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Simplifying the chaos to find trout
Look for the ideal hiding area
amongst the rabble of a trout stream
By Brian Ruzzo
At first glance a trout stream looks to be a chaotic
mixture of rushing water, boulders, log jams, curves,
pools and straight runs.
But actually a trout stream is fairly simple to figure
out if you know how to read the water.
Reading the water is not magic. When we read the water
we are looking for ideal hideouts. An ideal trout
hideout fulfills two basic needs: cover and food.
Taking the time to understand these basic needs and the
effect of current and natural stream features will make
your outing much more productive.
While fly selection, presentation and equipment are
important to some, including myself, I would argue that
reading the water is the most important.
An angler with careful selection of tackle, perfect
presentation and good equipment blindly casting to void
water has no chance of catching a trout.
On the other hand an angler with less than perfect
skills and equipment, but the ability to read the water
— and therefore, casting to where the trout are — at the
very least, has a chance of success.
Reading the water has other
advantages.
Blind casting not only reduces productivity, but it also
spooks some trout when you cast over the top of good
water.
Knowing the location of likely targets will allow you to
efficiently place your casts without alerting the fish
or wasting valuable time.
To help you better understand trout water, we've created
our own stream, Lynn's Run, which is representative of
hundreds of medium to small trout streams across the
West.
Let's take a closer look.
Riffle, Pool, Run ...
As we approach the bank of Lynn's Run we see riffles up
ahead and pool right below.
Downstream there appears to be a run giving way to
another set of riffles.
The classic riffle-pool-run pattern is prominent on our
stream, which happens to be a medium-sized stream.
This riffle-pool-run pattern is often less prominent on
bigger, slower trout streams, making them more difficult
to read.
These streams are also complicated by the fact that the
slow water allows the trout to get a good look at us as
we approach.
It's often best to prospect the larger, slow-moving
streams with a streamer from a distance.
You should still apply the same basic "reading the
water" techniques and concentrate on likely targets. It
just takes more practice and experience.
Another way to tackle bigger, slower-moving streams is
to locate faster water more representative of the small-
to medium-sized trout stream like the one in front of
us.
These micro sections of the bigger stream are much
easier to read. Let's get back to our stream and start
reading the water.
First, let's eliminate the unproductive water by looking
closer at the characteristics of each section — riffles,
pool and run.
Riffles are formed over hard bottoms. Imagine a
bulldozer instead of water pushing down a streambed.
As it rolls over hard bottom it doesn't dig, therefore,
the stream remains shallow and the bulldozer moves
fairly fast through the shallow funnel.
Then as the bulldozer reaches a softer bed it digs in
carving out a deeper hole. This is the pool. The water
will move slower through the deeper pool.
Somewhere downstream the bulldozer reaches a harder
bottom again and begins to run shallow, depositing the
material carved out from the pool.
This is the run, which is often characterized by a
uniform stream bottom and current.
The run will gradually give way to another set of
riffles as the bulldozer hits the hard streambed again.
Once we identify this pattern in a stream we can
immediately eliminate the featureless runs.
What about the riffles? The riffles also appear to be
featureless, however, the riffles are actually full of
hiding places for the trout.
We'll take a closer look at the riffles later. First
let's attack the pool in front of us.
The Pools
Pools consistently produce trout because they have
several physical features and differing currents.
The tail of our pool has a bend and two rocks — one
large and one small. A fallen tree lies at the head of
the pool.
Many anglers would cast to both rocks and the fallen
tree expecting a strike. But the truth is only two of
the locations will likely hold fish.
And several other not so obvious places may hold more
fish.
Let's start at the tail of the pool, which can be the
most difficult to fish though isn't very difficult to
read.
In fact, it's easy to read. The water is funneled as the
bottom becomes shallow. That's what makes the tail
difficult to fish.
Much like a run the tail water is fairly stable and
shallow, allowing the trout to get a good look through
the surface.
If there are no obstructions in the tail, the best place
to fish is at the ledge or shelf where the water begins
to shallow.
Feeding fish will sometimes stack up here because of the
funneling action, especially if there is a hatch.
Since our stream has two midstream obstructions, let's
explore how a trout may use them.
