29/07/2023 - My first sea trout of the season

Wed May 10, 2023 6:47 pm

Today Thursday my river had an extra foot of water on, having dropped 2 feet over the past days. Though the water was quite peaty I had seen some sea trout moving upstream so thought I had a chance of catching one. It was nice on the river two ducks had a total of 14 duckling between, its amazing the speed of these little fellas as the scoot across the river looking for flies to feast on. As I walked slowly across the meadow I spotted 3 hares, also a roe deer. Within ten minutes of arriving at the waterside I spotted my first kingfisher of the day, then heard the cuckoo, that’s three days I have heard it.

Tackle Set Up

I used my ten foot 7 weight T&T rod, matched with an Able reel carrying a Cortland WF 7 floating line with a 10 foot fluorocarbon leader with a 6 lb bs tippet. With the strong peaty coloured water, I chose to fish a size 6 Dunkeld.In the first pool, I fished for around 30 minutes, with just a 15 inch trout for my trouble which was returned. I then moved downstream to the next pool, with half an hour I got my first hook up, immediately I was forced to give line, in the first ten minutes the silver bodied fish gave two amazing jumps in its bid to reject the hook. In the fast water this fish that had come straight up from the tide, it certainly gave me a few anxious moments but eventually I netted a 3lb sea trout, my first of the new season. In between several very heavy showers I continued to cast and retrieve, some hour and a half, I hooked another fish that ripped off line from the reel as it dashed downstream into the rocky rapids where it busted me off. I ended the day with three more trout, then as another heavy shower started, I called it a day then headed off home, but will be back tomorrow this time guiding a friend.

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