Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Adrian-Webbs-Trout-Tips » Upper Mersey Wild Trout

Upper Mersey Wild Trout

By Adrian (meppstas) Webb

Seeing as it had been a long time since I'd fished the upper Mersey River I thought today would be the ideal day to do it, with light winds and overcast conditions forecast. Getting to the river, where I'd be fishing, is one access that is as tough as it can get. It requires bush bashing though dense scrub and steep hills. It's also an area than runs hot and cold with the trout fishing too and they're either on in big numbers or they're few and far between. I was hoping that it was going to be a day when the trout were out and about and full of aggression. I'm not fussed about the size, as long as they are in big numbers over the one and a half kilometres of river that I would be fishing.

As soon as I arrived (7:05am) and parked the car in a small piece of open bush, it was on with the gear and off on the long, tough trek to the river. It was 7:45am when I reached my starting point in the river and immediately spotted a trout surface feeding in a deep and wide, slow flowing stretch of river. Seeing as it was still very dull here, I started off using a Gold #00 Mepps Aglia spinner to see if it would get the attention of a trout.

After several casts, in most areas of the slow flowing water, there wasn't a sign of a trout interested in the spinner, so it was time to go with a #0 Stone Fly coloured Mepps Bug spinner. It only took three cast and retrieves with the Bug, up and across the river, before I spotted a medium size brown sitting close behind it. It wasn't all that long however before it turned and moved off. With that trout not showing any signs of aggression, I decided to concentrate on the faster flowing waters.

In the first narrow fast water run I had a follow from a small brown but ran out of water before it had a chance to take the spinner. The second fast water was much wider and it was here that I had the first trout of the day take the spinner. I spotted a nice small flat water, close to a large rock on the opposite side of the river and that's where I lobbed the Bug. The brown took it no sooner had the Bug hit the water. It made several runs, every which way, while at the same time leaping from the river. It was a good battle with this 430 gram trout, lasting for a couple of minutes until it tired and I had it in the net. No sooner had I slipped the net under and the fish tossed the spinner. Thankfully I hadn't continued to film it for too long before netting it.

I was nearing the head water of the long stretch of medium/fast water run, with the main flow running along the opposite side of the river, where the bend in the river was. It certainly looked fishy to me. A long cast to the top end of it and I then let the Bug spinner drift with the fast flow, while at the same time twitching and lifting the rod tip, while maintaining a very slow retrieve.

I was soon onto another trout and this time it was a rainbow. Nothing big but a real fighter in the fast water and it did manage to peel a few metres of Platypus line from the reel before I had it under control. This fish made quite a few runs and leaps from the river as most rainbows do, before I had it in close enough to slip the net under it. I really love hooking into a rainbow trout. It doesn't matter what size they are, they certainly put up a great fight on light tackle. It, like the brown trout, tossed the spinner no sooner it was in the net... the fishing gods were giving me a helping hand again today.

With two trout caught and released in the first twenty minutes, since hopping in the river, it wasn't all that bad for starters. Even better, the fish were right into the Stone Fly spinner. From here on in it went a little downhill. I was fishing the tail end of the next fast water when I hooked a beautiful brown that was in the 700 - 800 gram range, only to see it dart off after its second solid run downstream. I had worked that fast water for close on ten minutes, without a touch or follow from a trout.

I even gave the hooks a light touch up before making another cast to ensure that they were really sharp. While sharpening the trebles I did notice one of the fine hooks was slightly bent outward, so I grabbed the pliers and bent it back into shape. The hook did move back quite easily and I did think about replacing the spinner with a new Stone Fly Bug but didn't bother to do so. Not going to a new Stone Fly is what cost me that trout as the small hook, that I had straightened earlier, had broken off when that trout made its second run downstream. So there you have... when in doubt, change to a new lure, because if you don't then one day it may cost you a trophy trout. Thankfully mine wasn't a trophy trout, however I was still ticked off at myself for being too slack. It did cost me as it was a beautiful solid brown trout and a size that's not all that common in the Mersey River nowadays.

The next area of the river to be fished was a long and shallow fast water and one that normally gives up quite a few trout, most of which are small fish that would average 280-300 grams. I did manage a couple of follows over the first fifteen metres, at the tail end of the fast water, with just one trout having a whack at the spinner, which didn't result in a hook up. To the right of me was a narrow side water that still had a good flow to it, even though it was reasonably shallow and full of water weeds and green algae. It's the same run of water that I had fished two weeks before the World Fly Fishing Championships, where I hooked eight trout with just two staying on. These small side waters are always worth flicking a lure into and should never be bypassed, even if you think there's no fish in them... they do hold trout.

With this side water being so narrow, there was no room for the cast and drift method. It was just cast upstream and retrieve the lure at the same speed as the flow. Once I was at the edge of it I spotted a nice bubble line on the right hand side. It was also light on water weed, so that's where I cast the Stone Fly Bug spinner. I retrieved the lure at the same speed as the water flow and in no time at all it was taken by a lovely, well-conditioned, 385 gram brown.

That fish made a few runs and leaps from the river and then headed into the water weeds. Thankfully I eased it out of them and brought it to the net. I moved a little further upstream and cast the spinner up and to the right side again, where I hooked another nice brown on the retrieve. This fish fought all the way in, until I was about to go for the landing net and then it gave a solid head shake and out popped the spinner. I had reached the top end of this side water without any further hits or hook ups, so it was back to the main stream once again.

I returned to the river and I was back in, casting and drifting the spinner. It wasn't all that long before I had a hit and miss from a small brown. Then, a little further up, I picked up another small rainbow after a direct cast and retrieve straight ahead of me. That fish was taken in five inches of fast water. Not long after the release of that rainbow trout, the cloud started breaking up and out popped the sun... something that I didn't want as this meant that the trout may shut down.

There was still the odd bit a shade, for a few minutes here and there, when the sun went behind the clouds and that's when I did have a couple of hook ups from small browns, unfortunately losing both fish. From then on the sun was out and the river was in full sun. I managed a couple of follows, in a shallow and wide stretch of slow flowing river that was full of water weeds and green algae, before I reached the last of the fast water that I would be fishing today.

That one hundred metres (approx.) of fast water fished poorly. All that happened was one hooked and lost small trout, along with three follows and that was it. The full sun, on the low clear water, was enough to shut them down. My day in the river was done and it wasn't worth pushing on any further up the river. I was feeling pretty tired and getting a little sore in the lower back. Besides, to reach the car, I had quite a bit of bush bashing to do. That was then followed by a three hundred metre walk up a steep hill that is heavy with foliage, fallen trees, branches and plenty of bracken. That in itself is enough, so best to stop now and call it a day.

Nine hook ups, with just four trout caught and released, was pretty disheartening. I really thought that it would be a top day on the trout here today, however it wasn't to be. I was well and truly done and dusted when I finally reached the car. The cold Pepsi Max and a chocolate Freddo from my esky went down well.

Adrian (meppstas)

Equipment Used:

Okuma Celilo Finesse Spin Rods
Okuma Helios SX Spin Reels - HSX-20

Mepps Inline Spinners

Platypus Super 100 Monofilament - 4lb
Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon Leader