Not that I was ever the kind of kid to attend allot of school dances, but when I did I was always fascinated with wallflowers. You know, the timid kids who, for whatever reason, didn't have the confidence or desire to brave the hazards of the dance floor. Oh sure, they wanted to be there but they just couldn't handle the pressure. I remember that these kids came in all shapes and sizes too. I also remember that when asked for a slow dance, none of the pretty girls along the wall ever said "No!"

The trout world has wallflowers too. I spend a great deal of time observing the behaviors of trout, both stocked and wild. Not only do they fascinate me just as much as humans, observations make me a better angler. What I am particularly interested in learning about is how trout handle fishing pressure. Where do they go? I get electro shocking data from streams I frequent so that I know how many fish actually live in a stream. I think many people incorrectly assume that most stocked trout get creeled from a put and take stream. I also think folks tend to feel that any wild fish in that stream get removed too. My observations, and the data I see indicates otherwise, and indeed supports my long-held belief that we only ever catch the village idiots. Put bluntly, as long as the water stays cold and wet good numbers of stocked trout and really good numbers of wild trout will persist. If you are not catching them it's usually you, not them. You see, like the bashful pre-teen who has been picked on too much, trout eventually get keen to fishing pressure and avoid it. They become wallflowers: they are often not on the dance floor but will usually say yes if you can make a presentation without scaring them!

So, what in the heck am I talking about? I think you know. Joe Q. Anglers slides into the parking lot and hops out of his SUV. Probably, the music is left on as he dons his waders, unpacks his rod and rigs his gear. Maybe a quick cell phone conversation or two and its off to the water. He's knows the water, this is his favored stretch after all! Fishing it every other day for most of the season he knows where all the best runs and seams are; what's going to hatch when; and he can detect every new piece of structure. So no need to look, it's right into the water and the first cast is made. Joe is confident, the water is running perfect, and the deep runs and pools have that addictive green color to them contrasting with the fluttering light wings of some early active insects. His watchful eye detects a take and he's quickly into his first fish. As he slips the net under the trout he realizes he's taken this fish before and knows he will take it again. Without delay, Joe fishes quickly upstream hitting all the best looking spots and taking a fish or two from each.

Joe is like the captain of the football team. He's only ever bothered with the pretty girls on the dance floor. He knows them all and he's danced with them all as have others. There is no challenge, they are easy targets and yet he leaves feeling smug. But what Joe has neglected to realize is that for every pretty girl he dances with on the floor, there are 5 or 6 that he never sees. Joe has been fishing his streams in a sort of tunnel vision, focusing on the pretty water the magazines show photos of-ignoring the rest. The ugly, still side of that deep run; the pesky short and shallow riffles cascading off that braid; the water under the bushes.

From the trout's perspective things must appear different. We tend to fall into a trap of personalizing the fish; assuming they only inhabit the places we think they should. Stop. Think about that for a minute. Are you so certain that you know where trout live? How they inhabit and utilize a cold water stream?

It is interesting and empowering to observe trout. What I have learned thus far is that there seem to be four factors that really drive a trout's chosen location in a trout stream. 1) Water temperature, 2) Spawning, 3) Dominance/Feeding attitude, and 4) Fishing Pressure. Let's discuss each.

Water Temperature

Always keep it in the front of your mind that fish are cold blooded. Their metabolism will operate to reflect the water temperature they are in. Knowing the optimal range for the species you are hunting will go a long way toward your success. Most trout species are happiest with water temperatures in between 55 and 65 degrees. Get much above that and stress can become an issue that will inhibit feeding and effect location. Much below that and the body will require less nutrition and instinctually attempt to reduce energy expense.

High temperature stress will send fish into the most oxygenated water they can find. They will find these conditions in two places: heavily aerated water such as found in and below rapids or aggressive riffles and plunges where whitewater is a sure indicator of water and air mixing; or in areas of cold water such as springs or cold water tributaries where more oxygen can be held in it's dissolved state. These fish will feed, but the resultant fight may effect the fish in a negative manner so please be careful.

