“There are endless ways to catch any given fish. Why settle for one?”
IT’S SO easy to fall into a predictable rut as an angler. We tend to earmark certain venues, and sometimes entire species, with a particular method. Even where this might limit our success rate or enjoyment!
Of all the spring species, however, this is truest of trout. “Fly only” rules have a lot to do with it, and while I love to cast a fly there’s a thrill to catching them on lures. Especially in this day and age, when tiny jigs, spoons and featherlight rods are so readily available.
I’ve just come back from a scintillating day on Exmoor’s East River Lyn, where there was little to choose between fly and lure. Joined by my mate Jack Welshman, we took one of each set-up and kept swapping.
Talk about a stunning river. The rocky terrain and rushing water were the most taxing part of it, given that the day ticket was £3.50 from a local garage! I kid you not – shy of building a time machine you won’t find cheaper game fishing.
Now, there are certain clichés that just don’t add up when it comes to trout. For one thing, they are more widespread than imagined and should be an everyman’s fish here, just as they are in much of Europe.
Nor is using a tiny plug or spinner infinitely easier than a fly. It still takes watercraft and close control of your gear.
Fishing two methods side by side was a curious experience, to say the least. While the fly was perfect for fast water and shallow runs, for example, the really deep and inaccessible bits were ideal to throw a small lure into. All my artificials are converted to single, barbless hooks. Trebles are bad news for small mouths, and a key reason spinning tends to be banned, so it’s up to anglers to evolve.
Contrary to the clichés that spinning is easy, we found that the fly was the more efficient method. It’s not that trout ignore lures. Far from it, they follow them like miniature pike, bristling with curiosity and aggression! Many times, a lure will be “butted”, however, rather than eaten. You get lots of lovely hits but few hook-ups. An artificial fly, on the other hand, is simple to inhale.
But in many ways the comparisons are needless. Both methods were great fun and caught their share, including a surprise sea trout on a small lure and a fabulous net-filling brownie on Jack’s nymph! We swapped rods and observations all day, sharing the same water for a refreshingly sociable trip. Our most successful offerings were a tiny 3g spoon or simple beaded nymphs. We could also have scored with Euro nymphing, plug fishing or even drop shotting. Indeed, there are endless ways to catch any given fish. Why settle for one?
Find out more about fishing the River Lyn at www.national trust.org.uk/watersmeet
“Fishing two methods side by side was a curious experience”