Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Adrian-Webbs-Trout-Tips » Good Day, Before the Rain

Good Day, Before the Rain

By Adrian (meppstas) Webb

The poor weather forecast from the BOM this morning kept me home until noon when the weather was still reasonably okay, with only a light breeze and no rain. Even though there was heavy cloud cover, it was still good enough to go for a spin session not all that far from home.

It was a 12:10pm start by the time I reached my entry point in a knee deep pool, near the bend in the stream and it was there that I spotted a trout surface feeding. I still had the #00 Aglia Gold set up from a few days ago, so lobbed the spinner a metre or so past the area where I spotted the trout. No sooner had the spinner hit the water and it was taken by the trout. It was only a small fish, but it was just the start I was hoping for, especially seeing it was getting darker. It looked like the weather that was forecast for earlier in the day wasn't all that far away. I had to get a move on.

A little further on in the pool I made a long cast and landed the lure close to some overhanging foliage near the river bank. Like before, the lure was snapped up by another trout as soon as it hit the water. Trout number two was landed, photographed and sent on its way, just as light rain started to fall.

Ten minutes later I was fishing a long shallow run of medium flowing water that was thick with foliage along both sides, requiring a backhand cast to the right side of the stream, lobbing the spinner in the water under the foliage. It was a cast that had to be accurate the first time, otherwise it would have become tangled in the low hanging tea trees. I did get it right first up and the little spinner was soon taken by a solid brown. This was the best trout so far and it played up all the way into the net.

With three trout now caught and released, in just over twenty minutes, I was really hoping for the rain to hold off for a lot longer. I can handle light drizzles... but rain, well I don't like fishing in it, especially when the waterproof fishing jacket is back in the car. The wind was starting to come and go as well, with the storm getting much closer. I had to up the pace in the stream.

I didn't get a touch in the next short run, then had a solid hit from a small brown that I noticed surface feeding near the left side of the stream. A long cast straight up the middle of the stream resulted in another medium size brown being picked up on the retrieve. Four trout now caught and released. I still wanted more before the weather got worse. The sky was becoming much darker and the rain was getting a little heavier.

I bypassed a couple of stretches of river, before hopping back into a wide, knee deep stretch of water, where I picked up another trout. With the weather closing in a lot faster now, I did think about heading back to the car at one stage, before deciding to carry on a little longer. I fished as fast as possible, due to the rain becoming a lot heavier and the wind gusting at around 30kph.

I managed to catch another two (465g & 420g) lovely browns and lost a few others, before I had to get out of the water. The rain and wind was too severe to carry on fishing and by the time I made it back to the car (1:50pm) I was drenched and feeling the cold. The rain was pelting down so I didn't bother getting out of my waders, I just hopped in the car with all the wading gear on. I sat there for a while trying to warm up until the rain eased off enough for me to get out of my wading gear.

At the end of the day catching seven trout in under two hours, in those conditions, was pretty satisfying. The downside was the weather. The little beat up #00 Gold Mepps Aglia did its job again on the trout too...

Equipment Used:

Okuma Celilo Finesse Spin Rods - ULS 1-3kg, 6' CE-S-602UL-1
Okuma Inspira Blue Spin Reel - ISX-20B
Platypus Super 100 Monofilament Line
Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon Leader
Mepps Inline Spinners - Aglia

Adrian (meppstas)