By: Bryan Gess
I am sure, at first, we all think that, at its core, all fishing is the same. I would have to agree with that statement overall ― you cast the bait into the water in the hope of getting a fish to strike it.
However, there are differences in stream, river and lake fishing. I am sure many of you will say it’s all the same and I am crazy for looking at them as completely different fishing experiences; I believe you should approach each with a different mindset and plan of attack.
For the past few years, I have only been lake-fishing, both from shore and from a kayak and I love it, but recently while on vacation in Pennsylvania, and my dad and I took my boys back to my old stomping grounds. On this trip it became clear to me that I look at the body of water and the area around me to plan how I am going to fish.
The first day we decided to fish the river, so when we got there, we walked down to the water’s edge. My dad and oldest son went downriver and my youngest and I went upriver. We had been fishing for a little bit when my oldest came wandering up near us and cast his line. In a few minutes, he caught a fish. My youngest asked me to help ― he was just casting out and letting the worm sit. He was getting frustrated and asked me what to do, so I showed him how I was fishing. The way I fish a river with a live worm is to very slowly jig the worm along the bottom. I cast upriver and start jigging the worm as it moves downriver.
So he started to do what I had just showed him and within a few minutes, he got a bite. He got a few more bites before we had to leave and while he was still frustrated, he was much happier than before ― at least he was getting bites.
The next day we decided to fish a stream, so we drove down an old dirt road to a bridge that was at the entrance to public game lands. We parked the truck and walked around to check out the area. As we all started to get our gear out of the back of the truck, before I could say anything, my oldest was off on his own. My dad decided to go upstream to follow him just in case he needed any help. So once again, my youngest was with me and as we started walking down the stream he asked me, “Where we are going?”
I told him downstream and that I was looking for a hole. As we continued walking along the stream, I found a nice hole and told him we would fish that spot. We both got ready and he cast his line. Before I could warn him to watch out for the trees overhead, his line was wrapped up. So I showed him how to side-cast to stay under the trees and still get the bait where you want it to go.
It took him a few casts to get the hang of it and feel confident enough to cast in the direction he wanted. Once I knew he was able to control his cast I looked at the water for a few seconds. I got his attention and pointed to a large rock hanging over the water’s edge on the far side of the stream. I told him to cast just to the left of it. He looked at me and asked why; I told him to just trust me.
He cast his line out and he let it sit on the bottom; I looked over at him and told him to start reeling the line back in. He started to reel in the same way I had shown him the day before. I told him on streams you need to reel a little faster and do not need to jig the bait. When he reeled the line all the way back in he looked at me and said, “There is no fish here.” I said, “Trust me, there are fish in this hole.”
I told him to cast in the same spot but this time start reeling once the bait hit the water. He was having issues with getting his line out far enough. He was getting very discouraged and I hate to see him that way. I asked him if he wanted me to try so he handed me his fishing rod.
I took the rod from his hands and gave him a little smile. I cast the bait just on top of the rock and pulled it off just a little upstream. I started reeling the bait across and slightly upstream. I got about four or five cranks on the reel and felt a fish hit the bait. I looked at him and said I was giving him his rod back, so when he reached out to get the rod I set the hook at the same time I gave him the rod. He was so excited when the fish started fighting and jumping ― it was a beautiful little brook trout. We got the fish to shore but when he went to grab the fish, it spit the hook out and dropped to the ground. We both scrambled to catch the fish before it got back to the water.
He was so proud of himself and I was happy he was having fun.
After we released his fish, I picked up my rod and got ready to cast. He looked at me and said he already caught the only fish in this spot. I cast my bait upstream in some rough current just in front of a tree in the water. Within a few seconds, I set the hook and had a second brookie.
We walk downstream a little more, found a new spot and started fishing. We caught a few more little brookies and he continued to ask where he should cast his bait. We had gone downstream little ways and it was getting close to dinner time, so I told him it was time to start heading back. Walking back up to the truck, as we got close, I could see someone in the truck. My dad and oldest son were in the front seats.
Both got out and walk over to us. I asked how they did and both of them said they had no luck. When I told them we caught some nice-sized fish, and some little ones, they were surprised.
The next day we went back to the river, but we decided to fish the little stream that feeds it. The stream is full of native brook trout and it is one of my favorite places in the world. My oldest said he wanted to fish the river so he and my dad headed across the stream and over the bank on the far side. I took my youngest with me and headed upstream to look for a good spot.
I was looking down at the stream trying to find a place to start when we walked over a small bank and there was the perfect spot. I looked down and could see a trout in the water. I pointed the fish out to my son and told him he would need to cast upstream and a little beyond the fish. He started to walk down the bank toward the stream. I explained he needed to stay as far away from the edge as possible because if the fish noticed him, it would swim off. He cast exactly where I told him to and within a minute he landed the fish. As he was reeling his fish in I noticed a second fish and pointed it out to him. He landed the second fish within seconds as well. We continued fishing up the stream and he caught a few more fish.
I could see my dad and oldest son not far away. I asked them how they did and they both said they didn’t get any bites. As we headed back for dinner, I replayed the last few days in my head. That is when I realized how differently I approach each body of water.
When I am fishing a river it is a much slower style of fishing — you have to give the fish time to find your bait. When I am fishing a stream, it is faster because you are trying to get the fish to react to the bait.
