How to Read the Waters When Fishing

Fishing may seem like a pretty straightforward activity to the untrained eye, but if you’re experienced in the art, then you know how much foresight has to go into it if you want to succeed (that is, catch anything). Locating a good fishing spot on a big lake or even off the Pacific coast is crucial to your success and it’s helpful to know how to read the waters visually so that you can determine the best place to cast your line.

What’s the Point?

While it’s true that modern 21st-century technological advancements somewhat negate the need to read the waters as a traditional fisher would, it can still come in handy. For example, what if your depth reader or your sonar breaks? It’s very possible that your equipment could malfunction or even break while you’re out in the middle of the water and there’s no reason to cut your fishing trip short when a fisher from a century ago wouldn’t be deterred. If you can read the water with your own eyes, you won’t have to head back to shore as soon as a piece of equipment acts up.

Where to Go

Doing some research before you head out to a particular river, lake, or coastal fishing area can help you figure out what types of fish swim there and what you’re most likely to catch if you stick to the shallows or head out into the depths. Think about what you ultimately want to catch and look up where those fish are likely to be. After a while, you’ll likely memorize some of the best spots and you won’t have to research ahead of time.

Looking for riffles can help you figure out where the water is becoming shallow: riffles are the white-tipped rapids in a current that is moving very fast. The river run is where the water moves at a more moderate pace, and it’s ideal for catching fish like trout. Vegetation under the surface is usually where fish like to hide, too.

Watching the Water

Always try to follow the current when you’re watching the waterway you’re in. If you see that the water is flowing around something, it’s a good bet there’s an object close to the surface that you don’t want to hit with your hull or snag with your line. Look at the debris that flows past you; if a piece of driftwood gets caught in one place, then you’ll want to avoid that area.

The color of the water can tell you a lot about what’s underneath the surface, too. Brown and murky water tends to appear when the bottom is near the surface. Dark water can indicate vegetation, which also means you’re nearing shallow water.

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