Brown Trout First Cast?

[Gillies]

Hi

 

With the season for Brown Trout starting in a few weeks time (hard to believe as I type this when outside is white with snow) - when do people normally first venture out for a first cast?

 

I usually wait to until the first week in April, 4 years back I had a great start to the season with a catch of 22 plump Brownies on my first day, ranging from half a pound to 2 pounds - my best day ever fishing for Brownies. Fished the same loch the following year at the same time and all I got was a number of Kelts (cursing each one as I didnt catch it the previous year when in season as a fresh run Salmon, thankfully fly caught kelts can be returned easily) - 2 weeks later though I had 3-4 nice Brownies from the loch.

 

I'm looking forward to this year very much (if Im still living on the Isle of Lewis) - thanks to positive advice on this forum I got myself a new 4 piece fly rod. I came across a lovely Orvis TLS at a great price that I could not pass up getting and can't wait to give it a go.

 

Anyway, I started rambling - just wondering when people normally venture out first?

 

Gillies

[Paul_D]

Opening day hopefully for me. I'll be there fully stocked up on confidence and March Browns. Can't wait either. Tight lines.

[me]

I won't be going until about early summer when i warms up a bit.

[malevans]

My first trip to the river in Scotland is Easter each year and this is when I first target wild browns, and salmon of course. My wife and I have found an angling club in Derbyshire, which has greyling and river browns, we are planning to join, just sorting photos at the mo, which means next year some forays soon after opening day are likely.

[greg long]

February 15th, Lough Corrib, 2 fish to fly, just back from Owel, one fish to fly. River blackwater next week.

[Vagabond]

Gillies:

I usually wait to until the first week in April, 4 years back I had a great start to the season with a catch of 22 plump Brownies on my first day,

That's interesting, because the brown trout season opens down here in the south-east on April 2nd,(used to be April 1st, but for some obscure reason its been changed, perhaps the EA don't want us making April Fools of ourselves ) and I usually go along to my local stream and catch some. They ain't plump tho' -

our stream trout don't really plump up until May.

 

Although I have had some good trout from Uist, I have never fished Harris/Lewis - your post tempts me! May & June seems the peak months for Uist - does that also apply to Lewis?

[Norrie]

Hi Gillies, Our club has the first trip on the first Saturday after opening,Traditionally, it is always to the same place, the Loch and River Dochart.But,traditionally it is always a bait trip, it's usually far to cold to fish the fly, tho' a couple of die hards do give it a go.We usually fish a ledger rig with a maggot or two on a 14/16 hook,there have been some nice trout caught, tho' as the years progress, more and more fish are being returned to the water. This is a great sign, tho' one or two are kept, usually by the more mature anglers,not by me however, I'm far too young.

[Gillies]

Vagabong, there are so many Lochs in Lewis and Harris its hard to say when the best time is I was pretty lucky on that loch in April, I think it must of been pretty good weather for a number of weeks before, bringing out early feed or something.

 

However, in general I find late April to late June fishes well on a number of lochs I regularly fish, for the bigger trout - many lochs are vastly overpopulated with Brown Trout (keeping the overall size generally small) and when the waters begin to warm up in mid summer the smaller Trout can become much more active and bit of a pest.

 

However you just never know what you will get, there are so many lochs. I've fished a nice warm summers day in August one day and caught tiddler after tiddler, and in the middle of it all was rewarded with a nice Brownie of a 1.5 lbs (and a million midgee bites - thinking back )

 

Norrie, dont know how you manage to stop yourself not taking a fish or two home for the plate at the begininng of the season - I always enjoy my first catch of Trout of the season on the plate, with some chips

 

Gillies

[Norrie]

Hi Gillies, To be honest, I dont enjoy Trout,tho' if pushed I can eat it,dont know why. I can enjoy any other fish tho', paricularly any white fish and Mackeral.

[Vagabond]

Norrie:

I dont enjoy Trout

Smoke 'em

 

That's smoke as per kippers, not in yer pipe

 

[ 02. March 2004, 01:04 PM: Message edited by: Vagabond ]