A great day at Ellerdine Lakes
Catching Trout with bad attitudes on buzzers
Bright and bursting with energy. Scrappers like this Rainbow, will tear you up if your unprepared |
For the past week, whilst at work, all my thoughts are focused on my next
fishing day! I've been reminiscing, about that last visit to Ellerdine Lakes,
for a few nights now? 6lb Rainbows that just hammer you senseless! Their
fighting spirit, sometimes no match for the slimmest of hook holds! That's what
I relish! The challenge in hooking just one of the beasts, is just unbelievable.
Making the hairs on the back of your neck stand out, as the rush begins. The
ebb and flow of power, as you try to subdue a fiesty trout, but there's always
one that has other ideas. The one that shows you a thrill ride, to match "Rita
Queen of Speed", at Alton Towers!
What's the fascination with small stillwater trouting? For me, it's always
a fun factor with a fact finding mission. Plus meet up with likeminded souls,
like myself. Watching folk blast a whole fly line out, with good casting skills
and effortless turnover. Then stand there wondering why there are fish rising,
within yards of the bank?? Sometimes giving the angler a scare, as they slash
out, right at their feet. Just amazing!
My first casts are always short, to begin with. Be ready for any reaction
on your line and in the surrounding water. Trout are tenacious creatures, with
cunning and stealth. Having the ability to suck your fly in and spit it out,
without you knowing what's gone on? There have been moments, when fishing the
surface layers with small nymphs, where there has been a flat spot created in
the ripple, right at my line tip. I've lifted and felt that fish for about 2
seconds, before it peels away and leaves me pondering, what the hell has just
happened?
In most cases the trout has come from depth, looking for a feed? Seeing
your offering, is just one of those chance moments, when the fish decides that
it must have it. Then in the blink of an eye, it has inhaled, tasted and
squashed your fly into the roof of it's mouth, with it's toothy tongue, then
exhaled your offering. You didn't even know it was there, but that lasting
deadening of the line, against the drift was all the feel you got? What you
forgot in those lasting seconds, was how the trout came to take your fly, in the
first place! True?
Getting your offering to the comfort zone, that the trout has homed in on!
That's the key in trouting and then being able to replicate it again.
Competition anglers call this repetition and they do this out of instinct. Fish
are creatures with fear, strength and purpose. They are always looking out and
upward, due to their physiology. Their lidless eyes, look in those directions
constantly. When they're at depth, I believe, they have a large general window
of vision, to view activity at the surface. As they move up in the water column,
this window or cone is reduced in size, but now posseses much more focus. Hence
their ability to pick out the smallest of flies and other debris, in or on the
mirrored surface film.
In most cases, I start my days on Meadow Lake, right in front of the Lodge.
It makes sense. Several good fish hang around here, with depth for shelter not
too far away, if they want it? I've had several nice trout from here and
there's no reason, why there shouldn't be more?
My two rod set up for today is 15ft of G3 Flouro on a Airflo Super Dri Mend
floating line and two buzzers.
A skinny black buzzer with a UV overwrap on the holographic rib. This adds a blueish hue with the red head as a trigger |
Top one being black with a silver holographic rib and on the point a red
holographic buzzer with a pearly thorax . Both of these are size 14. Adding a
pearly flash rib, makes for a great trigger, in prompting a trout, to come and
have a sniff?
The red holo buzzer with a UV rib and covered with Deercreek Diamond fine UV resin |
The other rod is set up with an Airflo Ridge Impact Mini Tip line, with just 11ft of G3
Flouro and two flies. On the dropper, is the ever popular Mirage Cormorant,
courtesy of Gareth Jones, Airflo. On the point is a small size 10 Hot Head Green
Damsel. I'm fishing the shorter leader, so that I have a little more control in
the wind, with this sub surface set up. Plus I don't want to bouy my flies up
in the water, with a longer leader.
Fishing a floating line and two buzzers, on the last visit, I was getting
takes on the dropper first. Indicating the fish were higher in the water. Then,
Mr Sunshine came out and sent them below and out of the harsh, March sunlight!
Today, with warm temperatures, the trout are actively looking for food.
They'll search the surface and with a little ripple, this helps break down the
bright light and highlight buzzers hanging just sub surface.
Using Airflo Tippet Degreaser, I can degrease the leader every few casts,
to help sink the leader, so it allows for a drag free presentation. To use this,
just wet your finger, then rub the soap like lump. Once it's wet, just rub this
along your leader. It works a treat at sinking your leader and is as good on
mono as it is on light Flouro. If I'm honest, most hits will come on the red
buzzer. But degreasing allows these lightweight buzzers to penetrate the
surface, without getting hung up in the flim. This is what today is all about.
