what flies to use

Eggs... glowbugs

Natives will eat **** near anything.

Try slapping a Royal Wulff on the surface.  Brookies love em'.

Chances are if the fish truly are native trout, then the stream is less pressured than most stocked trout streams(Not always, but usually).  This is good and bad.  The good is they will hit absolutely anything, as long as you don't spook them before you get "anything" in front of them.  If they are natives, you'll have to approach slowly from their downstream side and make a clean cast up into the pool.    I like ants/beetles because them make a nice soft kerplunk that will get the fishes attention but hopefully not spook them.  Green weenies work well underneath  because you can see it. They are quick little *&*&'s and will slam a fly and spit it very quickly, being able to see the fly helps.
 
If you want numbers of the larger sized natives (larger size being 7 inches and up) then nothing will beat a small utralight spin rod and a white trout magnet. At least on the smaller streams that I've native fished on, they were so small, with fish so spooky, it was much more effective to use spin gear.
 
Long story short,  if there is a type of fishing where what is on the end of the line doesn't matter. But presentation and stealth does, it's native brook trout fishing.

oh I can guarantee this stream was never fished where Im going. Its 4 miles up a mountain that the only way to is following a trail from a private hunting camp we belong to. Its perfect for my 4foot fly rod just unsure about the flies to use. all the natives Ive seen in it were 3-5 inches. So im sure indicators are out of the question and nymphs would be a bad idea not being able to see them.  

ORIGINAL: thedrake

I just got done fishing my favorite little mountain stream. Globugs and #20 flashbacks were the ticket.

You'll do well on small beadhead pt's and green caddis larva. Also, like Jeremy said globugs will work well. Cream delight is usually my favorite color. I most often tie them on a #16 scud/caddis hook.

The best advice I can give you is to turn over a few rocks, and match what you see.

I fished them yesterday in a size ten, I POUNDED the fish!

for my native fishing, i leave the fly rod at home! ever try to go through mountain laurel with one. i take my trusty 4 1/2 ft. spinning rod matched with a ul reel, a small float cut in half, about the size of your pinkie nail, and whatever bait or nymph i decide to use. up in the mountains in black moshannon and around sinnamahoning are usually to bunched in for a flyrod.

kyler & nut,
       I actually use my 8 foot 4wt for the small streams.   Yes, it is harder to maneuver thru the laurel, but the extra length lets me fish from further back than a shorter rod would.  Sometimes I have less than 4 feet of line out.  And the extra length makes reaching back in and under much easier.

oh I can guarantee this stream was never fished where Im going.

They've ALL been fished before, Junior.  Chances are this stream is on somebody's list, but for God's sake, don't ever mention it.  It's also likely that my fellow Boot Campers and I will find it, so don't go screwing it up before then.

I definitely agree with using barbless hooks for such small stream trout.
 
I would recommend using a size 16 to 18 dry fly (your choice) with a nymph off a dropper tied to the bend of the dry fly.  That way the dry fly will act as an indicator but not scare the fish and gives the trout two choices to hit.

i dont think its wat to use as much as it is not to spook the fish

have fun and make'm rise.
king river caddis, colorado kings, small stimulaters, terrestrials.
like they saiid earlier the key is to not let the fish know you're there.

ORIGINAL: formerguide

Small, mountain streams are made for dry flies- why even bother with nymphs? If you can't get them to come to the surface, move on the the next pool... I like 3 flies, and could easliy make do with any one of them: Parachute Adams, Lime Trude, Olive Stimluator.

$.02
Dan

 
I've had plenty of days when a parachute Adams never left the end of my line.  Makes me wonder when I get back to the car, why the heck did I have 4 boxes of flies all day, when I could've guessed before leaving that I'd use the Adams to start off the day. 

After reading alot of this it's pretty much personal preference. Some guys like dry flies, some guys like nymphs, etc. The true is that most fish (trout?) in the mountains go after about anything. Catch them in a good feeding time, early morning, and you'll be set on anything.