Where do the fish go?
 

Good day all,

First off, let me start by stating I am not looking for any spots or secret knowledge. More so just a general idea as to how fish move throughout the season.

I fish all over the province approximately 60 days on the water each season. I am consistently noticing early season (April-may) and late season (mid sept-end of October) I can not for the life of me figure out where the fish "go" so to speak. Mid season I can crush productive days for days and find fish virtually everywhere where you'd think there would be a fish in a given stream / river / creek. Come these aforementioned early and late season times, I find it difficult to locate fish. Where the hell do they go?

Before run off hits and waters warm, are they all they all in deep pools? Late season when the days get shorter and water gets colder at night, do they migrate back to these holes? When the water levels become much lower than mid season, do they migrate to larger bodies of water? for example out of smaller stream into a larger river?

Seems too lately, my usual places, I am consistently getting the "why is there no fish in this prime water". what gives? was there summer or winter kill past seasons recently?

I hear you. In spring time I just figure the water is still too cold and the fish are too slow. But in the fall the “feed bag” is supposed to be on, and I’m running out of fishing days. It can become frustrating. I figure all the variables just lined up that day and screwed me.

Minimal responses.

Again guys not looking for secrets spots, just general info on how trout move throughout season

They winter in deep holes

In early spring/late fall they are often found in or close to theses locations. Food sources change too which is another factor to acknowledge

Personally early spring is one of my favorite times to chase browns with a fast sinking line and weighted streamers in some rivers. It’s a matter of beating spring run off

There is one man’s 2 cents

Easly season is tough for everyone but they should be near or in the wintering holes....which you have to put in time to learn and find.

Fall is amazing. The menu switches and so should you. Backswimmers, leeches, blood worms and don't forget to try out the boobies....or so I'm told. If you are chucking the same thing in fall as you did mid season....well ...good luck!

Ditto to everyone’s responses. Either wintering holes, spawning tribs or feeding grounds. Noting where the deepest sections are in a river during the summer will indicate where they may end up come winter. But again, depends on the species until late fall (end Oct early nov) when all fish are in winter grounds

yup we found them in the deeper holes, reluctant to hit surface presentation but did later in the day, gotta get down to them.

Low water
 

Spring (pre runoff) and fall seasons coincide with lower water and flow. A lot of the runs I fish tend to flatten out at those times and without the broken water above them the fish get paranoid. My presence, line, and ripples I create aren’t hidden as well either. I think the fish are still there because a lot of these runs lead to deeper pools where fish could over winter. Hell I know the fish are still there because when I paddle over the pools I can see them 8 ft. down and hugging the bottom. And that maybe is the problem, I can see them and they can see me.