Giving the amount of top class rivers around me I promised my self last year I would become more involved with river fishing.

Being an exclusive Lough angler I had to start from the very beginning. With the help of a few forum guys, most noteably Mr Terry Cousin for his river articles and the guys posting top class river flies and answering silly questions I felt reassured it was a sign

I also finished reading John Goddards book last night 'Flyfishing Techniques'

Now I find it rather daunting (but very, very interesting) the amount of variables you have to take into consideration at the river, flies hatching, depth of flow, presentation, approach, weight of bead on the fly, listen it seems endless (not to mention wheather that bull eyeing you up is going to eat you)

Would you see river fishing as more technical or is it just me???

I must admit what I have learned on here I cannot wait to put into practice. Thank you.

This could be interesting

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Silversedge
LETS TACKLE CANCER SUPPORTER
"MON THE HILL CLIMBERS!!"

Stillwater both big and small can be technical especially if you read some of the articles the guys write on here. Is one more technical than another? Who knows!

It is normally horses for courses and if you like stillwaters then you make a study of them and if you like rivers you make a study of them.

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[COLOR="Blue"]"A fish seen is a fish nearly caught"[/COLOR]

As a person who has spent a lot of time on both sorts of waters, I would certainly not state that rivers are more technical than still waters, lochs, loughs, lakes or reservoirs, call them what you may.

They are different that's for sure.

Any fishing is only as technical as you want to make it. I river fish all the time with a rod, reel, fly line, spool of tippet and a few flies in an old baccie tin that is kept in my pocket. I wander about looking for a rising fish. If I can't find one then I sit down and smoke what was once in the baccie tin. Then I wander about again.
Not the most technical of fishermen me.

Reg Wyatt

well ive never caught much stripping a blob in a river



(probably cos i dont possess one)

for someone who very rarely fishes stillwaters ,i would say yes ,the considerations you make above are a start ,stalking a river fish is harder than some stillwater mug ,casts generally have to be on the button or placed precisely in running water to allow the fly to drop at the correct level taking in weight of fly ,speed of water ,etc etc ,i have and do catch in stillwater but seems no where near as hard as rivers


but others will say different im sure

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WHEN YOU LEAVE THE RIVER, TAKE NOTHING, AND LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINT'S!!!

THA CAN TELL A YORKSHIREMAN ,BUT THA CAN'T TELL HIM MUCH !!

Definitely Horses for Courses, I have Fished Rivers all my life and find Huge expanses of still water daunting, I look at a new river and have an idea straight away were the fish will be and what method should be best but on some of the big Welsh reservoirs I visited this year I was lost god help me is I went to Rutland or some of the big Scottish lochs. But there is always someone willing to point you in the right direction

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Allan
Only dead fish go with the flow.

I would say that river fishing can be more relaxed, you could easily fish the season with:

ptn, he nymph,black gnat, mayfly, klink, a reddish brown dun, little red sedge.

That list could possibly be halved.

More technical techniques have krept in like Cz nymphing, these can be added.

River fish are possibly more consistently catchable than still water ones.

Some rivers are practically impossible, one such has high banks, no wading, and shallow crystal water plus spooky fish. Not easy that one.

One thing is to not be daunted or over influenced by the literature. see a rise, cast a yard upstream, watch the fly drift over, wait a second or two - tighten.

Some streams the catapult cast is handy, that works quite well.

For almost any fishing be it big lake or tiny stream,try to go out with some one that knows the ropes, ,a day spent with a guide is often money well spent.
As to technical , in most fishing keep it as simple as possible.
Get out and enjoy tour fishing where ever it is,I just love being by water wher there is a chance of fish be it a big salmon river huge lake or tiny stream, preferably with wild fish !

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Andy Wren
Winter grayling taking a year off !
Claret not just a great dubbing colour!

If I had to wait to see a fish rise on most of the rivers I have fished I would catch nothing.

Dry fly fishing is one of the most basic and simple forms of fly fishing because you are fishing in two dimensions. You can often see what the fish is taking.

When you fish below the surface you now have to consider a new dimension - depth! Often the fish are feeding but you cannot see what they are feeding on. The detection of a take can at times be problematical too.