Well the spring was the worst in living memory, but so far the summer has been fabulous, here in the east anyway. Just like they used to be! :8)
Not so good for the river fishing, but who cares? Give me summer any day. The last 4 of 5 weeks have been outstanding. Beautiful today yet again. :8)
Having lived in the cold far North and now living farther South you would think that :lol:
Quote from: Fishtales on July 06, 2013, 10:32:54 AM
Having lived in the cold far North and now living farther South you would think that :lol:
Good point. But my sons tells me it's even been fine in the Shire of Sheep. Certainly here in Angus it's wonderful, but then it always has been :lol:
I always preferred the Moray coast. They had a saying that the weather 'came up the Spey and went down the Deveron' and the bit in the middle had the good weather. We could sit in the sun on the beach at Cullen and be surrounded by black clouds so there must have been some truth in it :)
Quote from: Roobarb on July 06, 2013, 11:33:50 AM
Sheets of rain and 40mph winds here today :D
We have only had one summer week so far, the first week of June. Very different to last year but actually not that much wetter, the moors are pretty dry and the lochs low. I think we are forecast a couple of hours of summer next week!
Andy
The wind and rain just arriving here now. Dry here too despite the smur/cloud and rain of the past week, the burns have water but very little, hoping there's a right sploosh for a cast this evening. Salmon & sea trout are only now starting to put in an appearance, so one never kin'tail, as they say :8)
Quote from: admin on July 06, 2013, 10:20:50 AM
Well the spring was the worst in living memory, but so far the summer has been fabulous, here in the east anyway. Just like they used to be! :8)
Not so good for the river fishing, but who cares? Give me summer any day. The last 4 of 5 weeks have been outstanding. Beautiful today yet again. :8)
Must migrate North! Outstanding 4 - 5 weeks - we've hardly had that in nice days down here. Cloudy, sea frets and a bit of rain. Beautiful last two days though :8)
Just been oot wi the dug, a few miles walk in the blazing heat. I'm knackered.
The neighbour asked me "you're not out fishing today?" I said no because blazing sun, a very stiff breeze and boiling temperatures are not good fishing conditions.
That set me wondering - what actually ARE good fishing conditions? :?
Settled spell of weather/river height, gentle upstream breeze, not cold, cloudy, slightly clammy with the occasional short lived heavy shower ?
.......... what I wonder is, is it the conditions that are not ideal or what we do?
Quote from: admin on July 06, 2013, 03:35:24 PM
.......... what I wonder is, is it the conditions that are not ideal or what we do?
Ah......well in that case when conditions are not ideal as someone who is a bit of a one trick pony I'm usually goosed. I do have a several options of water that let still me fish the way I like on days like today for instance, but for changing tactics I'm pretty limited. For instance high water stops me going out.
What makes me say this is conditions that are considered hopeless here - high summer, low water, brilliant sun and roasting are exactly the kind of conditions you hope for when fishing in New Zealand. Dull weather is, in fact, a pain. It's just the approach that's different. There is one Scottish loch I know where I would only go if the forecast was brilliant sun and calm, I fish that as I do in NZ - sight fishing. Could the NZ approach be applied wider here?
Last time I was over there I asked our guide mate Pete Carty if the hatches in spring meant better / easier fishing. His response was "this is not a hatch driven fishery". I think it's fair to say that, in the main, we consider Scotland to be a hatch driven fishery or at least we find the fishing more reliable during the main hatches - spring being a case in point. Does it have to be like that?
I think it depends on the river/loch. George and I fished last year in blazing sun and temperatures in the high twenties/low thirties and it didn't affect our catch rate from the start of the week when it was cold and overcast. We didn't change tactics either and it didn't matter whether we were on river or loch or even what loch. If the fish are there and feeding you will catch in just about any weather.
Quote from: admin on July 06, 2013, 03:45:44 PM
we consider Scotland to be a hatch driven fishery or at least we find the fishing more reliable during the main hatches - spring being a case in point. Does it have to be like that?
Yes I think so, very seasonal as well. A clear hot day in late March can be a good thing not so much in late May. I think mostly for ideal fishing conditions it's the time of year, time of day, food availability and then weather. I'm sure there are exceptions and I'm sure it's possible to winkle out trout in all sorts of conditions but for me it all becomes a bit too much of a chore, not much fun really and I start to think I should be doing something else.
One thing I think we learned this season is when it gets too cold for long periods save the fuel and effort.
Ideal conditions are when you have free time to get out! Ok, the absolute ideal conditions are usually when you don't but you get the idea :D
The rivers are very low and clear right now and I'm enjoying the best fishing I've probably ever had in Scotland over the last 2 weeks. Catching good fish every trip, however, they are all coming between about 23:00 and 03:00... Goes against what one might usually expect but it's working!
Quote from: Roobarb on July 06, 2013, 06:00:37 PM
I think what we really mean when we talk about good fishing conditions is easy fishing conditions for the way we normally fish - a warm westerly and overcast on a loch or a falling and clearing spate on a spate river for instance.
Exactly the point I was trying to make without actually saying it. :lol:
Quote from: Roobarb on July 06, 2013, 06:05:40 PM
Most of my best West Country trout were caught late at night on sea trout lures so it doesn't surprise me at all.
