Daily Record

Basics instinct

- Fotw@fishingmeg­astore.com

BY LOUIS FEROX WITH a lot of trout fishing, there is so much focus on the latest technology, the latest lures or the must-have new fly-tying material – but sometimes going back to the basics is all you need.

I got a bit of simplified fishing in this week. I took a trip to the bait pond on a local fishery with a kid who was mad-keen to catch a trout but didn’t quite have the time and patience to master fly casting just yet.

Off we went armed with a little telescopic rod and a small bubble float. I think everyone must have had one of those little kits when they started out.

It might well be nostalgia goggles but a few of my pals swear they caught more when they fished with that most basic gear.

Bubble floats are simple indicators but you can use them in all sorts of ways to catch pretty much anywhere.

Bubble and flee probably taught a few Scottish anglers about fly fishing before they could cast properly.

It’s really not far off using an indicator to track your nymphs down a run. For all the fine-tuning, rig developmen­t and innovation in specimen fishing, you can definitely use a clear bubble as a surface controller to catch ultra-spooky cautious carp.

When you’re bubble float fishing, it’s simple enough to rig. There’s lugs to tie straight on to, or pass the line through using a float stop to vary the depth you are fishing, add a swivel, a hook, your worms and there’s really not much else to it.

Just to be safe, we’d picked up some mice tails and a tub of dough as a backup in case squeamishn­ess meant that live baits weren’t an option.

A few false starts while we ironed out the casting and sorted out some tangles then let the boy get on with it using the traditiona­l stick turned into a rod rest on the bank.

After a missed take or 10, we ended up with some fish on the bank and a very proud hunter-gatherer bringing dinner home.

For all the technology and expertise, you can’t beat breaking it down to the basics sometimes.

This year’s SANACC Scottish National Trout Fly Fishing Championsh­ip has kicked off.

The first heat was won by Kevin McCabe from Change FF, with 23 fish for 45lb using a floating line and buzzers.

Tight lines to everyone fishing on the remaining heats over the next few weeks on Carron Valley and the Lake of Menteith.

 ??  ?? TROUT-STANDING Lake of Menteith hosts championsh­ip heats
TROUT-STANDING Lake of Menteith hosts championsh­ip heats

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