[Rob Brownfield]

I was thinking today about little things I have noted when fishing that I believe has helped me catch a fish. I was wondering if anyone else has had the same thoughts/experience?

For example, when I regularly fished Loriston, I would try and see if there where any Herons on the water. If I could spot one stealthly working the margins, I would head to that bank and expect to catch fish. Very often the Heron would be on the windward bank, exactly where you would expect Trout on a summers evening, but, when the weather started to cool, they would move round to the leeward bank..and so would the trout. I put this down to the Heron knowing where the fry were gathered in the shallows, and the Trout hanging off the shallows waiting for a parsing snack. 

When Carp fishing, diving ducks can be a good indication of natural feed on the lake bed. Sometimes, a duck would dive then pop to the surface and scurry off. This was a sure fire sign that a large carp or two had moved in. A bait cast to the spot would often produce a fish.

When Pike fishing (and after trout on large Rainbow waters) if I could find Grebes diving that was a sign of a shoal of fry. Where there is fry there are bigger things feeding on them. On with a lure and hopefully a fish would take.

Anyone else used nature/wildlife to help locate fish?
 

[Mike Barrio]

Hi Rob ..... good post

Yes, there are many things that we keep an eye open for when on the water, swans grubbing about on the bottom, low flying swifts/swallows etc.

Anglers of all levels visit the fishery and a few are far more successful than others. There is much more to this than just experience, methods, tactics and flies ...... they have an uncanny sixth sense.

What do I mean? While most anglers focus on what they are doing and their tackle, "the naturals" can do this and also be aware of everything else that is going on around them, almost in the way that a wild animal can sense something is watching them. They can be focused on a dry fly sitting on the water, yet still sense a kingfisher sitting on a branch 100yds away

Mike

[Sandy Nelson]

Excellant topic

I find when i'm out on a larger loch especially, i look for the martins/swallows. They will often only be flying around a certain area, a sure sign of a localised hatch of something. When you get there you find out what is hatching and then you are into the fish. It's a lot like looking for gulls when you are out at sea.
Not being able to read a loch the same as river i have always found this a great way to navigate towards some fish

I have also found when fishing the river that swans can be good indicators, when they are feeding and ripping up large clumps of weed, if you pitch in downstream the trout are often sitting picking off all the disturbed nymphs and shrimps.

Anyone got any others

Sandy

[Hamish Young]

I think it's a reasonably well known that birds are generally considered a very good indicator of what's 'going on'.
If you're drifting on lochs and in particular reservoirs (and very much the case at Menteith Bewl, Rutland, Grafham, Ravensthorpe etc etc) watch what the seagulls are up to....... and generally head for the piece of water the birds are 'mobbing' as there's a good chance they're hitting shoals of fry.
As as example, the last time I fished Bewl (probably 15+yrs ago now  ) we were having a quiet day then I saw the gulls hitting the water hard in a concentrated area.... very similar to what I'd seen at home (albeit on a lesser scale) so off we went and my boat partner and I 'bagged' up on 'bows and browns that were hammering the fry.
Without the indication provided by the gulls, wouldn't have known the fry were there as they weren't 'boiling' on the surface as they sometimes do when being hit by a shoal of bows and the occasional brownie.
This is equally applicable on big lochs, it's not always fry the gulls are after, but if you're having a quiet day wander over to where the gulls are and chances are you'll have some sport 

[Rob Brownfield]

Have to say I struggle with reading rivers up here. Stick me on the Lea, Wensum, Waveny or upper Thames and I could point out hotspots for chub, barbel and roach, but stick me on the Don and unless the fish are showing, I think I would struggle.

When I used to have a burn running through my garden I knew when and where to look for the Trout, and the Dippers where always a good indicator of when to use a nymph. I would often just don a pair of waders and go and wander the banks, sitting for hours watching the Kingfisher or Dippers and you got a "feel" for where the fish would be depending on the weather and water height.

Familiarity with the surroundings will hone the 6th sense and help anglers catch fish..totally positive on that one.