Before we are jumping into the actual locations, we are going to describe the common features of the places where you can fly fish and the reasons behind.

 

Water temperature is one of the factors because it has a dominant effect on where fish choose to stay. Each type of fish has its own temperature preference. Water temperatures in 60F range are traumatic to snook, disturbing to Redfish and Tarpon, and not much of a problem for Sea trout. Snook seem to do well with water temperatures in the high 80’s, while Tarpon, Redfish and especially Sea trout are beginning to get uncomfortable. Each species has a comfortable temperature range of about 15-20 degrees and when these limits are exceeded the fish want to move elsewhere.

 

Another important factor is safety. Fish are constantly aware of predators like pelicans, eagles, ospreys, larger fish, and etc. Instinctively, they like either some sort of hiding places where they have plenty room to move. Fish on shallow flats seem to know that they are very visible to predators and they are generally quite spooky under these conditions. Seawalls, pilings, rockpiles, oyster piles, dropoffs, sunken logs, etc. all provide good cover, but the mangrove root structure is perhaps the best of all. Here they are protected overhead by a leafy canopy, to the rear by dry land and on all sides by mangrove roots. A snook so situated, in 80 degree water, with a brisk current flowing by, carrying baitfish and crustaceans, is one happy camper!

 

The third factor is energy conservation. A fish simply cannot hang in a heavy current for long periods of time with only a scrap or two of food to sustain him. From time to time, fish might go for something rewarding in a heavy flow. But afterwards, the fish will retreat to calmer water where it can comfortably hang on for a while and for next food. Therefore, look for fish where there are bars, uneven riverbed, rocks or anything else which can provide a comfortable zone for the fish.

 

Here are some places in a lake or pond where you can look for fish.

 

      – Inlets and outlets. Inlets offer a fresh supply of cold and oxygenated water with steady supply of food. Pay attention to the mouth of an inlet. Similarly, outlets are the strainer of the lake where fish can find plenty of food.

 

      – The main channel. Inlets and outlets usually form a main channel, which is the path the water flow follows. The channel has current and can offer a steady flow of insects.

 

      – Shade. It offers protection from the sun and the water is also cooler. Shades also offer protection from predators. Often ants, hoppers, and bees fall into the water close to shades.

 

      – Shelves. Shelves are caused by abrupt change in the contour of a lake. Predator fish often hide at shelves to ambush the smaller fish.

 

Knowing how to read the water is the key to successfully to find the fish. Here are some signs you may look for when fishing: splashes, rings, bulges, and tailing. When fish feed on the surface of the water or just beneath, they often make splashes, rings, and bulges. In saltwater fishing, you will often see a fish show its tail through the surface when feeding on the bottom.

 

You can also always hire an experience guide who can transfer the knowledge to you and help you find the fish for you. You can find a good fly fishing guide who have years of experience will constantly share their knowledge with you.

 

With the help of the Internet, you can easily find what places offer the best fishing opportunities since most quality fishing resorts have advertisements running on the web and the magazines are often the great resources too. For beginner, the Rocky Mountains are well known for their abundance of coldwater trout streams. You can also fish permit off the Florida Key, Florida, striped bass at Martha’s Vineyard, MA, steelhead in North Umpqua River, Oregon, and brown and rainbow trout in the Madison River, Wyoming and Montana. Here is a list of fly fishing water in North America.