Sploosh!

A crater in the river’s surface formed just a dozen feet off the bank behind the boat, and my head swiveled on my shoulders. Strong rings emanated from the source of the commotion, and my mind raced.

Of course, in such an instance, you want the racket to be the product of an amped-up and still-hungry smallmouth hunting in the shallows, but they rarely exhibit such recklessness when feeding on natural, surface-trapped food, particularly in the bathwater of summer’s peak. The answer is in the trees.

Low water and skittish trout are common during the late summer and early fall trout fishing seasons. While most any fly fishing tactic will produce results at those times of the year, dry flies are often an excellent option. Although some hatches still occur, reduced activity of aquatic insects both above and below the surface often leaves trout looking up for food, specifically, for terrestrials. But while trout are looking up to feed, they are also on the lookout for predators, thanks to low, clear water, which puts their evolutionary protective alarms on high alert.