sea trout spates & daylight

[jon boy]

hi all

new to the forum and hoping to learn a lot

i have a question for you all

my local river is in spate today so im going to fish it in the morning

im wondering what tatics and flies youd suggest

with the wash out last season i spent a lot of time fishing in the day time and was not at all sucessful im wondering if you could help

all the best
john

[salar76]

Looking forward to seeing responses on this one, apart from the predictable rapala (TT - that wasn't specifically directed at you )! Looking at the forecast I expect the Tywi will be coloured at the weekend when I'm there on my only ST trip on the year ::. However, the Cothi could well be in fine fettle! Either way, I'm sure we'll score....

[Salarex]

I was on the Teifi last weekend, and an experienced fisher told me to get in the pool and fish the tail in the last hour of daylight, looking for running fish.

I was worried that I would put fish down for those fishing later, but he told me not to worry as the water was too coloured for night fishing, although some were going to give it a go, and with a bit of colour in the water it wouldnt affect the fishing.

Indeed I did hook one, for all of 5 seconds, while there was plenty of light, and it wasnt small either. Nothing after dark. My son cast a dry fly to a rising brownie at about 8pm and was amazed to catch a small sewin.

Last year when it was well in flood I was also told to fish a worm up against the bank when well coloured, as apparently the sewin lie there out of the current and take the worms as they are washed out. Makes sense to me, but the guy who was demonstrating for me was amazed not to catch any and reckoned there were none in the river~#

Like Salar76 I look forward to reading the expert comments!

[Salarex]

Am reading Jeremy Paxman's fishing anthology, Fish, Fishing and the Meaning of Life, and there is a description of poachers tying a small fly-spoon to a whippy branch and leaving it trailing in the water, coming back later to collect the fish :}

[Beanzy]

Not expert, but last year I tied a lead-eyed tandem orange and white deer-hair monstrosity just for this purpose.... It worked and I caught a 1lb schoolie below a weir at about midday when the water was in spate and coloured up like coco-pops.

Watch out if you're casting them though they'll smack your rod and weaken it if you get the timing wrong.

[IanMcD]

Spate Special

Have a look at the following link and thumb down to 'Spate Special' ...

http://www.seatroutfishing.net/snakes2.htm

The guy who tied it doesn't like spinning and uses a fly asap |\

TL's
Ian

[plotter]

pesonally, if its in spate like my local(Towy) as far as im concerned fly fishing is out for the rest of the month as the rain is topping it up, this is just my opinion before anyone jumps down my throat,, so on this note i would stick with rapalas, condoms and of course my favourite running worm.. in my opinion the river has to be crystal clear for the fly..(:,

[jon boy]

many thanks for the replys guys

its just im here in ireland and with all the regulations its is basically fly fishing with single barbless hook, spinning with single barbless hook or maggots with single barbless hook or if fishing for salmon shrimp with single barbless hook

catch and releas is mantadory

i would love to fish worm in these conditions buts thats why i asked for advice regarding fly fishing

all the best
john

[Dovey]

.. in my opinion the river has to be crystal clear for the fly..(:,

I wouldn't dream of jumping down your (nor anyone else's) throat.

But as I only fish the fly these days, I have to disagree. The fly, in sizes as small as 16, will catch sea trout in a falling spate, even in water that many anglers only consider suitable for spinning or worming.

Andy Nicholson is as good a worm angler as I know. Last season, it was demonstrated to him how successful small flies could be in conditions he'd previously thought suitable only for spoon or worm. This was on the Dyfi. In August he fished Golden Groves beat 3 with a rodholder friend. The water was big and coloured - but dropping and gradually clearing. They caught one salmon on worm by 7pm, and Andy's friend had to leave because he lives near London and had to work early the following day. Andy decide to fish on using the methods he'd been shown on the Dyfi. He caught 11 sea trout, three in double figures of pounds. All were caught on a size 14 fly.

[JT]

Dovey:

Andy Nicholson is as good a worm angler as I know. Last season, it was demonstrated to him how successful small flies could be in conditions he'd previously thought suitable only for spoon or worm. This was on the Dyfi.

Now that's not strictly speaking true - he got a lesson in this on the Dyfi when he made his video/DVD but it obviously took a while for it to sink in!

Only jesting

Jon