Maxxon's Rambling from the OG: Selective or Opportunistic?

Welcome to Maxxon's Rambling from the OG. Fact, opinion, some truth, or just BS you decide for yourself. Whether you're a seasoned angler or just getting started with your fly fishing rod, let's talk about fish a little bit. Are fish selective or are they opportunistic? My answer is yes; they're both.

The Mystery of Selectivity

Fish can be selective, but they're also opportunistic. Now, what causes a fish to be selective? I've caught fish where they have all focused on one specific little insect, such as a small mayfly, a small stonefly, or a midge larva. We've pumped stomachs to see exactly what they're eating, and they are full of the exact same thing of the exact same size and color. What causes a fish to focus that much on one thing and bypass everything else coming by them? I don't know the answer to that.

The Opportunistic Mode

Most of the time when I look at what a fish has been eating, they'll have an array of different things inside their stomach. I've seen everything from fish eggs to all kinds of different insects.

• They’ve fed on everything coming down.
  

• If a fish is actively feeding, many times, they're more in the opportunistic mode.
  

• They will take a lot of different things.
  

• An actively feeding fish is a lot easier to catch than a non-feeding fish.

Observance and Presentation

When they're in that selective mode, it takes more observance to see what they are doing. You need to watch and look instead of just pounding the water with flies or lures. Try to focus and see what they're feeding on.

If you are fishing where you know there are fish and you're not getting hits or you're getting refusals, it's time to pay attention. Sometimes it’s not just the fly you need to change; you have to look at your whole rig. Is it the fly they're refusing, or is it your presentation?

• I, for one, believe more in presentation than I do the pattern.
  

• This could include your tippet size, leader size, or your drift.

• Do you have drag on the fly, or do you need a different presentation?

Watch, Listen, and Look

Basically, when you're fishing, take some time to watch, listen, and look to try to figure out what the fish is doing. Sometimes we figure it out, sometimes we don't. I hope this helps you out next time, because it might just be BS. You decide for yourself.

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