Trying to get it right? Casting out a short fast stroke, sends around 8 yds of
fly line, plus my leader length out. One quick pull on the line hand to
straighten the cast, then a slow figure of eight retrieve, with just two fingers
at a time coming in. Bang and I'm hooked up! A solid thump, thump tells me this
is a nice fish?
Airfflo's Tippet Degreaser, helps lightweight tippets and flies break through the surface film |
A corker Rainbow with some bad attiude |
Often when your fishing, you'll casually glance around, just pondering the
take. Then see the dorsal fin of a trout break the surface. Watching this,
you'll then notice the top of the tail fin cut in behind it. The gap between the
dorsal and tail fin will give you an idea, on the size of your fish. Remember
this? The gap between those fins indicates about half of the length of the
trout, in general terms. So larger fish, will have a bigger gap between the two
fins. Easy to remember.
This is a nice Rainbow, with a fab tail to power it about the water. After
a few hard runs, with this trout trying to weed me, the constant pressure
finally takes it toll and the fish, finally gives the turns of pace a rest.
Long enough for me to pull it over the top of the waiting net! We'll chuffed.
Hooked in the scissors, near the maxillary bone. After a slight push the
debarbed hook, falls away to the net bottom. Now with the fish recovering, I can
get some pics for Twitter, then pop it back. With a splashy send off from the
trout's tail, it's away.
Share your fishing memories on social media sites, whilst fishing. Twitter,
Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram are just a few places you can drop a pic on,
to arouse people's interest? It will also highlight how the fishery is
performing, which isn't a bad thing. It may also get you a thank you from the
fishery manager in the process. When taking your pics for sharing, always think
of the fish. Keep it in the water and photograph it in the net. If it's a poser,
take the pic over the water. That way, if the trout does a flip, it will fall
into the water, not on the bank, where it could get hurt!
On release, this Rainbow is ready to go! |
If you intend to share your images with your mates or other websites,
uploading to photo hosting websites, such as Photobucket are a great way to
store pics. This way you can copy the image link, from the host site, then paste
it to anything you want. Blogs, emails, texts and any other sharing host, you
can think of?
A check of the leader and quick degrease. I let around 12yds of line out.
Straightening up sees a slash at the surface on my dropper buzzer, though I'm
not prepared and missed the opportunity! A quick recast and straighten up,
then try something different? Roly poly but really slow, then if you get a take,
just keep pulling in until the rod tip thuds away! In again and on the red holo!
Applying measured steady pressure, sees the fish glide to the surface, like a
mini submarine. It sees me, then just goes bananas!! Running left and right,
really testing the hook hold on my small fly. With bursts of speed, all I can
see is small mirror like flashes, glinting in the surface layers. Showing it's
distaste for me, by trying to increase the distance between us, in some great
blitzes of pace. Then, it just pops at the surface and I guide into the net. At
around 3.5lb this is a great looking trout. It's tail shows why it can
accelerate so wildly?
As the sun climbs higher, I can feel it's warmth hit my beanie. Time to
soak up some warmth, so I keep my baseball hat on. It's peak allowing some
respite for my eyes, with the surface glare. The mirrored surface now showing
more rise forms, as the buzzers are taking advantage of the warm temperatures.
They sit on the surface for a few brief seconds to dry the tiny wings, before
taking flight. For me, I'm watching the rise forms and their shape. They look
circle like, but there's nearly always a pull away on one side, indicating the
trout's direction of travel, that the trout is heading. Recasting and quickly
straightening the leader, I'm poised for the hit. It's not a big hit, but I see
the banding on my fly line slip away from me, then drop the rod tip right and
pull with the line hand. In again! Just amazing and what a thrill ride.
This clonker hit pace from the get go. Just superb fighters |
The acceleration of these powerful Rainbows is quite something else! Sheer
power and I'm loving being attached to these beasts. Considering the take was
merely a visual slide away of the fly line, seen on the line banding. The first
burst of energy is just breath taking. Peeling line through the rod rings, the
line sizzles as it's dragged through the surface water. At this point, I'm
always concerned on the hook hold? Such is the point of focus, where all the
resistance from you, your fly line and drag are the held in one position, by
just the hook point and your tippet knot?? Mind blowing.
