Anatomy of a River
There are several ingredients that make up the anatomy of a river or stream and narrowing the choices of these components makes a difference in the amount of time spent searching for trophies or the time spent catching trophy fish. Each stream built by Mother Nature is constructed of a basic configuration of three parts. They are the stream flow or "runs," riffles and pools. Add to this any kind of "fall down" structure combined with undercut banks or eddies and you have the making of an ideal situation to find trophy fish.
These sections of the river are formed by the awesome excavating force of moving water. Fast water in a riffle digs a deeper channel or run. As this run happens, the current slows, forming a pool. The slower current of the pool causes sediment to settle at the pool's tail or downstream end. As the sediment builds up, the water again becomes shallower, channeling the stream flow into a narrower area. The stream current picks up and forms a riffle. In most streams, this pattern occurs or is repeated every seven stream widths. That is about every 140 feet on a 20-foot wide stream. Let's explore these in the order they occur in the river.
These sections of the river are formed by the awesome excavating force of moving water. Fast water in a riffle digs a deeper channel or run. As this run happens, the current slows, forming a pool. The slower current of the pool causes sediment to settle at the pool's tail or downstream end. As the sediment builds up, the water again becomes shallower, channeling the stream flow into a narrower area. The stream current picks up and forms a riffle. In most streams, this pattern occurs or is repeated every seven stream widths. That is about every 140 feet on a 20-foot wide stream. Let's explore these in the order they occur in the river.
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