Yes sir, first and foremost, catch and release!
This time of year especially, I'd get to the areas right above and right below riffles. The slow/deep pools tend to get pretty stagnant and mossy this time of year. Fish can be caught there, don't get me wrong, but there's more oxygen in those riffle areas. Also, a fish in hot water can snatch a quick bite as it goes by in the push water without having to move a great deal. If you're below a riffle, work those "edge" areas between slack water and moving water. A creek fish can hang in the slack, quickly move out into the fast water to grab something as it flies by, then retreat. They are, after all, ambush predators. Also, when the water is hot, low, and gin clear those fish can see/hear you coming a mile away. Be as quiet as you can, use the bank as much as possible, and make long casts. (That's one reason I like small diameter braided line - Super long casts and no stretch, so you can put a hookset on a fish from a good clip away.) I don't try to cover long distances when wading in the summer time. Keep your wade to a shorter area and fish it really slow and deliberate.
I prefer to wade/fish upstream. Unless a fish is swimming downstream, it will be sitting nosed into the current. That gives you a little advantage, I think, in being able to lob casts upstream and bring them back in a more natural presentation. Buzzbaits, topwater plugs, senkos/sticks, jigs, and small plastics are staples for me this time of year.
Good luck...



Reply With Quote