Fry Feeders
- Details
- Published on Friday, 27 October 2006 14:54
- Written by Fred Carrie
As the days shorten and the long close-season approaches, it is customary for anglers and angling publications alike to turn their attention to the challenges of fry feeding.
Fry feeding, of course, is not limited to this time of year but there is little doubt that the cooler back-end conditions, coupled with shortening day length, present fry feeding opportunities that simply do not exist in summer. The northern-based angler, in particular those spending time in remote highland locations, will find fry feeding opportunities severely limited during the long summer days, when they may well still be out on the water at 11.00 PM or even later. At this late hour, in most northern locations, very little, if any, fry feeding will be witnessed.
It is customary to associate fry feeding with autumn but it is less well known that good fry feeding is to be found at any time of the year when the day length is short. In my own experience, the best fry feeding opportunities are to be found from mid September, through winter and into spring, right up until about mid May, when lengthening daylight hours make things far more challenging.
Before looking at fry feeding in more detail, it is important to differentiate between the various types of fry feeder. To keep things as simple as possible, we will, for the purpose of this article, break fry feeders down into two broad categories: deep fry feeders and shallow fry feeders.
Deep Fry Feeders
Here in Scotland, without doubt, most deep fry feeders show a distinct preference for the fish supper. Not any fish mind you - it has to be haddock. Over the years, the supremacy of the fish supper has been challenged by various pretenders to the throne: haggis suppers, white and black puddings, king ribs and others have all made their moves at various times. The fish supper, however, still reigns supreme in the minds of most hungry anglers heading home after a hard day on the river or loch. It is worth noting that, in some areas of Scotland not normally associated with fishing, it is possible to buy a fish supper at almost any hour of the day Some may remember, many years ago, the famous Scottish philosopher Rab C. Nesbit walking the streets of Govan in Glasgow and asking the question, "Where else can you get a fish supper at 9 o'clock in the morning?" Autumn brings with it a shorter day length and most anglers are off the water before 6.00 PM. It can be seen, at this time, that opportunities for deep fry feeding are greatly enhanced. A few of my own favourite deep fry feeding locations are at Ballater and Inverbervie in Aberdeenshire. These places are deep fry feeder Nirvana, but most anglers will have their own preferences, probably based on geographical location. Another superb deep fry feeding location is in Wick, Caithness, where a truly magnificent pie supper can be had directly across the road from Hugo Ross's tackle shop. Some complain it is unfair that Caithness anglers seem to have everything laid on for them; they just don't realise how lucky they are up there.
Shallow Fry Feeders
Shallow fry feeding, at the end of one's fishing day, can be an altogether more challenging business. In most take-aways, deep fry feeding is the order of the day and shallow fry feeding opportunities may be confined to bacon or sausage rolls. Beware however that, in some establishments, the bacon for your roll may not be shallow fried at all, but instead grilled, and this is not always made clear. It is completely unethical to attempt to pass-off grilled bacon as fried and knowingly turning a blind eye to such abuse is as bad as using the worm on a fly only water. The salvation of the shallow fry feeder is the transport café or "greasy spoon". Within such fine establishments shallow fired cuisine of the highest quality is to be found. Bacon, sausage and egg, fried bread, gammon steaks, side portions of beans, these are but samples of the delights on offer. Some even offer hybrids and will include deep fried chips with the shallow fried main course if asked. In such choice spots, fry feeding frenzies are witnessed from time to time, but be aware that these are usually short lived and success is all down to timing. The major limiting factor on shallow fry feeding is opening hours. Most places are closed by about 6.30 PM, thus, for the angler, reliable shallow fry feeding is normally a spring or autumn experience.
The main enemy of both the deep and shallow fry feeder is the saturated fat "anti". Organised groups of these "antis" have made worrying and powerful alliances with the salt police, anti-smoking and anti-drinking groups, making it their life's work to interfere with the natural seasonal rhythms of the fry feeder. Those most at risk are anglers who like to wash their fish supper down with a beer and enjoy a smoke afterwards. There is little point in even attempting to reason with these people; just keep low on the skyline, approach the counter carefully and quietly, point to the menu, then cast a five pound note in the direction of the assistant. Hopefully you will not fall within the anti's narrow window of vision.
To conclude: with October now here, the cream of fry feeding is with us. Get out there and make the most of it. Happy munching and don't forget to take some wipes to remove the grease from your hands before you grasp the steering wheel and drive home. Safety first, heart attacks not withstanding!
Fred runs the successful Wild Fishing Scotland web site and enjoys the hike up to the wild hill lochs as much as the fishing itself. The more uncharitable members of his family and friends say that is perhaps just as well.