How And Where Fish Feed
By Dick Babine
Before we start to discuss the various places that a fish will hold or lie in the water column waiting for a feeding opportunity, let's talk about the methods that a fish uses to detect its dinner.
I know that you might not care for the subject matter, but the fish's "Anatomy" must be clearly understood in order to really use known instincts of the fish to your advantage. In order to learn where the fish feeds, you first must understand how it feeds. Just like us humans, the fish has certain senses that it uses to detect possible food sources.
Eye Sight
Yes, the fish can see but this vision is somewhat limited by either lighting conditions, the fish's location in the water column or the clarity of the water. How far can a Trout see in the water? Let's assume that your using a #20 adult dry Blue Winged Olive. A fish that's only 1 or 2 feet below the surface could see about 2 to 3 feet. Now, the same fish deeper in the water column would see much more of the surface. When dealing with Trout the best answer I can find is, "a trout can see a potential food source a heck of a lot farther than its willing to move to get it."
The reason for this opinion is that it is a well-known fact that Trout feed in very narrow lanes and seldom venture to far from their selected feeding station. The major scientific reason is that Trout and other species are light sensitive, it is also known that motion is one of the first things a fish will notice from a distance, All of this is, of course is totally dependent upon the above mentioned conditions.