Reading the Waters on a Fishing Boat
Some people might envision fishing as simply standing in one place with a piece of string in the water, but what they don’t realize is how much planning and forethought goes into fishing. Finding the perfect spot while dodging obstacles can mean the difference between an enjoyable day and a stressful one. It’s important to know how to read a river, or any other body of water you might be fishing in, so you know where to go and where not to go. We here at Andersen Boat in Burnt Hills, NY, have provided you with some tips for accomplishing this.
Why Bother?
We’re well into the digital age and many of the tips and tricks we’re about to tell you can probably be addressed by some gadget. Sonar and depth readers are great tools that might make understanding how to do these things without technology seem pointless. But as many fishers will tell you, it’s a bad idea to rely solely on these things. They’re not perfect and they can malfunction or even stop working. If you know the tricks to reading the water with your eyes, you’re less likely to run into trouble and have to abandon your plans for the day.
Fishing
Finding the right fishing spot is essential to a successful day. You’ll want to consider the kind of fish you’re searching for and where you are on the map. Different fish species behave differently, migrate to different areas, and favor different parts of a body of water. The variety is too vast to cover here, so consider what you want to bag and take home and then do some research on where you can find what you’re looking for.
An easy way to locate shallow water where you might find an easy catch is by looking for riffles. Riffles are shallow areas of a river where the current is moving quickly enough that it creates white-capped rapids. It’s pretty difficult to take a boat here, but it’s an ideal way to keep your fly camouflaged with the current.
There’s also the river run, where you’re likely to hook something like trout. You’ll see the current moving at a moderate pace, while a river pool will have a much slower current flowing through deeper water. This can be a great place to try after key feeding times where fish might be lounging.
If you’re looking for good fishing spots on a lake, look for vegetation and structural elements. This can make boating tricky, but provides good, popular hiding spots for fish.
Safety
While finding the right fishing spot is helpful, there’s also an important safety element to being able to read the water. Getting surprised by a sandbar can leave you stranded and with an expensive repair bill to pay when you get back to shore. If you’re on a river that’s well-marked, then be mindful of buoy markers and acquire any river charts you can. However, rivers are constantly changing the landscape and many charts can quickly become outdated. This makes it all the more important that you have the ability to spot problems in advance.
Watch the Water
Some general tips for avoiding this is to follow the current. If the waters seem to be moving around something, that’s a sign that there’s an obstacle close to the surface. This can also be true for choppy water or you can watch how debris flows down the stream. If something seems to be inexplicably floating in one place, despite the current, it’s probably an indication that it’s stuck on something you’ll want to avoid.
Watch out for sudden changes in the color of the water, as this may indicate there’s a sudden depth change, like murky water around a material deposit or darker water where vegetation suddenly comes close to the surface.
Dodge Debris
Avoid debris in general, steering clear of bends in the river or man-made obstacles where material might collect. Even if it seems like bumping into something won’t result in serious damage, you simply can’t always know what’s just beneath the surface. What may seem like a small branch can turn into a giant log. If you think you might be brushing up against debris or something else, slow your pace and proceed with caution. Trying to rip through the situation can make things worse, so simply try to maneuver your way through slowly and carefully.
This should help cover the basics, but correctly reading the river can require some practice. You might want to consider bringing a more experienced skipper if you’re still a novice, so they can help you get used to reading the water. If you still need the right boat to take out on the lake or river, then stop by Andersen Boat in Burnt Hills and we’ll show you what we have available right now. We proudly serve Saratoga Springs and Schenectady, NY.