Tactics: Don't Skip the Skinny Water

September and October are exceptional times to be a fly angler.  River temps are generally optimal and flows are often quite low allowing us to wade stretches of river that are difficult or impossible to reach in the spring. The colored hillsides and relative lack of fishing pressure make for my favorite time of the year to be on a river.

Fall brings its share of challenges however, and is not quite as easy fishing as it is during the spring. If you are fishing freestone rivers that have both stocked and wild fish, many of the stocked fish will not have survived the hot summer. While this is fine with me, it does reduce the number of available fish to catch. On the whole there are not the number of aquatic insects in the drift as during the spring and low clear water can make fish difficult to approach.


The good news is that often you can find trout concentrated in a specific water type.  Knee to ankle deep riffles are my number one water type to consistently find feeding trout. The fish holding in skinny riffles are there specifically to feed and see less fishing pressure. Most anglers walk right by in favor of their favorite deeper water pools, runs and riffles.  Walking past these shallow water fish can be the difference in a mediocre day and a great one.   




The most productive riffles will drop into a deeper run or pool where fish can hold when they are not actively feeding. I have found however, that most riffles will hold trout. There are times when the water is so low that what used to be a deep run will be shallow enough that there is not much cover for fish to hide except for the rifles.  I’ve found that as I move up a riffle fish numbers generally pick up slowly until I hit knee to ankle deep water.  This skinny water is where I’ll find most of the fish concentrated and where things get fun.  You’re just as likely to find a 6” wild trout as a 16” fish.  


How do you effectively fish a fast moving riffle that is only 6-18” deep? The first thing you can do is ditch your strike indicator in favor of either a dry fly or European nymphing system. Using an indicator in this type of water is not effective. I usually begin nymphing with a Euro system unless I see fish rising or a hatch coming off.   Adjusting the weight of your  nymphs for the depth and speed of the riffle is critical as is leading the flies downstream with your rod tip.  Trout in riffles are used seeing to nymphs speeding over their heads. It’s possible, and quite easy actually, to drift a fly under a fish in very shallow water.  If the presentation is not right, the fish will not bite!  I learned this while fishing with a fellow Fly Fishing Team USA member Jack Arnot.  He was fishing his nymphs high in the water column and leading them throughout the drift, while I was fishing slightly heavier and allowing my flies to get deeper.  He probably caught triple the amount of fish as I did and showed me first hand just how many fish may be holding in a skinny riffle. 


Fishing dry flies is another exceptional way to target these fish in the fall.  If I see a hatch, or notice a fish rise I’ll start with a dry fly and try to match the bugs that are hatching.  I’ll also switch to a dry fly after I have nymphed through the riffle, which occasionally is more productive even if you do not see any naturals on the water. When prospecting with a dry fly, I’ll usually fish an Isonychia pattern first. Fish are not shy to rise to a dry fly when they only have to move a few inches through the water column.  They also know that they are protected from predators by the broken water.  


This fall, don’t bypass that skinny riffle above your favorite pool.  By dialing in your shallow water presentations you’ll become a more dynamic angler, and experience some highly productive days on the river.  You might be surprised at what is sitting just below the surface and realize how many people walk by all those trout!