Finding trout holding water

Gary Knowels

Hack of all trades
Forum Supporter
Scenario: you approach a stream know to hold trout, but haven't fished it before and don't have any recent Intel on how it is fishing. What is your thought/search process for finding the types of water the trout are holding in? How does it differ by species of trout? What are you throwing at them first?
 

Zak

Legend
Forum Supporter
Scenario: you approach a stream know to hold trout, but haven't fished it before and don't have any recent Intel on how it is fishing. What is your thought/search process for finding the types of water the trout are holding in? How does it differ by species of trout? What are you throwing at them first?
A small muddler, caddis or Usual cast upstream and deaddrifted down current seams and bubble/foam lines would be my first step. Maybe drop a nymph or bugger off the muddler if I'm not getting any takers on the surface. I'd continue that up stream for half the day and then swing/strip/hang a muddler or wet fly downstream on the way back. That's pretty much my plan on any stream.
 

Salmo_g

Legend
Forum Supporter
If I don't see any obvious hatch and rising trout, I'll likely try a nymph, or a double nymph rig if I feel adventurous about dealing with a tangled leader. Lacking much expertise at this, I'll usually choose a big nymph and a small one. That's about as sophisticated as I've figured out how to get.
 

Tom Butler

Grandpa, Small Stream Fanatic
Forum Supporter
I have good luck with a bead head hares ear, and I like the muddler. Search a few seams in pocket water and riffles, to see if they are there. Search run and pool seams, also just above and below the heads, 1/3, 2/3 points and tailout. Even a small fish should tell you kind of where they are kind of preferring to be located at the time. Always fish wood and undercuts.
 
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gpt

Smolt
trout holding water is easy to spot. first sit down, quietly and see if anything is hatching. if yes that should provide a good start. overhanging brush, any rock big enough to split the stream, riffles big and small, standing water are all worth fishing. nothing coming off, i switch to a #18 prince nymph as a searching fly. start close in, no giant casts needed as you search. repeat your casts before you step down and start all over again. taking your time is a good part of having a quality experience.
 

Bambooflyguy

Life of the Party
Hey Gary, for me it depends on the time of day.....I usually fish streams late summer and fish from late afternoon til dark. I’m no purist but I fish dry flies in moving water, just too much fun watching the hit! More bugs come out in the evening (frickin mosquitoes!) and the fish get active looking up. Shorty bamboo and a small caddis or parachute are my go to flies.
 
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RCF

Life of the Party
I just sit back from water's edge and watch for a few minutes or so. Amazing how much you can learn and see. Then start with an attractor e.g. humpy or terrestrial (if they are around), with a hare's ear or pheasant tail dropper. I fish from the water's edge into deeper water. I always fish structure and that includes undercut banks.
 

iveofione

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
trout holding water is easy to spot. first sit down, quietly and see if anything is hatching. if yes that should provide a good start. overhanging brush, any rock big enough to split the stream, riffles big and small, standing water are all worth fishing. nothing coming off, i switch to a #18 prince nymph as a searching fly. start close in, no giant casts needed as you search. repeat your casts before you step down and start all over again. taking your time is a good part of having a quality experience.
The part about start close in is very good advice. All too often people wade into the fish and cast beyond them. On one particularly egregious example, we were camped on the Deschutes one afternoon sipping some beers and waiting for the evening hatch. Two bozos drove up, walked into our camp and waded out waist deep-right into the heart of fish holding water. They hung around for about half an hour making mighty cast well out into the river. They caught nothing. After they left we caught fish right where they were standing right up till dark.

It seems to me that rainbows and cutthroats hold in different kinds of water. I often find cutts in water that appears too shallow to hold fish but holds a lot of biters. As a result I am fishing the close in stuff first then working my way out in known cutthroat water.

One of the things that has changed my approach to stream fishing is watching Tenkara Addict on YouTube every Saturday morning. He primarily fishes tiny creeks for 7-10'' fish but it is where he hooks them that is revealing. He films with a GoPro and when he edits the film he places an arrow pointing to where the fish was hooked. It has been amazing to see some of the places fish hang out in those tiny streams.

