The first instance puts fish in shallow areas of the stream which the sun has warmed even a few degrees. In the second example the fish move into shaded portions of the stream or to the mouth of a small feeder stream where the water is cooler. Both are examples of the fish seeking comfort. It will help you immensely in your fly fishing if you start thinking like a fish. If the weather is hot, where do you want to be? You will want to be in a cooler, shady spot? So does the fish. Fish will generally always face upstream into the current. If the fish were facing downstream, they would eventually end up all the way downstream or in the ocean. Fish face upstream because that is where their food comes from. Think of it as being in a dining room, and the waitress is bringing you a plate of food — but the food is hanging in the air above the plate.
That is what the fish have, a moving dinner plate. The food comes to them floating on the surface of the water and they have to make the decision to take that food in a split second. Wait too long and it has floated past them. And if the fly you offer doesn‘t look like the food the fish has been eating? You probably won't get the fish to take your fly. Also consider the following locations when looking for your fish:
In riffles and shallows In front of boulders where the water speed in front is slowed by the rock behind Along the banks where the current is slower and insects fall in the water Behind boulders where there is protection from the current In drop-offs between riffles In protective pockets made naturally by the stream‘s layout In front of surface obstructions where food can get trapped Behind logs where there is protection and food in ants In back eddies where the current is slower and insects collect At the bottom of a deep pool In gravel bar shallows late in the evening In the shade of an overhanging streamside tree
Flyfishing Guide-© Copyrighted. All Rights Reserved, 2012
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