You’ve put in a good day on the water; you’ve swapped flies, scouted new runs and you’ve even caught a few more than the guy across the river. Still though, there’s a tiny thought lodged in your reptilian angler brain that says you’re coming short.
Sad truth is, you are. Most anglers know to hit the obvious runs that will hold trout, but many pass up the less obvious spots that still hold fish–and it’s these lesser-known runs that can hold the biggest fish in the river.
1) The Put In
I get it; you want to get on the water and start looking for fish. Too bad you’ve probably already spooked a good fish that’s been hanging out right under your nose. Many times the repeated first step of angler after angler will cause the bank to get washed out. There’s a good chance this little pocket, sometimes even an undercut, is going to hold some fish. If you’re about to put in your boat, each steep side of the boat ramp can also hold a fish or two.
Before you start backing down the drift boat or step into the water, stop about ten feet from the water and place a few casts with a dry fly or streamer. A few extra twitches should fire up any big brown that might be waiting.
2) Behind Your Boat
Seriously, there might be a fish behind you every time you cast. If you’re at anchor on a bright sunny day your boat will create a perfect shady haven for fish, protecting them from both the sun and predators. Even if you’re not on anchor, the light swirling current of your wake will trap bugs that smart fish can pick off left and right.
Every few casts or so, let your streamer drop behind your boat, or place a cast in the swirling wake. If you hook up you can then use that same pattern and apply it to the rest of the river. If the fish hit on top, keep throwing dries. If your fly is still dry, throw a streamer back there. You’re creating your own ecosystem back there and use it like your personal test tank.
3) In Front Of The Rock
Every angler casts to the downstream side of every obvious rock and most will catch a decent fish in the current seam. What many anglers forget though, is that same current will create a pillow of water directly in front of the rock, that especially on warmer days, some fish prefer.
Tie on a wet fly or a streamer and let it drift into the gauntlet of aerated water right in front of the rock. Depending on the water flow you might have to place your cast directly in the pillow, otherwise your fly might get carried right past the rock. Good thing you’ll still be able to hook up on the downstream eddy line.
4) Your Buddy’s Hole
No, I don’t mean snake your buddy’s spot out from under him. (Though that might work too). I mean the spot your buddy just fished before yelling out, “definitely not a fish in there.” Prove him (or her) wrong.
If he only made a pass or two with one fly, chances are there’s still a fish there just looking for something different. Make note of what he’s throwing and switch to the opposite. If he threw a delicate, natural-looking dry fly, throw a gaudy, meaty streamer into the heart of the run. If he’s slinging the streamer, place your subtle presentation on the surface and give it a twitch or two. Don’t forget to make sure your buddy gets a good look at the fish he could have caught.
