Rainbow Trout in reservoirs

Ron Troversial Clay · Mar 21, 2004

What do you think the the concept, abeit an old one, of stocking rainbow trout for anglers to catch in reservoirs.

Sure they may be taking up space better left for our native fish. And there is the problem with pollution from trout farms in many of our rivers.

But at the end of the day, we can at least fish these resevoirs because the trout are there.

What some fail to understand is that if there were no rainbow trout, angling would never be allowed on many of these water supply reservoirs. The day of the coarse fisher being allowed access, other than a bit of controlled pike angling in winter, will hardly ever come.

In the Sheffield area, many of the reservoirs are denied to anglers full stop.

There are many thousands of fly fishermen who fish our reservoirs. They enjoy the sport very much indeed. In many cases, coarse and game fishing do not mix.

What do you think? Should we open up the reservoirs to all kinds of fishing? Should we stop stocking them with rainbows and have no fishing at all or should we leave things as they are?

Baz · Mar 21, 2004

There are more than enough choices for the course angler to choose from in my club,The local reservoir has been fly-fishing only for a good many years, I am also led to believe, that course fishing would not be allowed by the authourities. At ?5 per half day that was excellent value. It was stocked with rainbows on a regular basis, the rule was to take any two of the fish you caught and replace the rest. But unfortunately it got abused like most things.

jason fisher · Mar 21, 2004

so what are the reasons that the reservoirs aren't available to coarse fishermen,
it's the apearance of the rainbow trout and the fluff flinging brigade.
there is a direct correlation between the incidence of american rainbows fluff flingers and the denail of angling access to fish for native species.
let's face it how many british reservoirs are we not allowd to fish for the native fish, how many of them are fly only stockie rainbow waters.

why is it that the fluff flingers have to hog all these waters to themselves.

after all i'm not stopping them fishing for the wild brownies in the thames but they are stopping me from fishing for the bream in farmoor 40 yards away.

pike anglers are only allowed onto the reservoirs in parts of the year when the fluff flingers can't be bothered to go.

what benefit do rainbows give us massive pollution from rainbow trout farming,
then they put them into the waters and they promptly start eating all the fry from our native species or competing for food with the larger specimens.

believe me zander wels catfish and carp do a lot less damage to our natural environment than the stockie rainbow.

Baz · Mar 21, 2004

I am not well up on the fly-fishing situation Jason, The only sure thing I know is that rainbows were stocked in my local canal years ago to clean the small fry problem up (possibly sticklebacks) also other clubs put them into some of the smaller waters for the same reson.

jason fisher · Mar 21, 2004

why stock rainbows and not perch and pike, they would contorl the small fish populations and they are natural native british fish.

Baz · Mar 21, 2004

Jason,
The canal is and allways was full of perch and pike, but I remember at the time that the small fry whatever they were, were in their thousands. I think it was one of those years when there was an explosion of them.
The Res did have course fish in it as well, and at one time was a good breem water.I will try and find out why it wasn't allowed to be course fished, I am pretty sure it was something to do with the water company.

Baz · Mar 21, 2004

Jason,
I have just spoken to the chap who bailifed the Res for years, he tells me that it was a club rule as to why it could not be course fished. As I said though,I am lucky enough to be in a club with more than enough choices of water to go at.
As for fly fishing the Res in this day and age, there is the added problem of powerlines going down one side, access is completely dissallowed down another,due to it being paralell with a road. Also the water board will not adjust the levels accordingly.

Frothey · Mar 21, 2004

the other problem you get is that of the once-a-month-fluff-flinging commitee members that introduces stupid rules for the coarse angler, rules they have no idea of as they dont fish for other species, and use the clubs profits to cram more trout into their lakes and streams - an investment that normally heads upstream!

Ron Troversial Clay · Mar 21, 2004

Interesting views.

Yet do I detect a little inverted snobbery here?

"Fluff Flingers"

"Hogging the waters to themselves".

If you examine the majority of flies tied today, you will find they are not tied from "fluff" at all.

I too would love to fish our local Res - Thrybergh, for the huge roach and perch it contains. A dead roach of 31/3 lbs was found there a couple of years ago.

Yet I also love fly fishing for trout.

I often get the idea that people who knock fly fishing have never really done it.

Until one day they do decide under duress to have a go and hook something that runs out all their backing, jumps 4 feet in the air, and breaks the leader like a pistol shot.

The following year after being converted, they are the ones who look down on the "common coarse fishahs what".

90% of fly fishers in the UK were coarse fishers once.

I have seen this happen. It divides and polarises our sport and is something we do not need at a time when we all have to stand together.

