Fly Fishing : Senses of Trout - Overview
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When fly fishing
for trout, it is of crucial importance to understand their senses.
Trout are fish, after all, and thus make different use of their
senses than we do. Understanding these senses can greatly increase
the prospects of a successful fly fishing trip. Many anglers
make
the common
mistake of thinking trout, being fish, are not very smart. And
as far as hatchery born fish are concerned, this is mainly correct.
However, in
Montana and many other prime rivers in the world, most of the
rivers are not stocked with hatchery born fish. Instead, the
trout found
will
generally
be
wild trout.
And wild trout, whether they be rainbows, browns or brookies, are always smarter
than their hatchery born cousing.
Additionally,
even if you are fly fishing primarily for hatchery born fish,
it is still good to know how a trout uses their senses. Why?
Quite simply, by knowing how a trout uses their senses, your
approach and presentation will be better - leading to less spooked
fish and thus better results on the stream. While hatchery born
fish are rather stupid, they aren't so stupid as to sit right
on top of an anglers foot, patiently waiting for that fake fly
to float right by.
It’s
also worth remembering that compared to other fish, trout tend
to be smarter than most others – especially the
cunning brown trout. Because of this, when fly fishing for trout,
don’t go about it like you would go about bluegill fishing.
If an angler goes about fishing for trout on the basis that they
are stupid, the angler is likely to get a rude shock. A trout
that can survive the rigors of a trout stream, especially a brown
trout,
is a very cunning animal indeed.
Three Main
Trout Senses
An angler,
thus, should become familiar with the three main senses a trout
uses. These senses are:
- Smell -
Learn how a trout uses it's sense of smell.
- Sight -
Read how a trout sees and how to avoid being "seen" by the
trout.
- Sound -
A trout is very sensitive to noise. Find out what a trout hears
- and what it doesn't.
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