Spotting Fish

Being able to spot fish gives an angler a decided advantage when it some to presenting the fly. In addition, there are places (like the salt flats) where spotting fish is vital to success -- blind casting simply won't do.

• The first rule of spotting fish? Buy (and wear) a GOOD pair of polarizing sunglasses (amber/tan is the best all-around color). The polarization helps to cut glare and the tint helps to improve contrast.
• When it comes time to start looking remember this: Fish are long, rocks are round. Let your eye roam over the bottom, looking keenly every time it encounters an elongate form.
• Fish move in an unpredictable manner. They may dart to one place, then go deep, then slide over and hold behind a piece of cover. Always be watchful for any such erratic motion, even if very slight.
• Color plays a role in spotting fish as well. Although even the clearest water will dull and distort colors somewhat, the crimson stripe of a rainbow, the white and orange belly of a brookie, and the even the pewter back of a tarpon are easily spotted by a watchful angler.
• Conversely, the absence of all color, in the form of a shadow, can provide what is sometimes the biggest clue to a fish's whereabouts. A shadow stands out against nearly all bottoms, allowing an angler to follow a fish's movements even through wind or current ruffle.
• Often, the tip-off to a fish's presence is not anything obvious, but rather a cue as subtle as the sliver of white of a fish's mouth as it breathes or feeds. This brief, but highly visible "wink under water" has saved the moment for me many times when clouds have created an horrific glare situation. Another similar clue is the flash of a fish's flank as it turns to feed or change direction.
• The best overall technique I have found for spotting these fishy clues is to scan back and forth across an area of water while simultaneously changing my focus from the surface to the bottom (or as deep as I can see).
• There are times, especially during the late evening, when seeing anything subsurface is basically impossible. All is not lost, however, as any movement of a fish near the top can still be detected by getting very low and looking along the water's surface. An angler can quite readily spot small disturbances made by such fish as they feed.