Types Of Stillwaters (2 of 12)
Video Transcript:
In today's show, we're going to show you everything you need to know about
fly fishing still waters. I'm going to give you the tools you need to know
so you can go out and enjoy this kind of sport.
Fly fishing for stillwater trout offers many rewards. Unlike rivers and streams, lakes are not subject to annual runoff. With the exception of spring and fall turnover, lakes offer a long open water season. Turnover is a mixing process that oxygenates and re-energizes a lake. When it occurs, the turnover process puts fish off the bite for roughly a week.
Turnover does not occur, however, on all lakes. Rich, productive lakes offer diverse food base; offering even the most ardent hatch matcher a lifetime of presentation puzzles to solve. The rich food base also offers another important benefit, the capacity for large trout. Trout in productive waters can and do reach staggering proportions typically exceeding the growth rates of those living in rivers or streams.
Not all lakes are created equal. Based upon the nutrient makeup and levels, lakes are often classified by their trophic status. Oligotrophic waters are deep, clear, and low in nutrients, offering little in the way of productive shallows to grow large trout.
Eutrophic lakes on the other hand, are typically shallow, rich bodies of water. Featuring soft, fertile bottoms, eutrophic waters are home to vast shallow regions, lush with weeds, and an often dense population of aquatic invertebrates and forage fish. Eutrophic lakes are capable of producing trout of gargantuan proportions. Algae blooms are also common on many eutrophic lakes.
Mesotrophic waters are midway between oligotrophic and eutrophic lakes. Mesotrophic lakes are often clear and can support good populations of trout.
Fly fishing for stillwater trout offers many rewards. Unlike rivers and streams, lakes are not subject to annual runoff. With the exception of spring and fall turnover, lakes offer a long open water season. Turnover is a mixing process that oxygenates and re-energizes a lake. When it occurs, the turnover process puts fish off the bite for roughly a week.
Turnover does not occur, however, on all lakes. Rich, productive lakes offer diverse food base; offering even the most ardent hatch matcher a lifetime of presentation puzzles to solve. The rich food base also offers another important benefit, the capacity for large trout. Trout in productive waters can and do reach staggering proportions typically exceeding the growth rates of those living in rivers or streams.
Not all lakes are created equal. Based upon the nutrient makeup and levels, lakes are often classified by their trophic status. Oligotrophic waters are deep, clear, and low in nutrients, offering little in the way of productive shallows to grow large trout.
Eutrophic lakes on the other hand, are typically shallow, rich bodies of water. Featuring soft, fertile bottoms, eutrophic waters are home to vast shallow regions, lush with weeds, and an often dense population of aquatic invertebrates and forage fish. Eutrophic lakes are capable of producing trout of gargantuan proportions. Algae blooms are also common on many eutrophic lakes.
Mesotrophic waters are midway between oligotrophic and eutrophic lakes. Mesotrophic lakes are often clear and can support good populations of trout.
Equipment For This Chapter