Andy
Night time is great, totally agree. I was more meaning that most people tend to avoid low rivers and blame the conditions when they don't catch. I think you're spot on with people looking for the easy, comfortable what they're used to option, it's awfully hard not to fall into the trap of familiarity.
My biggest issue isn't so much weather, I don't really mind conditions, it's easy enough to deal with most things but in terms of different fishing methods or flies or approaches I find it really hard to make a conscious effort not to use what I know.
If I go out on what are considered good conditions, weather, river height (low water doesn't bother me), time of year or day, I can still come back disappointed. If I go on days where the opposite prevails I rarely if ever come back pleasantly surprised.
I was just wondering if the current low clear water and sun might be an opportunity for a bit if sight fishing?
Was in Cuba last week Temps at 35
Now's that's warm :P
Interesting.
I've been deterred from visiting my local river in recent weeks as the water levels have been very low. I was going to go this week (and indeed today) until my work colleague and Manager (the person who introduced me to this insane but wonderful activity a few years back) told me "don't bother. There's hardly any water and there's lots of algal growth too". I also figured that in the bright sunshine the low water issue would compound things and maybe put the trout off the feed except for some places where there is a lot of bankside vegetation and overhanging foliage to provide shade? Of course there are pools as well as runs and riffles - and many of these (on my local) can be in pretty inaccessible parts of the river. This got me thinking however: said "inaccessible" areas tend to be so because they are a) surrounded by cast-thwarting trees and other veg. and b) difficult to wade towards with confidence - in a bid to get into position because of said vegetation - because of Stream Power (a concept created by hydrologist G.E Petts which is kind of related to discharge but much more than that - the river system's total - well - power. Sorry, undergrad. Environmental Science moment there ;) ). However, when the flow is so low and gentle some of these areas do become approachable, and i'm guessing they will, even in these kinds of conditions hold fish - and probably hungry ones too provided the water temperature isn't outwith the optimum range for brownies? Not sure if this helps the discussion but just a thought :)
Down in chalkstream land its between 25 - 30 degrees and I've been living in the garden for a week with another week of the same forecast.
It's not so much the bright light that's making the fishing tough. The big problem is the water temperature. It's just too warm to wade in, like being in a bath :D
Quote from: admin on July 06, 2013, 07:52:04 PM
I was just wondering if the current low clear water and sun might be an opportunity for a bit if sight fishing?
Absolutely! Go to the right place, get the sun at the right angle and enjoy :8) It's hard as whilst you can sight fish it's still through slightly stained water but very possible. Missed the strike on a sighted trout over 5lb (two people's estimates) a fortnight ago...
Midgie, don't be deterred by low water, if you want to go out, go out! You might need to approach areas differently or tailor your fishing but it's very possible.
That's what I was wondering Scotty hence positing the thoughts on different approaches. Thanks :) Tbh though, the only real limiting factor is "can I be bothered cycling to the river in high heat to find it barely a trickle?" ;) - and anyway it's academic today thanks to the "No Sunday Fishing" rule on my "local", but I think i'll made the effort tomorrow evening.......probably :roll:
Well after a much cooler day on Wednesday, getting slightly warmer again yesterday it looks like today is going to be a melter. It's already roasting at 9.00AM :8)
I was out on the Don last night for a few hours and had some fun with the wee trout on the dry but never spotted anything decent. Again I had dozens go for the fly but very few connected.
As I was leaving the Auld guys started to arrive so I think thats where I am going wrong. Talking to one of them he said it was better to fish later in the evening and I suppose there is the chance of a sea trout if they can get up with the water being so low.
I did manage to check out a pool I have had my eye on for a while as it was easy to wade across to it. A good deep hole and it would be perfect holding water for a couple of decent fish.
The plan for next week is to go home and have something to eat and then head up later and fish into the wee small hours.
Billy
On rivers, I find that during these hot days, you can still catch fish by fishing the fast water. If you find a very slightly deeper pocket in a riffle, it will very likely have a fish in it.
Ideally I would use a light nymph in that situation, but on many of our lowland waters slimy weed can be a problem, so often I find myself restricted to dry fly when I would rather be fishing sub-surface.
If there are no upwings on the surface, I fish a beetle or an ant or something. I like to have some legs on show to make the trout's mind up that it isnt just a leaf or whatever, but looks like food.
On those sunny days, particularly with little or no cloud cover, spotting fish can be an option, particularly if the water holds bigger fish. I spot where I can and fish the likely fast water "blind" where I can't spot. I don't bother with waders on warm sunny days, but just wear quick drying trousers.
The other option is to do as Scotty does and fish late on. It is something I do rarely as I prefer fishing during daylight - just my personal preference :)
Alex
Quote from: haresear on July 12, 2013, 11:35:45 AM
The other option is to do as Scotty does and fish late on. It is something I do rarely as I prefer fishing during daylight - just my personal preference :)
Aye, I'm past it too Alex. :lol:
Leave the all night long stuff to the youngsters. :D
Well after a very uncomfortable, hot night, walking The Dug at 8.00AM it was still, humid sticky and very uncomfortable.
I could see the promised cold front coming our way south over the Angus Glens. Delineated by an obvious wall of cloud, straight as a die. It's here now and it is a big shock to the system I can tell you.
Feels bloody Baltic. :lol:
Good weather to return tomorrow apparently. :8)