Frothey · Mar 21, 2004

i got bored of it, catching limit bags at bewl in 20 mins wasnt my idea of fishing, pellet fly and all that. stalking them with nymphs is a bit more like it, but once they started stocking 15lb trout, it lost its magic a little....

a bit like some carp lakes!

jason fisher · Mar 21, 2004

ron i've inadvertantly landed trout on coarse rods and from my experience they don't fight any where near as hard as the equivalent sized chub carp or barbel.
it's the odd wild rush then give in.

Baz · Mar 21, 2004

I tied my own flies for a couple of years,just out of the enjoyment of doing it, I put some in a frame on the wall. I only fly fished for a short while as it isn't really my kind of fishing, but good luck to those that do it on a more regular basis.

Baz · Mar 21, 2004

Bye the way, some clubs have the rule that lure fishing isn't allowed for trout. Yet some of the flys used are lures.

Ron Troversial Clay · Mar 21, 2004

Of course they are lures Baz. They make use of a trout's natural agression.

I get very angry with people who fish areas in the spring with lures full of black gravid trout that take lures oh so easy. And they think thay are clever.

Such trout don't fight and are not even fit to feed the cat.

Fly fishing is all about suggesting, (I will not use the term imitating) a natural food that the trout is eating.

As regards the fighting ability of trout, this can vary tremendously. However a fit silvery overwintered rainbow of 3 to 4 lbs can go like a bullet, on any sort of tackle.

Jason, are you talking about brown trout or rainbows when you claim that trout don't fight on coarse tackle. I have caught both species on coarse tackle and there is no doubt that brownies can be very sluggish at times.

However hook a fit sea trout and that's another story, as is a fit overwintered rainbow or even a Steelhead.

Pure dynamite!

jason fisher · Mar 21, 2004

just wild brownies in rivers ron don't want to catch an unwanted american invader of either sort crayfish or trout.

Baz · Mar 21, 2004

Now for the juicy bits.
I have read somewher that certain anglers dip their flys in flavours to give them more attraction. I'm sure a true fly angler wouldn't do this, I have also known people to put a pice of bread on the hook on a fly only water. I think we all know that there are good and bad in all aspects of angling.
But for what reason would certain clubs state that floating lines only are to be used? As I said earlier on, I don't know too much about the game fishing side, but often wondered why floating lines only.

chef · Mar 21, 2004

i,ve only been fly fishing for a few weeks at present but have never had so much fun fish all fighting well above expectations two taking me down to the backing ,moving round as not to hog the hot spots or to try some different fly or approach now when carp fishing what did i do set up rod chuck out ground bait cast over it put rod in rests set alarms sit on arse while waiting sound fammiliar to anybody not knocking anyones style of fishing but my carp gear won't see much daylight this year

Ron Troversial Clay · Mar 21, 2004

Yes Baz some "fly fishers" do indeed dip their "flies" (mainly what are called egg flies) into flavours.

It's not fly fishing and people who do this are cheating themselves out of some of the best fun in this sort of angling.

The fact that I and many others use a floating line for 80% of our fishing may be the reason for the ban on sinking lines which are used mostly for fishing lures, and it's another way of putting a ban on lure fishing. That's how I see it anyway.

However I do not want to see too many bans in fly fishing as it can stifle innovation. And there are times when the trout are deep down and the only way you can get at them is with a fast sinker.

It is possible to get to a level of proficiancy in fly fishing where you will outfish all other methods including bait fishing. When I returned from SA in 1994, I spent a lot of time on a reservoir just North of Sheffield. It was rented by a Barnsley Club who allowed all methods including maggots and worms.

Whithout sounding too superior (I'm not) I used to catch lots more trout on my nymphs and dries than the bait fishers did, including some wild browns up to 3 lbs.

If you do not believe me, there was a challenge issued to Arthur Cove many years ago that a maggot angler could catch more fish than he in a certain period of time.

Arthur accepted to challenge and outfished the bait fisher by 3 trout to one!

Baz · Mar 21, 2004

Probably the man who made a lot of money out of fly fishing was that chap in the advert for yellow pages, asking for a book by J.R. Hartley. He looked the part and I believed it for a long time.

Andy "the Dog" Nellist · Mar 21, 2004

Rainbow Trout (unlike Brown Trout) are not a native species and on that count I wouldn't allow them to be stocked anywhere in this country.

I have no I problems with any anglers persuing whatever branch of the sport they wish to persue as long as they do so in a way that doesn't adversley impact on anglers in other branches of the sport.

Rainbow Trout in reservoirs

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