Fly Fishing Skills- Tips on Seeing Fish and Improving Your Catch Rate

It takes practice and awareness, but the skill of seeing fish can be learned. Here are some tips to get you started.

Ken Baldwin | Jan 3, 2025

Getting a better angle to see the fish. / photo by Rod Thurley

When I guided, I made it a practice to step away from my anglers and let them fish. From a distance I would watch and see if I could discern the strengths and weaknesses in their game: why were they succeeding or failing?

Just Because You Don’t See the Fish Doesn’t Mean It’s Not There

After some time, especially if an angler wasn't catching, I would walk up and ask, "What's going on?" They often said, "There's no fish here." I then proceeded to point out a number of fish within their casting range. The angler would be doubtful because even after I pointed where the fish were they still couldn't see them.

Fly fishing skills: Seeing fish- A guide spots a fish for his guest.

A Rainbow River Lodge Guide spotting fish. / photo by Ken Baldwin

Hidden in Plain Sight

What I was seeing were movements of a fin, a shadow, rocks that looked a little "suspicious." I'd tell my angler to look where I was pointing and be still with it, let your eyes adjust. Suddenly, what they thought was a "rock" floated forward about 2 inches; it was no longer a rock. It blended in, it was subtle, but there was no question about it: it was a fish.

What To Look for When Trying to Spot Fish?

The simple answer is everything and anything. A better question to ask is, "What don't you look for?" Don't look for a whole, complete fish that's just sitting there looking like a fish. Nature doesn't work that way. Nature hides, using shadows, light, coloring — whatever it can do to blend in. You have to see what doesn't want to be seen.

Fly fishing skills: Seeing fish-A Native brookie of West Virginia

A native brookie of West Virginia matching its stream bed. / photo by Ken Baldwin

It’s Fly Fishing, but It’s Hunting

When I was a kid I used to Deer hunt with my dad. He would always say to me "Don't look for a whole deer. Get that picture out of your head. Look for the flick of a tail, the twitch of an ear, branches that are moving when there is no wind." The same applies to fly fishing.

Here are some examples of things I've seen that ended up being fish.

Seeing fish. A trout has the same coloration as the rocky bottom of the river it lives in.

Trout can change to match the colors of their environment. / photo by Ken Baldwin

The Art of Deception: Blending In With the Environment

Fish can subtly change their coloration to match their surroundings. What you assume is a rock might be a fish. Study it. Does the rock look like it's hovering in the water? Does it look more fluid than solid? Does it just not feel right as rocks go? Keep watching; it may be a fish.

Don't look for the whole fish

The body of the fish can be still, but the fins have to move to keep it upright and in place. Don't look for the whole fish, look for small movements. If you think you saw movement, then be patient and watch. Give it a chance to reveal itself.

Reading Nature’s Clues To See Better

Fly fishing skills: Seeing fish- A guide is showing a client where the fish are located before they start fly fishing.

Studying the water before the casting begins. / photo by Ken Baldwin

"Why is that grass moving when the other grass around it isn't?" Something below the water's surface is causing that plant to move. This movement may be very subtle, perhaps just a few blades of water grass trembling, but something is causing it to tremble. Let's determine what that something is.

Practice Patience and Fish Will Reveal Themselves

I remember fishing a small creek in Alaska. I kept drifting an egg pattern through a pool and wasn't getting hit. The pool looked fishy, and I had a strong feeling there were trout in there, but nothing was happening. I stopped casting and stood back. I have this technique where I look at the whole scene in front of me, but focus on nothing specific. I was doing this and out of the corner of my eye I saw a very small flash of silver. My heart jumped. Just to make sure I continued to watch the spot where I saw the flash and it happened again. "I got you." I thought to myself.

There was a fish underneath the far bank in an undercut. When food drifted by, it would quickly dart out (the flash of silver), snatch the food, and return under the bank. I placed my next cast a few feet above its ambush point. Bam, fish on!

Think Outside the Box

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I was heading up a river in Alaska with a client. We were passing through a section of the river that wasn't known as a productive stretch. As I approached a bend in the river, I noticed a Bald Eagle perched high on a branch overlooking the water. My Spidey senses began to tingle. "Why is that Eagle there?" I cut the engine and slid the boat onto the riverbank. I told my client, "That Eagle is here for a reason." The hunch paid off. Trout and Char were stacked up in the run.

Nature doesn't operate randomly; there's always a reason, and I'm constantly asking, "Why?"

A skill that compliments seeing fish is knowing how to read a river. It will focus you in on where to look for fish.

Seeing Fish Will Enrich Your Fly Fishing Experience

Playing the part of the predator will wire your brain differently, and make you more aware of your surroundings. Develop the skill to see fish and you will develop a stronger connection to the environment, deepen your participation in nature, and become a better fly angler. KB