Prospecting For Trout

by John V.
(Claremont, CA)

Prospecting For Trout by Tom Rosenbauer is one of the best small stream fishing books I have come across.

I know that because I work for Orvis some might think that this is a covert plug for company products but I assure you that is not the case. You may find this to be strange but I have been 100% Tenkara fishing for the past year. I don't even currently own an Orvis rod and I do get a generous employee discount.

So, on to the book...

Mr. Rosenbauer believes that the understanding of how and why trout behave the way they do is far more important than becoming a streamside entomologist. He goes into great detail about stream composition and how that affects how trout behave the way they do.

He has written a simple to understand book that will greatly benefit any fly fishing angler. In the end, the author is really a Tenkara fisherman, he just doesn't know it yet. His ideas are a perfect complement to Tenkara fishing.

I have been applying his ideas for several months now and I have seen a noticeable difference in my fishing success. I now look at every stream with a new set of eyes and I am finally starting to understand the hows and whys of these complex ecosystems and I am becoming a better fisherman because of that new understanding.

If you have ever wondered why the simple patterns of traditional Tenkara flies seem to be so effective, by the time you have finished the book you will understand why and how the one fly philosophy really does work.

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten” - Benjamin Franklin

"Be sure in casting, that your fly fall first into the water, for if the line fall first, it scares or frightens the fish..." -
Col. Robert Venables 1662

As age slows my pace, I will become more like the heron.

We've all had situations where seriously chewed up flies kept catching fish after fish after fish. It is no sin to tie flies that come off the vise looking seriously chewed up.