Trout before breakfast

Dawn can be quiet, tranquil and absolutely gorgeous..but enough about her, let's talk about fishing.

As we reach the, sometimes, sweaty heights of summer fish become less inclined to feed on the surface during the day. I have a couple of theories on this which are probably way off the mark but they work for me.

Firstly, Trout don't like looking into direct sunlight and at this time of year the sun is almost directly above us at mid-day, unlike during spring and autumn; they cannot see properly and probably feel 'exposed' to predators.

Secondly, they are a cold water fish which means their body temperature is governed by the the water around them, they can sense the slightest change and therefore will try and keep out of water that is rapidly changing such as that in direct mid-day sun; this means moving lower down or into the shade.

Obviously there is less food about and fewer flies hatching but I believe that makes the Trout more opportunistic.

If you read many of the old authors they advocate fishing later in the day or through the evening. Not too many of them recommend early mornings but this is probably more to do with wanting to stay in bed and have a nice leisurely breakfast before venturing out; to do this though can mean missing some of the best fishing of the day, although it does have some appeal, especially at 4am....

You don’t have to miss out on a good breakfast either. Fried Trout fillets go well with a poached egg but if that does not appeal you can always carry some slices of pig and crusty baguette - a frying pan and stove are useful as well unless you like your Pork products rare!

Another plus point and probably the most important for early morning fishing is the lack of other anglers. Thinking back over the last few years I cannot recall meeting anyone else before 10am. There is something satisfying about putting the first artificial of the day over a Trout and they are often the better fish, fish that seem completely absent latter in the day will make an appearance for that early morning meal. A recent outing resulted in one of my best fish from Wolfscotedale this year.

Shiny Precious things

Why oh why do I never learn? Why?

I know there is no compromising quality and I know quality comes at a price! So why don't I learn? Maybe it's because I really love getting new 'precious' things ('precious'= anything to do with fishing....., of course!!!).

Perhaps, somewhere in my subconscious I know that I can work my way up to a quality version of some item, something that will last and last, by buying several cheaper versions on route and therefore have more precious things arriving in the post.

This has happened over and over again; my first light trout rod cost about £25, was a Diawa #5/7 (how can any rod have such a range?) fished ok with a #4 and was overloaded with a #6, had the action of a soggy piece of string and weighed about 14lbs.

Then I upgraded, going for a bit of quality this time, to something with a Hardy badge but was the bottom end of the range - the Marquis #3/4. It has (I still own it) a nice build and finish but the foundation, the blank, is slow and well... just a bit of a damp squiff really.

Eventually I bit the bullet and bought myself a Sage TXL (actually I picked it up on a business/fishing trip to South Africa before they were launched in the UK). I have had this for few years now and it will last me a good few more, if not forever because I can’t see how it can be improved on....... no really, I mean it!

This last year I have been on a similar 'journey' with packs. For years I have used vests, owned loads but was never really happy with them. Great for carrying fishy stuff up front; fly boxes, tippet etc. However, the back has always been problem to me. I like my Kelly Kettle - bulky I know but they weight sod all and make a better drink than you can get from any flask. Sometimes I have lunch or dinner or breakfast or all of them with me. Previously I used an over-the-shoulder bag to carry this stuff. Then I discovered packs, well I didn't, the 'septics' came up with the idea for their long walk-in fishing excursions.

Packs are great. You can get any amount of gear in them and still have room for more, especially if you buy a really, really big one!! BUT you CAN also carry them with nothing in the back and they still work just as well, ah - see - always thinkin' me, always thinking!

Anyway, I digress. So I decided, after a fishing trip to the US, to switch to a pack. This was a couple of years ago and I have been through four packs to get to where I knew I would end up; with a Fishpond. I tried Ron Thompson, nice build actually but the design was just off the mark and I struggled to get everything in that I like to carry up-front. Scierra, cack design. Phoenix, a cheap copy of the FP Wildhorse, fell to bits in less than 3 months fishing. A month ago I took delivery of a Wildhorse and since then have been regretting not getting one before.

Mind you, none of it helps you catch more fish!

I have been out a few times recently and had a few nice fish and a jolly nice time. A couple of the trips were in pleasant, warm sunny weather and a couple were in wet and windy conditions; each has its up-side and both are better than sitting watching the telly!