What is a Fishing Hole?

A fishing hole refers to a hole or pool in a stream or river. It can also just be used as slang to refer to a fishing spot in general in any body of water. There is no precise definition of a fishing hole in either case, just a general consensus among fishermen. It should also be noted this has nothing to do with a literal small hole or cave some species of fish might prefer to hang out in.

If you haven't spent time in streams you might not be aware that they are not uniform in water depth. Typically a stream or river will repeat the same features down its course: riffles, pools, and runs. Riffles are where water breaks in shallow water, typically on bedrock or pieces of rock (can be small gravel up to large boulders). A run is an area of fast to average current and will be of average water depth. Finally, pools are the deepest areas of the stream and feature the slowest currents.

A fishing hole corresponds to a given pool in a stream or river. The fishing holes / pools are typically where most types of game fish will reside. There are many more species of fish that prefer deeper slower water over shallow fast water.

Freshwater Fishing