Cold water lethargy means that fish will be in areas of refuge from current, eating minimally the food they encounter. This is not a cognizant choice on the part of the fish, the fishes' metabolism drives him there! You'll likely find these winter and early spring fish concentrated in the deepest sections of the runs and pools on your favored stream. Always remember how much slower the current is along the stream bottom, especially one with structure. Trout can nestle snugly onto the bottom and enjoy almost no current at all. They are quite content to nip away at any morsel that may drift by, never willing to chase. Fishing can be good provided you are getting to the fish and recognizing the takes on your flies.

As water temperatures hold within the happy zone, fish will spread out according to size and dominance. The entire stream becomes habitat and believe me, trout will utilize it all. The struggle for dominance is dynamic and on going. As a dominate trout moves into a feeding lie, it will displace lesser fish. As it moves out, lesser fish will immediately move in. It is at this point in the season where many anglers fail to notice the wallflower effect. On stocked streams, many assume that the early spring planters have been removed as they notice their favored runs and pools reducing in productivity. They do not realize that a large degree of naturalization is occurring and the fish are simply spreading out. Instead of hitting 5 fish from a single run, those 5 fish are more than likely inhabiting individual microclimates. Un-noticed depressions, undercuts, larger rocks-these all become fish magnets as trout naturalize. For wild streams, these migrations still exist but in a less defined way. Dominance is ever-present in the wild world so wild trout are less inclined to occur in bunches as raceway reared trout are. But, the same principles apply. On streams with both wild and planted fish you get a pleasant mix. I do firmly feel that wild trout "train" stocked fish and act to accelerate their naturalization process. You'll get better holdover and more "real" fishing.

Spawning

I won't spend much time here. It should be obvious that the physiological changes related to the continuation of the species are as much of a driving force to fish as they are to us. Spawning females will seek out suitable redd locations and the males will follow as they fight for her honor. Gluttonous post-spawn or juvenile fish will hang below these location to take in any misplaced eggs. Things get funky during the fall and spring spawn and you need to be aware.

Watch for the light-colored oval areas that indicate redds. These are where the eggs are laid and we need to avoid those areas when we wade. Please! I am not a fan of fishing to "bedded" fish. The fish will not be feeding and any takes will be simply out of frustration. I hope you can resist temptation and either target the feeding fish or just let things be for a few weeks.

Dominance/Feeding Attitude:

This one is important. It is also, as the subtitle indicates, two-fold. On a daily basis, even hourly or less, fish operate according to a hierarchy of dominance. The more dominant fish get to chose where they locate themselves, and the subordinate individuals simply need to adjust.

Furthermore, many trout occupy what we have termed "feeding lies" and "resting lies." There are also "prime lies" where trout do both. But, within these lies, the struggle for dominance is ever-present and the individual fish that inhabit any given location may be highly variable.

Certain trout species, brook and brown trout most notably, are more home bodied so you can expect dominant fish to occupy a location over a very long period of time. Often an individual fish will be found under a certain log, or behind a particular rock, until it is removed or dies. Then, almost immediately, another will take over.

So, what does this mean to an angler? Well, most of the population is made up of subordinate individuals who have no real home. Therefore, they are more gregarious by necessity. So, this means that the bulk of the population will be transitioning between feeding and resting lies as their metabolism dictates. They go where the food is! If a big boy decides to move in, then the little guys move ..again. Knowing that the "best" areas should have the "best" fish is important to the trophy hunter. But, to the angler looking for production-it is equally good knowledge as it should force you to explore the less pretty water. It's obvious to look to the dance floor for a partner, but never neglect the wallflowers if you want a "sure thing."

Feeding strategies will also differ among age class and species. Brown trout, for example, tend to prefer a more piscivorous diet at larger sizes-say above 16". This is not to say the will not eat insects, but after a hearty meal of 6" sculpin the desire to eat will be significantly less. This, I believe, is a major reason why larger specimens do not come to hand as easily. However, younger fish will tend to remain in positions where drift feeding is a better option than ambush feeding. On the other hand, rainbows tend to view baitfish as opportunistic meals and are almost always located in drift feeding positions. The other observation I have about rainbows is that they tend to tolerate proximity with other rainbows, even subordinate fish.

