BASIC EARLY SEASON TACTICS

March 15th is a very special event in the calendar of the brown trout enthusiast. Those months of waiting and wondering, of tying up deadly patterns and of dreaming about big bends in the rod, suddenly come to an end with the opening of the new season. Up in my northern neck of the woods there are always one or two deadly keen souls willing to brave the elements and wet a line. Trout can sometimes be few and far between but its grand to say hello again to those wild fish which give us so much pleasure. For some trout fishers, opening day will be little more than a quick ceremony before putting the rod away again until May. This is a pity, for the techniques used early on can be applied throughout the season particularly when the weather is being cussedly awkward, switching between cool and brisk and hard and bright.

BASIC EARLY SEASON TACTICS

Whether fishing the river or the lake/loch you must bear in mind that throughout the whole year, wild trout have no hard and fast rules and by and large are opportunistic feeders. You must adopt a similarly flexible approach and adapt to what the fish appear to be doing. Fish surface flies if the trout are active there and wets or nymphs below, if things appear quiet and still.Vital necessities to have with you are normally a multi-purpose 10ft rod with matching floating and intermediate lines, 4lb nylon and a fly selection ranging from nymphs (Pheasant Tail, Hares Ear etc), traditional wets like the Dunkeld, Pennel, Butcher, Invicta, Zulu together with a few dries like the Adams, Wickhams and Black Gnat.Clothing should be warm but avoid trussing yourself up like a chicken. Use plenty of layers which can easily be put on and taken off and keep the head warm. If wading is needed, neoprene waders keep you more comfortable and always use a wading stick in fast flowing streams. Remember, trout action is going to be sporadic with long pauses between activity. The warmest part of the day (around noon to 2pm) is always going to be the most productive so don’t have a long lunch!It is also unfortunate that a heck of a lot of myth and misinterpretation surrounds tactics for wild trout in the first half of the year. Here are some of the old chestnuts trotted out on an annual basis;

‘Early season tactics are completely different from the rest of the season’.

On many occasions they are not! Difficult conditions like cold air temperatures can occur at any time of year and these times are eminently suitable for ‘early’ tactics. Wild trout are much more sensitive to swings in weather patterns than we give them credit for. You need to go with the flow and adapt tactics as quickly as the fish alter their feeding responses.

‘The trout will be lying deep early in the year’.

Rainbow trout might well do so – but browns are far more concerned with the best spots for food and shelter which are, almost inevitably, in the shallows. From March to May food is scarce in deeper water and trout, eager to fatten up again, will lie close in to the shore, often in water perhaps only 2 – 3 feet deep. This applies in both rivers and lochs/lakes. Huge casts into infinity and beyond are therefore not normally required!

‘Dry fly is useless for browns until late May’

Flies can be used on the surface right from the word go, providing there is a hatch on. It is just that hatches tend to be shorter and more erratic in cooler weather and they may be all but over by the time you switch from wet to dry.

‘Nymph fishing is essential early and late in the year’.

No, nymph fishing can be used at any time when the trout are obviously feeding sub surface. Nymphs are normally the easiest flies to make yourself and nowadays they can be altered in a flash by the addition of soft weights (heavy putty like material) which can be moulded round the head of the fly to give extra depth. These soft weights allow considerable adaptability in your fishing and can be added to any slim line wet fly for deeper fishing, for example Butcher and/or Invictas.

‘Sunk or intermediate lines are necessary to get the fly down’

Because wild browns are not lying at any depth in the first and last months of the season, a floating line will often deal with most situations on the loch.In river trout angling anglers may have to use sink tip/sunk or intermediates because the flow of water is such that floating lines are whisked away and the fly does not get time for proper presentation.

‘Feeding is poor early on’

This is only true on nutrient-poor waters where the amount of food available in the water remains at a consistently low level all year and trout rely mainly on mid season terrestrials for additional food supplements. However many waters which are neutral to alkaline (often with a limestone input) will sustain a good food supply for the whole year with the trout concentrating on shrimp, snail, caddis and the like. Note that trout will often use these items as their staple diet and therefore their growth rates are very good even in waters which at first glance appear barren and unproductive.

‘Trout are out of condition until May’

‘Kelt’ brown trout are only very infrequently caught.Do remember that not all brown trout spawn each year and that immature trout can sometimes weigh up to three quarters of a pound . This means there is normally a good stock of non spawning fish which have been quietly feeding up all winter. In addition some trout like those of the ‘Leven’ strain, will spawn almost immediately after the season has ended (late October early November), and then return to their home territories to recover. In many cases these trout have been feeding up from mid November through till mid March and their condition if perhaps not at a peak, is still quite acceptable.

There will still be many times when the gales, hail or storms will drive you away from the water, early season fishing is never easy, but by bearing in mind these straightforward tips you should be able to go and grab yourself a piece of the action. Often you will have the whole water virtually to yourself and given a little warmth you will be surprised what comes up to have a look at your fly!