Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Adrian-Webbs-Trout-Tips » Beautiful Conditions to Chase Trout
Beautiful Conditions to Chase Trout
By Adrian (meppstas) Webb
The conditions for trout fishing today couldn't have been better, with a clear sky and hardly any breeze... it was a beautiful day. I had a few things to do during the morning so I couldn't get to the water until after 2:00pm. I was in it by 2:35pm and it was still running on the high side and a cool three degrees.
This trip, like all my trips so far this season, was to a small tannin stream, mainly because they're the only ones that are low enough to hop in for a spin session. Not only that, they're giving up a few trout whereas reports from those fishing the larger rivers aren't all that flash. I'll more than likely be hitting the larger rivers mid to late September if all goes well and when the weather and water temps warm up. The area that I fished today was one that I fished several times last season, this being the first time this season and it's another beautiful area to fish too.
I started off using a #0 Aglia Fluo Micropigments inline spinner in Brown/Gold colour (brown trout pattern) and caught my first trout on the second cast, which was made into small, well covered flat water. It actually took me by surprise because it happened so fast. It was only a little brown, that was soon put back in the water.
A few more backhand casts into the same piece of water and another brown had a crack at the spinner but missed taking it properly. With two trout having a go at the lure so early into the spin session I thought I was in for a top day in the water. The following few runs were narrow, tight, medium flowing waters, that looked really fishy. Well they weren't and all I managed was a follow from one brown trout. I changed over to a Rainbow Silver (rainbow trout pattern) coloured Aglia Fluo Micropigments to see if that would draw the attention of a trout and have it take the lure.
The sun was starting to get low, putting more shade from the foliage on the water as well as dropping the air temp to around six degrees. That combined with the low water temp and I was now feeling the cold. There were some lovely long, medium deep stretches of water ahead, which I thought would be holding a few trout. They only held the one trout and it took the spinner and spat it as quick as it took it.
These small streams early in the season are really tough to work out at times. They look fishy but have nothing in them. I suppose it's because I'm used to them holding fish later in the season, rather than early with the water being so cold. Once it warms up later in the season it will all turn around and the trout will be a lot more active in them.
I stuck to casting into every bit of water where I felt a trout would be holding out and still no trout... They just weren't in these stretches of water yet and if they were here, they sure weren't in the mood to chase the spinner.
It wasn't until I came to a 90 degree bend in the river that I flicked the lure into a small flat water, close to the river bank in a shallow run of fast water, and then I finally had another trout take the spinner. This brown stayed on all the way into the net. It was 4:18pm when it was caught, going by the time in the camera. It had taken quite some time to catch the second trout of the day that's for sure.
My third trout was taken ten minutes later in a short medium/fast flowing stretch of water. It was picked up from a small flat water, close to the left river bank, just as the last trout was. With three trout caught and released, from five takes, I was feeling much better on how the afternoon session was panning out. I just needed a few more to finish it off.
The air had become much cooler when the sun retreated lower and I was really feeling it. I decided that I would fish two more stretches of river and then call it a day. The first one that I fished was one where I had caught several trout on previous trips last season, so I thought I was in with a chance of adding a few more to my catch rate. I didn't land any trout, however I did have two hits for one hook up, which I lost.
At the top end of that run I had a brown come at the lure, however once at the lure it just mouthed it and swam along with the spinner as I retrieved it. It didn't take the full treble hooks, so there wasn't a thing I could do. It held onto the spinner right up to when I had it close to me, where it let go of the spinner and darted off. That was a first for me. I've never had anything like that happen with a trout before. I've had them come up behind the lure and nudge it several times but never like what happened today. I suppose there's a first time for everything isn't there.
It wasn't until I fished the last stretch of water that I caught my forth trout of the afternoon. That fish was taken from a flat water, under some overhanging tea trees. It was the most aggressive take of the trip by far and that trout was a medium length fish and a bit on the skinny side. My day was done, I was cold and as much as I would have liked to fish a few more runs that were ahead of me, it was time to head back to the car.
It was 4:45pm when I exited the water and just on 5:15pm when I arrived back to the car. Four trout from seven hook ups wasn't all that bad and I know that it won't be all that long and I'll be having catches of 12-15 trout on some trips as the season goes on.
Equipment Used:
Okuma Celilo Finesse Spin Rods - ULS 6' 1-3kg trout rod
Okuma Helios SX Spin Reels - HSX-20
Mepps Lures
Platypus Super 100 mono lines
Adrian (meppstas)