Lure Blog #2

Well here we are at the beginning of March, “spring is in the air” and now’s the time to start thinking about going Trout fishing.

As they say “money talks” and with boats to fill two of our major Trout reservoirs, Hanningfield near Chelmsford in Essex [CM3 8HX] and Bewl Water near Tunbridge Wells in Kent [TN3 8JH] have introduced “any method” Trout fishing. Both of these waters start their seasons in March, Hanningfield opens on the 7th and Bewl on the 21st.

So where and how are we going to catch our first Trout of the season? Location as always is the key to success, experience gained from 35 years of fly fishing means I can with some certainty predict where you should start.

“Find the food and you’ll find the fish”. In March fly activity will be minimal but their larvae, such as Bloodworms [Midge] and Caddis [Sedge], flies that will hatch later in the spring, are here now in the silt at the bottom. The shallow water around the shore line starts warming first so the grubs here will be active and the Trout will be grazing the bottom for them.

Now these reservoirs have vast shorelines so is there anyway of narrowing down your choice still further? Well yes as the surface water across the lake warms, this warmed film is pushed downwind towards the shore, these downwind banks are a “fish magnet”, fish these areas in March and throughout April and you will not go wrong!

Let’s start fishing! We know the fish are feeding on the larvae which are on the bottom, in shallow water less than 10’ [3m], imagine the Trout are mooching along, just off bottom, being cold blooded they’re the same temperature as the water so we need to retrieve our lures and flies at slow speed.

I’m assuming we’re fishing from a boat, on Bewl “any method” fishing is only permitted from boats whereas on Hanningfield you can also fish from the bank.

Anchor up within casting distance of the “downwind” bank making sure not to infringe on any bank anglers that might be fishing there. We need to fish our lures slowly, and we need to fish very close to the bottom without snagging or picking up weed or leafs. My first choice lures in this situation are shallow diving “minnow” plugs such as “original” Rapala’s or similar, these long slim baits can be retrieved slowly just off bottom, an occasional pause will see it rise a little, commencing the retrieve sees it start swimming again, this “spin stop” as the continentals call it triggers the Trout to strike. Make each cast close to the previous one, remember the fish are not moving much so search the water thoroughly, “be patient and make each cast count”.

The water is often coloured early in the season from the “new water” being pumped in, so colour choice of lures can be very important, fly anglers will tell you that Black is the most effective colour in this situation, so dark Black & Silver baitfish colours are a must plus Florescent Green [Fire Tiger] and you cannot ignore bright Orange because Trout can’t resist this colour especially as things warm up later in the day.

After fishing the area for an hour I suggest you move, but not too far, move along the bank beyond the casting range of your previous position. Like I said earlier the fish are not circulating much so you could easily miss out if you moved too far. Systematically search your way along the downwind bank in this manner, your boat partner should use similar lures but in different colours. As the day progresses start mixing up the retrieve speeds, but get into the habit of counting the number of turns of the reel handle before each pause, once you start catching you want to repeat the successful retrieve.

On a warm spring day, by the afternoon the shallows can increase in temperature by as much as 2 degrees ‘C’. With this in mind try fishing a little shallower and faster with “in-line” spinners such as Mepps Aglia or Abu Droppen in 4-6g sizes, again have a selection of colours; Silver, Gold, Black and Orange.

Before I go any further I’d like to mention etiquette for those new to reservoir fishing, please consider other anglers who like yourself want to enjoy a relaxing days fishing. Please do not cast in front of other boats, whether anchored or drifting and give bank anglers plenty of space it’s very selfish to encroach on them when we have the whole reservoir at our disposal and please NO TROLLING.

All Rainbow Trout must be killed, up to your “limit”, specified on your permit, please return all Brown Trout, Perch and Pike unharmed if possible. In fact fishing for Perch and Pike can make a interesting alternative to Trout if like me you like a little variety. Perch especially are growing to specimen sizes in Hanningfield although I’m told they are few in numbers? I hope to find out more for myself during March.

In the next issue I’ll give you some more hints and tips about how to catch Trout as the water warms. I’ll also describe how to fish the “Bombarda” float system that’s very popular in southern Europe for Trout in stocked stillwaters and a detailed look at the “Dropshot” rig, for Perch.

Tight lines.

Andy Lush

Andy owns The Friendly Fisherman in Tunbridge Wells [TN1 2PS], his shop as you would expect is full of everything a “lure angler” will need. Andy is available to offer advice on all things lure and fly fishing related.