Fast flow needn't keep you indoors, but stay safe

It's been another one of those springs. Fluctuating water levels ... extreme highs and lows ... and spring rains have definitely played a hand in the fishing so far. Some places around the country, like Michigan's Upper Peninsula, have had reasonably normal flows. Others, like here in Lower Michigan, have had pretty high waters all spring. But should high water levels keep you off the water? I say no, especially if you can fish from a boat!

Water levels can be a dangerous game and safety should always be the top priority, no matter how badly you want to go fishing. The most dangerous thing you can do is go wading in an unfamiliar river or stretch of river at high flow. I'm sure every angler out there has taken a tumble in a river at some point, but doing that in an unfamiliar area when water levels are high can be deadly.

There is a great tool out there for us anglers and everyone should be using it. Unlike many other fishing-related tools and gadgets, this one is free. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has gauging stations on many U.S. rivers. These stations track the flow rate in cubic feet per second (CFS) as well as water depth at the station and the average flow from the lifetime of data at that station. This alone can tell you a lot about the current conditions of the river without driving all the way to see it.

Not all rivers have a USGS gauging station, but many popular and heavily fished or traveled rivers do. To check and see if your favorite river has a gauging station, visit their web site. You can search rivers by state and many rivers will have multiple stations if there are dams that control much of the flow in those sections. It is very important to acquaint yourself with the river flows. If you keep a log or journal, this data can help you pinpoint the ideal flows as well as dangerous or unfishable flows.

Wading in higher flows is dangerous and not recommended, but if you have access to a boat, fishing in these conditions can sometimes be rewarding. The past couple weeks I've been fishing on the Huron River in Southeast Michigan, where we've been experiencing high water and a lot of rain. The higher water generally comes hand in hand with off-colored or stained water. If it looks like chocolate milk, I go home and tie flies. But if I have about a foot of visibility, you can bet I'll be fishing.

Due to the higher levels and faster flows, the fish will position themselves along structure in the slower slack-water and back eddies to get out of the faster current. These are the areas you want to target when fishing in these conditions. But each area you fish in the high water needs to be picked apart. The high water and faster flows will move your fly through these spots much faster than normal, so make sure you take a couple of casts and really work the water to its full potential. If you don't, you'll surely be passing up many potential opportunities.

The stain in the water can be your friend. When this happens, I fish bigger flies with heavier tippet. It's easy to jump right to the brightest fly in your box because of the stained water, but I still start with the natural colors. I'll fish olives, whites and blacks before I jump to the chartreuse, orange or yellow. The bigger flies push more water and are much easier for the fish to see and track in the stained water. And because the fish are tucked in to heavily structured areas, it's easy to snag on logs. This is where the heavier tippet comes into play. In normal conditions, I usually fish 10-pound tippet. But in high water, I'm fishing 15-pound.

Since we've had higher flows on the Huron River, the fish have been bigger. I've caught more big smallmouth bass in these conditions than I have in normal to low-water conditions. When tracking a river's flow rate it becomes a numbers game. By keeping a good record from your fishing trips, in the long run you will become a much more efficient fisherman. You'll spend less time driving to the river to find out it's unfishable, you'll know the best areas to fish in those conditions, what flies have worked in the past and you'll know the ideal flow for the best fishing. So get out there and get your line wet. But remember, always be safe.

Eirik Vitso guides for Colton Bay Outfitters, an Orvis-endorsed outfitter and guide service in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He can be reached at (734) 222-9776.