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Fishing
Techniques :: Destinations :: General
Fishing the Fast Water
Passing over the hotspots We've all fished rivers and brooks,
the nice deep pools of low water below that nasty steep
set of rapids. Many fishermen - even experts will fish a
river or brook jumping from deep hole to deep hole - this
is simply the accepted norm. Most rivers and brook I am
aware of have a very small percentage of overall "river"
which can be classifieds as deep holes and therefore, the
majority of most river systems have been un-touched from
fishing pressure. Or in the very least most of a given river
is under fished.
Realization
Fish inhabit all parts of a river, from deep holes to shallow
rapids - this is just nature, a species will tend to inhabit
all available habitat as the population grows. I was 12
I think when I was introduced to a new concept for me. Up
until that point I fished the deep holes, waded across rivers
at the shallow areas, everything was fine. Then someone
from out west (aren’t they all fishing experts?) introduced
me in grand fashion to fishing the fast water. He walked
us down to the river, a lovely set of 1 foot deep rapids
we crossed quite often to get to a deep hole just upriver
a bit. His first cast using nothing more than a small spinner
and a worm was hammered nearly as soon as it hit the water.
This was surely a fluke, but no, he proceeded to pull 7
more fish out of a stretch of river 20 - 30 feet across
and about 200 feet long and absolutely no more than 2 feet
deep. These were by no means trophy fish, but they were
also by no means little, each was a nice pan sized trout
we readily gobbled up at supper that evening.
Why
are th fish here?
Fish (trout in this instance) love fast, shallow water for
one specific, extremely basic reason :
Because that’s where the food is. Fish move into rapids
and feed regularly on whatever the river brings to them.
The fast flowing areas constantly dislodge fresh food for
fish, the fish know this and that’s where they like
to hang out - most fish are just looking for a good meal
after all.
In
addition to the great food supply, rapids and fast moving
waters tend to be richer in oxygen than the slow, stagnant
areas we normally fish. Food and fresh "air" -
what more could a fish want? 
Where
do the fish hang out in the rapids?
All rapids, no matter how deep, how fast or how steep ,
contain numerous "safe" areas where the fish will
sit and wait for their next meal to float by. Larger rocks
dot any set of rapids, some are completely submerged and
some are exposed, any large rock will provide a safe area
for any number of fish because they introduce something
called a back eddy. A back eddy is created when fast moving
water flows around (or over) an obstacle , the water actually
flows around and creates a calm area behind the object and
in some cases the water behind an obstacle will actually
flow up river. This action of back eddying also tends to
dig out behind the obstacle, creating a perfect place for
the fish hang out to wait for its next meal.
So,
how do I catch these fast water fish?
Catching these fast water fish is absolutely simple in theory
and in practice, simply let your bait float into their mouths.
Easy right? Well its actually a little harder as you need
to identify where the fish are in the rapids. But if you
know what a rock looks like, you can pretty much tell where
there may be a fish. Eddies are easily identifiable by the
teardrop shape they create around and behind any exposed
rocks in the river. The bigger the rock, the larger the
eddy, and in theory the larger the fish that can live there.
The
most used method for fishing fast water is to simply place
a small split shot about 6-12 inches (depending on water
depth) above a single hook baited with your favorite bait
(worm, powerbait, even minnows). Then cast upstream above
an identified eddy and then let the bait bounce down river
with the current. If it passes within eyeshot of a waiting
fish, you will be rewarded as you actually see the fish
come out of its hiding spot and grab your bait.
Small
spinners with baited hook , bare hooks floated in the current,
small floats 6-12 inches above the bait, all methods tried
and true for catching these not so elusive fish.
As long as you follow the basic rules of river fishing (move
upstream, cast upstream, let current drift your bait down
to you) - if there’s a fish there, they will readily
take your hook.
Size
doesn’t matter
The size of the river or brook (although it does limit largest
possible size) does not limit the size of the fish you are
able to catch. I’ve caught 17 inch trout in 8 inches
of water and I’ve caught 6 inch trout in 6 feet of
water. Trout especially, if left alone will inhabit streams
and brooks that can easily be stepped across by most fishermen.
From personal experience I find the openness of the larger
rivers (15 feet + in width) to be the better fishing rivers
only due to the longer cast distances and less tree snags.
Where
to go?
Any river or brook in a system that is known to hold fish
will tend to produce fast water fish. Personally I have
supplied a number of my childhood rivers in the Windsor
area that I have had success in during the past. These can
be located here.
Some
thing to keep in mind:
Bugs (need I say more)
Wear shorts and old sneakers or hip/chest waders
Don’t be afraid to try something or someplace new
So go forth, catch some fish - and never forget catch and
release.
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