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The differences in fly selection and angling
method between infertile and rich waters are
controlled by two variables in trout
foraging degree of selectivity and range of
feeding movement. There is so much more food
in rich aquatic environments that trout feed
heavily on specific organisms in relatively
small areas. In infertile lakes fish feed
randomly on a variety of prey items over a
wide territory.
In infertile waters the fly usually doesn't
have to match the natural exactly. Simple
competition for food makes the fish rush faster
to take a real or fake item. The main exception
might be midge activity, which can be concentrated
enough even in mountain lakes to make trout fussy.
In rich waters the fly often has to match
the food organism exactly. The triggering
characteristic, the prominent feature trout
search for to identify an item, has to be
slightly exaggerated so fish notice the
artificial before they notice the natural,
and the secondary characteristics the ones
trout look critically at when they get close
have to be exactly like those of the real
organism.
Just as important as fly choice in rich
waters is fly placement. In an infertile
lake a trout might swim ten or fifteen
feet to snatch a fly, but in a productive
environment a fish might not move a foot.
On some of my home ponds the trout are
so spoiled that a fly has to be within
inches of the fish's mouth or it won't
suck it in. And usually, the slower the
fly is moving or better still not moving
at all the greater the chance trout will
take it. ~ GL
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