How to Catch Trout in Highland Streams

“Worms finer for fishing you couldn't be wishing;
I delved them dismayed from the velvety sod;
The rich loam upturning I gathered them squirming,
Big, fat, gleamy earthworms, all ripe for my rod.”
Robert William

Timothy Moore - Brook Trout - North Carolina - Dabbling

There was a bubbling little brook that ran behind the farmhouse and down the mountain. Every decent pocket of water held a shiny little rainbow trout. We learned as kids to manage our little fishery and only take what we were going to eat. The fishing technique we used to catch these diminutive torpedoes is called dabbling. It can be done with any fishing rod, but the longer the pole the better. It was also a good idea to use a cheap rod because the overgrowth of trees and laurel bushes would eat the tips off a favorite fly rod; consequently, we used cane poles that could be made for nothing, or bought dried (much lighter) for about two bucks (you might pay a whopping five to seven dollars for one these days).

The set up is basically three feet of light line (2-4lb test) tied to the tip of the cane pole armed with a small hook (size 10-12). It helps to attach a split-shot sinker about seven inches above the hook so that the line dangles straight up and down. Stealth is the key to the art of dabbling. If a trout in a small stream sees any movement at all, they WILL NOT bite.

I had a friend (as an adult) who requested that I take him to the head of Caney Fork to catch native trout. I explained the technique necessary to catch these wary fish, but he decided to do it his own way. We split up, with me going upstream and fishing down to meet him in the middle. Dabbling from above is infinitely more difficult because you are above the fish and have to work much harder to stay hidden. Nevertheless, I caught and released thirty or so trout, keeping my limit of four fish to eat for dinner, before meeting my friend in the middle. Upon approach, he came stomping up the bank and said, “There aren’t any trout in this creek! Did you get any bites?” I told him that I had gotten a bite or caught a fish from every hole I dabbled in. He couldn’t believe it. I showed him the four larger fish I had kept for dinner. He humbly asked if we could go further upstream so he could learn this technique. I obliged and within an hour, my friend had his four trout to roast over the campfire.