Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Adrian-Webbs-Trout-Tips » Frustrating Day on the Trout

Frustrating Day on the Trout

By Adrian (meppstas) Webb

With the Leven River now being at a safe wading level for the first time since the start of the trout season, it was time for me to head over there for a spin session. It's a beautiful, scenic and peaceful river to wade and chase trout in. It's one that I love to fish, even though it can run hot and cold with the trout catches. Years ago it was the best river in the North to fish for trout, however over the past few years it's dropped right off the top of my list.

The conditions today were for mainly cloudy skies and a temperature in the mid-twenties, which is quite warm without any breeze to contend with early. As I approached Gunns Plains (7:00am) I could see the valley was fogged in, which meant it was going to be a cool start, then warm up as the sun rose and burned off the fog.

By the time I arrived and got the wading gear on, it was 7:24am by the time I hit the river. The fog was already starting to thin out and the water was like glass. I was looking to see if I could spot any trout surface feeding, seeing as there were quite a few insects hovering above the water surface. I didn't see any signs of trout breaking the surface, which I didn't mind as it meant I was in with a better chance of them going for the lures. I had the feeling I could be in for a good spin session.

The area that I started off fishing was a very wide, deep and slow flowing stretch of water. It is one that I rarely catch a trout in for one reason or another, so here I tried a couple of hard body lures, Switchblades and several Mepps spinners for just a couple of follows and that was it. My aim was to reach the shallower fast water runs, sixty metres ahead of me, as that's where I catch the majority of trout in this area. It too can run hot and cold with the trout too.

As I approached the fast water I did notice a trout surface feeding directly ahead of me, a few feet in from the river bank. I had a #0 Mepps Aglia Fluo brown spinner on for starters today. I made a long cast directly upstream and parallel to the riverbank, lobbing the spinner a couple of metres ahead of where I had spotted the trout. As I retrieved the spinner a bow wave appeared near the surface. The trout had spotted it or picked up the vibe from the spinner blade. As I continued to retrieve the lure, the trout got closer and I was waiting for the strike... then the bow wave disappeared and the trout was gone.

I was now moving into a very long stretch of fast water. A fast water with a river bottom covered with a variety of slippery rocks and course sand. This is a river bottom that's much easier to wade than most rivers I fish. This fast water has to be one of my favourites to wade because it doesn't knock my body around like the Meander and Mersey Rivers do, plus it often holds some decent size brown trout.

Today it wasn't my favourite, fish wise that is. The trout were there but the problem was getting them to stay hooked. I hooked and lost the first nine trout, before finally catching two medium size browns in two casts on a small #00 Mepps Aglia Gold spinner. Following that I hooked and lost four more trout!

A breeze had picked up from the North East and the river was now in full sun, so I decided to get out of the river, head back to the car and try another stretch of river a few kilometres downstream. All up I had a total of twenty strikes, fifteen hook ups and just two trout landed. It was the most frustrating time I have spent in a river chasing trout. It didn't matter what lure I used either, all of them attracted the trout and had hook ups, it was just one of those days of hooked and lost fish. After a twenty minute walk through thick, shoulder height grass to the car, I was buggered and my day was done.

Equipment used on various trout trips:

Okuma Celilo Finesse Spin Rods - ULS 1-3kg trout rods
Okuma LRF Spin Rods - Split Grip 1-3kg
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 Super 100 Monofilament Fishing Line
Platypus Pre-Test Monofilament Fishing Line
Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon Leader
Mepps Inline Spinners
Boomerang Tool Products

Adrian (meppstas)