Jump to content

Wild trout thin this year?


kenj

Recommended Posts

The brown in post 10 was around 12 inches long, my 7ft , 4 weight rod probably makes it look bigger. The trout in post 8 was 18.5 inches (47 cm) long and way over 2 lb. Hard work on this lightweight tackle.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Following up on this topic, like everything else on the river bank this year, the trout on my free urban river have put on a lot of weight this year, helped by good hatches of mayfly, despite being late, due to the cold weather.

 

OR2vmzT.jpg

 

On my small Hampshire syndicate water, the wild trout are also showing a healthy increase in size and number, this one taking a shadow mayfly last week.

 

6hcioUq.jpg

 

One welcome thing missing from the river this season is the Hymalayan Balsam, which we hope our pulling sessions last year, the floods and cold have put paid to.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Following on with this thread, after a prolonged mayfly hatch this year, we had floods and then a drought, with the river levels dropping to a trickle over the stones in places. The Himalayan Balsam made up for lost time, but a working party cleared the worst. The big stock fish of earlier on in the season seem to have passed through the river, leaving the wild fish to thrive. The low water levels have continued, but those members, who still turn out to fish, following the hectic mayfly duffers fortnight, can enjoy some rewarding fly fishing. My last outing yesterday is covered here http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/thankful-for-small-mercies/

 

sx2n45t.jpg

Edited by kenj
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 weeks later...

Now in the final month of the 2013 season on my local trout river, I revisited in the hope of a decent back end trout, as they tend to come out of the woodwork in September. Fishing a size 16 gold head pheasant tail nymph, I'd already returned a couple of dace and a few wild browns between 6 and 12 inches, when I struck into this chub.

FB6Ao10.jpg

It initially fought hard, running upstream, but gave up after a few minutes. A beautifully conditioned unmarked fish, which I reckon would have weighed 4 lb. Thought I'd hit into a big trout, but this chub scores enough points in my book.

This was my blog report: http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/wild-brown-trout-flyfishing-season-closes-with-a-bang/

Edited by kenj
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

I started this post in April, concerned about the thin trout I was catching on my small Hampshire river, following a hard winter of floods. I've just returned to the forum for a look and see that this is still being viewed and it ended up being a bit of calender of fishing events through the season. One brown trout that never made it to these pages, was one of my best from the river.

 

6oTKxzf.jpg

 

I caught this beautiful fish in early May on a gold ribbed hairs ear nymph. It was 17 inches long with a massive tail and needless to say fought like the clappers on my 7 ft, 5 weight rod. This was my blog report: http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/big-trout-in-a-small-stream/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

As the 2014 trout season approaches fast, I wonder what state some of the fisheries will be in following the floods, but reviewing this thread, my own small river soon recovered to provide excellent fishing, before a summer drought brought us back down to earth again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Months of floods have altered many of the feature pools on my small Hampshire river and only allowed members a couple of brief working parties to drag out some of the fallen trees before open day on April 1st. My first few sessions were spent more in exploration than actual fishing, pools had been scoured out and new sand bars created, while in places trees had been pulled from the banks and swept downstream.

Due to cold winds and high, but clear, water levels, few members have ventured out so far, and even fewer trout netted, but those wild fish caught have been in good condition.

FeGdYH9.jpg

This was a wild brownie caught and released by me last week, that looked more seatrout than brown, having a purple sheen. The fish took a size 18 gold head, gold ribbed Hare's Ear nymph. This was my blog report. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/trout-stream-warms-to-early-risers/

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

The mayfly hatch is over for another year and the usual hawthorn flies in May never appeared, but catches of wild fish have been good on my little Hampshire river, with a few approaching two pounds. The wild fish have a good range in size, which means successful spawning despite months of floods over the past few winters and the trout are in top condition as summer approaches.

nBB8zBG.jpg

This was the best brown taken in my most recent afternoon session, taken on a cut down bodied mayfly.

My blog report is here. http://www.urbanfieldsportsman.com/index.php/mayfly-fishing-bonanza-mostly-small-stuff/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We and our partners use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences, repeat visits and to show you personalised advertisements. By clicking “I Agree”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit Cookie Settings to provide a controlled consent.