Look at a river or stream at peak runoff, and you’ll wonder how trout survive in such a rushing torrent. Not only do they survive, they thrive until the deluge subsides.
Trout don’t like spring runoff any more than you do, but it’s a fact of life—a rite of spring, if you will. Deal with it. A trout has to. The fish cope by moving or hunkering down. They’ll migrate and take up lies with less current, where they can expend less energy to maintain their position and ensure their well-being. High water tends to concentrate trout, too.
Consider where some trout might move to when dealing with high, murky water and runoff. Typically, a lie will be in an undercut or behind a huge boulder, logjam or ledge—an obstruction that breaks the current where they can ride out the spring runoff period. Fortunately, other things collect in these places, too, like nymphs, worms and minnows. It turns out to be a mobile buffet in disguise. Spring trout are rarely skinny trout.
