People who catch more fish are those who know how to read the water. Large game fish, or lunkers, want cover, shade or low light, and good food availability. So look for deep-plunge pools in the shade of a cliff or a stand of trees under which a big trout can seek refuge. Cover can be almost anything: a fallen tree, a logjam, deep water, deep shade, cloudy skies, or broken water. Centuries ago, fly fishermen prayed for enough wind to disturb the water surface and to conceal themselves from the trout.

No trout wants to work too hard, so he'll want a fast current carrying food next to a slower current that he can rest in. Bankside currents are usually slower than those out in the middle of a stream, and the current is slower along the bottom than at the surface.

One way to find fish is to look for the most difficult places to fish, something like a deep, shady slot overhung with alders way over on the far side of a ripping fast current. Lots of fishermen pass up spots that are too hard to get to or where the cast is too difficult; consequently, that water is lightly fished and is more likely to hold a nice trout.

Fish rising for insect life on the surface betray their exact location. This makes the fisherman's job considerably easier. Each cast can be placed right in the feeding zone. The peak feeding activity of any hatch period rarely lasts long. The key is to use this precious time wisely. Pay close attention to the head and tail of pools and shallow to medium runs. These areas can be fished more quickly and efficiently than deeper water. Pay particular attention to the head of a pool you know holds fish. During a hatch, trout seem to stack up just below the riffle as it tumbles into a pool. You will probably not see many rises in this broken water, but the fish will attack if a wet fly or nymph rushes by.