Trout Fishing Streams Vs. Lakes And Reservoirs

The differences between trout fishing a stream or small river as compared to a lake or reservoir are many. To be successful at fishing either takes an understanding and knowledge of how trout live, move and feed in each body of water. Many anglers will approach a lake the same way they would a trout stream, when in reality they are two totally different worlds all together. Let me explain a few of the differences you should keep in mind.

Trout in streams and rivers are a different bread of trout, their living and feeding patterns are much different than that of trout living in standing water. So catching trout in moving water requires a unique approach.

Rivers and streams are ever changing bodies of water. New cuts and cover are being created constantly, food is always on the move, being carried around by the currents from eddy to eddy and from pool to pool. So to trout fish a stream or river effectively one has to understand and learn to “read” the currents. An angler must understand how these currents work and how they move food around. Once a trout angler begins to understand these things he or she will start catching trout through knowledge and not luck. Your odds of catching trout will improve as well as the number of trout you catch.

Lakes and reservoirs are much different. The major difference is that these waters are standing, or offer very little in the way of current and movement. This lack of moving water ensures that cover and other underwater features will remain unchanged for very long periods of time. One thing I should have mentioned above is that in moving water trout can lay in an eddy or cut and wait for food to come to them, where as standing water the trouts food source generally does not get carried around by currents, so the trout must go to the food source in order to feed. So trout in lakes and reservoirs are usually on the move, which can make them very difficult to locate at times.

Trout in lakes and reservoirs will use deeper water as cover where trout in moving bodies of water use undercuts in river banks and other natural elements like logs and eddies behind rocks and boulders. In many ways trout fishing streams and river is much easier than fishing lakes and reservoirs. It is very easy to pick out cover and areas that may be holding trout in moving water, where as fishing dead water is usually a guessing game unless your on a boat and using a fish finder.

Trout fishing either type of water at dawn or near dusk will usually produce the best results. Another great time to fish for trout in either condition is after a heavy rain. This is from my experience the best time to go trout fishing. Trout will many times feed in both standing and moving waters right after a heavy rain. Why? Its quite simple the rain produces food, whether it be bugs being washed off leafs into the water, or the rain washing some sort of food source off a bank and into the water.

I hope you now have a better understanding of differences between trout fishing moving water Vs. standing water. This article is by no means a definitive guide, but is intended to give you a basic understanding of both.