The famous nocturnal Hex hatch of the Midwest (and a few other lucky locations) stirs to the surface mythically large brown trout that only touch streamers for the rest of the year.
First, does anyone have any philosophical misgivings regarding the manipulation of a streambed? Mother nature messes with stream topography all the time (and, on a geological time scale, will undo whatever alterations people make anyway), but should humans just leave streams in the condition they've found them, or is it OK to tinker with them?
Second, what strategies would people recommend for effectively manipulating streams? Personally, I'm most interested in strategies that allow the stream to retain a certain natural look and feel, but I don't want to focus the discussion to my own bents - all thoughts and ideas welcome.