Perhaps the most important factor of fishing small-fly hatches is in the looking. An angler should shed that immediate fish-the-water impulse and start depending on his eyes to find fish. He should become the trout hunter and fish the water only as a secondary tactic if any trace of a hatch is on. He should cultivate patience and cover new ground. In the process he'll learn more of the trout's world. One begins to see things he was too busy casting to notice before, nuances of river life that affect trout behavior at every turn. For trout lie in unexpected places and feed randomly on the food sources at hand. I have often seen anglers out blind-fishing midriver runs while unbeknownst to them subtle risers were feeding steadily behind them, in shallow edge waters and flats. Trout can be caught blind and trout can be stalked. It is often the angler's choice, depending on his awareness. Of the two, stalked visible trout generally offer the greatest thrills per cast.
There can be more to"looking" than first meets the eye. There are better and worse places, and lesser and more likely viewing conditions. Trout can be found where you expect them and where you don't. It's the latter that take more concentration.
Upon approaching the bank, it's always wise to stay back a bit and scan the immediate edge waters for subtle risers. Spend a good minute or so doing this before stepping out in plain view. Trout are wild animals after all, and respond as such to movement and human presence.
The next place to look is up and down the edge waters, those quiet waters within one to ten feet of shore. Large trout like rising in this slow-current zone but are easily scared out by footsteps or by the passing overhead of a bird or fly line. The idea that big trout will be down sulking in some hole at midday is something of a myth. Certainly there are some extra-large specimens lounging in hidden river rooms, but a good number of trout up to and over twenty inches will be finning in edge waters. It is just another place where both food and a break from the current are found. Trout are by nature shallow-water creatures. It is well for anglers to remember this.
The idea that big trout will be down sulking in some hole at midday is something of a myth.
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As you look beyond the edge waters upstream, down, and across, you'll want to focus on areas where the trout can stay out of the full force of the current. Stop at this point to inspect the river's surface for insects, as well. As we mentioned earlier, a good hatch or spinner fall of a fly species that floats on the surface a long time will show more nice fish in the quietest water zones, where they can feed at a relaxed gait. On the other hand, a sporadic caddis hatch will show more fish out in the currents, boiling after the quick-rising emergers. A little bit of knowledge can go a long way in finding fish.
When it comes to spotting risers in the currents and eddy lines, I find that it's easier to distinguish them looking upstream rather than across or down. The way a river drops altitude, and the forward push of a rising fish make this so. The flat holding water and riseforms are more conspicuous when viewed from behind. Working upstream is also the classic "come from behind" trouting approach, which capitalizes on the trouts' blind spot, directly to their rear.
Trout rising in flat water are the easy ones to see. It's those making subtle rises in the ripples that call for more concentration, especially on the vast glariness of big open-prairie tailwater rivers. As ripple lines peel off points or inside bends of the river, rippling eddy lines transmit out toward midriver. These locations are especially important on big tailwaters and rivers without pocket-water sanctuary. On flat-surfaced rivers, trout use such riffles as overhead cover from predators in lieu of overhanging foliage or other traditional small-forest-stream cover. Many western waters flow through grasslands or have flood plains that reduce stream-edge overhead cover to a minimum. The broken water of ripple lines fills this void, camouflaging trout well, even when only inches deep. And although some consider riffles as swift-water areas, this really isn't so. Riffles are where the main velocity of the river slows against bottom strata—be it cobbles, gravel, or rock. Here trout find shelter from the current, camouflage, and abundant food. Nymphs love the highly oxygenated riffles and trout know where to find them. They have little else to think about!
If a good hatch is on, you'll want to inspect riffle lines closely for the rings, noses, and heads of rising fish. When a hatch first starts, trout can move from the flats inside the eddy line out into the riffle, eager to take the first flies. If the hatch thickens and lasts, some of those same trout might drift over to the quieter eddies and edge waters to feed more leisurely. Trout in the ripple line can be hard to see. As many as twenty-five or more fish can be feeding in close proximity in tailwater eddy lines but can easily go unnoticed by those who don't look first and cast later. I have even seen schools of flat-water fish create an "artificial" riffle by rising vigorously to Trico spinners. Even this spectacle goes unnoticed by some fishermen, who can't imagine such a phenomenon is possible. These are situations you're really looking for, and several fish in a row then can often be taken by observant anglers.
Not only does viewing from behind make spotting risers a bit easier, but crouching down and viewing from a low angle can be even more advantageous. There are trout noses and heads to be seen, and every advantage you give yourself tends to increase your catch. Scan big riffle lines from beginning to end, from where they emanate from the bank (which can be a real hot spot) out toward midriver. On a broad tailwater river some eddy lines can be one hundred yards long. On freestoners, they're likely to be shorter and more compact, but equally important. Often it's the first twenty-five feet or so, where the riffle line begins, that shows the most fish, for trout tend to push forward, eager to feed. In other cases, trout will be spread up and down the eddy line and feeding to the bank side of it as well, in calmer, shallower water. When approaching such a situation from below, take time to view all the water before rushing in. One can pick off the lower fish first, which often have a tendency to rush for midriver when hooked, and on downstream in the currents. Be prepared for "hot" fish, too, especially on the tailwaters. Big trout hooked in the shallows can get you into your backing in a hurry. It is here that quality reels that can pay out line quickly without breaking ultrafine tippets are prized tools of stalking anglers.
It could take several minutes to spot all the trout in an expansive ripple line. It's beneficial to know where they all are to help plan catching as many as possible without scaring off the rest. When food is very abundant, the trout aren't likely to stay down long after being scared by a bad cast or one of their party being caught. Sparser food supplies generally develop twitchier trout that are more alert to danger. Their defensive posture is up when not feeding or when feeding on sparse fare. It can be reduced to a minimum when they are chomping on profuse hatches. This works to the advantage of stalking anglers during the hatch.
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