Fly Fishing : The Sight of Trout
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Sight is of
crucial important to trout, which is not surprising. After all,
it’s the sense that they use when determining
whether or not to eat something that comes their way. Trout, in
particular, have excellent close-range vision although they lack
in long-range vision. This close range vision by the trout is why
so many imitation flies may fail to grab the interest of a trout – the
trout can easily determine if given time if the fly looks like
something it is accustomed too.
A trout sees
the world through what is known as the “trout’s
window”. This window is a cone shaped view that extends up
from the eye at an ever-increasing diameter. Thus, the deeper the
trout is, the more the trout can see.
A trout will only eat something that passes within this cone of
vision since this is where they can see it and inspect it. Trout,
due to their other excellent senses, may very well be aware of
something on the water that is outside of this cone of vision.
But it is only upon seeing the fly in their cone of vision will
a trout consider eating it.
This knowledge leads to one strategy all anglers should use when
fishing to rising trout. When fly fishing to a rising trout, it
is very important to drop the fly not where the rise was but upstream
of where the rise was. By presenting a fly upstream from the rise,
the fly will float down the river naturally, not just suddenly
appearing in the trouts cone of vision which is likely to seem
suspicious to a cunning trout.
Trout also
have the ability to determine color, including subtle shades
of color. This is why the same fly in two different colors
can produce remarkably different results when fishing – the
trout may simply be eating one color insect and avoiding others.
Lastly, trout
also have the ability to see the profile of a fly. This, of all
the characteristics of a fly, is perhaps the most important.
A fly that does not have the same profile – seen
from underwater – as
what they are accustomed to eating is not likely to be very
successful. For this reason, it is always important to make sure
that your flies, especially when dry fly fishing, float properly.
Moreover,
even if your dry fly is a spitting imitation of the real thing,
if
your
fly
float awkwards (or partially sinks), it is not likely
to draw strikes. This is a good reason to avoid the real cheap
flies you find around - the colors of these cheap flies may
look right, but the profile is likely to be all messed up when
on
the water.
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