself!  Learning to pull your cast back in a shorter width is going to be necessary for shorter rivers.  Accuracy too is also very important because these shorter streams will typically mean more debris, rocks, and things like these.  You don't want to avoid these things - very often this is where the fish can be found!  But you will need some accuracy when small river fly fishing so that you don't get your line caught in reeds and brush or behind any fallen logs.  Many also find that a different net, one with smaller holes for the smaller fish, is better for the shorter rivers and creeks.

You probably will catch smaller fish when you go small river fly fishing but this doesn't mean your catch will be too small to keep or won't be enjoyable to catch either.  These fish can put up as much of a fight as any of the larger ones and they're usually very good eating as well!  Any variety of pan fish can be found in even the smallest of rivers and creeks and these usually respond well to flies.

Of course the most benefit you'll probably get from small river fly fishing is that these rivers are typically overlooked by many other anglers and vacationers alike.  When you have a short river with more debris you're going to have fewer tourists, swimmers, kayakers, and so on.  You may finally get the peace and quiet you've been looking for when out fly fishing and may also find that there are just more fish to catch in these ignored areas! 

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