Upstream Nymphs for Big SeaTrout

[Primarycolours]

Hi All,

Just found this forum from a link on one of the others. Look forward to reading some interesting threads!

My local river usually has a small run of biggish seatrout in April, and last year I connected with one but lost it. I was fishing upstream with a size 14 goldhead nymph on a shortish line. Having just returned a Brownie of about 3/4 lb the savage take of a good 4lb sea-trout was something of a surprise. Anyway the fish was on for a good 5 minutes before throwing the finest of hook holds on the neb of the mouth.

I hadn't thought Seatrout would respond to an upstream Nymph tactic, and put this down to a fluke. Until last Saturday.

Fishing a good mile upstream of last years encounter I was carefully working up a lovely pool for the fly, again with the same setup. Using a slightly larger fly to match the height of water. Nothing much was doing with the Trout as I worked up and was stopped half way up the pool by a thumping thug of a take which drew me out of the relaxing rhythm I had settled into.

10 minutes of 20 metre long runs up and down the pool were followed by a head long exit out the bottom and down the 30 metres of fast water to the pool below. Following was relatively straight forwards with only a few spring saplings to navigate around, but at the time the saplings seemed very inconvenient indeed! There wasn't much in the way of slack water to land the fish, but with some care and faith put into the leader and hook hold, the sea-trout did finally succumb. A good 6lbs in the net.

Very much the best encounter I have had with rod a line to date.

My question is has anyone else got evidence that an Upstream nypmh works for big seatrout?

[Salarex]

Well done! My son will certainly be interested in that - he catches them with the upstream dry fly, but hasnt tried on the upstream nymph.

[Teifi-Terrorist]

My question is has anyone else got evidence that an Upstream nypmh works for big seatrout?

Hi PrimaryColours,

thanks a lot for joining and thanks for a very interesting first post.

Great to read of your achievment, especially with such methods. |\

I have caught sea-trout whilst nymphing for trout/grayling but can't honestly say that I have taken them whilst targetting them with such a method. In addition, the ones I have had have been small. Having said that:

1. I remember a good friend of mine that lived in Cardiff once taking a sea-trout of around 6lbs on a cased caddis immitaion from the Taff whilst fishing for trout/grayling.

2. A Dovey regular once reported taking large catches in the daytime czech-nymphing with a hare's ear nymph. These were, however, small fish, but sea-trout nonetheless.

3. Large sea-trout are taken in good numbers each season from either the Test or the Itchen - sorry, can't remember which - on goldhead patterns in the daytime. However, I believe these are fished rather more 'across' rather than upstream.

4. I have hooked a couple of salmon whilst upstream nymphing in the winter whilst grayling fishing. Ideed, I was out this January on the Taff with a couple of friends that wanted to see the tactic so that they could utilise it for salmon fishing this year. The tactic was the same as the one deployed for grayling, and as luck would have it I did actually hook a salmon that day whilst demonstrating the method. I do believe, however, that salmon can be taken at closer quarters than sea-trout, especially in clear water - especially outside of fast water.

From a personal perspective; when the sea-trout have arrived in good numbers, I tend to concentrate my efforts at night. As such, having little time to experiment etc. in the daytime. Having said that, I fully intend to do more of it this year, especially with the short line method on a clearing river. I do, however, envisage the majority of the takes - regardless of size - coming from and on the last section of the cast where the flies are rising from the bottom and swinging out from the depths/holding area.

TT.

[Primarycolours]

A pic of the fish in Question

2916_97306360154_580140154_2932174_4100799_n[1].jpg


Since I have now moved to Lincolnshire where there is bereft any gradient let alone a freestone river in sight - I am hanging on to the memory of this fish closely!