Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Adrian-Webbs-Trout-Tips » Fast Water Trout Time

Fast Water Trout Time

By Adrian (meppstas) Webb

I've been keeping a regular check on the river height of the Meander River and was very happy to see the river was down to 65cm, which was the lowest it had been for quite some time. I was intending to fish the Mersey River this afternoon, however the river was in full sun. I could see it was cloudy further to the east, so I bypassed the Mersey and headed to the Meander River instead.

It was a good decision too, as once there the cloud cover was good, and the conditions were just right too. It was mainly dull and a little on the humid side, just how I like it. I didn't go directly to the fast water runs first up, because I wanted to fish a medium flowing stretch of water that gave up ten trout a few days ago when I fished it.

It was 3:20pm when I hopped in the river and the lure of choice to start with was a small 50mm floating minnow, unbranded, olive coloured, hard body lure, that I picked up online. I have never gotten around to trying it out, so I thought it was time to do so and this stretch of water was a good place to start. I was tempted to start the session off using a Mepps White Miller Bug spinner, seeing there were hundreds of caddis moths hovering above the water surface.

Anyway, I started fishing my way upstream working the small hard body from one side of the river to the other and it wasn't all that long before it was hit hard and fast by a solid trout. This was just the start every trout angler loves to have. That brown made a few runs and leaps from the river before it tired and I slipped the net under it. It was a beautiful fish to start the afternoon off, a well-conditioned 535g brown. I couldn't have had a better start that's for sure.

A little further up I hooked and lost another solid brown, that I lured from the opposite side of the river. Just before I hooked that trout the clouds had parted ways and the river was now in full sun. It was then that I decided to head back to the car and make my way to the fast waters, a few kilometres up the road.

No sooner had I arrived (4:20pm) and hopped into the river, and the cloud cover returned, which was good to see. The first thing that I did was to go for a change of lure and the Mepps #0 gold Black Fury was the lure that I chose to use in the fast waters. The river here was at a nice wading height and the rocky river bottom was quite good too, with no real signs of slime or green algae on it. What was there was minimal anyway. I'm sure that once the water temperature continues to increase and irrigation increases, the green algae will soon be here and become a pain in the butt.

The water here was great for casting and drifting the Mepps inline blade spinners and it wasn't all that long before I hooked and lost my first fast water trout. Thankfully it was only a small brown. It wasn't all that long after losing that little brown, that I hooked and landed a nice medium size brown. This fish was picked up in a nice flat on the opposite side of the river.

The cloud cover looked a lot darker by now and with the rain forecast, it might not be all that long before it arrived. So, I had to get myself moving a little faster than I normally do. After losing another small brown, I went for a change of lure. I replaced the Black Fury with a #0 Mepps Aglia Fluo Micropigment Brown inline spinner, another very handy lure that works well on the trout in most waters that I fish.

As I continued to fish my way upstream, casting and drifting the Aglia Brown spinner, I picked up two browns in quick time. The first was a nice, medium-size fish, the second was a tiddler. Both hook ups were aggressive, which was good.

Several metres ahead of me, on the left-hand side of the river, was a nice flat water. This was one that has often given up trout on previous trips here. The next cast was to the top end of it and a couple of turns of the reel was enough for a trout to charge at the lure and take hold of the Aglia spinner. It was a nice, medium-size brown that took the spinner.

The fish headed straight into the fast water, in an attempt to break free, however I had it under control and my third trout of the session was landed. I could see the clouds were now looking much darker than when I had last looked towards them, so I still had to keep the pace up before the rain arrived. It wasn't all that long before light rain started to fall, so I decided to call it a day, when I reached the cattle bridge that was probably around thirty metres from me.

By the time I reached the cattle bridge I had caught and released two more small trout. It was certainly time to get out and head for the car as heavy rain arrived. By the time I hopped out of the river and reached my car, I was well and truly wet. In the end it wasn't all that bad, with a total of eight trout caught and released from fifteen hook ups. I would certainly be back here in a couple of days to have another crack at these fast water trout.

Adrian (meppstas)

Equipment Used During My Trout Season:
Okuma Celilo Finesse Spin Rods - ULS 1-3kg
Okuma LRF Spin Rods – 1-3kg
Okuma ITX Carbon Spin Reels – ITX-1000
Okuma Inspira Blue Spin Reels - ISX-20B
Okuma Helios SX Spin Reels - HSX-20
Okuma Epixor XT Spin Reels - EXPT-20
Okuma Ceymar Spin Reels - C-10
Platypus Pulse Mono Premium Monofilament – 4lb
Platypus Super 100 Monofilament – 4lb
Platypus Pre-test Monofilament – 4lb
Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon Leader
Mepps Aglia Inline Spinners