What Are You Looking At?

We've heard it a thousand times haven't we? When you get to the stream, don't just jump into it. Wait a few minutes and observe the water first. How many of us do that? How many of us even know what that means? Today I'd like to explore this a bit and go into some detail about what you should be observing during that time. What should we be thinking about? What should we be looking for? Here in western Maryland, the rain has kept us off the streams for a few weeks now and when the weather finally cooperates, many of us will rush out to our favorite streams and in our excitement, most of us will ignore this critical first step and as a result, we'll make mistakes. So let's take a moment and prepare for success...

Observation.

We arrive streamside and jump out of the truck and quickly get into our waders, rig up our rods and many of us tie on a fly before we even see the water. What do we tie on? Well, if you're like most of the people I know and like most fly fisherman in general, it'll be the fly that you've had the most success with. Parachute Adams? Stimulator? Copper John? Some combination of those flies? Next time, hold off on your fly selection until you've stood streamside and gathered some information. Granted, your default fly choice may work just fine, but if you know more about what's happening on the stream, you may be able to fine tune your selection and have a lot more success.

First, let's touch on some general facors that will have an effect on that days fishing. Ask yourself these questions or make these observations...

- What's the weather like? Is it sunny? Overcast? Does it look like rain?
- What time of year is it? Which insects are the most likely candidates to be active?
- What time of day is it? Is it early enough that it's going to get warmer soon? Is it late enough that it's going to get cooler soon?

Now, you can be more specific in your observations about the stream. Some of these may seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how many things get overlooked because we're in a rush.

- What is water clarity like? What is the flow like? What is the water temperature?
- Can you spot any fish? Do you see any rises? If so, what types of rises are they? Are they loud and splashy or are they more subtle? This will give you a clue about whether the fish are feeding on or just below the surface.
- No rises? Pick out the most obvious lies. I know you're wearing polarized glasses, so try to see into the runs and maybe you can see the flashes of fish feeding more deeply.
- If you don't seem to see any fish, read the stream and identify all the locations that might hold fish.

You'll also notice any insect activity around this time. Sometimes it's as easy as seeing them on the water or in the air. Sometimes you'll see birds feeding on insects above the stream. Sometimes the bugs will be really cooperative and land on you while you're observing the stream. You can also give the streamside vegetation a shake and see what flies out. This makes fly selection much easier...

Of course, it's just as likely that you won't see any insects at all. This is when your local knowledge comes into play, but if you find yourself in a new area or if you're exploring a new stream, you may not have that information. Fortunately you can find hatch charts and plenty of up to the minute information online or from local fly shops. This just means doing some homework before you hit the stream.

If you don't have any information about the local insect activity and you don't see anything when you get to the stream, you can always use a sein to get a sample of any insects that may be present. But if not, you'll have to rely on what you've learned in your fly fishing experience and make the best guess that you can. When I'm in this situation I fall back on patterns that I've had success with and have the most confidence in. If the fish aren't rising, you might just tie on an attractor nymph pattern and start prospecting. If they are rising, and you can't tell what they're eating, pick an attractor dry pattern and give it a shot. The Adams is such a productive fly because it passes for a variety of insects and is a great fly to use in situations like this. You might try tying on a small pheasant tail nymph as a dropper and increase your odds.

Fly selection can be a complex subject to discuss, so I'll say more about this in a future post. Just know that the more you understand about what's happening in the stream, you'll make better choices and have more success.

Make a plan.

Now that you know things like where the fish are (or might be) and whether or not they are feeding and how they are feeding, it's time to make a plan. Choose the prime location that you plan to concentrate on and decide how best to approach that location. Chances are, there will be some potentially productive areas between where you will enter the stream and where you intend to fish. You should plan to cover these areas as you slowly make your way to your chosen destination. I should also add, that unless you absolutely have to wade or enter the water, you should avoid it. My favorite streams have so much tree cover along the banks I almost always have to wade, but when a situation comes up where I can avoid it, I do.

Another thing to think about when making your plan is whether or not you'll be able to make a backcast from where you'll be standing. If not, then you should think about your casting alternatives before you get there. There's nothing more frustrating than going through all of this preperation, taking the time to get into position slowly and silently and then snagging your fly on the branch behind you.

One last thing I want to mention about casting position, is that casting positions are not always the best places to land a fish once you've hooked it. If you're releasing your fish, this has to be a consideration. Releasing a fish in fast water almost guarantees that that fish will not make it. When I get into position to make my presentation, I always ask myself if this is a good place to release a fish. If not, I make a plan for playing the fish into slower, safer water so I can release the fish with a high probability of it's survival. Another option is to net the fish and then wade into a better spot for release. If I'm in a situation where maneuvering the fish into slower water is dangerous for me because of the current, slippery rocks, etc..., I will simply choose a different place to make my presentation or I'll move to another area of the stream.

You can see now that there is some real value in having a plan, not only for where you want to fish and how you want to fish, but also for including a plan for what to do when you hook a fish.

Execute.

Once you have these things figured out it's time to execute your plan. It seems like a lot to think about, but in reality it only takes a few minutes. Use this time to relax a bit...breathe. It's still important to remember to wade slowly into position, and once you get there, it often pays off to take a few moments to observe the situation again now that you're closer. Things can change. Now that you're in position, you might notice a large fish feeding near the opposite bank that you couldn't see before, and suddenly you have some new decisions to make. My point here is that you must stay aware of your surroundings and be flexible. Fly fishing is about making adjustments and the best fisherman are observant, persistent and methodical.

Execute your plan with confidence and stay positive. After all, you're fishing and as far as I'm concerned, that fact alone is almost enough to call it a successful day.