reading the water?

[TexUte Fly]

so im about to go out for the 4th time this week, my first time alone. my friends always tie my lines for me and say throw there. so i really dont know what im looking for. i went into a local fly shop yesterday and picked up a couple of flies they said would be good for this time of year, and gave me tips on how to fish fast water (fish are behind rocks, trees, and in the slower water, etc.) and websites on what the water is doing.
but what am i looking for out there? how long do i fish a spot before i decide theres no fish there and move on? i plan on using the traditional rig for nymphs. should i try others rigs (bounce or dry dropper)? are eddys a good place to fish, or is it called pocket water? i think i understand what a seam is and know i want to fish those now. i understand i probably wont catch anything but it will be nice to get out there. oh and for those who have been here, ill be fishing the upper provo.

Edit: i found this website, would the same thing apply for trout? http://steelheadnotebook.net/forum/index.php?topic=5032.0

 

[wt bash]

Thats a good start (the site you mentioned). Keep your eyes scanning for flashes and movement if the water is clear enough. To keep it simple fish with what you are most familiar and comfortable with. Most importantly have a ball!

 

[gadfly_nj]

I really like Dave Hughes' book on the subject, "Reading the Water". But then almost anything by Mr. Hughes is good stuff. You should check it out if you want to delve deeper. However, nothing is going to teach you like time on the water. Pay attention to where you have luck and really think about why the fish was there. :thumbsupu

 

[Ard]

Hi Mac,

I'll concur with gadfly in that taking a read where an author has condensed his life's experience into a learning tool for you (the reader) is the best 'fast track' out there. Take the time to read and absorb a book like gadfly has suggested and then as you spend time on trout streams you will begin to connect the dots that lead to comprehension.

The best way to become good at this is to put a great effort into learning. It has been many years since I fished on the Provo River but you have there a great place for learning.

Ard

 

[Davo]

Another great book for reading water is "Prospecting for Trout" by Tom Rosenbauer. He really gets into trout behavior and how to dissect a stream. Then time on the water will bring it all together for you so you'll walk up to a stream and systematically work the water to you advantage!!

 

[goofnoff2]

Ditto the Rosenbauer book, it will save you years of trial and error. He also wrote "Reading Trout Water".

 

[jpbfly]

Books will help you but nothing is better than spending time on the water.Try to locate fish feeding on the surface or under athe water.Anyway trout live in the same places everywhere in the world,little by little you will learn to know where fish must be when you wade a stream even it's the first time you fish it.To start with I advise you to fish fast little streams it's a good school to understand where fish can be and feed...here's a simple but useful piece of advice ....fish the slowest part of the fastest and the fastest part of the slowest....not sure it's clear but you'll understand what it means soon

 

[Frank Whiton]

Hi Mac,

A lot of good information so far. Here are some suggestions that might help.

1. Make sure you have Polaroid Sun Glasses.

2. Study the water before you make your first cast. Look for fish and study how the currant is working in different water types. Look for fish rising and taking bugs on the surface. Turn over a few rocks and see what nymphs are there. All of this will help you decide what and how to fish.

3. Always fish the water closest to you before wading. If you see a spot that you know holds fish or looks like it should hold fish, fish your way to it. Don't just pass up all the water between you and the spot.

4. Buy one of the books mentioned in this thread. A lot of us learned how to read water from books.

5. Hire a guide and watch his every move and ask questions. He can show you how to read water.

6. Concentrate on what you are doing every second your fly is in the water. If you catch a fish as soon as you have landed it go over in your mind exactly what you were doing when you got your strike. Keep a log or remember where you caught every fish. There will be fish there next time you visit the river. If you keep a log write down the water temp, time of day, water level, weather, fly and just about anything that will help you the next time you fish. This really helps next year at the same time.

