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Early Season River trout Tactics

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  • 23-02-2007 4:13pm
    #1
    Ding Dong
    Registered Users Posts: 230 ✭✭


    The new season is nearly upon us again and I was wondering if anyone had any advise on early season river tactics for trout? wet fly? types of flies, methods etc.. Its a hard enough time of year to fish with rivers high etc but any advise would be welcom!


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    #2
    iascanmore
    Closed Accounts Posts: 79 ✭✭iascanmore


    Ding, where you fishing?

    My standard first day tactics are size 12 copper bead head hares ear type of nypmh with a 14 waterhen bloa on a dropper. I'll use standard downstream and across tatics until I get a fish or 2 and maybe sling a few casts upstream as the day ends. Some years I'll tie on a dry! Early season is all about the weather. Thursday looks like it'll be wet and rivers possibly coloured so bead heads will be needed to get down at the fish.

    Come back to me with some specific questions if you like.


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    #3
    Ding Dong
    Registered Users Posts: 230 ✭✭Ding Dong


    Hi iascanmore,

    Thats great advice. Our season hasnt started yet in Wicklow. March 15th the rivers open. I'll probably try fisihing the Avonmore. Spate river with a large head of small trout, but you have to work for the bigger ones. I was initally thinking floating line with one fly, maybe a spider. The weighted nymph sounds like a very good plan. If its v windy, as usual is in March I might stick to one fly for less tangles, but would a single spider and a few mends on the line be enough to interst trout without going down on the bottom? or would I be wasting my time?


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    #4
    iascanmore
    Closed Accounts Posts: 79 ✭✭iascanmore


    Meant to mention lines etc, I use a floating line (4#-6# weights max), the entire season, I might stick on a sinking leader if fishing in real deep fast water (rare). I've fished the Avonmore a few times as it happens, feisty little trout in there.

    Early season trout are pretty hungry so are not going to chase a spider to the (sub) surface unless there is a hatch on. Which there will be! Large Dark Olives are in most of our rivers and you should see a few btn 12-3pm in the fist few weeks. You may get lucky and happen on a real good hatch in which case I'd stick a Partridge and Orange/Waterhen bloa on straight away..

    Tend to only get good hatches of LDOs on nice calm days with "normal" water levels. Failing that the fish hold deep and fairly tight to that bank so bead heads allow you to at least get among them.

    One other early season tactic is to use a lure/streamer. Not a stillwater stockie type but Thunder Creek Style (try google). Hungry browns will hammer a small fish if it happens into their area, so thats the thinking behind that. I've had some great fish on them early on, tends to be the bigger fish aswell, again google should try up some pages on usage as I'd never type it out...

    I'll be out Thursday regardless of conditions and can't wait!!!!

    Tight Lines.


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