Steelhead Drift Fishing: Recognizing and Identifying Holding Areas

Steelhead Drift Fishing: Recognizing and Identifying Holding Areas
By Bill Herzog
スティールヘッドのドリフト釣り：定位する場所を認識すること
The first step in reading water is realizing that no two sections of river are the same. With this in mind, how do you go about generalizing what holding water should look like? There are several keys to physical makeup of river contours that identify possible holding areas. I say "possible" because often, upon closer inspection, what first appears to be steelhead water fails to meet holding water standards.
In a typical free-flowing, fast, steep gradient western steelhead river, you can eliminate 70% of the river proper as possible holding areas. We can make a list of areas that do not hold fish, and they are common to the physical makeup of western streams. Waterfalls, chutes, rapids and wide, steep shallows (two feet deep or less) are all too swift and powerful, or, in the case of the shallow wide drop, too fast and with no cover to house resting steelhead. This leaves 30% of the river with areas that might hold steelhead. The word "resting" is the solution to where to start looking for holding water on rivers.
　川を読むための最初のステップは「川には同じ区間はない」と言うことを知ることだ。これを踏まえて，魚の定位場所(holding water)をどのように一般化できるだろうか？定位しそうな場所が同定できる川の物理的特性について手がかりがある．可能性(possible)と言ったが，スティールヘッドがいそうに思える場所は、近づいてみると、最初、スティールヘッドが居るように思える場所も、定位場所の標準を満たさないことがあるからだ。
典型的な自然の流れで，速く急な傾斜のある西部(北米の)のスティールヘッド川では，定位しそうな川の70%は除外できる．魚が定位しない川のリストを作成できる．それらの川に西部の渓流の共通の特性がある．滝(waterfalls)，急流(chute), rapids(早瀬), wide, 急な浅瀬（２フィート以下）は速く(swift)力強く，浅瀬の幅広の滝では休息するスティールヘッドを隠すものは無く，あまりにも速すぎる．スティールヘッドが定位しそうなエリアが30%ある．休息(resting)と言う言葉が定位場所を探す鍵になる．
"Comfort" may be a good word to use also; you will never find the silver ghost laying over any type of sand bottom. Sand and fish gills do not mix, and steelhead avoid these sandy areas, even though a spot may look like holding water. If the bottom is predominantly sand, skip it. Gravel, rocks and boulders comprise the bottom makeup to look for. Steelhead will lay on top, along side and behind rocks. Rocks and boulders also help break up current, making it easier for fish to hold without expending energy. When the river flows over a submerged large rock or boulder, it causes a swirling boil, giving away a prime holding location.
　心地よい(comfort)もまた適切な表現だろう．砂の川底のどこにも決して銀色の幽霊（スティールヘッド）を見ないだろう．砂と魚の鰓(エラ、 gill)は組み合わせ不可能で，スティールヘッドはそこが定位場所のように見えてもそのような場所を避ける．もし，川底がほとんど砂だったらスキップしろ．砂利，岩，玉石が探すべき川底だ．スティールヘッドは岩の後ろや横トップに潜んでいる．岩や玉石は水流を弱め，エネルギーをたくさん使わないで定位するのに有効だ．川が水没した大きな岩を越えて流れるときは渦巻きが起き，定位場所から出ていってしまう．
Steelhead are looking specifically for spots that can give them rest and safety from predators. Since they use the path of least resistance when seeking holding areas, you must look to areas where the river begins to slow and gain depth.
This slower area must meet a set of ground rules. Steelhead gravitate toward quieter, flowing water (a man’s casual walking speed is a good gauge) near the bottom of a river that ranges from 3 to 15 feet deep. There are exceptions to this depth, but for 95% of any river you will fish, these depths are written in stone. These deeper areas can be any size and length, depending on the size and physical makeup of each individual river. These areas have many names, but we can break them down into four specific sections as they take form below the falls, rapids and chutes.
　スティールヘッドは休息ができて捕食者から安全な場所(spot)を探している．定位場所を探すために水の抵抗が最小のパスを使う．川がゆっくり流れ，深さを増し始めるエリアを探すべきだ．
このゆっくりしたエリアは地底のルールを満たさねばならない。スティールヘッドは静かで、3-15フィートの川底近くの流れに引き寄せられる．水深については例外があるが，95%はそこで釣れるだろう．それらの水深は石を見れば分かる．これらのエリアは各河川のサイズと物理的構成によって，そのサイズと長さは異なる．また色々な名前が付けられているが，滝(the fall)，速い(早瀬)，急流(chute)の下流の形で，４つの区間に分けることができる．
RIFFLE（早瀬）: The area where rapid, crashing water first starts to slow down. The riffle is characterized by bouncy, choppy water caused by refracting off rocks and small boulders (the same kind that attract steelhead) as the water slows. Riffles are commonly 2- 1/2 to 6 feet deep.
　早瀬や荒瀬がゆっくりになる場所．riffle(さざ波)はゆっくり流れるにつれ，岩や小さな玉石に当たって生じるイキイキした波だった場所だ．riffleは普通，2-1/2から6フィートの深さだ．
POOL（淵）: Often the deepest portion of holding water, this is the area where the riffle begins to calm down. Bouncy chop is replaced by undulating slicks and boils. Pools can be anywhere from a few feet deep in the smallest streams, to several fathoms in large rivers, but commonly range from 5 to 20 feet deep.
　流れが停留した最も深い部分で，riffleが穏やかになる場所だ．イキイキした波は滑らか(slick)で，ゆらゆらした(boil)流れに変わる．poolは小さな川では数フィートで，大きな川では数ファゾム（fathom）になる．しかし，一般的には5-20フィートとの深さだ．
TAILOUT（瀬尻）: Where the depth of the pool gradually lessens, shallows up and is, to a degree, wider than the rest of the holding area. The tailout is literally the tail-end of a classic piece of steelhead holding water.
　定位エリアの残りよりも幅が広く，徐々に浅くなる場所だ．tailoutは文字通り，スティールヘッドの定位場所の典型的な終端だ．
BREAK（変わり目）: The point directly after the tailout where the holding water shallows and speeds up to again form a rapid, falls or a chute. The "pool" is normally the largest portion of the holding water, but that is a generalization. Some stretches of holding water are nothing more than a riffle before the break. This brings us back to that small percentage of water on any river that consistently holds fish. The "riffle-pool-tailout" configuration makes up 40 to 50% of the physical makeup of a typical western steelhead river. If this is all potential holding water, where does the small percent come in? It brings us to the most important factor in reading steelhead holding water, and that is finding the "flat spots." Veteran steelheaders all have a favorite run that consistently gives up strikes. There may be other runs or stretches of holding water near that look the same, but rarely produce like the favorite hole. Beginners take note.
Sherlock Holmes said, "We see, but we do not observe." The reason for the one run producing well over the others can be attributed to the river bottom actually being flat, or without any downward (seaward) slope. Remember, no two stretches of holding water are alike; "flats" can be 2 to 200 feet long. These flat spots are areas of holding water that actually go up; that is the river bottoms are ever so slightly tilted upward. In the classic holding water situation of "riffle-pool-tailout," this is common where the pool transforms to tailout. At this point the bottom is sloped upward. The upward slant to the bottom provides steelhead with the easiest resting area due to the slower, refracted current. The flats, however, can occur anywhere in the river where there is sufficient cover for holding fish. The start of the tailout is an obvious flat area, but flats can be found in long riffles; deep troughs that extend for 100 yards; deep runs; along side back eddies; along clay ledges and even behind large boulders that are situated inside chutes and rapids.
　tailoutの直後で，定位場所が浅くなりスピードを増して再度rapid(早瀬), fall(滝), chute(激流)を形成する場所．poolは通常定位場所の最大の部分でこれは一般的表現だ．定位場所の直線部はbreak前のriffle(早瀬)以外の何物でも無い．これはいつも魚が定位している場所で，どの川にもある小さな水域であることを我々に思い出させる．riffle-pool-tailoutの構成は西部のスティールヘッド川の物理的特徴(physical makeup)の40-50%になる．もしここが魚の居付きそうな場所なら，この小さな割合はどういうことか？　それはスティールヘッドの川を読むために最も重要な要素で，平らなスポット(flat spot)を見つけることと言う結論になる。ベテランのスティール・ヘッダーはみんな一定のアタリがある流れ(run)を好む．似たように見えるが，ほとんど魚を定位しない流れや定位場所の延長部分などがあるだろう．
　シャーロックホームズは「見えているが，観察していない」と言った．他が他よりいい流れ(run)である理由は，川底がフラットで，下流向きの傾斜が無い特徴だからだ．この点に関して，川底は上流へ傾斜している．川底の上流方向への傾斜は，スティールヘッドにゆっくりして穏やかな水流の休息場所を与えることになる．しかし，この平瀬(flats)は定位している魚を十分隠す川にはどこにでもある．tailoutの瀬頭は明らかにflatエリアであるけれど，それは長いriffle，100ヤード伸びた深場，深い流れ(run)，脇後の渦に沿って，粘土質の岩棚に沿って，早瀬と急流の中の適した大石の後ろでさえ，に在るかも知れない．
To find a flat spot in a section of holding water, simply study the bank on the opposite side of the river, focusing on the water line. Follow the contour of the water line as the run progresses downstream. You will notice that these holding spots will slope downward, then at some point will "flatten" out and flow level. Some stretches may even seem to tilt upward. These are the key spots to concentrate on when reading water. Some fishy-looking beats may have more than one flat spot. Some may have none, and these "flatless" places, even though they may look like practical holding areas, are usually the ones that are vacant. But remember, these flats are not always a gimme, just like every other aspect of learning to read water, there will always be variables. Every river and season has conditions where steelhead will be found in other portions of definable holding water. Locating the flat areas on rivers is still the most important first step in identifying holding water.
