Getting Started Fishing Roaring RIver

Easy Fishing the Roaring River without a Fly Rod

The Roaring River offers trout for the taking, for experienced and NEW fishermen alike. But it does take some time to learn the habits and tenacity of the Rainbow Trout. Dropping your 12 lb. test line with a worm and bobber will temp most any fish, but at Roaring River State Park, the river is divided into zones. In the first zone, where most of us new fishermen and women will start out (You can see the most fish here!), you can only fish with artificial bait. This means no worms, no corn. No nothing, except lures and plastic.

Choosing Your Lures

What lure will bring in the fish? Trout go for different lures, but what seems to work from my experience, are the plastic worms, grubs, and eggs. And spinners like Mepps, and my favorite, the Panther Martin Rainbow Trout lure. I’ve caught trout with this lure every time I’ve fished it. I’ve also had a few of these end up in overhanging branches on the banks, but that’s another story. Spinner bait like this one seems to work best when the river opens for fishing sometime around 6:00 am or 7:00 a.m., depending on the season. The hungry trout, ready for anything to drop into the river, snap these up.

But after twenty minutes or so, they seem to be no longer interested in the spinner, and I switch to a plastic lure, usually a worm.

How do you rig them?

The first time I fished Roaring River, I was a foolish bass fisherman with no idea of the wiley trout. I had my standard fishing pole with 10 lb. test line, complete with sinker and lure. I cast my spinner bait (I had read that these worked well at the river) and believe it or not, I pulled in a trout within the first ten minutes of fishing. That poor fish must have been starving. After that, I fished all day without another catch.

Why? Trout are smart fish. They don’t like strange things in the water, and thick heavy line is strange. You need to fool the fish. You need ultralight fishing line on your pole. Load it with 2 lb. test line, available at the Park Store nearby. Or, buy twenty feet or so of 2 lb. line, and tie it to your heavy line.

So, you’ve put 2 lb. line on your pole, you put on a tiny hook, and a plastic worm. You try to cast, but with very little weight, bingo, birdsnest! You will probably need to invest in an ultralight fishing pole to cast the ultralight tackle.

You can, of course add very tiny sinkers, but if you do, make sure they are nowhere near your hook. Those trout are sneaky, and can spot anything unnatural. Speaking of unnatural, try to keep all of your sunscreen, bug spray, and any other scented lotions off of your lures. Trout smell that stuff and will normally reject those tainted lures.

Once you get rigged, watch other fishermen and see how they fish the plastic lures. Many will float the eggs down the river, waiting for the trout to grab it on the surface. Some will do the same with worms, and some will slowly reel worms in so they sink a few feet under the water. Many techniques exist to pull trout from the Roaring River, but for first timers, the key is to watch, or ask experienced fisherman. They love to give out tips and secrets. After all, at this State Park, there are plenty of fish for everyone. But please, once you figure out how to fish for trout, take only your limit.

Roaring River State Park Fishing Hours

Roaring River Trout Fishing Hours

Provided by Roaring River State Park

Basic Fly Fishing Tackle

To get started fly fishing, you really only need a few things: Rod, Reel, Line, Leader, and Fly. This, however, is only the beginning, and as you progress, you will add more tools to your fishing arsenal.

The setup of these five elements is based on the fly you will be throwing. If you are after trout, and you know they munch on Mayflies, you know you’ll need to throw smaller line for the smaller fly. To throw smaller line, you’ll need a stiffer rod to cast it, as well as a reel designed for this weight.

This is only a guideline, however. Throwing flies gets easier with new technology in fly fishing.

There is tons of information online for basic fly fishing info. This company has a lot of good advice, so check them out!

So how do you know what setup to start with? You ask! Take an experienced fly fisherman to your local sporting goods store and have him or her explain to you the works. At Roaring River, if you haven’t purchased your gear, start at the new store and ask for their advice. They will certainly help you pick out gear to catch your limit.

I started with a cheap fly rod that came with a reel loaded with line and leader. It worked, and still works, fine. I’ve caught many trout with it. I think it was a Wal-Mart special. Since then, I’ve upgraded to a better rod and reel, but whatever you choose, you will need to practice your casting skills and learn to understand fly fishing to progress in the sport.

You might want to check out a cheap setup like this one, which works for the price. It doesn’t have backing, which really isn’t needed for Roaring River, since the river isn’t too wide. That’s just my opinion, though.

It’s not pretty, and it’s plastic, but it’s a good starter, and it was especially good for my 12-year old to use. It’s an eight foot pole, so not easy for a kid, but it’s cheap enough that if he breaks it, no big deal!

Once you have your rod and reel, and you have your leader and tippet (here is a good site to get information) tied on, you are ready to tie on some flies and get fishing. I recommend heading to Tim’s Fly Shop nearby, and talking to Tim about what is hot, and getting your flies there. He’s an icon in the area and knows his stuff! They also sell flies at the Park Store.

You’ll also need a net, something to hold your gear like a vest or chest pack, or just pockets, and some basic tools like forceps and other miscellaneous gear.

Maybe something like this.

Also, I prefer the rubber net. I’ve had different styles of nets, and when my hook got snagged in the netting, I had to cut it out, leaving holes and taking up many minutes of non-fishing time. It wasn’t pleasant since I’ve switched to the rubber net, it’s been much nicer.

This one is cool since it already comes with a magnet attachment that you clip to your vest or belt, so it’s quick release and keeps your net where you want it.

Whatever you choose, enjoy fishing on Roaring River! Check the map for different zones to really enjoy the river with a fly rod.