7. When to move on. That is a hard one. With experience you will have a much better idea when to move on. Some fly fishers will stay at one good looking spot, or a spot they caught a fish, for way too long. Rivers do not hold fish in every stretch of water. Some stretches don't have what a fish needs to be comfortable. Water temps, water depth, lack of food, lack of protection or who knows why fish may not be in a stretch of river or stream. I tend to fish the available water and move on to the next spot faster than some fly fishers. If you fish the same water all the time you will learn the river and not waste time on areas with no fish or small fish. As a beginner I would make sure I had tried all of the water and fished all the seams and holding water and then move on. If you catch one or two fish and they stop biting change the fly or move on and then come back to the spot.

8. Fish the flies and use the techniques that your local fly shop recommends. He wants you to catch fish and has the knowledge to help you.

Frank

 

[TexUte Fly]

thanks guys ill check into those books, but i feel a guide would be much better for me. im a very visual learner.
also as for a log. are there any good fly fishing apps for droid? all the fly apps cost a couple bucks and dont wanna waste money on a bad one. my phone will tell me my gps cords of where i took a picture so if not i can make my own pretty easy.

 

[mikel]

Wow! Frank's post was awesome.

Mac...fish have few needs. They have to be able to eat, breath and be safe from predators. They like to live in water within some temperature bounds. The other thing to know is they are calorie savers...they are lazy.

So, if you were a fish, where would YOU hang out? Somewhere out of the main current, but close enough to it to be able to snag a passing snack, while safe from Ospreys, et al.

As you learn to read water, if you understand WHY fish are where they are it'll make more sense to you...-Mike

Oh, and if you're a visual learner, definitely get with a good guide and you'll take years off your learning curve. Do it. You won't be sorry.

 

[Bigfly]

All of the above is good advice. Especially "where would I be if I was a fish".
Watching fish is key.
Twenty-plus years ago, I whined to Ralph Cutter about how few fish there were in the Truckee River (Demonstrated by my catch ratio!). Ralf suggested I swim with the fishes (in a nice way).
After I did, I quit wishin' and got busy fishing.
It's a bit like 3-D chess, and hydraulic forces dependably determine the fishes moves.
The hydraulics under water leave a tell-tale signature on the surface.
When you catch a fish, look at the water it came out of.
Fish all water at first, but over time, you will see where they mostly live .
Learn this well, and it's possible to actually predict, before you cast, where they will be.
If you don't give the game away to the fish with your approach, and have the food form menu dialed, and have a good drift, a "one drift fish" is not only possible, but likely.
The mantra to mutter, "Foam is home".

Jim

 

[gadfly_nj]

All of the above is good advice. Especially "where would I be if I was a fish".
Watching fish is key.
Twenty-plus years ago, I whined to Ralph Cutter about how few fish there were in the Truckee River (Demonstrated by my catch ratio!). Ralf suggested I swim with the fishes (in a nice way).
After I did, I quit wishin' and got busy fishing.
It's a bit like 3-D chess, and hydraulic forces dependably determine the fishes moves.
The hydraulics under water leave a tell-tale signature on the surface.
When you catch a fish, look at the water it came out of.
Fish all water at first, but over time, you will see where they mostly live .
Learn this well, and it's possible to actually predict, before you cast, where they will be.
If you don't give the game away to the fish with your approach, and have the food form menu dialed, and have a good drift, a "one drift fish" is not only possible, but likely.
The mantra to mutter, "Foam is home".

Jim

What a cool way to learn about trout behavior!

 

[mojo]

Go into Heber and go to 4 Seasons Fly Fishers. They know the waters pretty well there. I'm not a big fan of TB in PC if you know what I mean.
Sit and watch the water closely. 5 to 10 minutes. You'll be amazed at what you see when you sit and watch. Are you fishing the Middle P or Weber?

