pocket waters

I don’t know what characteristics officially qualifies a certain stretch of water to be called “pocket waters” between serious fishermen, but I have my own ideas about what they look like. I’ve had opportunity to fish pockets waters for a few years now, and I have to say that it is one of my favorite type of waters to fish. I love it because it’s forgiving, meaning that it allows clumsy me to sneak up pretty close to fish and not spook them. I like the surprise of a fish coming up from where it doesn’t even look like it can hold a fish, either because the current appears too fast or the pocket seems too small. I like it that pocket waters often hold a lot of fish, sometimes in each pocket. It’s like a game of some sort, short choppy casts, and fish appearing out of nowhere. Sometimes I will cast several casts, then quickly move on, covering a large amount of distance. Sometimes, I will relax and cast to each prospective pocket water, many times – sometime 15 – 20 casts to the same spot. It’s rare but when a fish does rise after so many cast, they are usually bigger than the rest. Sometimes, if you listen carefully - you will hear all kinds of things being said by the pocket water. The wading is sometimes tough and I have has my share of falls, resulting in broken rods, lost fly boxes, and sprained fingers & bruised knees. Still, I enjoy fishing these kinds of waters so much that all those little pains just flow away swiftly like the current in these waters.

I love you pocket water.