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FISH PERSPECTIVE: Freshwater

Started by John Pierce, May 07, 2018, 07:36:53 PM

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John Pierce

SCOUTING
When water low so can see exposed rocks/out

FISH SENSE: Vision
Highest sense to detect danger but cabn only view above water world from angle roughly twice as wide as fish is deep, ie 3 ft down > 6.5 ft diameter circle, outside is reflection.
Excellent colour, thus same fly or lure but different colour make work.
Night vision is poor (except large brown trout) thus little feeding after dark.

FISH SENSE: Smell
Used to find food, avoid predators and locate spawning areas.
Scent trails down stream, can smell upstream ber or human.
When migratory fish spawn, after find stream use scent to find birth location.

FISH SENSE: Lateral Line
Network of ultra sensitive nerve endings along side of body used to detect vibrations such as footsteps amd lures.
Vibration inducing lures work better in murky wter or after dark.

FISH SHYNESS
Safety instinct put down/go for cover to avoid predators such as larger fish, kingfishers, herons, eagles.

WATER TEMP
Most seek 50-65F / 10-18C and avoid >70F / 21C.

FISH SIZE
Function of genetics, type of food, amount of food available.
Grow slower if eating insects than small baitfish.
High altitude streams are colder and less food fertile than farm streams, ie Brworn trout grow to 1 lb in mountain streams and 15 lb where plenty of baitfish.
Smaller creeks smaller fish as less abundance and diversity of food.
Males larger, opposite to most other fish.

FISH RISE
Surface disturbance of water when take a floating insect which can tell you where fish are and what eating.
Cast upstream of rise as insect is taken downstream of fish's home.
After spotting insect the trout drifts downstream 1-25 ft tail first while examining food, when rise leve ring on surface and then submerges and swims backupstream to it's lie.
Sip Rise: Trout sucks in duns or stoneflies, visually in smooth water may see a ring, in broken cannot see. Cast dry mayfly or stonefly.
Head & Tail Rise: Eating insect on surface film, see head > dorsal > tail as fish rolls down, cast spinner terrestrial nymph or midge pupa well upstream and left drift naturally.
Splash: Trout completely clears water to catch caddisfly or insects dipping into water to lay their eggs. Use wet fly or scate a caddis dry fly on surface.
Tailing: Not a rise but see tail on surface when fish is probably rooting immature insects or scuds from bottom. Drift nymph or scud pattern along bottom to the fish.

SPAWNING
Habits very greatly between species, most spawn in fall, but some like rainbow in spring.
Trout, char, grayling and Atlantic Salmon can live to spawn several times.
Salmonids require flowing water to spawn, but brook trout and sockeye sometimes in lakes.
All but grayling dig a redd or nest for deposing their eggs.
Large physical changes, males lower jaw legythen and become hooked, pinks and sockeye males get hump back, oth male and female couring becomes darker and more intense.
As spawning time approaches, bodies deteriorate