Re-Reading the Rise
In his 1976 book, In The Ring of The Rise, author Vince Marinaro has this to say about the riseform of feeding trout:
“Unfortunately, the riseform, important as it is, does not tell the fisherman very much, certainly not as much as he needs to know. It tells him only that a trout is feeding and in a few circumstances it may tell him what kind of an insect is being taken. That is all.
[The riseform does not] reveal the direction from which the rise came. It does not tell how far the trout drifted with the insect before the rise occurred, or on which side of his face the trout has been feeding, or whether he took the insect facing upstream, across stream, or downstream."
Though I thoroughly enjoy and maintain tremendous respect for Marinaro’s writings, my years of experience have taught me that a couple of his observations beg further examination. For indeed the riseform does reveal the direction from which the rise came and, in the case of rivers, whether the trout was facing up, across, or downstream.
To understand how this is so it’s necessary to look closely at the structure of the riseform. Characteristic in all surface riseforms is the presence of a “high” and “low” side. By this I mean that the small waves created when a fish disturbs the surface are not uniform in height across the rise itself. This can be seen in the photo above. It’s quite clear that the tallest waves in this rise—the high side—are on the left. The low side, home to smaller waves, is on the right. (The dissipating waves outside the immediate riseform are from a previous rise.) Draw a line from the low to high side of any rise and that indicates the direction from which the fish came. And the highest point on any riseform always indicates the direction the fish was facing when he rose. In our photo, the rising fish was heading left.
This high/low feature of the riseform is a manifestation of a phenomena we’re all familiar with. Think about what happens when we put our hands in a river. Water piles up in front of them on the upstream side, then drops and smoothes out behind. The faster the water, the higher the pile. Trout rising in a river act just like our hands or any other obstruction. Water pushes up in front of their snouts which causes the high side of the rise (always in the direction they’re facing), and as this water flows around them it drops and smoothes out resulting in the low side of the rise.
In stillwater situations, a similar effect occurs. But unlike in a river where water flows around the relatively stationary fish, here the fish are moving while the water remains still. Their bodies act as an obstacle, causing the exact same high/low effect on the riseform.
How does a knowledge of this phenomena aid our fishing? In several ways. I find it most helpful in stillwater environments; gulper fishing on Hebgen Lake comes to mind. Fish rise virtually every day on Hebgen, but sometimes not steadily enough to allow their path to be predicted by the linking of consecutive rises. Unless you can read the single rise and determine the fish’s path of travel, catching these fish is nothing more than a crap shoot. But the ability to look at a one-off rise and know immediately where to place your fly greatly increases your chances of success.
This skill in reading the rise is also useful on rivers like the Lamar and Slough Creek. Here, the cutthroat and rainbows frequently rise randomly as they cruise long, slow pools searching for food. Being able to predict their direction when conditions don't allow them to be seen underwater is a huge advantage in getting your fly in their path.
Trout rising in back eddies can also present similar opportunities. It’s not always apparent in a back eddy which way a fish is facing, especially a fish that’s milling about. But observing the high side of the rise tells you straight away where the fish is and at what angle he’s facing.
It’s worth noting that simply because we know the direction a fish is facing or traveling when making a rise doesn’t mean that he will remain on that course. Fish on Hebgen and other lakes are notorious for randomly changing directions immediately after single rises. Still, your odds of success are greatly increased through the ability to read the direction of the rise and placing your fly in the estimated path.
It takes time and a lot of practice to consistently pick out the high and low sides of a riseform. Naturally, in the frozen moment of a photograph it’s very easy, but remember that in real time the rise happens in the blink of an eye. The stronger the rise, the greater the discrepency between the high and low sides, and the easier it is to pick up on. Subtle rises, with little difference in height between the sides present much more of a problem. Since many fishermen struggle with simply seeing riseforms at all, looking deeply into their physical structure is unquestionably an advanced skill that requires serious cultivation. Even many pros struggle with this. So don’t be discouraged if you experience difficulty in the learning process. It is hard. But when mastered it provides exceptional satisfaction and can help you catch some truly tough fish.
Here are a couple more photos of rising trout. Can you pick out their direction of travel?
Comments
OK, John this has to be the creme de la creme of the Blog this Winter season.I’ve read In The Ring Of The Rise many times,I believe you have enlighten the literature.
