Fishing Low Water Trout

As the fishing season progresses, low water trout fishing becomes the norm and water temperatures rise higher until we arrive at mid-summer conditions. The full head of white water is gone; streams have been reduced to mere tricklets; and every pebble along the bottom can be easily distinguished in the gin-clear water.

Low water, midsummer fishing is at its best only during the early morning and late evening hours. During the torrid heat of mid-day, trout seek the deepest portion of the remaining pools, or seek the shelter of an undercut bank or sunken log.

Mid-summer fishing is not for the beginner. It takes patience, thorough knowledge of the waters being fished, minute-size flies, and microscopically-thin leaders. Don't become discouraged at this point, however, for summertime angling presents a real challenge even to the most experienced trout fisherman.

Low Water Trout Require Extreme Stealth

Your approach to fishable waters is important. Trout are finicky now and easily spooked. Wade cautiously and approach from behind the fish, working and casting upstream or quartering upstream. Use a minimum of a nine foot length leader and, depending upon the wariness of the fish, use 4-5- or 6x leader tips. Sparse, daintily dressed flies of the midge variety work well now, as well as sparsely-dressed spider and variant dry flies.

Unless forced to move by extreme low waters, trout will be in the same 'feeding' stations generally, as you located them during the earlier season. Only when they are 'off the feed' will they sulk near spring-holes or by the cooling waters of a bubbling stream as it trickles into the main body of water.

Night Fishing

It is at this time of year when another interesting form of angling develops -- night fishing. During the dark hours, lunker trout emerge from their daylight lairs and traverse pools seeking food. You must be intimately familiar with the waters you plan to fish before venturing forth in the darkness. Position yourself at the tail of a pool you know contains fish. Use large, heavily-dressed bucktails, streamers, wet or dry flies, at this time, because trout will strike these big flies at night.