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 When
it comes to reading fishable water, experience is the
fisherman's most important tool. Fishermen must realize
the three fundamental needs of a fish when looking at
a body of water. These needs are security, low current
flow and food supply. Since the fish is near the bottom
of the food chain, security is its first concern. A
fish must feel safe before it will attend to its other
needs. These places are often undercut banks, drop-offs,
fallen trees, rocks or bends in the river. Another vital
concern for a fish is energy. A fish must find a hiding
place in an area where the current is not too strong.
Fighting the current all day would use up too much of
the fishes energy. The current plays another important
role in the fish's life. It brings the fish its meals.
The fish will watch the different types of food drift
by in the current and dart out and eat what it wants.
This method of feeding also helps limit the amount of
energy the fish must use. The ideal spot for a fish
would be a protected area right on the edge of the current,
where it can rest and feed at the same time. These ideal
spots are known as holding lies. Although several fish
can be found in one of these lies, the biggest fish
will generally hold the best spot in the lie.
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 Each
stream or river will be different but there are some general
stream characteristics that will hold fish in almost any
river. These characteristics are riffles, runs, pools
and flats.These should be recognized and fished by all
fishermen. Riffles are fast, shallow and choppy parts
of the stream. The faster water hitting rocks creates
them. The rocks obstruct the current creating a pocket
of slower water. This slower water is called "pocket water"
which is ideal for holding fish. Runs are the slower section
of water that are usually below the riffles. Runs are
what fisherman refers to as classic dry fly water. Runs
are usually about 4 feet deep and much easier to wade
then the riffles. Another important characteristic of
the run is the center current. This center current will
be faster and deeper then the rest of the run. The center
current is referred to by the fisherman as the scum line.
This can be visible to the fisherman because of the presence
of bubbles and insects being carried downstream by the
stronger current. Fish will often hold in the deeper water
and use the center current or scum line to feed. Pools
are generally easy to distinguish because they are the
deepest parts of the stream. They get their name because
they are often used as swimming pools. Pools are usually
six feet deep or deeper and are great for fish to hold.
They are usually fished with weighted nymphs and streamers
in order to get the flies down to the fish. When hatches
of Mayflies are thick enough the fish in these pools will
come up and feed on the surface. Flats are large slow
moving sections of the stream. They are very shallow and
generally the same depth from one side to the other. These
areas do not hold many fish but are ideal places for fish
to feed when hatches are on the water. When sufficient
hatches are on the water, fish will pull out of the deeper
waters onto the shallow flats. Here they can easily locate
the insects and feed on them without using much energy.
However, with the shallow slower moving water, fooling
these fish into taking your fly can be difficult. Careful
casting and proper presentation aided with lighter leader
and natural looking flies will help improve your flat
fishing success.
All fishermen can quickly learn to recognize what should
be the most productive water on a stream or river. However
only fishing the river will reveal the actual best holding
and feeding on the river. The knowledge of riffles, runs,
pools, and flats should help get you started in learning
the water you are going to fish. |
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