Rivers, streams and creeks are as alluring as the trout they harbor and nourish. Sure, we all love catching fish, but one of the pleasures of fly-fishing in streams is the fascination we get from wading in these spellbinding, flowing watery habitats.
Streams vary widely. Slow-flowing spring creeks meander through pastureland and change little with time. Rivers and streams fed with melting snow and rainwater babble peacefully through mountain gorges and get larger as the head downstream. But these sometimes peaceful waters have another face. Spring rains coupled with high temperatures that melt upland snows can turn them into raging torrents. Raging rivers can be brutal to the fish and it's a wonder they survive at all. But all of this mayhem has been happening for millennia and will likely continue for a while longer if we have the wisdom to protect our watersheds.
This flowing, scouring, wearing and grinding carves a river's path through the geography. Because of this action the stream bed develops a many-sided character that provides hiding, feeding and breeding places for trout.
There are four general types of water that have been etched into our ideal trout stream by the flow of water: riffles, runs, glides and pools. There are all sorts of less-distinct hybrid water bearing characteristics of two or three of these types. Within these four general types of water are places where fish tend to congregate.