Fly Fishing Illustrated

Where Trout Hide

An illustrated field guide to finding fish before the first cast.

Cover of Where Trout Hide: a hand-drawn river map marking the seven places to check — undercut, seam, boulder, riffle, ledge, roots, and tailout.

Where Trout Hide

$8.99

A 29-page illustrated PDF that teaches you to read moving water — seven places to check first, why trout use them, and where your first cast should go.

By the last page, you'll:

  • Recognize the seven places trout actually hold before you make a cast
  • Know where the first cast should go — and the one mistake that ruins each spot
  • Size up any lie in ten seconds with the Trout Lie Score
  • Search new water in a confident order instead of guessing
  • Adjust when a good spot isn't producing: three casts, then move

A look inside:

Illustrated page from the guide: a river cross-section with the food lane, soft edge, cover, and a clean approach marked for the ten-second pause.Illustrated page from the guide: the seven water types as small drawings in search order, plus condition icons for sun, hatches, and weather.The Before You Cast checklist page: drawings of food, shelter, and rest, the seven places to check, and the quick lie score.

What's inside:

  • Seven places to check: undercut banks, current seams, boulders and pocket water, riffles, drop-offs, wood and shade, and tailouts
  • For every spot: how to recognize it, where the trout usually sits, where the first cast goes, and the mistake that ruins it
  • The Trout Lie Score and a 10-second pause before you cast
  • A search order, three casts before you move, and a conditions guide
  • A one-page Before You Cast checklist to print or save

The download link appears right after payment and is emailed to you as a backup. If the guide doesn't earn its keep on your next trip, email howdy@flyfishingillustrated.com within 30 days and I'll refund you.

Not sure yet? Grab the free Before You Cast checklist — it's page 28 of the guide, and it stands on its own.