Science And Trout Fishing Tricks Make The Angler

An astute angler gets to know his quarry’s habits. He must also know a few trout fishing tricks. He must also get to know the water current (hydrology) in which his quarry lives. He must watch and learn. He also must know the difference between where a trout will hold to avoid the current of the stream and where the trout will hold to feed. To catch this trout he must fish where the trout will feed.

Science gives us the equation and the knowledge that a trout’s energy income must at least balance it energy outlay, or the fish will die. Science teaches us the life cycles of trout and of the insects that are the food of the trout. Science tells the angler about cover, habits and hydrology. A successful angler will know as much about the biology of a trout, about aquatic ecology, about hydrology as he knows about the science that is angling. Science will clarify the living trout steam, but it cannot completely explain it. It is a good thing to know about the trout’s energy and that it must be sustained with food. It is especially good to know a few trout fishing tricks, as well as the feeding habits that will allow a trout to expend as little energy as possible to feed the trout. But knowing all of this and the angler does not keep his eye open for the unexpected, the angler will fail to see that the trout and the trout stream can still hold surprises. This will hold true no matter how profound his knowledge of science and angling may be.

Observation has taught us that during a very prolific hatch, a trout will feed with a motion that would resemble sleepwalking. If there are many of the same insects on the surface, the trout may just position itself a few inches below the surface and as the prey approaches the trout will drift to the surface until the prey and the trout’s mouth are in the same place. Very little energy is expended in this type of feeding. This would tell us that the trout is not going to do much searching for food when the table is full. So we would need to provide something that would be expected to be there.

But as I observed above you must expect the unexpected. While fishing in a prolific hatch situation, in a half hypnotic state, I was suddenly aroused by the sound of a large trout slamming back into the white water of the rapids on the trout stream. Then I noticed a fly hovering over the water, the trout leaped again to try and catch the fly, and again fell back into the rapids only to try again. He obviously was not conserving energy. How would I explain that? I can’t but if I could. These are the mysteries that keep the trout stream alive and keep me coming back.