# fishing a stream with 2 people



## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

This isn't a U.P. specific question, but I had to pick a spot to ask...

Any thoughts on fishing a small stream with 2 people?

I mean in terms of tactics - both wade up together and take turns at the good holes? Or park one vehicle in the middle of a stretch, one person fish from the bottom to the middle and then pick up the other person at the top?

Or both go up from the bottom but ... 20 minutes? 10? 30? ... apart. How long for a hole to "settle down" for the other guy after a few casts and a walk-past?


This is mostly for fishing with someone that knows how to fish stream trout. Other times, I am with someone that doesn't know the tactics, then I just stay with them and walk them through it for quite a while in hopes they catch one.


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## jmaddog8807 (Oct 6, 2009)

I do a majority of my trout fishing with at least 1 sometimes 2 other guys. Fishing alone can be fun and relaxing, but I like spending time with others who enjoy the outdoors. When we fish small trout streams, we always walk up or down together. If there a a few holes close together, we just each pick a hole and fish it. Usually if we do this, the holes are close enough together where we can help each other out if need be. If it's a real small stream with holes few and far between, then we just take turns on the different runs. If I am with just one other person, we will take turns on casts. This is usually fun because it turns into a competition. 

No right or wrong way I guess


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## Oldgrandman (Nov 16, 2004)

Depending on the stream, one will go up, one down. Or we decide on sections and one goes ahead to start leaving a stretch and then he catches up and moves ahead and so on. Or the take turns thing, depends on the water. Larger streams with big holes and runs are fished together.

HAVE FUN!


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

I do most of the stream fishing by myself. There are times that I take someone and we just take turns and use different baits or lures. I like to take that opportunity to try something different that I have never tried before. It is like a challenge to see if you can get a nice trout to take something that sits in the bottom of your tackle box.


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## redneckman (Dec 7, 2005)

If I fish a small stream it is usually by myself or only 1 other person. When there is 2 of us we almost always walk upstream and fish spots together. We alternate who casts into a spot first and then take turns casting. If there are 2 spots close by we might each take one. We also try to throw different baits unless one thing particular is working well. If we come to a spot we know holds lots of fish or large fish it is nice having a net man handy.


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## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

I can think of lots of ways to do it, for sure, though these responses help, thanks.

What I've really been pondering is how long is necessary for a, or the, Trout in a nice hole to calm down from the disturbance of the fisherman strolling on upstream to the next hole after several casts. I have no idea how that could work out.

I've always thought Trout are likely to skedaddle completely off to another bit of cover upstream or downstream.


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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

B.Jarvinen said:


> What I've really been pondering is how long is necessary for a, or the, Trout in a nice hole to calm down from the disturbance of the fisherman strolling on upstream to the next hole after several casts. I have no idea how that could work out.
> 
> I've always thought Trout are likely to skedaddle completely off to another bit of cover upstream or downstream.



I've had friends catch fish immediately after I cast into the same run with zero interest in my offering. It happens. Or maybe I woke him up and my buddy sealed the deal.


As far as the &#8220;calming down from a disturbance&#8221; thing, maybe it has to do with the flow rate of the river/setting you are fishing. 


Think of the river setting being like music and the trout spends his day listening to it. 


Setting A; calm flow rate and shaded. Classical Music.


Setting B; fast flow rate, rocks and boulders. Heavy Metal.


If you were sitting at home listening to one of those two types of music, what would your attention span be for a disturbance in the room given the two types of settings?


If you live in a calm environment, then perhaps you will give greater attention to being, &#8220;disturbed&#8221;.


If you live in a fast-paced environment, then perhaps you will quickly settle back down and hardly give it a second thought.


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## multibeard (Mar 3, 2002)

On the only stream I have ever fished with a buddy. I would walk way down stream and he would walk way up stream before starting to fish. We would them fish towards each other.

The last time we did this it seamed like I had hardly done any fishing before he was down to me. I asked him if it was that ad fishing aboe me as I was doing pretty good. 

"No I have a couple nice brookies but I spooked a bear cub off the river so I decided to get out of dodge before I ran into it's mom."


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## REG (Oct 25, 2002)

My fishing partners and I have been using the small Motorola walkie talkies since they first came out. When we fish creeks and smaller stuff, invariably one of us goes upstream and the other downstream. They're not infallable, and the range will vary depending on hills, overhead cover etc, and is nowhere near what is advertised on the package. But despite that, overall they've worked great for us to the point of feeling hamstrung when we forget them.


