Learning to Read Moving Water

I've mentioned many times how important learning to read a river is when you're looking for a good place trout fish. And a few days ago, I shared a video that my friend Timothy Kusherets made showing you first hand how to look for some of these trout lies on a river.

Timothy has been hard at work making more videos on the subject and today I wanted to share another on dealing with reading rivers and moving currents. There are several terms used by anglers to describe different aspects of moving water including: riffles, slots, seams, pools, eddies, etc.

This next video will help you a better idea of these terms and how to recognize these things when fishing a river or stream.

Fly Fishing Clinic for Kids in N.C.

There's an upcoming fly fishing clinic in Wasynesville, North Carolina for kids 10 -15 years old. The clinic is on March 24, 2009. It's limited to 10 kids so if you're interested, you'll want to register as soon as possible. Cost is $8/kid.

The six hour clinic will introduce kids to the basics of fly fishing including equipment, knots, casting techniques, and more. Following the instruction period, kids will have a chance to fly fish in the Davidson River. Transportation, equipment and materials, including waders, will be provided.

Kids will need to bring a lunch and non-slip shoes. The group will depart from the Waynesville Recreation Center at 9 a.m. and go to the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education. The group will return to the Waynesville Recreation Center at 4:30 p.m.

Contact Mike at 456-2030 at the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department for more information.

Elk River in West Virginia Threatened by Treatment Plant

Today one of our readers brought to my attention the fact that the Elk River in West Virginia may be threatened by the building of waste water treatment plant. While it's true that water treatment is important, some fear that such a plant may do more harm than good to the fishery.

If you'd like to voice your opposition to the building of the plant, you can sign an online petition.

For more information, contact the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources.

Sometimes You Just Need Patience

A few days ago, I had the privilege of taking some folks trout fishing who were visiting from Nebraska . We fished at one of my favorite local lakes and although the weather was a beautiful sunny day, the water was still quite cold (39 degrees Fahrenheit) and there was snow on much of the shoreline. Needless to say, these conditions made for a slow fishing day.

But like me, these folks just enjoyed being out on a beautiful lake with good friends and family. We could have come home empty handed and everybody would have still been happy. It was just one of those great days to be on the lake!

Fishing was slow - and we tried different rigs, baits and locations on the lake until we figured out where the trout were feeding and what they wanted. As is often the case, location and time of day turned out to be key factors in catching trout this day.

There is one spot on this particular lake where I've historically had the best luck catching trout, so as usual, we headed there first. But after coming up dry there, we moved to a new location. I've often avoided this other location the lake because it's so rocky and I get tired of losing tackle in it. However, on this particular day, if we wanted to catch trout, this is where we needed to be.

Trout were actively feeding on submerged bugs on and around those rocks. And so tossing our lines there made our offerings more likely to be seen by trout. Trout strikes are often more subtle in winter and so we had to be careful to set the hook, keep our lines tight, and the tip of the rods up to increase our chances of landing fish.

It's a well known fact that many insects and bugs are nocturnal and start emerging around dusk. This is why trout fishing during dusk and night hours can be so productive. And so it was with us. As soon as dusk set in, fishing really started heating up. We were pulling trout one after the other within minutes of casting our lines. And I'm happy to report that we were able to take home a nice stringer full of rainbow trout along with some good fishing memories.

Understanding trout feeding habits and lies can help you catch more trout - even when fishing appears slow and challenging. Good anglers are constantly monitoring the fishing environment throughout the day so they can adjust their tactics as needed. Trout fishing in winter may be challenging in some areas, but it can still be productive if you understand a little bit about trout and their needs.

Reading Rivers for Trout Lies

Trout fishing in rivers can be more challenging than fishing in lakes. While lakes are primarily still bodies of water, rivers are constantly moving. Anybody can get lucky and catch trout once in a while in any body of water ... but successful anglers know how to "read a river" for potential trout lies (i.e, trout hangouts).

Unfortunately, learning to read rivers doesn't happen overnight. It takes practice. The more you do it, the easier it gets. Having an experienced fishing buddy can help speed up the learning curve. But sadly, many anglers don't have the benefit of somebody else's expertise.

However, thanks to modern technology (and the world wide web), now you can learn just about anything. My good friend Timothy Kusherets (author of Steelhead & Salmon Drift-Fishing Secrets) has created a video showing you how to read a river for trout lies. You can view it below.



This is one of those videos worth watching over again until you start to get the hang of trout fishing in rivers.

Big Savings on Fishing Gear

It's a brand new year and that means that many of us are taking advantage of year end sales. Several of the big companies are offering huge savings right now. Be sure to check out the links below to take advantage of the sales currently going on before they end!