Spot the yellows in this picture:

[Valhalla]

Spent the morning Czech Nymphing the hell out of this piece of river. Granted it was my first attempt at yellows.....ever, the area had recently recieved 25ml of rain and the water was a little murky.

Water level was about 1,4m deep in most places and I was fishing an orange hotspot.

Can anyone tell me how they would approach this river situation, what I should have done differently and where the yellows are hiding in this pic.

IMG_2558.jpg

[Glans]

Valhalla
I think if that was the Vaal you would have had yellows all around you. I would approach from the bottom of the river as most fish would face upstream and you would not spook them.
Your question is possibly more to do with your technique and what you do with the rod and line than position of the fish.

[Jacques O Dell]

There is one right behind you, just behind the rock.

[Gerrit Viljoen]

Hi,

I've marked a few spots on the pic for your consideration next time you approach a similar piece of water. Knowing how to read water is essential for immediate success and eliminates unnecessary time & effort in a certain location. In your pic one can identify plenty of fish holding areas (riffles, glides and runs, pocket water, seams, edges) and like mentioned before I suggest you target those next time you get a chance. One can classify the water as feeding lies meaning 1) water is quite shallow, 2) fish go there to feed and 3) protection from current. Some areas in the pic (not all) provides a prime lie i.e 1) sufficient food, 2) protection from predators and 3) protection from current.(enough depth)

In no particular order directly behind you we have some nice pocket water, (behind a rock or boulder) marked with those "u shape" thingies I tried to draw. Fish can hold there in comfort and not worry about current and spending too much energy. At the edge of the pocket you have seams ~ the joining of fast and slow currents and very productive. My favorite time for these are in the afternoons when fish are actively feeding during a hatch. Right in front of you is a mini pool. Clearly visible is the head, body and tailout. Note the seam on the near side also a very good spot for a fish to hold. In the middle of that mini pool marked with "X" you normally get the deepest section. Often times you would find the biggest fish in this area because 1) it's the deepest part of the pool providing the fish with cover from current & predation and 2) there is food drifting down and remember it's all about competition first come first serve those big fish are real bullies!

Then to the left of that mini pool (above) I drew a few lines to indicate current seams,once again great areas to hook fish constantly.In the middle of the pic to the right is a submerged rock. This is fish haven!!! In front of the boulder is a cushion and dare I say 9/10 times you'll get a fish here. Behind the rock is a pocket and once again on either side a seam. Fish can hold in the slower water and grab something from the faster water.Just to the left of that is another rock and the same principles apply.

On the far side (top of pic) you have your bank water, it is clear that those COULD be holding lies for fish as there is little current so try make a few drifts on the edge of the bank and or seam.Make a few casts in that shade as well who knows you could hook into a lunker but know if it's void of fish it's because of the time of day, too slow a current and insufficient depth.

Now that you have a few ideas on reading water you can plan your approach down or upstream with various fishing techniques and flies have fun!

IMG_2558.jpg

[WazzyP]

Great response there Gerrit. Nothing to add

[dlampert]

Hi,

I've marked a few spots on the pic for your consideration next time you approach a similar piece of water. Knowing how to read water is essential for immediate success and eliminates unnecessary time & effort in a certain location. In your pic one can identify plenty of fish holding areas (riffles, glides and runs, pocket water, seams, edges) and like mentioned before I suggest you target those next time you get a chance. One can classify the water as feeding lies meaning 1) water is quite shallow, 2) fish go there to feed and 3) protection from current. Some areas in the pic (not all) provides a prime lie i.e 1) sufficient food, 2) protection from predators and 3) protection from current.(enough depth)

In no particular order directly behind you we have some nice pocket water, (behind a rock or boulder) marked with those "u shape" thingies I tried to draw. Fish can hold there in comfort and not worry about current and spending too much energy. At the edge of the pocket you have seams ~ the joining of fast and slow currents and very productive. My favorite time for these are in the afternoons when fish are actively feeding during a hatch. Right in front of you is a mini pool. Clearly visible is the head, body and tailout. Note the seam on the near side also a very good spot for a fish to hold. In the middle of that mini pool marked with "X" you normally get the deepest section. Often times you would find the biggest fish in this area because 1) it's the deepest part of the pool providing the fish with cover from current & predation and 2) there is food drifting down and remember it's all about competition first come first serve those big fish are real bullies!

Then to the left of that mini pool (above) I drew a few lines to indicate current seams,once again great areas to hook fish constantly.In the middle of the pic to the right is a submerged rock. This is fish haven!!! In front of the boulder is a cushion and dare I say 9/10 times you'll get a fish here. Behind the rock is a pocket and once again on either side a seam. Fish can hold in the slower water and grab something from the faster water.Just to the left of that is another rock and the same principles apply.

On the far side (top of pic) you have your bank water, it is clear that those COULD be holding lies for fish as there is little current so try make a few drifts on the edge of the bank and or seam.Make a few casts in that shade as well who knows you could hook into a lunker but know if there isn't fish there it's because of the time of day, too slow a current and insufficient depth.

Now that you have a few ideas on reading water you can plan your approach down or upstream with various fishing techniques and flies have fun!

IMG_2558.jpg

I think you missed a spot G, in the foreground directly behind (and in front) and to the left of the big rock ;-)

[redhumpy]

I think you missed a spot G, in the foreground directly behind (and in front) and to the left of the big rock ;-)

Yep, that's the G spot. No wonder Gerrit missed it.

[smallstreams.co.za]

I can add to this ... Gerrit, next time use Orange to mark the spots ... Yellowfish LOVE Orange hotspots.

[Bryan]

Hahaha...Mario!

Great response from Gerrit.

Another key thing to remember is that you must be "feeling" your flies bumping along the bottom. If you are not getting hooked on the bottom your flies are not in the feeding zone. Start with a heavier control fly and then adjust from there.

[Valhalla]

Fantastic feedback, thanks Gerrit. I look forward to heading back to that stretch of water and aiming for those sections.

Dlampert, thanks for you tip too, it made for a challenging sunday afternoon.