Every town has one: the elderly man who is sought after by anglers from all over the world and who is an expert on the local rivers and streams. He never returns home empty- handed.

He has mastered the ability of reading the water, recognizing the areas where fish congregate and understanding where on the river, he would most likely find those areas. This is part of what makes him so great. Here are five tried-and-true techniques for navigating the river, even if you’ve never fished there before. However, be prepared to cut some line since you might get caught on a couple of them before you find the sweet spot containing tonight’s food.

1. Debris and aged logs. Eddy pools, where brush and branches are pushed by the river, are great since your fish love to hide in regions with a lot of debris. When casting in this location, there’s a significant likelihood that you’ll snag on wood rather than get a nibble, so you should be prepared to cut line here. For this reason, it’s preferable to be adjacent to these locations than on the opposing side of the bank. Being near to your fish in these regions won’t likely frighten them either because they are typically relatively noisy underwater.

2. The best spots to catch fish are in “buggy” areas. It makes sense that fish would congregate beneath actual flies when fly-fishing because, after all, you’re attempting to persuade the fish that the lure you’re casting out is a fly. Especially during peak light hours, it can be difficult to detect swarms of bugs out on the lake. To reduce glare, invest in a nice pair of polarized sunglasses. Additionally, those polarized sunglasses will reduce the glare from the water’s surface, allowing you to see underwater objects and even your prey’s moving shapes. Polarized binoculars (or even ordinary binoculars) might be beneficial in locating those places for vast bodies of water that allow for a long cast.

3. Calm pools with lots of bubbles that are close to fast water are great. This refers to eddy pools (again) near waterfalls, next to rapids, or in swift water following a significant flood. Keep in mind that your fish require three things to thrive: a place to hide, a plentiful supply of flies to eat, and lots of oxygen. Due to the adjacent rapids, these quiet pools frequently have good aeration and offer lots of places to hide.

4. Regions with a lot of semi-aqueous vegetation, like willows (especially during high-water times). These are great locations for aquatic insects, such as mosquitoes, to deposit their eggs, giving your fish both an underwater food source and a lot of flies above the water. Unfortunately, these regions are also snag-prone, so when fishing here, get nearby. Even better periods are spring floods and other times of high water because you tend to see an increase in the bug population as well as more new areas for your fish to explore. 

5. Great hiding areas include around large rocks and boulders, boat docks, tree roots, and submerged water features. Fish these up close or from a distance, keeping an eye out for that snagging issue.

The ideal locations are those with enough bugs, calm water, oxygen, and shelter for fish, but not too many of them. The best time to fish is early in the day when the fish are most hungry, the sun is low (for less glare), and the bugs are just beginning to swarm.

When you go fishing it’s more fun to campout. But don’t forget to notice all the beauty that God has supplied us in nature, Amen. Always bring your Bible and your camera. Remember God loves you.

Copy and paste link into your search bar for fishing classes and binoculars.

https://amzn.to/3IRkEPW

Copy and paste this link for a crank radio. Every person on the trip needs one because of an emergency, it will work with no electricity and will charge your phone and has a flashlight.

https://amzn.to/3WeRQ6T