Is The Fish On Nymphs, Emergers, Or Dry Flies?
Now that we know what our fish is eating, the next step is to identify the life cycle stage. I cant stress enough to focus on ONE fish at a time. 99 times out of 100 trout will tell you exactly what theyre eating. The key is understanding the language. I dont want to over-simplify, but here are a few general poker tells: Slashy (or Splashy) Rises: This is a strong indicator fish are taking emergers OR egg-laying adults. Most emerging and adult egg-laying insects try to get out of, and off of the water as quickly as possible. Erratic surface movement indicates vulnerability and activates the fishs cat and mouse chase reaction. Consistent Sipping Rises: In most cases, sipping means confident feeding. This means fish are in a productive lie, have a steady source of incoming food, and are feeding repetitively on adult or spent insects. Look for the classic snout dimple or head and tail rise. Intermittent Sipping Rises: These are probably the most difficult to read. Intermittent sippers are
