I realize that most people haven’t enjoyed what has been a wet and cool late spring and, so far, summer this year. The almost daily threat of showers combined with temperatures that have been running 5-10 degrees below seasonal average can raise havoc on most outdoor recreation and work activity planning. The lone recreational exception this year would be trout fishing.

The abundant and ongoing rainfall has kept stream levels higher than would be normal for this late in the trout fishing season, and the cooler than normal temperatures have kept the water temperature in most streams almost spring-like. The result is far better opportunities to catch trout than would be the case in July of most years. In fact, many lower sections of streams that normally see their waters either greatly diminished or dried up entirely still have water flowing in them.

More water in the streams – especially in pools – also means trout tend to be less likely to be overly spooky of bankside movement. So if an angler uses the abundant bankside foliage for cover and treads lightly when approaching trout-holding waters from a downstream direction, there’s less chance of scaring trout that are facing upstream. The key is using small enough lures so the commotion they make when casted and landing in the water doesn’t spook the trout. Light mono lines such as 4-lb-test are the best this time of the year.