To sum this all up, the production angler should target prime lies or feeding lies with insect based flies while trophy hunters will want to target resting lies or ambush lies with larger nymphs or streamers. Especially with browns, if you are seeing action from smaller fish move along since it is unlikely a behemoth is nearby.

Fishing Pressure

Here's where it can get good. Most of us in the east frequent streams that have good to excellent public access and these streams are typically either stocked or managed for wild brown trout. These are the types of streams this section will focus on. But do keep it all in perspective for remote waters harboring wild populations of fish because similarities will occur.

I firmly believe that trout-both wild and stocked-get conditioned to certain common events. Examples would be controlled water releases, livestock crossings, and angler pressure. This is in addition to displacement from temperature, dominance, or feeding factors. Animals probably lack the ability to reason, but conditioned responses drive natural selection so individuals who remain in tact have done so by adapting. Humans are probably the greatest creatures of habit in that we park in the same places, access the stream at the same points, and cross in the same locations. By large, angler presentations can be the same and made to the same runs and pools. I really do think trout adjust accordingly and many, many individuals eventually locate themselves in areas of the stream that rarely if ever receive angling pressure. I am not talking about migrating miles up or down, instead I think they begin to relocate to shallower riffles and bankside lies-places that most anglers ignore. It's an evolution of sorts and I can see how many anglers can incorrectly assume the population is thinning over time.

How and why? Well, for example, let's say Johnny Trout had been dumped into a large deep run. The next day Joe Angler catches Johnny and lands him. Now, Joe is conservation oriented and releases Johnny at his feet. Johnny wants out so he scoots to other way and bumps into Ralph the veteran holdover. Ralph is big and burly and scares the bejesus out of Johnny who in turn keeps scooting. Finally, in a little depression behind a rock long the bank Johnny find solace. Soon after, his face begins to feel better and he notices a supply of ants drifting his way. Hmm! Tasty!!! After a few days Johnny is content here eating ants and not getting bothered much but for a few sloppy anglers who tromp closely by. He runs for a bit but soon enough comes back to his little paradise behind the rock no one ever sees. By now his coloration has changed from the dark gray washed-out appearance developed in the hatchery raceways to a light tan color with vibrant spotting so he blends perfectly with the stream bottom. Here, he is safe from nearly all human interference because no one ever fishes that type of water!

What I am getting at with that little story is that we can relocate fish by catch and release, long line release, and by wading. A certain number of individuals will return, and that is probably due to dominance or just individual preference. But, especially with stocked fish, a great number permanently relocate and often they move to spots we have not been trained to fish. If they do not get bothered again they are more likely to stay especially if the food source is adequate. Over the course of time you are likely to find that the trout population has spread across the stream from bank to bank. With healthy populations most every suitable lie will be occupied, and a suitable lie to a fish has a much broader definition than what most anglers recognize. All they need is water, cover, and food. We tend to look at a stream and "want" to fish certain runs or pools because they have a certain attractive flair. However, by getting that tunnel vision many anglers overlook acres of prime trout catching real estate. They go right to the dance floor and target the fish everyone else targets, ignoring the often more receptive wallflowers.

Next time out, look at your stream with a wider perspective. Try to do things different from what you observe other anglers doing. Enter the stream in a tough location-or don't enter at all if you can avoid it. Get away from the popular flies and learn some new presentations. Don't drive your car right up to the water. These things will all prove successful. But, if you can teach yourself to catch fish from unlikely locations then you will be well ahead of the pack and you will learn more about trout and how they use a stream. Ultimately, you will become a far better angler in a short amount of time. Riffles with 6" of water will hold fish. Ugly braided sections will hold fish. The head of a pool, and I mean right up in the white stuff. The bank. Almost every log or large rock equals fish. In short, the stuff you used to walk through or avoid entirely all holds fish at times. They are wallflowers; unpressured and receptive as long as you don't scare them away- they are the timid ones after all!

Trust me on this one!

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