Is there really a pecking order among trout in a pool?
Yes, and it is one of the most useful facts in stream fishing. Stream salmonids maintain a dominance hierarchy over feeding lies: the biggest fish occupies the single best position — typically the spot where the food lane is richest and the holding current cheapest, often the head of the pool or the prime seam — and defends it with charges and displays, while subordinates take progressively worse stations. Two consequences for anglers: the best drift in the pool is, almost by definition, where the best fish lives; and when the dominant fish is removed, the next-largest promotes into the vacant lie within days. That is why a famous "big fish spot" keeps producing big fish year after year — the address outlives the tenant.
The full story
This answer is one piece of a longer lesson — setups, diagrams and the reasoning behind it.
More questions about Territory & aggression
Same topic, other species
- Why do crappie nest in colonies instead of spreading out like bass? — Crappie
- Do largemouth defend a territory outside of the spawn? — Largemouth Bass
- Are muskie territorial? — Muskellunge (Muskie)
- Are perch territorial at all? — Yellow Perch
- Do pike defend territories? — Northern Pike
- How aggressive are bed-guarding male smallmouth? — Smallmouth Bass
- Are walleye territorial? — Walleye