By Spence Benoit on 04/20 2011
John,
Excellent subject and well done as we’ve come to expect! Thanks for the great photos (the last two show the fish moving L to R I think) and the analysis of the riseform(s). Many years ago when Slough wasn’t so discovered I managed a fine cutt in a pool upstream from the campground. As you describe he was circling the pool and occasionally rising—I could easily see him from a crouch and watched several circles of the pool and finally when he was on the far side cast my fly in the path I though he would take as he came back. When he was about 6-8 feet away I twitched it once and he took it without hesitation. Your post brought back the memory. Thanks again.
By Bill Williams on 04/21 2011
John,
I think Vince was trying to distinguish direction of the take from the direction of travel after the take. The rise form he speaks of in The Mechanics of the Swivel section, the trout may strike cross-current, but then swivel to align itself upstream. The final photo shows the low to high side aligns with the after strike orientation. Of course this information never really helped me, since my flies usually drifted downstream anyway, and the fishes either struck or not, regardless of who was writing about them. Tight lines.
By Jim Lee on 04/22 2011
Bill,
You’re right about the direction in the final two photos. Thanks for looking and reading and sharing your own story.
Jim,
Thanks for taking the time to comment. I think the sequence of photos you refer to is comprised of at least two and maybe even three or four separate rises. We don’t actually get to see the riseform created from the cross-stream take; the next photo in the sequence is a different rise. But I’m confident that if we were able to see the riseform from the cross-stream take that it would indeed be facing us (since that’s the direction the trout is facing).
By John Juracek on 04/27 2011
In this modern and fashionable society, people are pursuing for ugg boots sale cool, unique, stylish and innovative. Whether it is cheap ugg boots or fashion accessories all means a lot for modern society of today. Same is the case with trendy looking links of london sale. When these are links of london jewellery, the excitement just gets doubled. Most chic looking links of london uk sale are in fashion now. These are one of the favorite fashion accessories for men and women long time ago. If you have not yet tried superdry clothes, it’s time to own one and feel the difference it can make to your personality. These are just brilliant and fabulous superdry hoodies. They are most iconic and can provide you with a new feeling and enhance confidence. The quality of superdry joggers is just superior to what you have dreamt of. Today owning a new and trendy looking superdry shorts are not only meant for the wealthy people. These are now made luxurious and affordable superdry T-shirts to reach out to every budget and range.
By links of london jewellery on 11/09 2011
Thomas Sabo has not left out the sports lovers. There are wide selections of sports thomas sabo charms that will tickle every sport fan out there. These are also made of sterling silver. These will keep any sports athlete beaming with pride.
One unique area of thomas sabo sale charms is called the kids club. These are for young children and tweens. Your kids can create their own individual style as well. There are special bracelets and necklaces that have been thomas sabo uk made to fit the smaller features of children. They will get the most out of their charms.
There is an almost endless array of cross and symbol charms. You can thomas sabo charms sale stand up for your beliefs or express your feelings with Thomas Sabo cross and symbol charms. You can also say it out loud with glitter thomas sabo sale uk letter charms, silver letter, or the hearts and love section. You can also get stone pendants and tags. It is hard not to express yourself with all the choices that Thomas Sabo charms have to offer.
We do not need to worry about thomas sabo outlet uk the price, the quality and the service offered by cheap thomas sabo charms. There is a large of collections offered here, so no matter what your style is you can always find one that suits you cheap thomas sabo well. Just be quick, if you want to be outstanding among people and Thomas Sabo will not let you down.
By thomas sabo charms on 11/26 2011
What an inspiring article you wrote! I totally like the useful info shared in the article. superdry sale
superdry clothing
superdry joggers sale
By superdry clothing on 11/30 2011
The coach madison sophia collection at its exterior using the snap closure. An adjustable belt for the supra uk has two benefits. net/”>coach madison ocelot op art maggie shoulder bag</a>.The Mens Supra Muska Skytop Shoes carries a two-way the front zipper with one another with fleece lined chin guard. Coach bags has the identical features as supra shoes except that it carries a hood.
By supra cheap on 12/03 2011
Your cat, your caring and lovely household pet is not usually what you would telephone a cope of power. Actually she stays a lot of the day getting a siesta. When she goes she does so at her own rate and in her own time.
cheap authentic jerseys
football jerseys
jerseys for cheap
down coat
By jerseys kang on 12/06 2011
Add a comment
Commenting is not available in this channel entry.