Littoral Zone #14 - How Lakes Work with Brian Chan and Phil Rowley
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Release Date: 01/20/2025
873 | Fly Fishing Entomology Made Simple with Sawyer Finley
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
873 Show Notes: Presented by: This episode breaks entomology down into something you can actually use. Sawyer Finley, guide at Grand Teton Fly Fishing, explains how insects live, move, and emerge—and how trout respond to that reality, not just to textbook hatches. The focus is on observation, timing, and availability, not memorization. Show Notes:
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872 | Fly Fishing Patagonia with Nicolas Rivero of Guides Patagonia
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#872 Show Notes: Presented by: In this episode, I sat down with Nicolas Rivero to dig into fly fishing Patagonia. We covered the two-basin setup in Patagonia, the famous Limay River, giant brook trout in mountain lakes, and what a full April trip with Moccasin Fly Club looks like on the water. If you’re curious about swinging flies for migratory trout, fishing both lakes and rivers in one week, or planning your first Patagonia trip, this one’s packed. Show Notes:
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871 | Fly Fishing Tactics for the Yellowstone, Bighorn, and Stillwater Rivers with Alex Hepworth from Montana Fly Fishing Lodge
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#871 Show Notes: Presented By: Big Montana rivers can feel overwhelming, even for experienced anglers. In this episode, Alex from Montana Fly Fishing Lodge breaks down how he approaches iconic waters like the Yellowstone, Bighorn, and Stillwater Rivers—and why many anglers struggle to find consistency on large freestone systems. It’s a practical conversation focused on simplifying decisions, reading water effectively, and understanding what really matters on big rivers. We dig into fly fishing tactics like dry-dropper setups, nymphing adjustments, and streamer opportunities, along with...
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870 | Fly Fishing the Eleven Point River with Justin Spencer
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
870 Show Notes: Presented by: , , , Somewhere deep in the Ozarks, Missouri splits in two. One side is farmland and highways. The other is the Eleven Point River, where everything goes quiet. No houses. No roads. Just cold, spring-fed water sliding through Mark Twain National Forest and miles of wild trout water where you can float for hours without seeing anyone. In this episode, we dig into fly fishing the Eleven Point River and the surrounding Ozark streams with Justin Spencer. We talk about his indicator jig system, why movement matters more than anything, when the fishing is...
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869 | Beyond the Giveaway: Missouri River Dry Fly Fishing with Eric Johnson
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Show Notes: Https://wetfyswing.com/869 Sponsors:https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Blooming olives were popping. Trout were rising everywhere. And Eric Johnson was sitting in a drift boat on the Missouri River, staring at one of those dry fly days you don’t forget. What makes this episode different is that Eric isn’t a guide, brand rep, or longtime lodge regular. He’s the actual winner of our On DeMark Dry Fly Giveaway, and this conversation is a full behind-the-scenes look at what happens when someone really does win one of these trips. From the prize pack to the lodge vibe to the reach...
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868 | Davie McPhail - Fly Tying Lessons from a True Master
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#868 Show Notes: Sponsors: Fly tying doesn’t start at the vise. It starts standing midstream, watching bugs drift past your boots and paying attention to what trout actually eat. That idea runs through everything in this conversation. In this episode, I sit down with Davie McPhail, one of the most influential fly tyers of our time. Davie grew up fishing Scottish rivers and lochs, learning fly tying the hard way. By watching insects, experimenting with materials, and tying flies that had to work. We dig into traditional spiders, modern...
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Emergers, Wet Flies, and Trout Behavior with Scott Sanchez (Traveled #39)
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#867 Show Notes: Presented By: This Traveled episode connects with conversations sparked by the East Idaho Fly Tying Expo, where anglers gather to share patterns, techniques, and ideas that shape how we fish. Scott Sanchez joins us to break down one of the most important — and often misunderstood — feeding windows in fly fishing: the emerger stage. We dig into how trout feed in the surface film, how to read rise forms correctly, and why classic wet flies and soft hackles remain so effective when fish aren’t fully committing to dries. It’s a thoughtful, observation-driven...
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866 | Swinging for Alaska Chinook and Great Lakes Browns with Bailey Adamavich
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
863 Show Notes: Presented by: Today’s story bridges two very different worlds: the tight banks and icy tributaries of the Great Lakes, and the raw, tidal power of Western Alaska. Bailey Adamavich learned to fish where forty-foot casts matter and low water forces precision, then carried that foundation straight into blown-out rivers, chrome-bright kings, and some of the most intense Chinook grabs you can imagine. Bailey was our guide on the Togiak River, and we talked through one of my best days ever swinging for king salmon. We also dig into how Great Lakes tactics translate to...
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A Fly Fisher’s Guide to Jackson Hole with Fish the Fly Guide Service
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
#865b Show Notes: Presented by: Jason Balogh is back from Fish the Fly Guide Service to recap his season around Jackson Hole and break down how he introduces new anglers to fly fishing. We cover beginner-friendly gear, dry dropper setups, casting basics, and how to read water on big Western rivers like the Snake. Show Notes:
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865 | Trout Spey Set Up and Casting Fundamentals with Nick Conklin
Wet Fly Swing Fly Fishing Podcast
Show Notes: Https://wetfyswing.com/865 Sponsors: , , and Sponsors:https://wetflyswing.com/sponsors Last month on the Madison, I watched a perfect example of why Trout Spey exists. Wind ripping. Skinny water. A high bank behind us. Indicator rigs are getting ripped out of the drift the second they touch down. One angler finally stepped out of the rut, grabbed an 11-foot two-hander, and swung flies through water that had shut everyone else down. He wasn’t being heroic. He was listening to what the river was asking for. That moment frames this episode with Nick Conklin. We dig into...
