Techy Thursday - Tips for spotting fish

I don’t wait for clients to see the fish. I point out where the fish is, ask them if they see what I’m pointing at, and get them into position for the cast. If you mess around, you’ll be too late. Most of the time they have actually seen the fish, but they just haven’t recognised what they are seeing as a fish. It’s rare to see an entire fish, spots, fins and all.

My best tip for spotting trout is to forget looking for a fish and just look for shapes and movement.

Here are a few more tips to help you locate a few more fish:

• Clean those lenses. If they’re smudgy then you’re on the back foot already
• Don’t look for fish. See that shape? You do. It’s a fish. Look for hints of a fish, shapes, random colours and flashes
• Use the sun. When the sun is at a high angle, looking into it actually shows a huge shadow of the fish. There’s a short window to take advantage of this before it gets too glary so use it
• Use hillsides, trees etc as solid backdrops in glary, cloudy conditions and avoid shadows in bright sun. Plan your day accordingly.
• Movement. Look for movement. Rocks don’t move

Casts are free. Back yourself. Watch for windows and watch for assertive movements. And trust your first instinct. If you thought it was a fish, it probably was. Send a loop...