TIPS FOR CATCHING RIVER RUN TROUT

Fly fishing anglers need to study the fish, their eating habits and the habitat where they find the trout.  Doing so will lead to enjoyable and successful fishing pursuits.

Thanks to the aggressive stocking program of the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, cool clean water of the rivers of the Ozarks numerous rainbow and brown trout are lying in wait to yank on an angler’s line.

Trout in the wild prefer water around 50-degrees with a rocky bottom.  The springs emanating in the limestone of the mountains provide a very suitable habitat for trout.  On rivers with changing water levels the fish survive through adaptation.  As the water level lowers and the current decreases, they move toward the middle or anywhere with deeper, cooler water.  When the current is fast, they will move to the edge of the river.  They need to move to structure to conserve energy and preserve calories.

Trout have tiny scales aiding them in living in moving water.  This coupled with their slime coat allows them to go nose into the current expending less energy than other fish.

The major other factor that affects trout fishing is food.  The trout’s eyes are located mid-range on their heads allowing them to feed either up or down from their position.  Ninety percent of their food, immature insects and aquatic creatures, crawls on the bottom of the river.  As the food supply grows and matures it moves up in the water column eventually reaching the surface.

Fly fishing anglers need to adjust they type of presentation they throw to the water level in which the trout are feeding at the moment.

If on the bottom, the best fly is one that is darker in color such as black or brown.  They should be small in size and weighted to keep it off the bottom a few inches.  In the mid-range he can turn to Wooly bugger in a size 10 that is black, tan, and olive or even occasionally white.  This is probably the easiest level to master trout fishing with flys.  On the surface, the trout will take dry flys sizes 10 to 20, but are difficult to catch.  Trout eating on this level slurp down the fly gently as they approach without notification of their presence.

Take to the rivers this summer and enjoy with me the bounty of trout found in the Ozarks.