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## zig (Aug 5, 2009)

This is a great question. For years and years, I was adamant that I wanted to fish alone. I just always thought it was the way to go. You know, solitude on the river type thing..... When I finally had a couple buddies that wanted to get into it, we always split up and there's several ways to do this. But, I had one friend that was really having trouble and so one time I just said, "You know what, lets just fish together. We'll take turns, I'll show you how I do it and just teach you what I know." That was a long time ago and now that's all we do. I really enjoy it. Not to mention I think you can work holes better. We fish a lot of really, really small streams that are tough going (but full of piggy browns). I mean they are tight. Lots of broken lines, snags, etc. When somebody snags up to where you really risk disturbing the hole by breaking line, branch into the water, etc., that guy can just pull his line to the side and let the other guy have a crack. Probably not a needed strategy for the larger rivers, but works really well on the small tight ones. Last year we fished a hole just below a beaver dam. Deep water, had like an inch or two left of wader before we got wet. He caught an 18 inch brown, then I caught a 16, he got snagged, I went in and caught a 20 inch. Good stuff.


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## jkloess (Jan 14, 2014)

I usually judge it by stream width and frequency of deep holes to wade around. If fly fishing, I prefer the tandem approach, especially with an opposite hand caster. On a bendy stretch, most spots are best approached from one casting direction which makes taking turns easier as well as having a net man on the ready. Second to that would be a leap frog approach where every 20-30 yards, you hug one side of the river while moving, or step in and out to a trail if not surrounded by private land. 

Either way I always prefer fishing with a buddy, mostly for safety, since i have more than once experienced the sudden loss of footing or deep hole misstep while fishing alone and was fortunate enough to avoid disaster, but not by much.


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## concentroutin (Jan 7, 2014)

What Zig said. Been doing g this for 25 yrs. I love fishing alone and with a buddy in that style. The issues really come up when you have three and one person is only moderately interested. That gets tough but we work it out.


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## Jackster1 (Aug 17, 2001)

I also fished alone happily for years. The only time table was mine. I could fish when I wanted for as long as I wanted and never had to share a hole or a sandwich. Life was good then got better when I started fishing with friends. 
The general rule when we friends fish together is you fish until you get a fish, a strike or you mess up then it's the next guys turn. This turned into serious fishing for fear of screwing up and serious razzing trying to make the other guy mess up. We both get plenty of laughs and plenty of fish out of the deal no matter who it is doing this.


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## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

drgulian said:


> I've had friends catch fish immediately after I cast into the same run with zero interest in my offering. It happens. Or maybe I woke him up and my buddy sealed the deal.
> 
> 
> As far as the calming down from a disturbance thing, maybe it has to do with the flow rate of the river/setting you are fishing.
> ...



I think this is a good way to look at it. On my favorite stream of the last few years, a loud one with plenty of white water, I have caught two fish on two sequential casts at times.


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## hockeymania2 (Apr 10, 2011)

drgulian said:


> I've had friends catch fish immediately after I cast into the same run with zero interest in my offering. It happens. Or maybe I woke him up and my buddy sealed the deal.
> 
> 
> As far as the &#8220;calming down from a disturbance&#8221; thing, maybe it has to do with the flow rate of the river/setting you are fishing.
> ...


This comment cracks me up but is undoubtedly pretty true.
I'm just picturing a bunch of trout in the "Heavy Metal" water jamming out and smashing nymphs all day long:lol:

I generally like to do my trout fishing alone (on my own time table, just enjoying nature, plus I don't have to wait around for some of my slow wading friends and I can work holes pretty well to the point where I know I've covered all of the water I think the trout are holding). I have fished with others before and we do what most of the guys are saying they do here, each take a cast or two alternatively in a hole, if someone gets snagged up, move the snagged line to the side and let the other one take a few casts into the hole. If it doesn't produce, walk up the snag, get it out, and continue to the next run, riffle or pool. It's all based on what is most suitable, comfortable, and enjoyable for you and your buddies to do.


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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

Personally, I try to target the trout that are listening to reggae. They're often easier to catch...


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## vmthtr in Green Bay (Jun 19, 2012)

We fish together and take turns, catch a fish or miss a strike, next guys turn. That way a guy doesn't hog all the water with less than proficient fishing


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