How Do You Approach A Trout Stream?

How Do You Approach A Trout Stream?

When you see visible signs of trout feeding on the surface don’t immediately make a beeline for the water’s edge.  Your most definitely going to push them away and pause them from feeding. Trout can see quite well directly on their sides about 90 degrees front-to-back.  The best places for you to approach a trout are from the front or from behind.  This means you’ll need to be proficient in downstream casting upstream casts.

  •  Approach with a light footstep has trout under the bank or near the shorelines can feel the vibrations of your foot. 
  • Wearing clothes that match the skyline or the surrounding brush is always a good idea to help you blend in.
  • Approach slowly and carefully keeping an eye on the trout you’re looking to cast to.

While unfortunate, if you do spook the trout just wait a couple of minutes and they will return to actively feeding. I have heard many times of fly anglers crawling into the pool that they are looking to cast into and, simply, waited for the fish to return. Then, they were able to make short casts just a few feet in front of them to land some trout. Of course, this is an extreme example but often wait for trout to return from afar before casting again with great success. If you don’t act like a threat, they will soon rule you out — well, at least for low-pressure streams.

Hatch Schedules

Some of the best spring and summer hatches occur before noon between 7:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.  You’ll typically find trout rising just below the surface to midge larvae in the sun’s warmth.  When temperatures rise quickly in the summer you will want to go earlier in earlier to find these hatches.

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