Hunting Blue Lines

I am a small stream lover, and know that success often has more to do with the methods used to find a location than those used on the streams themselves. The most important part for me is hunting down a stream to do some recon on. I often find true gems that nobody would have expected. I can't say how many times I have been given a weird look and asked "there are trout... in there?". Fish get in some strange seeming places, but they have good reasons for being there.

The first thing to consider is how fit you are and how willing to do some bushwhacking. If you don't want to do any of that, you must find a stream with easy road and trail access. The second is whether you want to only fish public water. Asking permission from an owner can lead to a killer find and fish that have never seen flies. Once you consider these get on google maps or earth and start on a street map rather then satellite. look within a 15 mile radius of your home for a thin blue line that fits your requirements and appears to be long enough to hold breeding trout populations.

A potentially productive trib in New Hampshire

After looking at the stream 'out of context', switch to satellite view. If it is flowing through woods, good! Swamp, not so good. Determine how you will get to the stream and what it should look like. If it is private, look for an area where you can walk and potentially meet neighbors who could direct you to the owner. Once you find your stream and get out their in the field, don't lose hope from not catching any fish or finding a filthy dead looking stream. Find another! I have been skunked enough that I have learned how to identify potential streams faster just by looking at the satellite view.