Reading the water

Why fish hold here: The deep, slow water where fish rest and shelter between feeding - the single most reliable holding water on any river or stream.

How to fish it: Fish the head of the pool where food washes in, and the tail where fish sit waiting for it. In hot or bright weather the deepest part holds fish through the day; work bait or lures slowly and let them sink into the deeper water.

Tip: The head and tail of a pool usually out-fish the flat middle - that is where fish feed rather than just rest.

Why fish hold here: Shallow, broken, well-oxygenated water full of insect life - a natural feeding lane, especially early and late in the day.

How to fish it: Cast up and across and let the current carry your bait or fly naturally down through the broken water. Fish sit facing upstream waiting for food to tumble to them, so a drag-free drift is everything.

Tip: Broken water hides you from the fish - you can get much closer in a riffle than in a flat, clear pool.

Why fish hold here: The line where fast and slow water meet - fish hold in the easy water and dart into the fast lane to grab food as it passes.

How to fish it: Present your bait or lure right along the seam, letting it track the edge between the two speeds. Cast so the drift follows the line rather than cutting across it.

Tip: Seams form below rocks, on the inside of bends and where a tributary enters - learn to spot the change in surface texture.

Why fish hold here: Overhanging, hollowed-out banks that give big, wary fish overhead cover and a current break - prime lies for the largest fish in the stretch.

How to fish it: Approach from downstream and low, and drift a bait or lure tight to the bank so it swings in under the cut. Keep off the skyline, because the fish here spook easily.

Tip: The bigger the fish, the more it values overhead cover - do not walk the bank heavily, as they feel your footfall.

Why fish hold here: The calm pocket of slack water behind and in front of a midstream rock, where fish rest out of the flow while food sweeps past on both sides.

How to fish it: Drop a bait or lure into the cushion just in front of the rock and the pocket behind it. Both hold fish; the front cushion is often overlooked.

Tip: Any current break - a boulder, a log, a bridge pier - is worth a cast. Fish line up behind structure to save energy.

Why fish hold here: Where two flows meet, food and oxygen funnel together and fish gather to intercept it - one of the richest spots on any river.

How to fish it: Work the seam that forms below the junction and the slower water to either side. A tributary mouth after rain, pushing in food and colour, can be outstanding.

Tip: After heavy rain, fish stack at the edge of an incoming coloured flow, feeding on what it washes down.

Why fish hold here: The underwater slope where shallow water falls into deep - a highway that cruising fish follow, and a place they can move shallow to feed or deep to rest.

How to fish it: Find the drop-off with a lead or a lure that ticks the bottom, then present along its edge. Fish it at dawn and dusk when fish move up the slope to feed in the shallows.

Tip: A map or a careful cast-and-count tells you where the bottom drops - that contour is where to concentrate your effort.

Why fish hold here: Underwater weed gives cover, oxygen and a larder of insects and fry - so it holds both prey fish and the predators that hunt them.

How to fish it: Fish the edges, holes and channels in the weed rather than the thickest of it. A weedless lure or a float bait dropped into a clear pocket tempts fish out of the salad.

Tip: The margins and gaps in the weed are the feeding lanes - the dense middle is shelter, the edges are the dinner table.

Why fish hold here: An underwater point or bar reaching out from the bank intercepts fish as they cruise the margins, and gives quick access to deep water.

How to fish it: Position to cast along both sides of the point and across its tip. Fish patrol these features, so a bait left in place or a lure worked across the point both work well.

Tip: Points near deeper water are magnets - fish use them as staging areas between the depths and the shallows.

Why fish hold here: Where a stream feeds in or the lake drains out, moving water carries food, oxygen and cooler or warmer temperatures - fish gather to take advantage.

How to fish it: Fish the current line where the moving water pushes into the still, and the food lane below it. Inlets shine after rain; outlets often hold fish in hot weather for the flow.

Tip: Any moving water in a stillwater is a feature - it concentrates food and draws fish that would otherwise be scattered.

Why fish hold here: Trees, bushes and structure over the water throw shade and drop insects in - so fish sit beneath them, cool, hidden and fed.

How to fish it: Cast tight under the branches, where few anglers dare and fish feel safe. A quiet, accurate cast into the shade often brings an instant take.

Tip: On bright days shade is where the fish are - trade a few lost rigs in the branches for the fish that hold there.

Why fish hold here: The bank the wind is blowing into collects drifting food and warmer surface water - so despite feeling like the worse place to stand, it often holds the feeding fish.

How to fish it: Fish into the wind along the windward bank, working the coloured, food-rich water where the waves pile in. It is uncomfortable casting, but that is where the action gathers.

Tip: Anglers instinctively shelter with the wind at their backs - the fish are usually on the opposite, wind-blown bank.

Why fish hold here: On a surf beach, the depressions, gullies and holes in the sand trap food and give fish deeper water to patrol close to shore, especially over the tide.

How to fish it: Read the beach at low tide to find the gullies, then fish them as the tide covers them. Cast into the deeper channels rather than the shallow bars between.

Tip: Walk the beach at low water and mark the low spots and darker water - those gullies are where fish feed once the tide floods in.

Why fish hold here: Where river meets sea, brackish water is astonishingly rich in food, and the tide drives fish in and out - one of the most productive of all shore venues.

How to fish it: Fish the channels, creek mouths and drop-offs, and time it to the tide - the run-up and the first of the ebb usually fish best as bait is swept about.

Tip: The tide is the engine of an estuary - learn the stages, and fish the moving water rather than slack.

Why fish hold here: Rough, rocky ground, gullies and kelp beds hold a huge range of species that live in and around the structure and the food it shelters.

How to fish it: Fish baits into the gullies and sand patches between the rocks, using rigs and enough weight to hold in the wash. Expect snags - use a weaker weight link so you lose leads, not rigs.

Tip: Safety first on the rocks: watch the sea, wear a flotation aid, and never turn your back on the waves.

Why fish hold here: Man-made structure gives instant access to deeper water, shelter and the food that gathers around the pilings - and it is the easiest, safest place to start sea fishing.

How to fish it: Fish tight to the structure and the pilings where fish shelter, and out over the deeper water off the end. Vary your depth until you find where the fish are holding.

Tip: The pilings themselves are the feature - fish love the shelter and food around them, so do not always cast as far as you can.