Reading water · 2 min read
After rain, give the creek an hour
After rain, give the creek an hour. Keep the focus on a creek that just rose and colored, and keep the water in sight while you do it.
Do it in order
Work from the near bank. Wait, then fish the first clean edge that returns. Then look up and see whether the plan still fits the place you are standing.
The usual miss
People lose time to fishing the rising color as if nothing changed. Retie, shorten, or reset. Do not negotiate with a setup you already doubt.
Leave only when you have a reason to stay or a reason to leave. Write nothing down unless that check failed.
This belongs with reading water because the decision happens before you are committed to the cast.
A bank note, not a forecast or a rule sheet. Check the local regulations before you fish.