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Presented By: TroutRoutes, On DeMark Lodge, Stonefly Nets, Grand Teton Fly Fishing
If you want to have more success fly fishing lakes, you need a good understanding of how lakes work—knowing how lakes work helps you get to the right spot at the right time, no matter the season.
You’ve probably heard the saying that 90% of the fish live in 10% of the water, and it’s true for lakes just like rivers and streams!
In this two-part series on how lakes work, Phil Rowley and Brian Chan break down everything you need to know about fishing lakes effectively.
About our Guest
Brian has spent over 30 years as a fisheries biologist for the provincial government, specializing in managing trout lakes in the interior regions of British Columbia. Over the years, he worked on hundreds of lakes, managing them, stocking them, setting regulations, and carrying out habitat protection and enhancement work.
Brian is also an ambassador for several fly fishing and boating companies, including Scientific Anglers, Sage Fly Rods, Islander Reels, Marlin Boats, Semperfli Fly Tying Materials, and Daiichi Hooks.
He is a passionate fly fisher and fly designer, and together with Phil, they’ve put their expertise to good use through their online fly shop.
Check out Brian and Phil's Stillwater Fly Fishing Store.
Episode Chapters with Brian Chan on How Lakes Work
Lakes aren’t all the same, and knowing how they work is key to becoming a better stillwater angler. Here’s what you’ll learn in this episode:
Lake Productivity and pH
Three Lake Classifications
Different Zones in a Lake
Lake Productivity and pH
pH is a scale that measures how acidic or alkaline a lake is, with 1 being super acidic and 14 being super alkaline. The pH level affects the water chemistry, impacting how well the lake supports aquatic life, from insects to fish.
What’s the Ideal pH for Trout Lakes?
The best pH for trout lakes is between 8 and 9.2. This is the sweet spot for plant growth and lots of invertebrates, which are food for trout. If the pH exceeds 9.2, the water becomes too salty for trout, and it would not be easy for them to survive.
For example, lakes like Pyramid Lake have a pH above 9, which is perfect for Lahontan cutthroat trout but challenging for rainbow trout. The pH scale is logarithmic, meaning small changes in pH can make a big difference in fish survival.
Brian explains that pH levels in lakes aren’t always the same and can change over time due to several factors:
Spring snowmelt helps keep lakes balanced by flushing in nutrients, but the lake can get too salty without it.
Human activities like logging can change water flow and impact the lake’s chemistry.
Climate change is also a significant factor, as some areas aren’t getting the same snowmelt they used to, causing pH to rise.
Marl and Chara Shoal
How Lakes Work: Three Lake Classifications
Lakes can be divided into three categories: oligotrophic, mesotrophic, and eutrophic. These classifications help us understand which lakes are better for fishing and support healthy fish populations.
Knowing the type of lake helps anglers figure out why one lake might be an excellent spot for big trout, and another might not be as productive.
Oligotrophic Lakes
Oligotrophic lakes are big, deep, and well-oxygenated, with lots of water flowing in and out. The flushing rate in these lakes is high, meaning the water changes quickly, so there isn’t much shallow water for plants to grow.
Because of this, these lakes have limited food sources for trout. Fish here mostly survive by eating other fish, not just insects.
Mesotrophic Lakes
Mesotrophic lakes are a step up from oligotrophic lakes in terms of productivity. They’re still large but a bit shallower, and they often have small rivers or creeks flowing in and out. The lake has a bit more shoal areas or littoral zones, so some plant life grows in those shallow water areas.
Eutrophic Lakes
Eutrophic lakes are the gold standard when it comes to trout fishing. They’re shallow, nutrient-rich, and full of life. These lakes are often less than 50-60 feet deep and have lots of shallow areas for plants to grow.
These lakes' flushing rate is slow, so they stay nutrient-rich for longer. Chironomid fishing is also incredible here due to the muddy bottoms.
Different Zones in a Lake
Lakes have different zones, and understanding them helps anglers know where to fish at various times of the year.
Littoral Zone
The littoral zone, or shoal area, is the shallow water at the lake's edge. This is where sunlight can penetrate to the bottom to create photosynthesis. It’s usually 7 to 8 meters deep.
The littoral zone is where all the vegetation grows and where trout and other fish species feed, particularly in the spring to early summer and again in the fall, right until freeze-up.
This is the zone where we spend the bulk of our fishing time—whether it's 5 feet of water or 22, 23 feet of water—this is the prime area.
Limnetic Zone
The limnetic zone is the open water area in the middle of the lake, just beyond the littoral zone. Here, sunlight still penetrates, but it doesn’t reach the bottom. This means there’s no vegetation growing like in the shallows, but it’s still a prime habitat for zooplankton, which trout love to eat.
Although this zone has less food diversity, the zooplankton and deep-water hatches make it an essential spot for fish. In the warmer months, fish move out of the shallow water and into the limnetic zone, where the oxygen levels are better and the water is cooler. This is when fishing techniques like using blob patterns can be incredibly effective.
Thermocline
The thermocline is a transition layer between the warm upper water and cooler deeper water. It’s usually a narrow band, about a meter in depth, where there's a sudden drop in temperature.
The thermocline keeps the colder water from mixing with the warmer water, which is why the deeper parts of the lake stay cool and oxygenated. Fish often move from the shallow waters to sit just above the thermocline, where they find cooler water and better oxygen levels, especially during hot summer months.
Profundal Zone
Beneath the thermocline in deeper lakes, there’s another zone called the hypolimnion, the cold, deep water layer. It's the bottom part of the lake that remains cool and doesn’t mix with the warmer upper waters
Remember, all lakes are different, but understanding lake structure makes your fishing day more successful and enjoyable!
Show Notes: https://wetflyswing.com/708