Fishing Trip Planning Thoughts 101

We have spoken about planning fishing trips on here.  I will admit that my OCD and other variables drive me to plan for anything.  As you fine folks on here know it's steelhead season around the Great Lakes Region.  For me a successful trip has many measurable moments that can make or break a trip.  

A person needs to understand some of these variables and plan accordingly.  Here is an example let's talk about water levels and water clarity.  

We as steelheaders yearn for emerald color water n 14-18" of visibility.   We want flows you can swing, nymph, and or bobber fish.

When I plan a trip the trip revolves around number one for me is the water levels.   What I mean is the amount of volume in any given stream, creek, crick, ditch, river, and or water course.  

How high or low her water level is or going to be sets me up for how she will fish.   

lol judge me if you will, but I do not enjoy dry fly fishing because I have zero patience for it.  The reason I state that is I do not honestly know if these same flows work for dry fly fishing.  

I'm always using full sinking, weight forward with lead/bobber, and Skagit style lines.  

Back to my planning help post.  There up on the South Shore of Lake Ontario she's got a lot of water in her ground, aquifers, and in the water shed.  The types of the bodies of water will vary in when they will be prime and or fishable.  

This is always a point in my planning that I make sure of that I address.  This is also why I NEVER plan only to fish one body of water. I make it a plan to fish several bodies of water so that I can potentially better the odds of having a productive trip.   

Since I enjoy planning, this means spending hours mapping out access.  This also means looking at what the body of water drains through.  Is the drainage in an urban area, farmland, or a mixture of both?

Does this body of water have a USGS site? If it does have one what have the flows been like? 

I go and look at local GIS sites, Google Earth Pro, and Google Maps to understand the Topography.   I also do this to ensure I do not willfully trespass on anyone's property.   

In this trip planning I have done I have concentrated my efforts to fish between Pulaski - Westfield NY.  

The idea behind this trip planning comes from when, what tributaries will fish best, or which one will fish first. Its is always a roll of the dice when trying to figure any of this out, but prior planning prevents poor performance.  I do not want to fail because of anything I did not do to front load the trip. If my trip is a bust because of lack of fish, the weather, no grabs, no takes, and or no hook-ups I will be totally fine with that. 

I just hope that through my above rambling anyone can pick up a tip or trick to help them on their next trip.

Be well,

Sonder