adh-world
Finally! The new trout season is here. We invite you to join us on the water and present our 5 tips for a successful start into the new season. For the new trout season, the whole adh-fishing team wishes you 'Tight Lines' and lots of fun on your adventures along the creeks and rivers.
- Tip 1: Stay flexible and keep trying a lot. At the beginning of the season it is not uncommon to have to 'rediscover' our creek or river where we have already spent a lot of time during the last year. Floods may have changed the structure over the winter. New deadwood has been brought in, new habitats have emerged and tried and tested hot spots have disappeared. In the first days it is therefore all the more important that we remain flexible and gain new experiences. This also applies to the composition of our tackle and the choice of our rigs. The water is still cold at the beginning of the season and the fish are much more inactive than in the warmer weeks that follow in April and May. Due to increased rainfall, the level and visibility of the water fluctuates frequently and different weather conditions make it necessary for us to constantly readjust. While we can already observe significant insect hatches during the warmer midday hours, much less activity can be observed during the colder morning and evening hours. This should influence our choice of techniques! So while we may already enjoy the first trout on a dry fly at midday, otherwise nymphs and streamers are preferred. That's why we always bring two rods to the water: a special rod for various nymphing techniques and an all-round rod with which we can present both dry flies and streamers. If we are prepared for all eventualities on the water, try out a lot and adapt flexibly to the changing conditions, then nothing stands in the way of a successful start to the season.
- Tip 2: Fish shallow and calm waters too. There are also a few things to keep in mind when choosing a spot at the beginning of the trout season. Due to the low temperatures and the often increased water pressure, the fish shy away from the heavy current - where, on the other hand, they can be found more often in the warm summer months. Also thanks to the low fishing pressure during winter, the edges, which warm up faster, are particularly attractive for trout in the first days and weeks of the new season. It can therefore be very worthwhile to pay specific attention to these areas and fish them carefully with dry flies, nymphs or streamers. Another advantage is that the shallow water areas clear up faster after a rain shower and the water is much more visible here. This means that the trout can see our patterns much better. So: Don't just actively search the deep pools and hard current edges, but fish the shore areas thoroughly beforehand. Careful, slow movements and calm wading als well as a first cast from the shore are recommended.
Hot spots during the season opening - calm and shallow spots
- Tip 3: Have courage when choosing flies. After a long winter and an exhausting spawning period, trout are particularly 'hungry' at the beginning of the season. Even though their metabolism is not yet running at full speed due to the low water temperature and even though the food in the river is still significantly reduced, reaching for a large pattern can be the key to success, especially in the first days and weeks. In addition, a dry fly with a voluminous silhouette is much more visible and can entice the fish to rise more easily. It's a similar story with streamer fishing. On the one hand, it is the prospect of a high-energy snack that draws a handsome brown trout away from its holding ground, and on the other hand, a large, bushy streamer can be better noticed and creates more vibrations or pressure waves in the water. As with nymphs, choosing a streamer now can't be flashy enough. Even though the colour black offers the highest contrast, an attractor colour or pattern with lots of flash can be very successful in dusty water too. For nymph fishing, we particularly like to use nymphs with a fluo-coloured tags at the start of the new season. And when the water is really high and brown, the much disputed Squirmy Worm is always worth a try. Because especially when the water is high, the river banks are flushed out and worms become an important food source for large brown trout.
When water is high and murky, a big streamer sometimes does the trick!
- Tip 4: Fish a lot of drifts. Due to low water temperatures, trout are less active at the beginning of the season and are unwilling to leave their spot for food. In addition, their field of vision may be limited due to dusty or murky water. Therefore, it is particularly wise now to present the fly repeatedly and change the drift only slightly. While later in the year the fish are quite willing to 'go the distance' to get food, in the first days and weeks the fly ideally needs to be placed right in front of them. So if a spot 'smells' like fish, it is worth investing more time and repeating the drift several times. When presenting the nymph, it can now be very successful to try different weights to search all the current layers. This is because the fish not only move less to the right and left, but also less up and down. In the vast majority of places, a deep nymph is most successful at the beginning of the season. It is only later in the year that trout are actively searching for food higher up in the water column and much lighter patterns are of advantage.
- Tip 5: Handle fish with special care. Even if it sounds obvious to responsible fly fishers, a consciously careful handling of our catches is particularly important now. After the spawning season and a hard winter, most trout are not yet 'fully fed' at the beginning of the season. The larger males and females may also have suffered minor injuries from spawning and need a few more weeks to recover before they are full of strength again. Many fish are not yet at their optimum 'fighting weight' in the first days and weeks and are even more sensitive to pressure than later in the year. The use of a rubber net and gentle touches with moistened hands to protect the sensitive skin are therefore of particular importance for sustainable fishing at the beginning of the season.
A rubber net, wet hands and a careful handling of the fish after the spawning season
For a successful season start on your stream, we have put together a few of our most successful patterns for you down below. We wish you a lot of fun on the water and tight lines!
