Soon after the opening of the general trout season, my thoughts begin to turn to the trout’s more adventurous cousins — the sea trout. It seems a long time since I had a good outing with these fish and the past few seasons have not brought the big runs to the rivers I frequent.
In fact the lack of sea trout has been almost as pronounced as the lack of salmon, and the few fish I caught in 1969 were more by accident than design. Fish took a fly intended for salmon in the day and night fishing failed to produce even a pull.
At the best of times, however, sea trout can be very unpredictable.
They can run on low water or roaring spates. There may be an abundance one day and not a sign of them the next. In general they like the tails of gliding pools and the shade of trees.
Some rivers, such as the Welsh Dovey, are noted for their sea trout; on others they tend to be tolerated by the angler who is more concerned with his salmon fishing. Richard Waddington said that the river Spey was the finest sea trout river in Britain but he added that, as it is also a classic salmon river, the sea trout are rarely fished for seriously.
Many of our rivers have sea trout running at the same time as salmon but it has become common practice not to fish seriously for the sea trout until the first floods of summer bring the main run.
This coincides with ideal conditions for night fishing and if the dedicated sea trout angler wishes to get on full terms with these fish he must be prepared to burn a bit of midnight oil. Thought they can be caught in the daytime, sea trout are very shy, though on the right night they are often prepared to throw caution to the wind and greedily take the fly.
Similar lives
Denne historien er fra April 29, 2020-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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Denne historien er fra April 29, 2020-utgaven av Shooting Times & Country.
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United we stand
Following United Utilities' decision to end grouse shooting on its land, Lindsay Waddell asks what will happen if we ignore our vital moors
Serious matters
An old gamebook prompts a contemplation on punt-gunning
They're not always as easy as they seem
While coneys of the furry variety don't pose a problem for Blue Zulu, he's left frustrated once again by bolting bunnies of the clay sort
Debutant gundogs
There's lots to think about when it comes to making the decision about when to introduce your dog to shooting
When the going gets rough
Al Gabriel returns to the West London Shooting School to brush up on his rough shooting technique
The Field Guide To British Deer - BDS 60th Anniversary Edition
In this excerpt from the 60th anniversary edition of the BDS's Field Guide To British Deer, Charles Smith-Jones considers the noise they make
A step too far?
Simon Garnham wonders whether a new dog, a new gun and two different fields in need of protection might have been asking too much for one afternoon's work
Two bucks before breakfast
A journey from old South London to rural Hertfordshire to stalk muntjac suggests that the two aren't as far detached as they might seem
Stalking Diary
Stalkers can be a sentimental bunch, and they often carry a huge attachment to their hill
Gamekeeper
Alan Edwards believes unique, private experiences can help keepers become more competent and passionate custodians of the countryside