A bug’s life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be – at least not in a stream. With limited mobility, aquatic insects pretty much have to go with the flow. Trout seem to sense this, and they stack up in the places where bugs tend to drift by naturally with the current.

Skilled fly anglers who fish moving water know the key to consistent success is a natural presentation. This includes selecting a fly that mimics insects found in the river, and making sure the artificial bug moves along at the same speed as the real bugs.

An assortment of jigs and floats allows an angler to imitate aquatic insects traveling at the discretion of the stream, which is what the fish are accustomed to seeing

Spin fishermen, on the other hand, rely largely on drawing reaction strikes by working spinners, spoons or plugs with turns of the reel handle or twitches of the rod tip. Few see a spinning outfit as the fine tool it is for presenting offerings that mimic freely drifting trout food. In truth, spin fishermen who don’t use dead-drifting strategies are missing an easy and hugely effective means for catching trout throughout the seasons from streams of every size.

Tackle Tips

Among the most effective offerings for drifting approaches are micro-sized jigs, which can be dead-drifted alone or under a float. However, spin fishermen shouldn’t overlook flies for this type of approach. Streamers often can be cast on an ultra-light outfit with the addition of a small split shot just up the line, and nymphs can be drifted under floats.

A spinning rod actually provides a couple distinct advantages over a fly rod, even for drifting flies. First, it’s easier for most anglers to make precise placements around cover and in tight casting conditions with a spinning rod than with a fly rod. In addition, the “drag” that so easily ruins a fly-fishing drift is much less a factor with small-diameter monofilament or fluorocarbon line.

The Right Approach

The technique, in its most basic form, is exceptionally simple. Examine a run to determine where trout should be holding; cast upstream of that spot; allow the offering to drift through that area. Keys to consistent success include selecting the best baits to drift, determining float sizes and depth settings, reading the water and positioning yourself for the truest presentations.

Marabou jigs offer a fluttering motion, slow fall and highly natural appearance and rank among the best overall jigs for drifting. Sparse bucktail jigs offer a quicker drop and will get down among the fish better than marabou in swift water. Other good options include small curly tail grubs or various other mini soft-plastic lures on micro-sized jigheads.

Whatever the style, a jig should be heavy enough to find its way to the bottom during a drift but light enough that the current will carry it along. Natural colors such as olive, brown and black generally work best for imitating food tumbling down a stream; however, pink and white are seemingly irresistible to trout and ought not be overlooked.

Flies can open new avenues for the spin fisherman. A streamer such as a woolly bugger or olive matuka drifts ultra naturally and works nicely when even a marabou jig is too deliberate in the way it moves through the water column. Nymphs have much smaller profiles and afford opportunities to match specific types of insects that abound in a stream. Learning locally favored flies, flipping river rocks to see what type and size of insects live beneath them and simple experimentation work together to point toward the best fly patterns.

Rainbow trout often will hold in fairly swift current and can feed with surprising efficiency in the fast water.

Casting a nymph on a spinning rod and tracking the fly as it drifts usually requires a small float, ideally one that offers minimal resistance in the water. Some larger “strike indicators,” which actually are designed for fly-fishing, offer just enough weight to cast flies on ultra-light spinning gear. Jigs call for conventional floats to support their weight, but smaller remains better. For sensitivity’s sake, the smallest slender balsa cork float that will remain afloat given the weight of an offering and the strength of the current is best tool for the job.

Think Like A Trout

Reading water and planning drifts begins with thinking like a trout. Ambush feeders, trout lie in strategic positions, typically facing up current, which allows them to hold their place easily and watch for passing food. They’ll often hold behind rocks, just inside eddies or close to current seams. They also stack up within lines of funneled current because food likewise gets funneled through such areas.  Jackpot spots are little pockets behind boulders in the middle of concentrated current lines and other areas where more than one element come together.

A good strategy is to identify the absolute best spot in a hole and plan the first cast so the bait drifts that spot. Depending on the depth and current strength and where the fish are holding in the water column, that might mean making a short pitch barely above the spot or casting farther upstream for a longer drift. In small streams or places where pockets are very well defined, a drift or two per spot might be sufficient. Large pools warrant many drifts along different lines to cover the area effectively, and diligence can reap rewards

For most drift fishing, the best overall approach is to work upstream, either quartering casts upstream and across or casting straight upstream. It’s also possible to cast straight across a stream and allow the current to carry the bait downstream, giving care to prevent any bow in the line pulling sideways or slowing its drift.

The most important common essentials to any drift-fishing strategy are making pure drifts, with no drag pulling the bait sideways, slowing it down or speeding it up, and watching the line or float for any little jump. Trout often won’t hang onto jigs or flies very long, so it’s critical to be ready to set the hook quickly with a snap of the wrist. The good news is that with a well-executed drifting strategy, opportunities to hook fish tend to come quite often.