Fishing Report 9th-17th April 2007

Right now we are pretty much where I left off in the last report. The weather has been amazing, my freckles are starting to join up forming my very own tan and the fly fishing is great!

I've been busy with fly fishing tuition most days at Loynton and Watermark, both of which fished very well. Floating lines with buzzers, scruffy damsel, leech and PTNs picked up fish for everyone, the best a 6.5lb rainbow in mint condition for Mark Coupe during a weekend break!

Remaining days were taken up guiding on the river Coln, where clients landed caught an average of 14 wild brown trout per day. Fish have been loath to take dries so far despite increasing hatches of midge and large dark olives, prefering to munch shrimp and olive nymphs. A few trout were caught on F fly and parachute adams, but most have been taken on HE shrimp and PTN.

Good sport has also been had at Bushyleaze, Willington and Carsington fisheries, where buzzers and floating line tactics have accounted for many fish in the fine weather. The same tactics have caught well at Marton Heath, Danebridge and Cound.

On the big fish scene Lechlade and Loynton are producing good numbers of doubles, though stalking at Lechlade is made rather difficult by the heavy algal bloom currently present. It is a case of either waiting for a big fish to show high in the water and right by the bank or fish the hot spots blind.

Tight Lines

Steve

Respecting Trout

I've been holding back this post for weeks, no months, trying to stop myself writing an out and out rant. Hopefully, what follows is contructive comment open for all to debate!

Everywhere I look, magazines, forums, ezines you name it, the term "stockie" is used to describe recently introduced trout. Usually their is a derogatory slant in the sentence or paragraph surrounding the term. Why? Well in excess of 50% of trout fishing available in the UK is for trout originating from a hatchery!

We simply do not have sufficient wild trout resources in our over populated isle to cater for everyone. Given the time constraints of modern living, many people don't have the time to travel regularly to waters providing good fly fishing for wild fish. Given these two undeniable points the only way to make fly fishing for trout available to more people is through stocked lakes and reservoirs.

This is nothing new, it's been working for the last 40 years! Now in one breath these waters are proclaimed as "providing great sport" while the next, something along the lines of "yet another stockie hit my fly" is written. They are trout be it brown rainbow or otherwise, not stockies!

Ok two points I want to cover now. Firstly trout stocked into reservoirs are no better (or worse for that mater) than trout stocked into small stillwaters. So anglers intimating catching on reservoirs is superior are kidding themselves! Trout in smaller waters are easier to locate because the body of water is smaller. Given this, any trout evading capture or released in smaller waters sees far more anglers, flies, tactics etc than its reservoir brethen. So if we are talking educated fish hear, then many small water fisheries provide a greater challenge than the reservoirs!

Point two, wild verses stocked fish. I fish for both and enjoy it. If you don't like something, don't do it, simple. But don't go around telling other anglers what they enjoy is worthless and unacceptable!

Yeah some days fishing stocked waters is easy, I have found just the same with wild trout! On some tiny streams I've had wild browns grab anything thrown at them, while a recently stocked rainbow in a clearwater lake has refused to accept anything. Likewise, the reverse has been true. So lets cut the crap, share what works, where, when and enjoy what fly fishing has to offer!(sorry the rant just took over! Better stop now!!)

Tight Lines

Steve