Should you ever have the pleasure of fishing skinny water with Freestone you will be privy to seeing water read expertly. Few do it as well and she can come behind and catch fish that the rest of us usually walk by. Uncanny!
 

dirty dog

Steelhead
When fishing a dry fly I start at the tail of a run or pool and work my way up stream.
If I see fish I target that fish.
When fishing a nymph I start a the head of the run or pool and try to drift through.
In early season when the water is cold I have found the trout will be shallow where the water is a bit warmer.
In later summer I have found the trout to be in the head of the pools where the the riffle comes in. Also in the deep part of the pool.
In the season of run off/muddy water I look for feeder creeks that are cleaner, there will be fish holding in the cleaner water.
Having fun finding the fish is what fishing is all about for the fly fisher.
 

Yardus

Secret Squirrel
When fishing a river that's new to me I'll take a moment to observe the surroundings and look for signs of a hatch or surface activity. If I see fish breaching it's time to attempt to match the hatch and start casting, mostly working my way up stream if possible.

If I don't see anything going on, then it's nymph or swing time. I'll turn over some rocks in the shallows and look for fry or crayfish to see what's here. Next thing is a small seine net, I carry in my fishing pack, go's into the closest riffle for a few minutes to see what actively drifting by. I follow this up by holding the seine down river of me while shuffling my feet to dislodge any creatures undetected in the early testing sequence. by this time I have a pretty good idea what to choose from for a subsurface presentation, the next decision what technique to use.

If swing is the first choice than I need to decide sink rate and fly weight depending on the flows and conditions and then work my way down river. We all know the drill. Swing it, drift it, dabble it, strip it... while trying to develop a idea what action is the ticket.

If nymphing is my first choice than I go with a indicator, euro or both. This all depends on what I think will be the more effective presentation. Typically I will go with indicator rod because feel it's a more versatile presentation. That said, if I find fish that are concentrated in an inside bucket or an easily accessed feeding lane the euro can be ridiculously effective. Personally I don't really like to contact nymph if I'll need more than 15' of line out (most of the time). When nymphing it's one, two or three fly's depending casting room, wind and regulations. Order and size of the presentations vary greatly on the type water, structure and aquatic vegetation.

If that all fails, a whiskey, a beer, a cigar or all three are my go to. If they aren't biting, I'll sit down, enjoy the relaxing sound of the river, sun on my face, wind on my bald head and catch a light buzz.
 

Brian Miller

Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting Cutthwoat Twout
Forum Supporter
Scenario: you approach a stream know to hold trout, but haven't fished it before and don't have any recent Intel on how it is fishing. What is your thought/search process for finding the types of water the trout are holding in?
For most wild trout in westside new-to-me water I start with CFS. I assume late spring-early summer the water will be "high". In July I assume moderate flows, August lower flows until the rains begin. I lookup the median CFS readings for that stream or a neighboring drainage and compare to the current readings.
I usually start with wet fly fished dry or in the surface film until they become waterlogged. (edit) *If I don't get any results on the first dead drift over a very fishy looking lie I follow up using one or more "manipulation" techniques that impart a subtle movement to the fly that can be a key factor to their performance and versatility*. I usually I switch to a weighted nymph if I don't get any results, especially if the CFS is well above median.
I also watch for trout dinks in soft water (or shiners) and welcome their attempts to eat my fly that brings confidence that 1. there are trout and 2. I'm using a fly that entices them to eat it.
What are you throwing at them first?
I have some "confidence flies" that just seem to work everywhere, and have proven very versatile under various conditions even when there is an obvious hatch occurring. This is what I usually throw first
High water
20180522_162225.jpg
Moderate to low water
2021 Oct 06_0036.JPG

I have occasionally had success with a white version of the wet fly when these two haven't produced results.
How does it differ by species of trout?
So far in westside in streams with moderate to high headwaters it hasn't mattered much for native cutts, wild rainbows-hybrids and brookies. I often catch multiple species if they coexist.
 
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Gary Knowels

Hack of all trades
Forum Supporter
For most wild trout in westside new-to-me water I start with CFS. I assume late spring-early summer the water will be "high". In July I assume moderate flows, August lower flows until the rains begin. I lookup the median CFS readings for that stream or a neighboring drainage and compare to the current readings.
I usually start with wet fly fished dry or in the surface film until they become waterlogged. I switch to a weighted nymph if I don't get any results, especially if the CFS is well above median.
I also watch for trout dinks in soft water (or shiners) and welcome their attempts to eat my fly that brings confidence that 1. there are trout and 2. I'm using a fly that entices them to eat it.