The first thing to keep in mind is that the trout will
almost always be downstream of the obstruction.
Lying downstream allows the trout to remain protected
from the current waiting for an easy meal to be
delivered.
The downstream position also allows the fish to remain
protected and move more freely in and out of the current
to escape.
The second factor in analyzing an obstruction is the
size-to-current ratio.
The larger rock may look like a great place for a trout
to hide behind, but in this case it's not.
The rock gives the trout a place to hide and rest in the
slower current waiting for food to drift by.
But it's too large and the current behind the rock is
too slow, offering the fish little food and making it
vulnerable to aerial predators.
Let's cast instead to the smaller rock. The current is
moderate behind this rock and it appears that plenty of
food is filtered past the rock.
But notice that the current is in a V-shape around the
rock.
The prime spot for a trout to pick of food is at the
point in the V where the split current converges again.
That's where we want our offering to drift by, not the
dead spot directly behind the rock. And there's a
rainbow trout just like we thought.
It's important to note that smaller rocks with too much
current should also be eliminated.
If the fish is constantly struggling to maintain its
position, it's not a good spot.
Of course, in the tail of the pool, this is less likely
to be a problem.
But as we move to the midsection and head of the pool
the smaller midstream obstructions are often fruitless.
Let's move on.
The midsection of our pool is void of midstream
obstructions. But less obvious targets reveal themselves
when we look closer.
Current seams should be one of the
first things we look for.
Trout will hold in the slower water and move into the
faster water when the current delivers food.
Although current seams are not always obvious in the
midsection of the pool there are always clues.
Follow the bubble and debris from the head of the pool
and the main current stream should be easy to spot.
Trout will also hold in the main current if there are
underwater obstructions breaking the current.
Look through the surface for darker shadows in the main
flow. These could be holes, crevices or small rocks that
give the trout a place to hide.
If the main stream flows along a bend as it does in our
stream, the bank itself also offers cover.
Let's try a few of these locations and then move on to
the head of the pool. Remember that fallen log near the
head of the pool?
Let's give that fallen log a cast or two.
The important thing to remember is that just like the
rock at the tail of the pool we need to identify the
point of the V. That's our best shot at finding a trout.
And sure enough the second cast produces another nice
'bow.
Before we move to the riffles let's look for another
less obvious holding point at the head of the pool.
Almost every pool begins with a chute of fast water
spilling in. Just below the chute where the water flow
stabilizes there is usually a shelf.
The shelf or ledge is where the bulldozer began to carve
the pool deeper.
The current below this shelf is relatively slow compared
to the faster water above the lip. This is a great place
for trout to hide.
It's also relatively easy to fish, except in the spring
or after a heavy rain when the current is just too fast.
But all other times the faster current is a plus. The
fish cannot see us that well through the turbid surface.
So let's give it a shot.
And there's fish No. 3.
Another easy place to prospect at the head of the pool
is along the current edges.
At the head of the pool is usually where the fastest
chute of water runs.
The edge set up by this chute and slower water along the
bank may also hold opportunistic feeders.
If there is a bend in the pool, as there is with our
pool, then you need to study the currents along the
inside and outside bends.
The faster current is likely to be on the outside bend.
If it's too fast, as it is on our stream, the fish will
not be able to hold there. Instead try the inside bend.
There's a missed fish. Let's give the riffles upstream a
look.
The Riffles
Riffles may appear to be featureless, but look closer.
Often there are current seams scattered throughout the
riffle section.
However, only certain seams will produce — those with
depth.
A trout won't hold long in a shallow riffle (less than a
foot deep) because there's too many predators.
Of course if there is an insect hatch, the trout may
sacrifice some of its sensibilities and jump into the
riffle to feed.
Another important target among the riffle section is the
glass pockets.
The riffles are created by turbulence formed by the
water rushing over the streambed.
A deeper section in the riffle may not produce those
same turbulence at the surface, therefore, a glass
pocket forms on the surface.
Obstructions on the streambed can also create glass
pockets. These are definitely worth your time and
effort.
Definitely avoid crashing boils of water. Trout cannot
hold for any period of time in such a spot.
But before we leave Lynn's Run let's try a few of the
glass pockets!
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