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Blowout Speaker Tim Landwehr: Reading The Water


Mike Clifford

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Learn the basics of Riffle, Run, Pool and water reading with host (and featured Bronzeback Blowout Speaker) Tim Landwehr of Tight Lines Fly Fishing Co.

 

The methods employed in this video will help not only the fly angler fishing trout, but stream smallmouth enthusiasts as well.

 

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Tres Comercial. Trout aint Bass.

No question about that.

 

Excellent primer on the riffle-run-pool characteristics of a stream.

You don't find many people dissecting it for those unfamiliar with the terms.

Still run into people that ask what it all means.

 

Check out their vid of a bull shark eating a turtle.

Was gonna recreate it at home and videotape it, but my tank was too small for even a juvy shark.

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It sure looks like Scott asked a question here. :rolleyes:

 

I prefer Bob Long Jr's approach to identifying river bass locations. The In-Fisherman categories are very descriptive. But Bob's are a better guides to finding where in the riffle, where in the run, and where in the pool.

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Learning to read the water and recognize river features is critical to being a successful river fisherman. Everyone who river fishes needs to know what riffles, runs, pools and breaklines are. All river sport fish regularly use these river features including bass and trout. Bob Long's approach, while successful is not the only way to catch river smallies. He prefers moving downstream, and I prefer moving upstream. This has nothing to do with trout. I move up stream because, A, wading into the current is easier that wading with the current pushing behind you. B, I like to be able to see objects like logs or tree branches floating downstream at me before they hit me and C, my lure of choice, a sinking plastic jerkbait, is not as effective when fished downstream. Also while bass do not exhibit all the same tendencies as trout, they do share the same method of holding facing into the current. Having my bait drift toward the fish as things do naturally in rivers presents my offering into their field of view.

If you are a wade fisherman, in most cases, after you wade downstream or upstream, you'll probably have to get back to your vehicle at some point so knowing how to approach water from either direction will always be beneficial if not essential.

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Learning to read the water and recognize river features is critical to being a successful river fisherman. Everyone who river fishes needs to know what riffles, runs, pools and breaklines are. All river sport fish regularly use these river features including bass and trout. Bob Long's approach, while successful is not the only way to catch river smallies. He prefers moving downstream, and I prefer moving upstream. This has nothing to do with trout. I move up stream because, A, wading into the current is easier that wading with the current pushing behind you. B, I like to be able to see objects like logs or tree branches floating downstream at me before they hit me and C, my lure of choice, a sinking plastic jerkbait, is not as effective when fished downstream. Also while bass do not exhibit all the same tendencies as trout, they do share the same method of holding facing into the current. Having my bait drift toward the fish as things do naturally in rivers presents my offering into their field of view.

If you are a wade fisherman, in most cases, after you wade downstream or upstream, you'll probably have to get back to your vehicle at some point so knowing how to approach water from either direction will always be beneficial if not essential.

Scott

I disagree with points A&C.RE A.There's a reason that a car gets better mileage driving with the wind than against it-the engine's not working as hard.There's also a reason that "go with the flow" is popular advice.Wading downstream with the current is easier especially if you're skipping stretches of unproductive water & can get out of the river to head back to your car when finished.If you can't it's a wash.I wouldn't even consider wading upstream in a weed choked river like the Dupe in summer.

RE C.On all but very small streams a downstream wade permits fishing a lure downstream as easily as you can by wading upstream by casting at 30-90 degree angles to the current & letting the current take the lure/fly downstream towards an upstream facing fish.Whichever direction your wading the most ineffective cast generally speaking is straight up/downstream because having no profile the lure/fly is less lkely to be noticed by the fish than one fished broadstream to the current even if for only a portion of the drift.

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As far as my meaning to wading upstream is easier, it's not easier walking against the flow but if you stumble or catch a foot on a rock, facing the current, the current helps to hold you up. If you stumble moving downstream, the current helps push you over!

As far as reason C goes, I like to use sinking plastics that drift with the current. For best results you need a slight amount of slack in the line. If I fish them downstream on any kind of tight line, the current pushes them to the surface and I lose the natural action of the bait. They more difficult to fish going downstream.

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