Large streamers, especially dark-colored ones, do a good job of getting a trout’s attention in stained or murky water. (Shutterstock image)
April 11, 2024
By Mike Gnatkowski
Look at a river or stream at peak runoff, and you’ll wonder how trout survive in such a rushing torrent. Not only do they survive, they thrive until the deluge subsides. Trout don’t like spring runoff any more than you do, but it’s a fact of life—a rite of spring, if you will. Deal with it. A trout has to. The fish cope by moving or hunkering down. They’ll migrate and take up lies with less current, where they can expend less energy to maintain their position and ensure their well-being. High water tends to concentrate trout, too.
Consider where some trout might move to when dealing with high, murky water and runoff. Typically, a lie will be in an undercut or behind a huge boulder, logjam or ledge—an obstruction that breaks the current where they can ride out the spring runoff period. Fortunately, other things collect in these places, too, like nymphs, worms and minnows. It turns out to be a mobile buffet in disguise. Spring trout are rarely skinny trout.
The fish will also move up into tributaries to avoid flood conditions. Rainbows are spring spawners, so they may already be up tributaries spawning. Brownies, brookies and cutthroats, which spawn in the fall, will enter tributaries and small streams to get out of the current. A similar situation occurs in side channels where islands divide the river. Current on the downstream side of the island will be less swift than on the upstream side, and trout will naturally seek out the calmer water.
When main rivers are unfishable, focus on areas with more controlled flows, like tributaries, mid-stream beaver ponds and tailwaters below dams. (Photo by Mike Gnatkowski) RETHINK THE APPROACH You need to think outside the box when fishing during the runoff. Typically, you’d concentrate on the outside of a bend where the water is deepest and fastest. This is not the case in spring when trout need to get out of the current. You’ll often find them on the inside of the bend in shallow water, out of the current and right at your feet—especially if there’s the odd boulder to hide behind. Normally, trout would feel vulnerable in such skinny water, but with limited visibility, they feel more comfortable in the shallows.
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There’s a massive difference between dirty water and muddy water, and you may find a distinct difference in the clarity of tributaries versus the main river. Discolored, stained, slightly dirty water is still fishable. Muddy water is not. Places where tributaries enter rivers may form a very distinct color line where muddy water meets dirty. Trout will take up residence in the dirty where it hugs the bank.
The farther you go upriver, the less current you’ll have to deal with. Beaver ponds in streams act like settling ponds, slowing the runoff and offering more fishable waters. Small streams and creeks are the first waters to drop and clear, so they may be fishing well weeks ahead of waters farther downstream. Tailwaters below dams offer more controlled flows and might be fishable when the main river is not. Still waters are another possibility. Small lakes and ponds at lower elevations will be the first to melt. High-mountain lakes may not be ice-free until July. Start where you find the first ice-free lake and work uphill as spring progresses.
Springtime nights in the West can be chilly to downright frigid. Don’t bust your rear end to get out at the crack of dawn. Take a more leisurely approach. Give things a chance to warm up as much as possible before hitting the river. Afternoons provide much better conditions after everything has had a chance to warm up to its max temperature. Concentrate your efforts where the sun has been directly on the water and has had a chance to work its magic, especially the shallows. Even a couple of degrees jump in water temperature is like turning up the furnace to a cold-blooded trout.
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One thing a bitterly cold night will do is curtail runoff. Cold nights shut down the snowmelt machine, and waters may clear temporarily. It’s a double-edged sword.
There’s no reason to be on the river at daybreak in spring. Give the water time to warm to its max daily temp. (Photo by Mike Gnatkowski) TECHNIQUES FOR THE TORRENT To tempt trout in cold spring waters with limited visibility, you must fish deep and slowly, regardless of your chosen technique. Trout are not going to move far to intercept your offering. Plus, they may have trouble seeing it in exceedingly dirty water. Give them plenty of time to find it and eat. Successful trout fishing is always about line control and presentation, and that’s especially true in the high water of spring.
If you like to fly-fish, leave the 4-weight outfit at home. You’ll need a more substantial rig to fling big flies and lead. Forget about casting when rivers are roaring. The less line you have out, the more line control you’ll have. When rivers are high and dirty, you can get close to trout without spooking them and make short, measured, controlled casts. Longer rods keep more line out of the water. It might be better not to cast at all. Thick fly lines create increased drag, so resort to long leaders or monofilament running lines.
