Written by: Amelia Jensen, Jensen Fly Fishing
All photos by Jensen Fly Fishing
At
first glance, tailouts often look featureless, which makes it easier to ignore
them in favor of other water types that produce more consistently. However, during
low light and hatch events, tailouts are exciting places to catch rising trout.
What & Where
Tailouts
are the downstream end of a run or
pool where the water depth shallows and the speed of flow picks up before
dropping into the next stretch.Tailouts
range in depth depending on the size of the water. Trout will hold in water from
six inches to a few feet of depth and feed, given the right conditions. Because
the water surface in tail-outs is often the smoothest, with slow to moderate current,
trout can hold in lies with less defined structure points than in other parts
of a stream. Trout tend to station in the shallowest tail-outs only during low
light, so they don’t expose themselves to predation or other threats. Rainbows
love to surf in tailouts, while big browns use the entirety of the tailout
region because of their propensity for slow water.
A
prime tailout features shoulder edge water that’s close to structure, including
in-stream roots, logs, or undercut banks. Tailouts are famous for subtle, often
overlooked structure, including slight vertical gravel ridges and depressions;
subtle gravel troughs; and random rocks–even a 10-inch-diameter rock can hold
a two-foot trout in a tailout. This added protection combined with a good hatch
will attract trout to station and feed in that prime tailout for longer than it
might otherwise. Where the seam-line of bugs is heaviest, trout will move a
foot or two to feedand then quickly
return to the structure for cover.
In
flat, muted light conditions or on windy days, it can be much harder to see
rises in larger tailouts. Look for any sign of a seam, any subtle change in
water flow, as this is most likely where the fish will be holding. Keep a close
eye on any water disturbance, as it’s most likely a subtle rise.
When
From
early spring through late fall, trout will move from deeper water to shallower tailouts
to rise whenever low light and adult bugs are present. During high water, trout
will typically only use a tailout with defined current breaks, to avoid expending
unnecessary energy. The best time of day to fish is mid to late afternoons on overcast,
dark days, or late evenings on warm, sunny days. Early mornings can be best
during summer’s hottest weather. Look for consistency in air temperatures and
minimal pressure changes, which often trigger a decent hatch. Mayfly hatches
and spinnerfalls, caddisflies, and midges are the most common insects to draw
trout to tail-outs to feed in low light.
Special Conditions
During
low water, the very bottom end of tail-outs are frequently used by large trout.
The water in tailouts speeds up at the last gravel rise, and the flow provides more
oxygen than the slower water of the flat above. This year, we fished a stream
with a friend who wasn’t familiar with tailouts during low water. Though we
warned him, he led us upstream on a walk-and-wade, and in the recess of literally
every tail-out, we watched a heavy wake of a large brown spook after he’d inadvertently
stepped on them. It was disappointing in the moment, but it was a good lesson for
him.
How to Work a Rising
Trout
Approach: Your
approach to rising trout in shallow-water tailouts is paramount. Train yourself
to walk lightly, with your eyes and ears in tune with the river. Rising trout
on tailout flats can be splashy but are most often subtle, sipping rises. Where
rainbows tend to not make much sound, the large mouth and heavy body of a good
brown often creates a lip-smacking, popping sound.
Stay low and
downstream of the tailout upon your first scan. Where possible, stay on the
bank. This will avoid potentially pushing that one fish that you don’t see into
the one that is rising, giving you a chance at both. If you need to be in the
shallow water of the tailout, move slowly and methodically. Kicking your feet
on rocks and causing waves upstream will only spook fish. Avoid looking down at
the tail-out from a higher bank unless you conceal yourself behind a bush. Though
the low light is on your side, it’s important to watch your height in relation
to a feeding fish, and it might be best to approach on your knees from shore, so
you don’t expose yourself.
Casting Position
These tips
are based on light to moderately heavy pressure waters.
Pick a spot at the downstream end of the tailout, preferably from shore. In
faster-flowing waters with substantial gradient, consider the possibility of
drag in your presentation, as the water push is stronger toward the end of the
tailout than the flat above. Position yourself as close to the bottom end of
the tailout as possible. This will help when you cast because you want your fly
line to land above the drag point, allowing for a drag-free drift. As you
extend your cast and place your fly on the water, the flow may also require you
to reach your rod forward above the water, giving yourself a longer drag-free
drift.
On highly
pressured water, you may need to adjust your position, approach, and casting
angles. Changing your casting angle to be across and down is favorable, as any
leader landing close to a pressured fish could cause it to spook.
Gear & Tactics
A 4- to 6-weight
rod and a floating line are suitable. Pick whatever set up you’re most
comfortable using to lay out a straight line on short casts. After positioning
yourself to cast, pre-pull the amount of fly line needed to cast the distance
you want. Keep in mind that you want to lead the fish a couple of feet with your
fly. You don’t want to land the fly or the line on the trout’s head. I
recommend a 10- to 12-foot, 4X leader as a starting point. You may need to use
a longer leader with lighter tippet in flat or pressured water.
Keep your
casts short. Just 12 to 25 feet of combined line and leader is often all that’s
needed. Short casts are much easier to manage and therefore help in achieving better line control. During a significant
hatch, trout will move to feed in all directions, and large fish will move
great distances to feed on exactly what they want. This is especially true
during the fabled hatches of our largest mayflies (Hexagenia & brown
drakes) or to smash a skittering caddis. Keeping this in mind, it’s always important
to eliminate any slack line in order to get a good hook set and reduce the
chance of a missed fish.
Use a fly
that best imitates whatever natural bug is on the surface. Since the water in
tailouts is slow, shallow, and often clear, trout have an easier time
inspecting your fly. I’ve found using a fly one size smaller and less
conspicuous than you think you need will produce more takes and fewer refusals.
Low light can make seeing small flies, sizes through 22, more difficult. Using
a dry fly that’s one to two sizes larger as an indicator, placed 10 – 12 inches
in front of the lead fly, can help immensely.
My Experience
Tailouts have produced
some highly memorable moments through the years, such as one more than two
decades ago, when we were discovering our home water, the Red Deer River. It
was a warm summer evening, and we chose a stretch with long runs and flat
glides in hopes of finding a riser. The river is wide, stretching 60 to 80
yards and less than waist-deep at the tail-outs, allowing us free access to all
likely lies. As the sun started to set, the stands of poplars and spruce cast
shadows on the water. With the cooling shade, we began to see bugs appear on
subtle seam lines at the tail-out, followed by a first riser, a second, and on
it went. It wasn’t a huge hatch, but enough to get the attention of a few fish.
My excitement got the better of me. One sloppy step, and the first riser stopped abruptly. I was still learning about the “best” approach and what not to do. A few yards upstream, Dave spotted another rise a rod-length off shore, surfing the seams and pillow of a subtle subsurface rock. The great news is that I made a few adjustments and my size 14 Elk-hair Caddis hooked a 22.5-inch female brown trout. It jumped relentlessly in only a foot of water. This moment was so engaging, highly visual, and I had begun to learn something about tailouts in low light. I have since gone on to fish tailouts consistently on various sized waters, and the above strategies have led me to successfully catch some really large trout.
Amelia Jensen is one half of Jensen Fly Fishing, along with her husband and fishing partner, Dave. They have been guides, lodge owners, magazine publishers, and Orvis ambassadors. Their videos have inspired and taught many fly fishers over the past ten years.
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