Fishing Report August 2006

Already we find summer at an end and despite cooler temperatures during August the fishing has been anything but easy. The best line I heard summed the month up "August is a wonderfull time to be fly fishing, just not that great for catching trout".

So why have the trout proved so difficult? The key to me is food availability. During August everything is peaking and the water is packed with food for the trout. Hence they can be picky, often not interested in working for their food, they cruise along taking items infront of them and ignoring anything else. This has certainly been the pattern on many waters during the daytime.

Come the evening and things have been very different on waters like Bushyleaze, Marton Heath, Carsington and Willington. These are all good dry fly waters and the evening rise has been excellent and very consistent, with some very good catches made. These waters have fished well to emerging midge, sedge, hoppers and craneflies, while for most of the day mobile patterns such as damsel nymphs and lures or small olive nymphs and buzzer pupa at the other extreme have been the key.

At Loynton and Lechlade small flies often out fished lures and larger nymphs. Buzzers worked very well in black and olive, while a damsel often brought results if fished accross a fish's nose, so they don't have to work for it. Both waters saw good doubles caught and will come into their own from mid September onward as trout target the fry.

Looking forward, September will bring a close to our chalkstream season, so if you fancy a trip please call. We currently have vancancies for the second half of the month. Carsington will provide good Autumn fishing for the brown trout until it closes and Willington will continue to provide amazing evening sport with daytime action improving too. We are currently landing some fabulous brownies between 3-6lbs, long may it continue!

Tight Lines

Steve

Fly Fishing During Algal Blooms

Currently most stillwaters are being affected to a greater or lesser degree by algal blooms in the water. At best it reduces visability into the water, tinting it green or brown, at worst it builds up large mats of scum and turns the water to the consistency of pea soup!

During this period through August, lakes offer trout the most abundant feeding of the year, leading to a reluctance on the trouts' part to go out of their way to take food items. This often leads to what seem perfect fishing conditions with flies hatching in profusion, but not a sign of a trout anywhere.

In fact you can be left feeling that someone is having a joke at your expense and in fact the lake contains no fish! This is not the case.

During such conditions the largest factor in success is finding feeding fish. If trout show on or close to the surface great, you then need to get a fly right in front of them to maximise the chance of them seeing it in turbid water.

If on the otherhand nothing is showing, searching the depths with a nymph or lure that has a little flash to catch the eye of a trout is required. This can be hard work, but stay mobile and keep trying, the takes will come.

Every now and then we have to accept defeat. One such day happend yesterday, despite having caught well on Wednesday at Willington on dry and nymph with two clients, Thursday nothing moved. The lake was dead all day, search tacics produced one bang late in the afternoon but that was it.

The key difference? Thursday storms were forcast and arrived mid afternoon. Was this the reason the trout were subdued? I don't know. Certainly the fishing did not improve after the storm passed so I am going to look into this further.

Do you have experience of trout behaviour in these conditions? Some further advice on fly fishing under these circumstances? If so please leave your comments here!

Tight Lines

Steve

Mid August Fishing Update

I can't believe I'm feeling cold in 21 deg C temperatures! It just goes to show how hot July was. We have had wind from the north west for much of the month and lower day time temperatures have allowed surface water on all venues to cool down a little.

As a result, fishing is improving with more fish moving at the surface and once more margin feeding. I have been at Willington a lot during the past two weeks and the water temperature has cooled from 24 deg C to 22 deg C in the upper two feet. Tim at Lechlade has reported similar findings. Both these venues are spring fed though, so lakes that are not have been hit even worse!

Having said all this only one day has been blank since late June, with some good rainbows and browns caught. Best advice for August is if your not catching change something, one sure way to blank is to keep doing the same thing. Their is plenty of food for fish at this time of year and they can be picky.

Keep those reels screaming!

Steve