Czech-Nymphing A technique called Czech-nymphing is one option for high water. Czech-nymphing is more like dabbling and is the ultimate line-control technique. Most likely, you won’t be wading when rivers are running high, so a long, 9- or 9 1/2-foot 7- or 8-weight rod rigged with a tungsten bead-head nymph gives you excellent line control from the bank. With a short line you have complete control to minimize drag, and you can dissect the water in front of you, matching current speed and allowing your fly to pause in the slack-water areas behind boulders and in undercut banks. It’s not aesthetically pleasing but effective.
Chuck and Duck If you intend to make longer casts, you can “chuck and duck.” The technique doesn’t resemble fly fishing, per se, but it is very effective for getting your offering deep quickly. You can use pencil lead, split shot hung from a dropper or a Slinky weight hung off a snap swivel. Run the end of your line through the eye of the swivel and attach a barrel swivel to act as a stop. Attach a short, 3- to 4-foot leader to the barrel and whatever fly you choose. Because the weight can slide up and down your line freely, a fish won’t feel the weight when it picks up your offering. Use a leader that’s 4 pounds lighter than your main line so that when you get hung up only your leader breaks and you save your weight.
To cast, allow a rod’s length of line to trail downstream. Keep several coils of line in your hand and, in one motion, pitch the sinker and fly out while letting the line go. Cast slightly upstream so your weight contacts bottom straight across from you and ticks the bottom as it rolls along. Adjust your weight as needed to ensure your offering is staying close to the bottom.
Live-Bait Rigs The same rig can be used for live bait. A 9-foot steelhead spinning rod works best to keep the line out of the water and limit drag. Live bait is a huge advantage in high, dirty water because trout use their sense of smell as much as sight to find food. A juicy nightcrawler, shiner minnow or spawn bag fished on the bottom leaves a trail of scent they can home in on.
Jigs and Plastics A lead or tungsten jig is an excellent tool for fishing in high water. Both get down quickly and stay near the bottom where the trout will be hanging. You can adorn either with various plastics shaped like minnows, leeches, crayfish and worms. Plastics feel natural to trout when they grab them. Those enhanced with scent add to their allure. And, of course, they come in many colors.
Casting Cranks Plunking a deep-diving crankbait in a hole or deep run works, too. Use a long rod to get the lure away from the bank and let the plug dive and wiggle. Be patient. Sometimes a trout will strike because it thinks the plug is food. Other times it will crush the lure because it simply doesn’t like it in its face.
Bust out the Boards Another way to cover even more water is to run the plug off an in-line planer board. Some mini boards are compact and relatively lightweight, making them perfect for the river. Simply stand on the shore, gradually let the line in or out to cover the water and allow the plug to dive behind the board. Where permitted, run multiple lines and keep the rods in holders. Trout that smash the plugs usually hook themselves.
Top Patterns If you’re intent on fly-fishing, big, dark nymphs work well during runoff because they are the most visible. Stoneflies are common aquatic insects dislodged from the bottom during the spring deluge and are a priority on a trout’s menu. They’re big, meaty and hard to miss. Stonefly imitations don’t have to be exact; they are just suggestive. Classic imitations include Girdle Bugs , a pattern called Bitch Creek and a personal favorite called the Buzzhead. All are excellent, suggestive patterns that are easy to tie with everyday materials.
Adding heavy bead heads to classic patterns like the Prince Nymph , Zug Bug and Pheasant Tail nymph , and upsizing a hook size or two, yields reliable trout medicine. A streamer imitates a hapless minnow and adds more flash and movement than a drifting nymph, which is good when the waters are dark and riled. Flies like the classic Marabou Streamer , Muddler Minnow and Wooly Bugger don’t imitate anything in particular, but they do an excellent job of simulating a bunch of trout delicacies.
An outstanding hybrid that I use is called a Mega Bugger . It’s a Wooly Bugger tied on a jig head. I tie Mega Buggers on 1/8- to 1/2-ounce jig heads. The Mega Bugger has a marabou tail with a contrasting color of Krystal Flash added. The body is made of a sparkle chenille with a matching dyed grizzly saddle palmered around it. I wind the saddle’s webby base behind the jig’s head to simulate gills. Tied in olive, black and brown, the Mega Bugger imitates nymphs, sculpins and crawdads. In brighter colors, it looks like a minnow. The Mega Bugger has been the undoing of many a spring trout.
