I’ve been providing some informal mentoring to our new member Stephen and have pointed him to Jensen Fly Fishing (on YouTube and their website).  Their videography and commentary are excellent.  You might consider subscribing to their YouTube channel plus their free email newsletters/videos.

I initially pointed him to two specific videos:

Nymphing Rainbow Trout in Ultra-Low & Gin-Clear Water (Fly Fishing) of Pre-Runoff at https://youtu.be/s1fx5nMUTP4

And Fly Fishing HUGE BROWN TROUT in tiny water. The art of hunting brown trout EPIC at

I offered some observations, especially for the latter:

• Watch how you can often see the shadow better than the fish itself
• Looking for their white mouth is often a key sighting technique
• The refractive effects of water make them look much skinnier than they are … see how wide (but shallow and short) they look when they swim directly away or towards the camera
• Some of these takes were of the nymph below rather than the indicator fly – watch both (maybe have to rewind)
• Again the refractive index means the fish are further away than you think. When he says his fly is right above the fish the fly looks too far away.
• When the fish takes the dry, see the pause till the fish closes his mouth … but then again maybe he misses one strike by being too slow
• Watch them working the fish to and fro
• Take care, some of this is slomo … sometimes hard to tell.  I was taught to strike at the same speed that the trout takes the fly.  Traditionally you sing the single line “God Save the Queen” then strike
• The very last fish filming is particularly good.
• Three flies are not permitted in our streams
• I’m not sure if they do this in these two videos, but in their streamer angling, they like to give the fly a series of little jiggles as they lift back for next cast

Some really good streamcraft lessons to be seen here.

I should also put some of the stuff that Ian has been hammering into me over the years too.  If you have a nice drift down (eg when you have cast somewhat across the stream) let the fly continue down (maybe a mend is needed) and take real care at the end of the drift when a nymph would rise to the surface as this can induce a strike (how many Mataura fish have I missed with this!).  Don’t false cast any more than is necessary (the Jensens emphasise this too).

My NZ guide also has encouraged me to be prepared to cast directly across the current to rising fish – their attention is often on looking forward and they won’t be so attentive watching for me coming from the side – means that the fly has less chance of being dragged – aim for just a rod length at most ahead of the fish.

Interpreting rise forms, especially understanding that fish might be taking just below the surface (bulge), is a topic covered elsewhere here.