 

[TexUte Fly]

most times ill be fishing the middle provo, up close to the dam. its the closest spot i know.

i did go to TB and they were very nice and helpful there but i feel like they were pretty expensive (normal in PC i guess) ill be sure to stop at 4 seasons before i head out this week and talk to them too, maybe pick up some more flys if they feel i need some.

i have been watching the water and looking for fish latley. i take my dog down there to walk her and to find spots i think would be good for fishing plus its a great area just to chill and get away from people here in PC. i will probably start fishing the weber as provo gets more and more crowded. ive just only been there once and didnt really fish cept by the bridge by a parking lot. i kept getting tangled up so much i quit and my roommates dog wouldnt leave me alone when i was fishing so i got over it pretty quick.

thanks again for all the advice everyone

 

[mojo]

most times ill be fishing the middle provo, up close to the dam. its the closest spot i know.

i did go to TB and they were very nice and helpful there but i feel like they were pretty expensive (normal in PC i guess) ill be sure to stop at 4 seasons before i head out this week and talk to them too, maybe pick up some more flys if they feel i need some.

i have been watching the water and looking for fish latley. i take my dog down there to walk her and to find spots i think would be good for fishing plus its a great area just to chill and get away from people here in PC. i will probably start fishing the weber as provo gets more and more crowded. ive just only been there once and didnt really fish cept by the bridge by a parking lot. i kept getting tangled up so much i quit and my roommates dog wouldnt leave me alone when i was fishing so i got over it pretty quick.

thanks again for all the advice everyone

Here's another nice place at the Middle. Turn right at River Road (where the stop light is) if your coming from PC, take the South River Road access point- on your left side. Park and fish the water. It's really nice over there and you have a little more room to cast. Head down stream and enjoy yourself.

 

[TexUte Fly]

Here's another nice place at the Middle. Turn right at River Road (where the stop light is) if your coming from PC, take the South River Road access point- on your left side. Park and fish the water. It's really nice over there and you have a little more room to cast. Head down stream and enjoy yourself.

thats where i normally go to walk, across the bridge and just walk downstream untill i get tired, or turn right and go to the other parkinglot and just let my dog loose in that area. if i dont have waders on i cant go to far over there. also was looking on google earth and was thinking about walking around where midway ln and ryan ln meet up. that seems like it may be an ok area.

 

[joshuanoerr]

Bunch of great info here for you Mac. Let me just chime in on something Frank said.

A good pair of polorized sunglasses is huge!

You will be amazed at what you can see down there with a good pair. Good luck to ya!

 

[FlyBum]

You have been given excellent advise... The only thing that I will add is two things. When I started 25 years ago I watched videos by Gary Borger and I had to pay for them. They are now posted on youtube so you can watch them for free, just google his name.

Secondly and IMO this will cut your learning curve by years. Look for a Fly Fishing club in your area, local fly shops should no them be able to provide contact information. Join a club and take advantage of classes and clinics they have all the ones I know of provide classes and clinics on every regarding fly fishing for either free or much lower cost than anywhere else. Also find a fly fisher in the club that has been fishing forever and learn all you can from them. See if the club has a mentor program the one I belong to does and thats like have your own personal guide and you are likely to make a lifelong friend in the process.

 

[TexUte Fly]

so i went out today after i went snowboarding. i practiced casting a bit since i havnt casted a fly rod in over a year. got the hang of it again and started walking down the river. i asked myself "if i was a lazy ass fish where would i swim?" thought to myself right there! well on my 3rd cast i get caugt up, damn im snagged. wait a min no? its kicking... its a fish!!!! in 2 hours thats all the action i got, but was still plenty for me. caught maybe a 12" brown trout.

 

[Bigfly]

Mac., I once fantasized about wearing my waders while snow boarding.
Hike out, get a couple turns in, before dropping directly into a stream, with my fly rod, and then catch a fish..
Just to link up two water sports.
It doesn't often happen, but good sense won-out.
Had the perfect spot picked out...
Of course, this was years before you could market yourself as a "JackAs*" and hope to find an audience for a movie about it.
Timing is everything...

Good job, on a 3 drift brownie. The trick now, is to roll up immediately after such a display of ninja fishiness.
It will improve your stats. Casts/drifts/fish.
Jim