05/07/2026
I get asked often ‘where do I find fish when I go to the river’. Here’s my simple answer for any beginner. A great spot to focus on to find fish is the ‘cushion’. Especially when fishing dry flies. The two boulders shown in the video both yielded fish from in front of them. Both browns ate a chubby Chernobyl.
The cushion is the pocket of water in front of a boulder submerged lightly or sticking out of the water. This soft area of flow creates an ideal holding place for trout. They don’t expend much energy here and food easily gets funneled to them. Dry flies often get slowed down here making it an easy meal for a trout. So just before you go to recast let your fly get in the cushion. Too often I see anglers pull their fly just as it enters the cushion only to say ‘oh wow did you see that fish flash?!’ If you leave your fly there just a few seconds later you’re likely getting a take. Let your fly complete the drift. I’ve had fish come up and hit a dry even as the fly gets pushed up against the boulder. It’s a great spot to focus on, especially with stones and hopper patterns. ✌️
Get after it!
