Daylight savings has come and the funny thing about it is

as I start my day one hour earlier I find I’ve more daylight in the afternoon and evening to fish.

Spring seems to be underrated on many of our waters here

which is fortunate for those who know and come fish and unfortunate for those who don’t.

As the ice begins to melt and access opens up there is a window of opportunity that provides some of the best fishing of the season.

The fish gather to the newly open water for a number of reasons… here are a handful

• The water is warmer.
• Food
• Because they’re fish

The water is warmer.

Shallow edges of reservoirs and lakes warm quicker then their deeper counterparts causing ice to melt first here, as it does life begins again, algae forms, water plants and newly flooded vegetation begin to wake up and the insect life begin to migrate towards this new found utopia.

Food.
I am going to take some liberty here and suppose you understand that as fly fishermen we seek to imitate the insect world with pretend bugs in order to catch fish.

And so I don’t think you’ll be surprised that warmer, food laden edges of a lake spark the interest of hungry trout, who have been eagerly waiting for these easy pickings… It’s also nice that these warmer waters spark the metabolism of these trout to speed up, causing bigger appetite’s so Warmth + Food + Hungry trout = happy fly fishers.

because they’re fish

Because they are fish and don’t boast the highest IQ, it’s safe to say that they will be relying on more primitive urges to drive them to the shallows. Their need for food and optimal water temperature is only surpassed by the urge to spawn. Developing an understanding of this spring behavior is well worth studying for the fly fisher. Picture it this way;

it’s Spring break! Their is a warm Beach, Food, and a college campus nearby… you just happen to be a guy with a cooler full of cheaply purchased beverages for free…

Those poor fish don’t stand a chance… guess you should call and book a trip.