The problem of locating trout is greatly simplified once the concepts of holding water and feeding water are understood. Holding water can be thought of as places where fish live when they are not actively feeding, and feeding water is simply water where fish feed. Sometimes holding water and feeding water are the same locations, but this is not always true.

Holding water is where a fish lives most of the time; it is its home - a place of refuge, security and protection. Since most of a fish's predators are land based birds or animals, holding water is usually designed to offer protection from above.

Three factors determine holding water: cover, depth and a broken water surface. If any one of these factors is present, it may be holding water. If any two factors are present, it's very likely holding water, and if all three are present, it is certain to be holding water. Many things can provide adequate cover for a trout. Rocks, undercut banks, logs, overhanging branches, and foam or scum patches can all hide fish from view, and for some reason, trout seem to instinctively feel safe even when they can be seen, if the water is deep enough. Broken water, such as riffles or "pocket water," also prevents fish from being seen, so you will often find even large trout in fairly shallow riffles.

It is also helpful to know that the best holding places in a given piece of water will be taken by the largest fish in the pool. The second biggest fish will have the next best spot and so on. The smaller fish have to take the leftovers. If you catch a fish, and return it to the stream, it will return to its own holding water, and it will be there the next time you fish the pool, unless someone else has killed it. If the fish has been removed from the pool, you can be sure that the next largest fish will take up residency in the prime holding water that was left behind.

Feeding water is water where fish feed. It may be the same as their holding water, or it may be some distance away from the holding water. In order to be feeding water, there usually has to be an adequate current which will bring a supply of food past the fish's location.

A log projecting into the water with a steady curl of current rolling along its length is a perfect example of holding water that is also feeding water. A trout can hold under the log, and it will have a steady smorgasbord of food brought to it by the current.

The downstream "V" of current around a mid-stream rock is another prime location. Fish can hide either in front of or behind the rock, or on the slow side of the "V" if the water is deep enough. They can then feed on the insects that collect along the edge of the current as it passes around the rock.

How do you identify feeding water? Well, the easiest way is when you see a fish feeding you can say, "Hey, that's feeding water!" You may see fish breaking water while feeding on or near the surface, or you may see them rolling and chasing nymphs under the surface.

Of course, you may not see fish feeding even in feeding water, if there is little food available. Therefore, we often fish "blind" by attempting to identify good holding water, and casting our flies so they drift past these locations. Try to identify the ideal holding water before you enter a pool as you fish your way up or down a stream. Decide where you want to drift your fly at these locations, and plan your casting locations accordingly.

If you see a fish feeding, mentally mark its location, and then decide on the best place from which to cast in order to present your fly properly to the fish. If the fish is not particularly large, you may want to simply continue fishing as you were until you reach a location which will let you cast to that particular fish.

On the other hand, if the fish is large, or for some other reason you want to try to catch it immediately, you may have to change your casting position in order to most effectively present a fly to the fish. Depending upon the specific situation, you may move cautiously to that location without leaving the water, or it may be best to get out of the water to move to the new casting spot.

In any event, you must take care not to spook unseen fish that will, in turn, race away and frighten the one you are after. This is a good argument for leaving the water to change casting locations when you are after a really good fish.

When I fish through a pool, after I have identified the good holding water, I like to concentrate on "fishing the edges." I fish the edges of fast water currents, the edges of scum and foam patches, the edges of deep water slots, the edges around obstructions, and the edges of undercut banks.

These locations are all good holding water, and the food that moves down the stream often concentrates along the "edges."

If you identify good holding water, and carefully plan your approach to each pool, you can usually eliminate a certain percentage of the water from consideration. You don't have to fish water that does not have the characteristics of good holding water, and that probably does not hold good fish. Thus, your fishing becomes more efficient, and your catch rate increases. When you do catch a fish, mentally note the characteristics of the water where it was found. You will, in time, develop a "data base" of solid information that will allow you to quickly "read the stream" wherever you fish, and you will find yourself catching more fish.

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