Boulders can often be found in areas of a river called
a “rock” or “boulder” garden. In these gardens
fish can be found gravitating in front and behind them so being able
to “read” the surface to find submerged boulders is fairly
important.
The illustrations in the photo show the direction of the current,
the location of the boulder, and the disturbances at the surface called
“boils”. The most vital thing to focus on is the position
of the boulder and the boils at the surface, which could easily be
called riffles as well. To fish around these boulders it’s important
to cast well above them to get down to the bed where offerings can
then be drift-fished in front and behind each boulder. The water here
is crystal clear and should be fished from as far away from the hold
as possible, but under most fishable conditions the water will have
some color to it hiding the positions of the boulders and large rocks.
As the leader passes the boulder your mainline will do one of two
things, it will either come within contact of the boulder as it passes
over it, or it will pass by it on the close side to you and never
come within contact. In both situations the mainline will have a slight
increase in resistance and pull on the rod just a little bit. What
you’re waiting for is the subtle strike. Striking fish will
make little hits that feel like “ticks” that you’d
expect small trout to make, but don’t make the mistake of not
setting the hook when it comes. Very large species of fish can make
such subtle hits as those ticks and a poorly set hook means the fish
will be able to throw the hook the much easier.
Garnering strikes while fishing around boulders should come within
two to three passes so long as the presentations are made correctly.
It may take you a couple of drifts to figure out what is the boulder
versus what is fish, but it something you learn very quickly the first
few times you fish this kind of structure.
If the water was colored and you couldn’t see the boulder you
would still be able to see the effects at the surface as water passed
over and around it. Most times of the year it’s virtually impossible
to see the bed of the river due the limited visibility; therefore,
it is important to research each system, which I refer prominently
to as a “recon” trip.
Most recon trips are performed when rivers run low and clear, such
as here in this photograph. This allows anglers to ascertain what
kind of river conditions to expect when the water runs high and turbid.
When waters are turbid with limited visibility being able to read
it is essential to find holding fish.
Functionally, surface disturbances remain the same regardless of the
color and visibility so when you find these “rock” and
“boulder” gardens don’t pass them up. Fishing around
boulders can put fish on the hook within just a couple of casts. If
you haven’t fished around boulders before don’t worry.
Fishing this kind of hold can be mastered in a single day.
© Timothy Kusherets, 2007/09