Applying more pressure, brings this fish lolling to the top. I pull it to
one side, then quickly net it. Twitter gets it's feed and this one isn't
interested in returning too quickly. It rests itself in the weeded margins, but
looks Ok? So I leave it there to recover. Even whilst I'm casting, this trout is
unperturbed and wants nothing. I recast again, look down and it's gone??
I decide to make a move to Lakemoor, as the wind is picking up. Setting up
near the trees on the left side of the lake. I have a restricted backcast, but
more prominent gaps in the pond weed. Out goes my first tentative cast with the
floater, but I have to overpower the cast to turn it over. Pulling the line
straight, I miss another fast take again? Recasting and dropping into the Roly
Poly, straight off the bat gets the desired response, with my rod tip pulsing
then all goes tight? This is weird and there's steady resistance with the
occasional thump. I've been weeded again. I have two choices. Apply more
pressure and bully the fish up, which may pop the hook hold? Or, slacken the
line and see if it pulls away after a short wait? I apply a little pressure, but
the thump is no longer there? So I pull the leader up and away.
With pond weed all over my leader, I clear it up and see a casting knot
from overpowering my cast. So it's re-rig time. Three full arm stretches of G3
is 15ft for me. I set the dropper at 5ft from the line tip with a three turn
water knot, then attach a skinny Black Diawl Bach on the dropper. To be honest,
I've tried the two turn water knot and have little confidence in it. A recast
and we're back in business!
A Black Diawl Bach, green wire rib and silver holographic tied in horizontally |
Absolute beauty in a small package. A wonderful little Brown Trout |
I move left and up to the prominent point on Lakemoor. It sits adjacent to
a drop off, which offers structure and a change of flow. Where the cooler under
flowing sub surface water flows over the drop and also adds a sprinkling of fly
life, to the dwellers on this mark. From this spot, I put up the Mini Tip rig
after a cursory glance at my flies and leader. I pop 20yds of line out to the
opposite tree and rushes. My unweighted Damsel's marabou tail hanging in the
surface film. A few quick, short plucks sinks the fly and I'm fishing
again.
The sun is gradually pumping out more heat and sunshine. The trout seem
untroubled and carry on with their surface picnic. I'm catching weed nearly
every cast, so cast to the same spot, but on the release of the cast, throw a
line mend in and keep the rod tip at 90 degrees to bank. Using a slow roly poly
and short spurting pulls, gets some attention, but no firm hook up. I pull in
the leader for a fly change. Now I have a Flash Back Damsel debarbed on the
point. I soak the fly in the margin water, then flick out a shorter cast to my
right, down the bank again?
If your careful and quiet, you'll sometimes see trout explore the margins.
I've just seen a mud cloud mushroom to my right, hence the cast in that
direction. I roly poly quickly on the edge of the mud cloud. A fast silvery
flash and my line at the rod tip pulses, but no take? I cast back to the cloud,
but this time to the right of it. Pulling fast back through the murk, I lose
sight of line banding for a moment, but felt the thud, right down the line and
in the same instant, the rod tip arcs around. The take is that fast, that I line
strike straight downward and the fish hits the bank edge, creating another mud
cloud! It regains it's sense of direction and plunges for the weed and
safety.
I'd lost sight of my line banding, because of the take. But, whatever you
believe you think you know about these Impact Mini Tip lines, transmission of a take,
from the line tip to your fingers is instant. With these low stretch lines, you
feel everything. With just 6% stretch when compared to a conventional PVC fly line, you can get better longer range hook ups and more feel for your money. Even weeding feels different, compared to a pull or pluck. It a
characteristic, that I love with this line range. These lines are due to have Super Dri technology, added to their make up. A characteristic that can only enhance their already great perfomance!
Some hard surges have this trout taking line, but not like the others? A
long Rainbow, but not heavy. With it soon at the net rim, I'm more than happy
with my small successes so far. But, this wind is increasing, as it always does
at Ellerdine Lakes. So I opt for a move to Crannymoor.
Catching my drift, with method in the madness.
After trying to weed me, this one is finally in the net |
The Island on the right on Crannymoor. In the foreground is a drop off, harbouring some nice Trout |
A small reed bed and the pump in the corner on Crannymoor |
A clonker fish that was lying in wait near the pump on Crannymoor |
A fun filled day, with some great looking trout. Finding the successful
method, makes all the difference. Degreasing your leader, will always pay
dividends against an untreated line. The next time your out, cast some
lightweight flies out and see what happens as you retrieve? Then try Degreasing
and see the difference. You'll be surprised by the result.
Don't forget to share your experiences, with all of us? We're all
watching........ waiting!!!
Best regards
Stuart