Read the water before you cast

Cast last, look first

The most common mistake on a new water is casting immediately. Fish are not spread evenly — they sit where food, cover and comfortable water meet. Five minutes spent reading the water tells you where that is.

What to look for

Structure. Overhanging trees, reed beds, lily pads, fallen branches, bridge supports, the edge of a gravel bar. Anything that breaks up open water gives fish somewhere to hold and something to ambush from.

Depth changes. A shelf, a drop-off, the deep outside of a river bend. Fish patrol along these edges the way you would walk a path.

Flow seams. In a river, find where fast water runs alongside slow. Food travels in the fast lane; fish sit in the slow lane beside it and pick things off as they pass.

Colour and clarity. A clouded patch in otherwise clear water often means fish have been grubbing about on the bottom.

Signs there are fish right here

• Bubbles rising in small clusters, especially in the same spot twice
• Reeds or lilies twitching when there is no wind
• Swirls or boils just under the surface
• Small fish scattering — something is chasing them

Then pick your spot

Cast beyond where you think the fish are and draw your rig back into position, rather than dropping a lead on their heads. On a small water, your first cast is your best cast — the disturbance you make is the disturbance they notice.