“JUST GAGGIN' FOR IT......”
I replicated one of fly fishing's great truisms this week, the one which states where rainbow trout are to be found on a windy day. I was nudged into this action by a contradictory article I had read in a well known angling periodical that stated to catch rainbows on cold windy days the angler should have his back to the wind and on warmer windy days he should cast into the wind. This week I was out on a windy day, a very cold and windy day and this is what I experienced.
I went to Barnsfold Water which comprises two lakes and is well stocked with rainbows and brown trout. It lies at the foot of the western Pennines adjacent to the lovely Trough of Bowland in east Lancashire. Barnsfold is pretty exposed, especially to a wind blowing in from the Irish Sea, and on this occasion there had been a moderate to strong westerly wind for six or seven days blowing right across both lakes towards the lodge. There was no sun and, my word, it was chilly!
I decided to fish the same fly on the same terminal rig on both lakes and in similar locations on each lake, that is, fish for an hour with my back to the wind on each water and then fish for an hour casting into the wind on each water.
I fished the first hour with the wind at my back at the western end of the first lake and did not have a single tug, not even the most hesitant nibble on a beaded GRHE size 14 hook fished on a 3lb Maxima Green leader. I walked down to the entrance/exit roadway banking and fished the same tackle, cast across the wind and out only about three metres into the lake; no chance of a long cast in these very windy conditions. I had ten good contacts and landed six fish in the hour.
I took a short break for soup, a pie and an apple (no Atkins diet here!) and walked around to the second lake to where it is sheltered by trees. In fact I was casting into a flat calm most of the time despite the strong wind elsewhere on the waters. I fished the same fly and the same leader. Same result, too. I did not have even the most timid of exploratory knocks; a full hour and nothing to report from the calm waters.
I walked around the lake and into the wind, a matter of 100 metres to where the waves were whipped into froth and broke restlessly against the bank. It was difficult to get a good cast out and, again, I was putting my line out almost parallel with the bank because of the strength of the wind. A fish took the fly first cast and this trend continued with an average of a fish hooked every other cast for an hour.
The returns book in the fishing lodge at the end of the day (I was next to last to leave the water) showed that most rods had blanked but two or three anglers had caught up to a dozen fish. Buzzers, Cats Whiskers and GRHE had been the killing patterns whether the angler had caught one fish or twelve fishes. The ones who had fished into the wind had caught all the fish.... the ones who went for shelter and comfort, for calm water and ease of casting caught nothing and at £12 per half day ticket that comes a little expensive and a little disappointing
I have previously expressed my debt to Colin Wilson (a noted instructor from Bolton) for teaching me how to cast into the wind. However, there are ways and means of getting a line out parallel to the banking without being an expert or advanced caster which I certainly am not. It's cold and uncomfortable at times but get dressed appropriately and it's not so bad.
In these conditions the fish are usually very close into the side and they are waiting for a tempting morsel to be brought to their hungry mouths by the very wind that some anglers are cursing. I try to use the wind to take my line out alongside the bank rather than risking a hernia and punching directly into it. If and when the force of the wind eases (and it does at intervals), then I can try and cast a little further out.
A fellow angler who chatted to me briefly in the car park informed me that he had also fished the stretch of water where I had experienced a take every other cast and he reported ten fish in thirty minutes, as he put it “The side of the bank was stuffed with trout and they were just gaggin' for it!” We did our best to oblige them.
MARCH AND APRIL
The fishing gets even better over the next six or seven weeks and several of the big waters open their doors again after winter closure. Buzzers nearly always fish well on these Lancashire (and West Yorkshire) waters with black being the favourite. A GRHE is a very good alternative and I often start with this fly until I see what is happening. If the weather warms, the wind drops and the sun appears I will be looking to try a dry fly. Laneshaw opens in mid-month and I'll be interested to see how the weather affects this very exposed moorland reservoir.
Stocks Fishery is open already and it's always worth a day out. If you are not sure about fishing such a huge water don't hesitate to ask at the lodge. I've always found them very helpful and most of us need a bit of expert advice at this big venue. They will even e-mail you with daily reports of flies, stocking and catches. Ask at reception.
Definitely worth a trip when it opens is the Upper Roddlesworth fishery near Belmont just north of Bolton. It's a quiet, natural fishery that is well-stocked and well maintained. Day tickets are available from The Black Dog pub on the main road through the village from Bolton to Darwen.
Contact Phone Numbers
Stocks Fishery: 01200 446602
Barnsfold Water: 01995 61483
Upper Roddlesworth: 01204 811218
Kevin Perkins
