Ever get to the river, all suited up ready to go, and just look at the water wondering where to begin?  Do I just get in and start casting to the far bank?  I can see a submerged log a few yards upstream on my side of the water – do I start casting to that to see if a trout will reveal itself?  Or, maybe try casting to the ribbon that follows to the side of that large rock sitting in the middle of the river?  So many choices!  I’m so excited I can’t decide!

It isn’t uncommon for fly fisher-folk, to get in a river and just begin to cast to any old area that looks good.  They move upstream/downstream/side-to-side without really considering that they may be running right over a trout and chasing it away.

Well, before jumping in first stop and ask yourself, what is the river telling me… look at the river – read it – see what is unfolding in front of you and where the ideal spots are that trout are likely to be.  Then make a plan to work the river.  Decide where best to enter the water and how you’re going to carefully move to each area to ensure you’re not going to spook the fish.  Once you begin to work your plan and progress upstream, make sure to stop every so often and reassess.

Knowing how to read a river and planning your attack is key in improving your odds of success.  We found a short video on reading trout water from the editor of Trout Magazine.  Check it out… its short and sweet and might even tell you something you didn’t know.  No, really… go check it out!