Wildfires and Trout, with Becky Flitcroft

The Orvis Fly-Fishing Podcast

James Hathaway

Bass, Fishing, Bonefish, Wilderness, Flyfishing, Trout, How To, Steelhead, Bluegill, Fly, Orvis, Sports, Salmon, Panfish, Education, Rosenbauer

4.8 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 26 November 2020

⏱️ 76 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Many fly fishers have dreaded the thought of visiting their favorite trout streams after wildfires devasted many areas over the past few years. As threatening as they are to human lives and property, wildfires are not all that bad for trout stream ecosystems, as you'll discover after listening to this week's podcast. Becky Flitcroft [interview at 39:03], a fisheries biologist with the US Forest Service and an expert on disturbances to trout streams, presents some surprising results in the wake of fires. Not only are they not horribly destructive, they are actually beneficial in many cases. Should you visit a trout stream that was in a burned area next year? What will the future look like? Although every stream is different, Becky tells us what to expect over the coming years.

In the Fly Box this week, we have the following questions and tips:

I have trouble seeing my dry flies on small streams. What patterns do you recommend, and how can I spot them better?

Do you think it's necessary to replace nylon and fluorocarbon leaders each year?

Can I extend the length of my 7 1/2 foot leaders to 9 or 12-feet by just adding tippet?

Should I use my Clearwater Reel in salt water?

Can I use shorter or longer hackles than the traditional length on my dry flies?

What techniques would you recommend for fishing after dark during the winter?

A good tip on how to practice specific techniques in fly tying.

What would be a good rod for both salmon/steelhead rivers and bass lakes?

How can I practice my fish-fighting technique in the off-season before I go salmon fishing?

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hi and welcome to the Orvis Fly Fishing podcast this is your host Tom Rosenbauer and in my interview this week in our
0:17.4	interview we have the pleasure of talking to Becky Flitcroft.
0:23.0	Becky is a fisheries biologist from the U.S. Forest Service on the West Coast.
0:31.2	And what Becky's going to talk about today is the effect of wildfires on trout
0:37.8	streams and I think you're going to be surprised and delighted by what Becky has to say, particularly
0:46.6	if you're in an area that has been ravaged by wildfires in the past few years.
0:54.4	Of course, wildfires can have a terribly destructive effect on human habitation and development and loss of life and that's a tragedy.
1:05.0	But what Becky has found and what other scientists have found that the wildfires actually
1:19.0	in most places have a beneficial effect on the ecosystem of a trout stream and we'll find out why later but I think you'll enjoy this and it's a real positive
1:26.3	note for those of you whose favorite streams have experienced wildfires.
1:38.0	All right, before we do that, we're going to do the flybox where I'm going to try to answer some questions.
1:41.0	And if you have a question for the flybox, you can email me at
1:47.1	podcast at Orvis.com and I'll read your email or listen to your voice file and if I haven't answered it recently,
1:56.7	if I haven't answered the question recently or if I can answer it, I will answer it on the air.
2:04.0	If I can't answer it, I'll sometimes try to get someone else to help me with the answer,
2:09.0	and sometimes I don't answer them because I don't feel like it.
2:15.0	Anyway, if I didn't answer your question, there's probably a good reason.
2:21.0	The first question is an email from Derek from California.
2:27.9	I have a problem from time to time with visibility of my dry fly and seeing the take, particularly in ripples and pool heads with some
2:35.4	bubbly foamy water. I have polarized glasses. I wonder if it's because the white parachute I typically
2:42.1	tie with tends to blend in with the rifled bits of water easier.
2:47.0	Do you have particular material and or colors and or patterns you like to tie for these types of waters?
	...

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