Three Tips to Avoid Spooking Trout in Small Streams

Spooking less fish = catching more fish

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I think we can all agree — it’s incredibly easy to spook a fish.

Hey, they’re sensitive creatures. Kinda like I was after watching Old Yeller for the first time. But, in all seriousness, it’s a common frustration that anglers of all levels face — especially when fishing small streams.

It’s the “spook wave” that really kills us. If you’re not familiar with the name, you’re probably familiar with the action — it’s essentially that dastardly, hole-ruining moment when you spook one fish, it goes on to spook a few others, and then they go on to spook the rest of the trout around you. Within a matter of moments, you’re left with a decision to make: move to a new hole, or sit there and pout.

Obviously you should move to a new hole. Regardless, there are a few strategies you can utilize to avoid the “spook wave” — three of which I’ll share below:

Stay Out of the Water

Splish, splash, and spook fish

Rule of thumb when fishing small streams: avoid hiking through the water whenever possible.

If you’re looking to avoid spooking the fish you’re attempting to catch, stay on the banks as often as you can. Sure, there is going to be a time when you might have to step into the water. And if so, that’s fine. But, for the most part, try to stay dry — for two reasons:

You can use the foliage to your advantage. Hide behind the bushes and cast over them to get to where the fish are. Trust me, they won’t see you. I’ll expand on this below.
Sound travels in water much faster than it does on land. If you’re heavy footed, you’re going to be five times as loud submerged under water as you would be on land. Eventually, the fish are going to hear all of the commotion from your stomping, and spook.

Alright, say it with me everyone —

“Stay dry, be a happier fisher-guy (or lady)!

With plenty of fish chomping at the end of your line.”

Anyway, moving on…

Use the Foliage to Your Advantage

Foliage is your friend. not your foe.

Foliage gets a bad wrap. Probably because angler’s flies tend to get wrapped-up in it.

I understand the struggle — I’ve had to pull my own flies out of a bush or two in my day. Even still, though, when fishing small streams, foliage is your friend. Not your foe.

For starters, if there’s foliage surrounding the small stream, you can sneak up on top of certain holes without the fish seeing you. There have been a few occasions where I’ve gotten so close to the holes I’m fishing, my 9 foot rod feels too long. Really all I needed to do in those scenarios was to slowly place my rod above the fish, whip a nice bow and arrow cast, get a strike, and land the fish.

Best of all? I could catch that fish without spooking all of the others around it. When you’re fishing from foliage, odds are the fish you aren’t targeting aren’t even going to know you pulled one of their scaly brothers in already. And, as a result, you might be able to pull a few fish out of the same hole before moving on to the next spot. It’s a win, win!

Watch Your Shadow

Losing control of your shadow = losing fish

Fact: fish get eaten from above by birds of prey all the time.

As a result, they’re hardwired to instinctively avoid any sort of shadow that falls over them. So, if possible, avoid casting a shadow over the hole you’re attempting to fish. They’re going to think you’re a big, hungry hawk, and they’ll definitely swim away from you.

Of course, avoiding shadows requires knowing where the sun is, and knowing where your shadow is going to cast as a result. I always like to have my shadow facing away from the river, or downstream whenever possible. Of course, this means I’m usually fishing into the sun — which, with a cool pair of shades on, isn’t an issue.

If you can’t avoid casting a shadow where you’re fishing, try getting down low as you approach the hole to reduce the height of your shadow. Works like a charm.

Give these tricks a try the next time you fish a small stream, and odds are you’ll catch more fish than you did the last time you went out. The less spooky you are, the more fish you’ll hook. It’s that simple.

Over and tr-out!