BREEDING RAINBOWS?
Over the years I have read many times in books and journals that, with very rare exceptions, rainbow trout do not breed in this country. A notable exception is, I believe, the Derbyshire Wye. It appears that the environment is not suitable for this species, which is a native of North America, to procreate.
There are now reports from a club water in Lancashire that Rainbow trout may be breeding in the wild. A six inch rainbow was recently caught and netted from a stocked water. Upon checking with the suppliers and, indeed, visiting the fish farm concerned, it seems that would have been impossible for this small fish to have come from them by mistake……..
Indeed, mistakes do happen and the more 'experts' re-assure one that they cannot possibly occur, there is a disconcerting inevitability that they will happen. In this case, however, I do believe that the experts are totally reliable and the likelihood of a mistake is remote.
If it is not a mistake at the fish farm, could it be a practical joke? Possibly. I do not think a club member would perpetrate this kind of practical joke but there are some funny folk knocking about in those hills that straddle Lancashire and Yorkshire and this may be the explanation.
The fish in question was knocked on the head and then kept in the freezer before being sent for assessment and identification at the laboratories and we should know the answer in due course. It's a nice thought, rainbows breeding in a reservoir feeder stream on a bleak hillside in Lancashire. How long before there is a head of wild fish in the reservoir? What a treat to be able to fish for the wild species instead of the farm reared.
On some of the waters I have fished this month, the stocked rainbows have been giving very good accounts of themselves. On lightly fished waters with only occasional stockings, the fish have a good chance to survive for long enough to revert back to nature or, at least, to go a good way in that direction. Last week I watched an angler's line zip off the reel and we were both convinced that he was into a big fish, some four or five pounds minimum. It took line off his reel by the yard and was full of fight for several long minutes. When netted it was only just about a pound and a half and nor did it require reviving after the scrap. As soon as he put it back in the water it sped away under full steam. I noted that this particular water (a club water) had only seen six or seven rods by Wednesday afternoon when I fished it.
Which fly?
I have been involved in on-going discussions with fellow anglers about the identity of a hatching fly on one of the waters I visit. Several tell me that it is a mayfly and it certainly looks like one to me. Several others swear that what we are mis-identifying is in fact a lake olive. Various experts have been quoted and even references to books are being bandied about.
The ability to recognise what the fish are taking is a basic skill of fly fishing according to Bob Church and Peter Cathercole in their excellent book “Fly Fishing for Trout”. This is a huge subject and, I suspect, most trout fishermen (myself included) have only a basic grasp of the subject. It is occasions like this, when there is a dispute, that everyone goes scurrying to their preferred reference books and the end result of the argument is that everyone learns a little more and this, in turn, helps them catch more fish.
Whilst the arguments are still ebbing and flowing, I can report that I have caught fish on the water in question on lake olive dry flies, a lake olive wet fly, and, best of all, the short shank gold headed olive nymph fished a couple of feet under the surface in a wave. This last pattern, from sportflies.com has been especially effective. I have caught nothing with mayfly patterns, either dry, wet or nymph.
I've looked at the diagram and illustrations and I've listened to the arguments but I'm still not sure about this rather dark fly which has been hatching by the million in recent weeks on this water. It is certainly of the ephemeroptera order and looks quite like the illustration of Cloeon simile, the lake olive, on page 10 of the book mentioned above. What we do agree upon is that a pattern with a fair bit of green in it is the one that does the business.
Colne Water Angling Club 50th Anniversary Dinner
The club will be hosting a dinner at the locally well-known Fence Gate Inn near Burnley on 24th August to celebrate this great mile stone in its history. The guest speaker is internationally acclaimed Fly Fisherman and Wildlife Artist Charles Jardine. Members have until 31st July to book their tickets and then the tickets go on open sale to any trout fisherman who might be interested in what should be a really first class evening. The Fence Gate is very well recommended for its food and Charles Jardine is a superb speaker. For £25 this is not to be missed.
Tickets from any one of three numbers: 01535 634426, 01282 860855 or 01282 617748.
Tight Lines!
Eddie Caldwell