　定位場所の「flatスポット」を見つけるには，単に対岸の岸を観察し，水流に注意しろ．川の流れが下流に向かう，その流れの等位線(contour)に沿え．定位場所は下流に傾斜し，そのとき，平な水流レベルになっていることに気が付くでだろう．その延長は上流に傾斜しているように見えるかもしれない．川を読むことに集中すべきキーのスポットがある．魚がbeat(打ち固めた場所？)のような場所は１つ以上のflatスポットを持っているかもしれない．また，何もないかもしれない．平瀬でない場所は定位場所のように思えるかもしれない（普通は，空っぽであるが）．しかし，これらの平瀬(flats)は，いつも変化しているので川を読む他の側面のような簡単なことではない．その川，そのシーズンも，スティルヘッドが定位する明らかな定位場所以外の部分がある．川のflat場所を知るには，定位場所を見極めることが最も重要だ．
When deciphering a river, if you can safely wade across or take a drift boat, look at the holding water from both banks. What may look at first glance from one side as "too fast" or "frog water" (too slow) may qualify as ideal holding water when viewed from the other bank. Currents can be deceptive, and just because it did not fish well from one side due to a number of factors (such as converging currents, back eddies or just the necessity of a longer cast) does not mean a piece of water is incapable of holding steelhead. It may have less (or more) current that could suit a migrant’s taste, and could even have a small "flat."
　川を見極めるとき，ドリフトボートを使うか川をウェイーディングするなら，岸から定位場所を探せ．対岸の岸から一瞥して，非常に速いか遅い流れは，対岸から見たとき，理想的な流れと見なせる．水流は，見せかけになる場合がある．と言うのは，集中する水流，逆渦，ロングキャストに必要なもの，のような沢山の要素によって，片方の岸からよく見えないからだ．遡上に適さず，小さなflatのある減水や増水した流れかもしれない．
One more point to ponder. Steelhead, when moving upriver, always follow the path of least resistance. In normal to low water, this equates to travel in the portion of the river with the greatest flow. The increase of water allows easier passage for fish over boulders, rapids, chutes and obstructions. There is always one side of the river that has more flow. This is a major key when trying to determine which side of the river steelhead will choose to hold. Most of the time this is fairly simple; the deepest or slowest portion (more suited to hide steelhead) of the river is on one side. There are times when they are difficult to tell apart. It can some times be imperceptible, such as a casual glance at a wide, smooth tailout. The flow may look even all the way across. However, how many times have you waded three-quarters of the way across these tails only to find, in the last few feet, the flow was just a bit stronger and the water just a bit deeper? You have just found the side of the holding water the steelhead will travel through, and the side they will hold in.
　より沢山の考えるべきことがある．スティールヘッドが遡上するとき，抵抗が最小のパスに沿って進む．これは，通常の水位が低い川では水流のある部分を遡上することと同じだ．水位の上昇は，玉石，早瀬，急流，障害物を超えて，楽に遡上できることになる．普通，川の水は片側にたくさん流れている．これはスティールヘッドがどちら側を選ぶかを決定するためのキーである．これを区別するのは難しい．広くスムーズなtailoutでは漫然と見るると認識できない場合がある．流れは横切って流れている場合がある．しかし，これらのtailを横切って，最後の数フィートの流れが強く深いかを確かめる為に，何度，3/4くらいウェーディングしたことか？スティールヘッドは遡上するかもしれない岸や定位側を見つけたことだろう．
How can you determine the side with the most volume? This is something that can come only from close observation, which in turn comes from experience. This is evident when a pool forms two nearly identical slots below a rapid or riffle. You will notice (especially if the river is heavily fished) that even though both edges of the pool look similar, one side produces 90% of the fish. While the other non-productive side may look just as good, it is more than likely missing key ingredients for holding steelhead. Upon closer examination, these sides are sloped (not flat, like the other side), have less flow and may have fewer rocks and boulders with more sand.
　あなたはどのようにして水量のある岸をみつけることができるか？それは近くで観察するか，経験を積むかだ．poolが早瀬か荒瀬(riffle)の下流側にほとんど同じ２本の筋(slots)を形成したなら，これは証拠になる．poolの両淵が同じように見えても，片方に90%の魚がいることに注意するように．別の岸はいそうでいないけど，スティールヘッドの定位するためのキーが満たしていないのだ．密接な調査で，傾斜のある両サイドは水量が少なく，砂が多く，岩や石は少ないだろう．
Like all other bits and pieces of reading water and steelhead behavior, there are no "exacts" when locating fish. All the points mentioned thus far deal with low to above moderate river flow. When rivers are high and off color, the rules change.
These are, however, the basic ground rules to recognizing and identifying holding areas.
　川やスティールヘッドの振る舞いを読むように，魚を見つける正確な手がかりはない．述べたすべてのポイントは緩慢な流れの上の浅い場所を扱っている．川の水位が高く，濁っているときはルールは変わる．しかし，魚が定位している場所を見つけるための基本的なルールがあるのだ．
Excerpt from Steelhead Drift Fishing by Bill Herzog