Finding trout in rivers and streams isn’t that hard. In the spring and late fall, trout are more active in the afternoon because that’s when the water is
warmest. During colder weather, a couple of degrees in water temperature can make a huge difference so target trout in the afternoon. Over the
summer months, the water is warmer and trout are more active in the morning and evening when the water is slightly cooler.
Although trout do a great job of keeping themselves hidden, you can see them feeding heavily during the evening. Insect activity peaks during the
evening, so it makes sense that trout feed heavily during this time of the day. If you monitor the types of insects that are hatching in your area, you will
be able to catch lots of fish consistently.
Rain usually helps the fishing because many insects are washed into the rivers or streams. Faster current stirs up the bottom, which helps stir up insect
larvae from the bottom.
There are many areas to target trout in streams and rivers.
Eddies form behind and in front of boulders. Most fishermen target the areas below the boulders, however, many fish are caught above the boulders.
Points, bridges, islands, sharp bends and any other obstructions will form eddies. If you went out and just fished eddies, you could hit 10 to 12 spots on
a good day and catch a lot of fish. Just make sure to remember which eddies produce the best results. These areas will continue to hold fish
throughout the year.
Riffles are shallow areas with some current. The rocks form these riffles and trout will feed in these areas early in the morning and late in the evening.
There are plenty of insects in these riffles, but trout won’t likely be in these areas during the day because they would be too visible to predators.
Runs are deep, narrow areas with moderately-fast moving water between riffles and pools. Some of these areas will hold big trout, however, not all of
these areas will hold fish. The best runs have cover for the fish to hide.
Pools are excellent spots for catching trout during the middle of the day, especially during the summer. In mid-summer, deep pools will hold large
numbers of fish. These areas are very easy to find. They have smooth, calm water next to areas of current. There will be some type of turn in the river
or some piece of land that jumps out into the stream that will form a nice pool of water downstream of the obstruction. The pools are larger areas of
calm water, which are different from eddies that form around small obstructions.
Pocket water is shallow water with lots of boulders throughout the area. Deep pockets will form below the boulders and trout will be in these pockets.
It will look like it is too shallow for trout, but fish will be here looking for easy meals that drift by in the current. The trout will jet out to grab a meal then
go back and rest in the slack water of the pockets.
Undercuts form along outside bends from the current cutting into the bank. These areas will have overhanging cover from the shoreline that provides
shade and protection from predators. These are excellent mid-day fishing spots. Once the sun gets high enough, trout will seek these shady areas
until the sun begins to set.
Plunge pools are areas of deeper water at the base of a waterfall. The force of the waterfall creates a deep hole at the base of the falls. The deep
hole creates an eddy that allows trout to stay out of the fast current. This allows them to hang around these deeper, well-oxygenated areas without
getting too tired. In some areas, the current is so strong that fish would struggle to stay in the area without the eddy of calmer water.
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