WINTER RAINBOWS
Mid-January
The weather has not been very kind to fishermen this year so far. In the North West we have had a mix of rain, snow and strong winds for most of the month. The cold winds from a northerly direction really dampen my enthusiasm and I find my thoughts straying to the warmer months.
I’ve fished on a couple of occasions and I’ve realised that most of my venues are either very exposed or are situated at about one thousand feet above sea level. The appropriate warm clothing is a basic necessity. However, the rainbows are hardier than me and the cold blustery conditions have not had too big a negative influence on the fish.
I started off a morning session in fairly bright conditions with an intermediate or slow sink line and a medium sized black lure on a four pound tippet. There had been little surface activity in the couple of hours since daylight but I started to make contact with the trout at around seven to ten feet. It’s a simple way to fish; slowly draw the fly through the water with the occasional twitch of the line. The bites were firm and steady and confident and the rainbows fought with spirit before coming to the net.
The first bite came in about ten minutes and after moving twenty yards away from my starting point. Several other followed and three more fish were landed before the swim went dead. I do not know whether the fish were moving around or shoaling, the latter I suspect, and the returned fish spooked the shoal.
I moved on another twenty of thirty yards and presented the same lure at the same depth and speed and was fortunate enough to hook a couple more two-to-three pound rainbows in excellent condition. Then the takes stopped again.
A fly hatch
Around midday a very water sun broke through the clouds on a more permanent basis and I noted that flies were actually hatching in one or two sheltered bays. I switched rods and tactics and was able to get a WF6 floating line into a light ripple with a twelve foot leader and a two foot fluorocarbon tippet tied to a size 14 black and peacock wet fly that dipped just under the surface. Mind you I had to apply some sinkant to get it through the film. I retrieved as soon as I saw the fly sink and brought it back very slowly.
The attacks came from below and I had several fish take the fly just over a rod’s length from the bank. I was just able to make out the shadowy surge as a determined rainbow came up that last two or three feet to grab the fly.
Keeping warm
I realised that I had been fishing for almost four hours and I was still warm. One of the contributing factors I feel sure is that I have not worn wellies this winter, opting for a pair of high-ankle walking boots, two pairs of socks and good Gore-tex trousers over my usual moleskin fishing trousers. Previously I had found the cold striking up through my feet; one of the disadvantages of getting older.
I always seem to catch more rainbows in the October to March part of the year with July and August being the poorest period. Of course there are days in each period that confound the norm but, if the cold weather is not too bad, the returns can be very good with hard-fighting fish the reward.
Spring arriving?
I’ve had my notification of licence renewal from the Environment Agency. The first daffodils are appearing, lupin shoots are coming through the soil and hydrangea leaves are beginning to show. There are a lot more birds in the woods and they are very busy choosing nest sites. However, I should not get too enthusiastic about springtime because as soon as I begin to think winter has departed we are bound to experience the worse weather of the year.
