THE wind’s been wreaking havoc across the country this week but hopefully you got more than a soaking if you’ve been out for a cast.
I was dropping my wife off last week and grabbed the chance to fish at Craufurdland Estate, Kilmarnock, while I was in the area.
The storms had abated and the weather report showed a few clear hours so it was perfect for grabbing my stillwater gear and getting out there.
With the lake set in an idyllic location, surrounded by trees, I couldn’t wait to cast a line.
In winter, try to find features such as fences entering the water, reed beds, sunken trees or deep holes because fish can often be found nearby.
Features offer shelter and food because all kinds of critters will also be holding around them. Also, if wading is allowed, don’t wade straight away.
Even in winter you might find fish surprisingly close to the bank due to the amount of food often found there in among the dying weed beds.
Within a few minutes, a fish moved on the surface, then another.
This gave me an immediate clue; I should start with a floating line as some feeding fish were up and cruising near the surface. If I’m searching out Trout, I’ll generally start with a single lure on a 12ft leader.
If the fish have recently been stocked, plenty of movement in the fly often gets fish in the mood to follow of not take.
Like a coarse angler registering line bites, using searching patterns and keeping an eye out for follows lets you know the fish are in front of you.
My first cast attracted a good solid take that I duly missed in the excitement.
I fished on, counting the lure down and varying the speed of my retrieve, even getting a couple of shy takes but only landing one fish.
I gave my peg a rest from the casting and took five minutes for a coffee and a change of tack. If fish are there then you have to believe that they’re catchable.
But you must also remember that you need to work out what mood they’re in and play to it. I set up with an Olive Apps and a Squirmy extending my leader by a further six feet to allow some distance between the two flies in the clear water and slowed everything down.
My third cast produced the best fish of the day, a lovely Rainbow Trout, which took the Squirmy Wormy pattern on the dropper. This fish had obviously been in the lake a while and fought like a proper old warrior before coming to the net.
A bit of a change and a short session bag limit to open my account for the year showed that varying flies, lines, retrieves or location can play a big part in whether an angler is successful or not.
What the fish may have liked last time you were there is not necessarily what they will want the next time around.
