ferox hunting: any ideas?

[corsican dave]

firstly, happy new year to all! since i'm STILL waiting for my new hips (now re-scheduled for 23 jan) i'm trying to work out some jolly japes for the early part of the season when i may not quite have my "hill legs". so, having equipped my new kayak with rod holders for both fly and spinning (purism was never one of my strong points :shock:), i thought some ferox hunting down remote lochs might be in order. i've ordered a copy of the "definitive" book by ron greer but wondered what the brethren may have to say on the matter? quite a lot, i expect.....  :lol:

i thought a good starting point may be loch ericht, since it's just down the road.

anyone else embarked on this journey of discovery? :

[Black-Don]

Thanks for recommending me Breac but I'm no authority on the subject by any means. I'll try and give a few tips on an extremely extensive topic though.

Probably the best bit of advice on the topic comes from Ron Greers book which you have already have Dave.

Ron Greer describes the pursuit of Ferox thus: ? No matter how good you become, or how often you try, you are never going to catch massive numbers of fish. In the process you will alternatively approach hypothermia, heatstroke, exhaustion, dessication and drowning. So if your pleasure comes from catching hoards of tame rainbows..... my advice to you regarding ferox angling is ? don?t even start. My favourite summary is that it will feel like a brain-numbing, bum-numbing fishless eternity. Those who survive will be relatively few and will thoroughly deserve their fish ?

And, he?s talking about using boats with outboards, cuddies, fish finders and down riggers. There?s no doubt you could catch a ferox from a kayak but you might wear your  arms out trying to do so. I?m not sure about Loch Ericht but I think there?s a chance of Ferox on most large highland lochs.

Some folk define a ferox as any Brown Trout over 3 lbs and the techniques in the section ?Cro-Magnon no more? pretty much nails tactics for ferox but there are a few refinements which will unlock the secrets more readily. I thoroughly recommend reading the whole book though as every hunter should research his quarry to the full.

From the kayak and without a fishfinder, seek local advice and seek out the drop-offs. It?s a myth you have to be trolling your lures 100 feet deep but remember that ferox are coming up from the depths to hit smaller brown trout in the upper layers.  The victorians used to catch them on Salmon flies trolled off the back of boat which would be rowed by their faithful ghillie.  :wink:



Hope this is of some help ?

(EDIT - Oh Aye, " beware Ferengi bearing gifts "  :roll:

[corsican dave]

The victorians used to catch them on Salmon flies trolled off the back of boat which would be rowed by their faithful ghillie.  :wink:

the english peasantry will therefore be reduced to trailing their zonking great swff lures on a sinking line off the back of a sit-on-top kayak!

ron greer's experiences sound like a good day out at crask....

[corsican dave]

These will be the folk that don't know what a ferox is then?

if you check out "ferox trout" on you-tube, there's a gloriously un-edited (and un-educated) debate raging on exactly this point! hilarious :

[Black-Don]

if you check out "ferox trout" on you-tube, there's a gloriously un-edited (and un-educated) debate raging on exactly this point! hilarious :

Cannae find the debate or do you mean some of the pics posted ?  :roll:

[Guddler]

check out "ferox trout" on you-tube

I think I have the full version of "Wild trout in wild places" on a DVD somewhere, Dave. If you'd like it to see what you're letting yourself in for then PM me your address and I'll send it off.

[Pearly Invicta]

Dave, I've never fished for ferox but I'm also a big fan of the sit on top yak. I use a fish finder when I use it in the salt but I'd be happy to join you on a ferox huinting trip. Ericht is a big bastard of a loch and 2 yaks are safer than one!

[corsican dave]

cheers guys! actually one of my first add-ons for the kayak was a seat with 4" of foam. most comfy! and yep, it looks like you found the replies under the video. terrifying really, isn't it? :shock: during the summer i've been specialising in catching "ferox pollack".... :roll:

[corsican dave]

anyone got a supply of char in their freezer, then? :lol: of course, if you have a char fly pattern, that'd be just as good. come to think of it, i'll just modify a crease fly (see post elsewhere!) with some suitably coloured felt-tips and a load of lead.... :

[corsican dave]

Catch a char on fly. Chuck it out with a huge pike fly in its mouth, twitch it back = caught on fly...

sounds like the voice of experience to me! :lol: