Finding a good spot to fish your wooly bugger
It always pays to find a spot on a stillwater that looks like its going to yield fish. In a stillwater, fish generally cruise looking for food. Rainbow trout covering the water on a horizontal plain, and browns in a vertical plain as they are sort of territorial.
When approaching a stillwater, look for areas that are likely to hold fish.
Clear water. If the water is clear, find edges of weedbeds and drop offs. Fish are more comfortable feeding in these areas, as they have escape routes at hand in case of trouble. They can hide in the weed, or bolt for deeper water. Structure like submerged trees also provide cover. During a recent trip to Bo-vlakte I found a relatively shallow area with a drop off and could see what looked like submarines swimming below me. Anchoring upwind from the drop off I used a large dry with a 'Weena' below it and cast it near the drop off. All I had to do was make myself comfortable and watch the dry. A few minutes later I hooked a very hook jawed and red trout, my 'fish of the trip'.
In murky water, where drop offs & weed beds cannot be seen, look at the bank edges where there are reeds or other water plants. There is food there, and the fish know it.
Another tool is to use the topography to guide you. A steep slope on the bank usually means that the slope continues under the water.
One of my favourite spots is a spit heading out into the water. Fish cruising the banks will have to go around it, and it also 'traps' fish swimming further out, as they too will need to go around it.
Warning. Try not to go onto it if you can, all you will do is scare the fish away. I usually place my flies on the downwind side, casting past the spit and then retrieving towards it. There is usually a form of drop off where fish tend to concentrate, and there is the added advantage of surface food being concentrated and blown around the tip.
There is a nice example at Lakenvlei, to the right of the hut, where I have seen many fish taken.
If you find a good spot, stick with it, the fish will come. There is no need to wander all over the bank looking for fish that will find you.