tactics

Quick Tip: Fishing the Edges--Rivers

By Scott Richmond

Many anglers are so eager to get in the water that they miss the best fishing. Bankwater can offer some ot the best dry fly fishing of the year.

ost fly anglers walk up to a river, wade as deep as they can, then start casting. Unfortunately, they probably just walked through the best fishing on the river, scattering trout left and right.

There's a lot of good fishing along the river bank. Why? Because that's where much of the food is. Here are some bankwater situations and how to deal with them.

1. Insects that hangout in shoreline vegetation. Stoneflies, caddis, and hoppers have relatively long adulthoods (compared to mayflies), and spend most of their mature hours in trees, grass, and other riparian vegetation. A strong wind or an unlucky accident can plop them onto the water and into the mouth of a waiting trout. Casting an appropriate pattern downwind or downstream from such vegetation can be very productive, especially on gusty or windy days. For more on bankwater tactics for salmonflies and hoppers, see Fishing the Salmonfly Hatch, Hoppers . . . Finally! and Terrestrials.
2. Riprap and boulder fields. Rocky or riprapped banks can provide great fishing, especially between July and September when caddis are numerous. These areas offer enough depth to make trout feel secure, and the structure creates microeddies that trap food. The combination of depth and a broken surface means trout feel more secure, so you can approach closely and use a short line. The short line is essential: the current is complex, so less line on the water means less opportunity for drag. I often walk upstream along a rocky bank, stopping every five feet to make a dozen or more casts of less than 20 feet each. Many times, successive casts land in exactly the same place--except it's really new water because the trout are constantly moving in the shifting currents. Also, I'll keep fishing the same water even if I've just hooked a trout or two in it. One warning: east of the Cascades, these rocky areas can hold rattlesnakes, so stay alert.
3. Shade. Overhanging tree branches or other vegetation create shade that makes trout feel secure and therefore more willing to rise to a dry fly. You can pick up trout at 2:00 on an July afternoon if your fly is close enough to the shade.
4. Depression plus shade. Trees that grow right at the edge of the river can create a depression in the river bottom. Trout get deeper, slower water, plus shade. Sounds like a perfect lie to me!
5. Downstream presentations. Sometimes overhanging vegetation will make an upstream presentation impossible. When this happens, get upstream of the obstruction and let the current carry your fly downstream and under the limbs or leaves. Just keep feeding slack line so your fly doesn't drag.

Scott Richmond is Westfly's creator and Executive Director. He is the author of eight books on Oregon fly fishing, including Fishing Oregon's Deschutes River (second edition).

Uploaded 07/15/2003.

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A savvy angler casts his dry fly to shaded water under overhanging vegetation.

This rainbow took an Elk Hair Caddis along a riprapped bank.

Grassy banks can hold salmonflies, caddis, and hoppers. In this stretch of water, several trout were eager to take a Parachute Hopper.