By Dave Langston



I have always been able to read the water ever since I can remember. Even when I started fishing as a youth, fish could not hide from the presentation I offered. Now, don’t get me wrong, at first I was no fish expert but after years of reading books and spending hundreds of hours watching television show’s, I also refined my skills to put more fish in the cooler. I spent countless amount of hours on the water learning where each species of fish I was after could be located.

First, fish migrate or at least follow the same pattern year after year. In the spring and early summer months you can find certain species in the shallows, below ten feet of water. Most warm water fish transition into this part of the reservoir as water temperatures climb. For instance, largemouth bass can be found hanging in 15 – 20 feet of water in early April till mid May in the north. But, as soon as the water starts to warm into let’s say the 50-degree range around late May, you will find these same fish hanging in the 10 foot and below area.

Here is another dilemma for anglers trying to locate fish, Northern fishing versus southern fishing. In the north we are at least two months behind the southern states. In Texas for instance, bass are spawning in March and early April. Here, bass spawn in late May into June. Take this into consideration when fishing different locations in the United States.

As summer wears on, fish go deep where the water is cool escaping into the depths. But you can up your odds if you do a little homework and hey, a fish locater is also very helpful. All fish use some area to call home during different times of the year. They do not just wonder around aimlessly with any sense of direction. Whether it is a brush pile, sunken log, old tires, point or an underwater hump surrounded by open water. These are areas to concentrate on. These areas are also points of attack or AMBUSH POINTS. They use these areas to jet out and grab their prey as they swim by. Almost all game fish are predators and they use these tactics to fill their bellies.

I have pulled over twenty fish and some up to five pounds off of a single point that was no more than a ten by ten square. Luck had nothing to do with locating these big boys. We narrowed down all the areas where this species of fish would be at this time of the year and put a plan together. By looking at the water and understanding water temperatures, what kind of habitat these fish prefer and what they eat we were able to limit out in a short time.

Trout are the same way. They do not just swim in the water waiting for a meal; they have a method to their madness. Have you ever been fishing a stream with a friend and found that they were catching two, three or four times the amount of fish than you? There is a reason. It could be the color of the bait, unsuitable habitat (which is almost always the case), or even a smell given off by your hands. Yes I said it, a smell. If you just spilled gas on your hands filling up the truck and then tie on a spinner you just passed this smell onto your bait. I don’t believe there is a fish alive that associates gas with food.

Trout use different areas at different times of the year, they have specific areas to ambush prey, spawn and also beat the heat in the summer. In the early spring you will find trout in the shallower water preparing to spawn. Not just anywhere though. They frequent pebble filled areas to build nests with small riffles providing them ample oxygen.

In early summer look for trout where a good oxygen source is with suitable water temperatures. Your not going to find rainbows, cutthroats or brook trout hanging in slack mud stained water with a soft bottom. Concentrate below and above waterfalls with good solid pebble or rock bottoms, riffles around a bend or deep holes adjacent to fast moving water. These are just a few areas to up your odds.

Fishing season is around the corner and for many it is already here. This year, get to know the species of fish you are going after and put together a plan of attack. Even though I fish with my dad or friends just to relax when I am not out filming a show, I always read the water looking for an advantage to put more fish on ice. Hey, catching fish is why I go…but the company of friends and family is also darn hard to beat. I’ll see you on the water.

Go to Www.WesternStatesSportsman.com for Dave Langston’s “Western States Sportsman” outdoor show on the west and also check out Www.Intermountainangler.com where you can post pictures and articles of your favorite outdoor adventures.