I have some "confidence flies" that just seem to work everywhere, and have proven very versatile under various conditions even when there is an obvious hatch occurring. This is what I usually throw first
High water
View attachment 22688
Moderate to low water
View attachment 22687

I have occasionally had success with a white version of the wet fly when these two haven't produced results.

So far in westside in streams with moderate to high headwaters it hasn't mattered much for native cutts, wild rainbows-hybrids and brookies. I often catch multiple species if they coexist.
Mind giving me a recipe for that second fly, it looks great!
 

Old Man

Just a useless Old Man.
Forum Legend
For most wild trout in westside new-to-me water I start with CFS. I assume late spring-early summer the water will be "high". In July I assume moderate flows, August lower flows until the rains begin. I lookup the median CFS readings for that stream or a neighboring drainage and compare to the current readings.
I usually start with wet fly fished dry or in the surface film until they become waterlogged. I switch to a weighted nymph if I don't get any results, especially if the CFS is well above median.
I also watch for trout dinks in soft water (or shiners) and welcome their attempts to eat my fly that brings confidence that 1. there are trout and 2. I'm using a fly that entices them to eat it.

I have some "confidence flies" that just seem to work everywhere, and have proven very versatile under various conditions even when there is an obvious hatch occurring. This is what I usually throw first
High water
View attachment 22688
Moderate to low water
View attachment 22687

I have occasionally had success with a white version of the wet fly when these two haven't produced results.

So far in westside in streams with moderate to high headwaters it hasn't mattered much for native cutts, wild rainbows-hybrids and brookies. I often catch multiple species if they coexist.
These two flies look like Reverse Spiders. I even tied up a few of these. But I probably never used them. When I fished the wet side skinny water I was always fishing dries. Since I moved to Montana I have learned how to fish nymphs. There are a lot more fish under water and they are somewhat bigger under there.
 

Brian Miller

Be vewy vewy quiet, I'm hunting Cutthwoat Twout
Forum Supporter
Mind giving me a recipe for that second fly, it looks great!
Takayama Pheasant Tail Kebari (wet fly, can fish dry until waterlogged)
*Thread 8/0 black or neon red if you want a hotspot.
*Hook - Moonlit ML062 barbless competition hook (curved shank, wide gape, similar to a scud hook), usually #12 for trout.
*Hackle - I like variegated such as Grizzly to emphasize movement. Webby if I want hackle movement and more sink, stiffer rooster if I want to use it for controlling the drift. *The hackle variations help make the "manipulation" techniques I mentioned above more effective*.
*Body - Pheasant Tail
*Thorax - 3 peacock herl barbs spun into a dubbing loop is good but Hareline Ice Dub Olive Brown is more durable, easier to use, & has a UV flash quality in bright light.
*Rib - thin copper, optional. I don't normally use it, but can add durability, possibly faster sink.
Unlike most flies, the Takayama sakasa (reversed hackle) is usually tied from the head, hackle, then thorax and body, with the whip finish at the bend*, especially for thread body flies or if you want a hotspot tail with a pheasant tail or yarn body*.
However, I often tie head, hackle, body thorax, and whip finish between the thorax and head *hackle*, hiding the thread in the thorax dubbing *that can (if I'm careful, but the fish don't seem to mind if I'm not) give a more tapered appearance to the tail end of the body material*.
 
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Gary Knowels

Hack of all trades
Forum Supporter
Takayama Pheasant Tail Kebari (wet fly, can fish dry until waterlogged)
*Thread 8/0 black or neon red if you want a hotspot.
*Hook - Moonlit ML062 barbless competition hook (curved shank, wide gape, similar to a scud hook), usually #12 for trout.
*Hackle - I like variegated such as Grizzly to emphasize movement. Webby if I want hackle movement and more sink, stiffer rooster if I want to use it for controlling the drift
*Body - Pheasant Tail
*Thorax - 3 peacock herl barbs spun into a dubbing loop is good but Hareline Ice Dub Olive Brown is more durable, easier to use, & has a UV flash quality in bright light.
*Rib - thin copper, optional. I don't normally use it, but can add durability, possibly faster sink.
Unlike most flies, the Takayama sakasa (reversed hackle) is usually tied from the head, hackle, then thorax and body, with the whip finish at the bend
However, I often tie head, hackle, body thorax, and whip finish between the thorax and head, hiding the thread in the thorax dubbing.
Thank you, Im definitely tying some and trying them next time out!
 
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