Q.
I fish a very narrow, very shallow stream called
the Lilliwaup in western Washington and have only
caught small fish. Is it possible for big fish
to live in such shallow water?
A.
This is pretty tough to answer since I don’t
really know what you mean by “very” shallow
and narrow. In general, it really depends on
if there are any pools or deeper water where
large fish can find cover and holding space.
Narrow, shallow streams can hold some large
fish if there are pools to provide these
habitat characteristics. However, if the
stream is essentially all shallow, you probably
won’t find many larger fish present.
I used to fish the Touchet River in southeastern
Washington before I moved. It could certainly be
called a shallow stream in that you can cross it
about anyplace. But, there is a lot of nice
holding water and pools large enough to hold
browns up to 16" and adult steelhead. So, it
gets back to what you mean by “very” shallow
and narrow.
If you have a question, please feel free to contact me.
~ C. E. (Bert) Cushing, aka Streamdoctor
105 W. Cherokee Dr.
Estes Park, CO 80517
Phone: 970-577-1584
Email: streamdoctor@aol.com
The ‘Stream Doctor’ is a retired professional stream ecologist and
author, now living in the West and spending way too much time
fly-fishing. You are invited to submit questions relating to
anything stream related directly to him for use in this Q & A Feature
at streamdoctor@aol.com.
Originally published September 6th, 2004 on Fly Anglers Online by Robert Younghanz.