Pods of rising trout sometimes look like a riffle, but when you get closer all you see are bobbing heads creating disturbances in otherwise flat water. I refer to a pod as a group of three or more fish. On the Bighorn, I often witness large pods of up to 30 fish.

Trout are not comfortable feeding on the surface, which is why they predominantly feed below it. When they are on top, trout are more vulnerable to predators. When they group up, they lose their territorial behavior, and take advantage of the "safety in numbers" principle. If one of them senses danger, they often all react to it.

Frequently, the fish feeding at the top or front of the pod is the largest or most aggressive. But if you approach from below and cast to the lead trout, your line is likely to spook the entire pod. If you approach from above and across, you might be able to present your fly without spooking the trout, but your first fish might also be your last, as the group is likely to spook from the splashing.

By approaching from below and targeting the back of the pack first, you can pull individual fish out without disturbing the others. Be careful to present the fly only about a foot in front of the rear or outside fish. In this case, it's better to cast short and gradually increase your distance than to throw a long bomb into the middle of the pack.

Trout in pods feed with relative consistency--allowing you to time your casts to coincide with a pending rise. The other way you see trout rise is when they cruise the surface in the same general area--disappearing and showing in a slightly different place or direction. Sometimes a pattern develops: for instance, a trout may rise three times, go down, cruise upstream a few feet, and rise again three times. If it is a true pattern, then anticipating the next rise allows you to place your fly accordingly.

Unfortunately, sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to when or where the next rise happens. In this case, your only options are to pepper the area with casts or look for new fish.