13. Should you work upstream or down? (13 of 16)

Prospecting for trout in a new river requires a lot of moving around. When you decide to move, regardless of what method you choose, should you work upstream or down? It's not hard to fight the current, and because trout face upstream into the current, they are less likely to see you approaching them. But even in larger rivers, you may want to work upstream. It's just easier to get to trout and it allows you to make short, accurate casts.
In bigger rivers, you may want to work downstream. If the river is wide enough, you can work downstream and not spook fish because you're often separated by distance and current from the fish, so you can approach them from upstream. Trout seem to feel more secure when feeding over deeper water or separated from you by a current seam, and you can get away with approaches that would be tricky in a smaller river.
Also, it's harder to push against the current in a big river, so working downstream might just be easier on your legs. Also, you push less water ahead of you by sliding downstream with the current. And those waves you push ahead of you can frighten fish and turn them off the feed. But pay attention to mud and silt you stir up when working downstream. Sometimes, the mud and silt you stir up can get fish feeding, but most times, it turns them off.