Keith: trout in the cold

If you've not tried fly fishing, there is sure to be a fishery near you, maybe one of the large reservoirs or a more intimate small stillwater. There will be a qualified coach available and a decent lesson that, incidentally, would frequently include catching a fish which, in turn, means dinner. It might be a life-changing experience.

Keith Arthur
Quotes of the week

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Whilst I've been discussing tench as the ultimate spring-time fish for the past two weeks, I seem to have completely overlooked the REAL spring-time species: trout!

Until the 1990's fishing for anything other than sea fish and trout was not even considered in the old close-season but with the massive boost to fly fishing when the huge Midlands reservoirs opened anglers of all types discovered the joys of fluff chucking.

Trout enjoy cool water and feed best before the heat of summer - if we have some this year - so now is a perfect time to pick up your fly rods and have a go. Even if you've never fly fished before, most trout fisheries offer on-site tuition at a pretty reasonable cost and once the initial casting technique has been learned the rest falls into place quite quickly.

Unless it is very windy or very warm a floating line will usually be first choice. Using a fluorocarbon leader and a fly with some intrinsic weight - either with some lead wire incorporated into the dressing or a heavy bead head - the fly can be allowed to fall to a chosen depth then retrieved.

Most of the trout's natural diet is eaten when moving upwards so this is a pretty efficient technique when using nymphs and buzzers, which imitate the larvae and hatching stages of most flies that lay their eggs on water.

Using a leader much longer than 12ft can be awkward but even this allows a fly to be presented through several layers, simply by counting down as the fly drops through the water.

Keep the line under tension during this fall as many bites occur during this stage and lack of concentration might cause you to miss a bite. Not every trout picks the fly up and swims away with it, setting the hook for you; occasionally a strike is called for.

Fishing lures

If the weather is rough, with strong winds, it is often better to use a line that sinks to just under the surface; these are known as intermediates and some are now produced in an almost clear finish. The other advantage these lines offer, apart from the lack of drift that can affect floaters, is that a fly can be presented on a virtually horizontal plane.

This is a wonderful way of fishing lures. I really enjoy pulling small lures such as 'Genie's Tinheads' on an intermediate and the takes are regularly boisterous tugs, sometimes following a succession of short 'nips' as the aggressive nature of the trout objects to an alien species entering its space.

Sometimes it can pay to fish both a small lure and imitative pattern together, using the lure to attract the attention of the fish which then switches its attention to the seemingly more edible artificial grub swimming just behind. Fly anglers may use up to four flies on a single leader but to hook more than one fish at a time can be disaster.

A friend of mine tells a story about playing a monster of a brown trout at Rutland Water that had taken a buzzer on the 'point' fly (the one on the end of the leader). He fishing from a boat and as he was drawing the fish towards the net it made a final dash for safety when, as if from nowhere, a rainbow trout of maybe 3lbs snatched the fly on the top dropper.

This gave the brownie something to lever against and it did so, snapping the line. Insult was then added to injury as the rainbow escaped too!

If you've not tried fly fishing, there is sure to be a fishery near you, maybe one of the large reservoirs or a more intimate small stillwater. There will be a qualified coach available and a decent lesson that, incidentally, would frequently include catching a fish which, in turn, means dinner. It might be a life-changing experience.

Keith answers your questions...

GRIPPING STUFF
Hello Keith. On Friday's show you mentioned using a Chinese knot instead of a braided loop and super glue. Could you please explain the Chinese knot and how to use it? Thank you, Philip Hichens
KEITH REPLIES: Hello Philip, I actually said 'Chinese grip' which is how the mesh-type constriction of leader-loops grip the fly line. The harder one pulls, the tighter the loops grip the line, the silicone sleeve merely covering the frayed end of the leader loop. I actually use leader loops on both ends of the line, for leader to line and backing to line. I loaded a new 'Ghost-tip' line, designed for the tropics, by such means this week and, with luck, I will be catching some SERIOUS fish on it VERY soon. Tuna and dorado (mahi-mahi) are high on the list but I may even try pushing my luck still further, with blacktip sharks a possibility. As you can guess, I won't be out of Weymouth! Tight lines.

PACKING A PUNCH
Hi Keith. Some two or three months ago you previewed a method from America I think that was taking waters apart in America and Europe. I was told about it by a friend of mine but he couldn't remember what it was. Could you please email me "the method", how it works and where can I get it from. Best regards. Tony
KEITH REPLIES: Well Tony, Frank Warwick and I were discussing 'Pack Baits' (packing bait around a small hookbait in reality) and the programme received unprecedented interest: even the Daily Mail got in on the act! I could go into great detail but I suggest you sit tight for a short while because in early May we will be showing a 'match' between, in the 'Packbait' corner, Frank Warwick and, in the 'Methodfeeder' corner Steve Ringer which is to be filmed at the end of April at Cuttle Mill Fishery in the Midlands. Here's a website with some serious clues but, beware, most of the UK suppliers of the 'ingredients' have long since sold out. Oh that I had shares in 'grits' and 'karo syrup' importers!