Unfavorable Fishing Conditions, Still Go Out and Fish!

Everyday that goes by without rain seems to be a gift from the heavens, but don't be detoured from fishing!  Selecting portions of the river with calmer water.  These areas will still result hold active trout.  You just have to be more in tune with the change in the currents.  Fish still have to find ways to maintain their feeding patterns that have been established with the seemingly constant hatches.  Here are some things to be aware of when you are on the stream in various situations where the streams are not in ideal conditions.

1. Attack the slower moving water.  This will include the streams edges, behind rocks, and other areas that offer cover for fish.  

2. Fish still have to eat so pick a pattern that the fish will normally eat or go with a larger pattern (wooly bugger, slumpbuster or other pattern that a fish will deem worthy of using energy to chase after).  It's amazing to see how aggressive fish can be when they are presented an opportunity to eat while avoiding the high water levels.  

3. Fish will still feed on insects that swirl around in the eddies, crevices and other pockets where the trout congregate to seek protection from the strong current.

4. Even if you aren't catching a ton of fish, they say a bad day of fishing beats a good day of work!

Bottom line, the insects will hatch unless the streams are roaring. Be smart though, if Penns Creek is up around 4000 cubic feet per second, it's not worth fishing.

Next time you're deciding whether or not to go out because of unfavorable conditions, try it out. Chances are that you'll have a lot more freedom to fish because the streams aren't as busy on days where the weather isn't perfect.