Gale Force Winds & Still Managed A Few Trout.

[meppstas]

'' GALE FORCE WINDS AND STILL MANAGED A FEW TROUT.''
16-1-15

With the forecast of gale force Nth. Westerlies to start with before changing to the Sth.West I was set to get up at 4.00am to get the body loosened up so I could hit the Mersey River by 6.30am before it all hit. Well, this didn't happen as I didn't leave home until 7.45am and arrived at the river close on 8.20am. The wind was already blowing and after a walk through the bush it was close on 9.00am before I was finally in the river. Once in the river the wind wasn't that bad as I was now down in a valley and most of it was going over the tree tops making fishing a little easier to start with. It was on the third cast with the little black fury (black blade) when a nice solid rainbow took the spinner hard and fast. After several leaps and runs this fish was soon in the net, photographed and straight back in the river.

As I worked on up the river over the next one hundred metres I did manage two more hookups from rainbows for just the one landed. That fish went just on 460gms and was also released. This was a great start and better still these fish were all a good size for a change. The cloud was now much heavier overhead and it was starting to rain, luckily for me it was only light as I didn't have any wet weather gear with me. The rain only lasted around ten minutes before it cleared which was a relief as I my shirt and fishing vest were now pretty damp. So up until now it was only the ever reliable rainbows that were about, so far I had not sighted a brown.

After working some 300 meters further upstream from where I had started I had fished my way around a bend in the river fishing with the wind now at my back. This was great for a direct cast upstream, but very tough when casting across the river as it carried the little black fury in a variety of directions. I decided to try out one of the new 60mm trout minnow lures in a rainbow pattern that I bought a few weeks ago. It's a shallow runner which is ideal for the rivers that I fish..
A few casts with this lure and I was onto a very good rainbow that absolutely smashed the lure. This 'bow took me all over the place and would have made at least eight or nine leaps from the river before I finally had it in the net. I had to keep this one as it had too much damage to the gill area, so this will go in the smoker in the morning. This rainbow tipped the scales at 485gms.

I was now working a long slower flowing section of river and finally had a few follows from some nice browns. But that's all they did, just followed the lure, then turned away and moved off.
When I had come to the end of this run I reckon I would have had close on a dozen or more follows from browns without one single hit. I was now at a nice deep hole that had a run of fast water at the top end of it and this always gives up a rainbow or two, so I was very confident of picking at least one more fish here. It took around eight casts before I was onto another rainbow, it wasn't for long though as it tossed the lure after fives leaps from the river. That was the only hook up for this hole too.

Ahead of me was a nice section of back water that I hadn't fished for quite some time so I thought I would finish my session off by giving it a go. This was a great move as I was soon into a nice solid brown at last. This fish really gave me a run for my money too as it did every thing to make a break for it as it headed for the dead wood and water weeds that were in many areas of this back water. I won out this time as I kept it out of those areas and finally into the net. This brown was also going into the smoker in the morning as I like to do a couple at a time, this 490gm brown will do fine. I had now reached a log jam so I made my way through it and worked the last section of this back water for just the one hit and miss from another brown before retreating from the river and heading on back to the car. The wind was really howling now with leaves and branches going in all directions so it wasn't worth going on any longer, besides it was now 1.00pm and I'd had enough in what was a much better session than my past few.

[Gillo]

Great report, it's a beautiful river the Mersey and your reports always put me in mind to jump on a plane and get down there again. Thanks for sharing.

[Nude up]

Great report as ever, a guy at work just hot back from a family xmas in the huon valley he said the fishing in that area was pretty slow,looks alright where you are

[barra mick]

Great looking trout.

Notice you use a swivial clip ?

Is that normal for you ?

Cheers bm

[muzza43]

Top stuff again Adrian, I would still back you in a hurricane. Cheers muzza43.

[meppstas]

Top stuff again Adrian, I would still back you in a hurricane. Cheers muzza43.

Thanks muzza, the winds been worse the past two days here mate, that bad the wife was wrapped up like an Egyptian mummy while trying to put the sheets on the line...
Tomorrow looks like a day for another session with the winds abating.. :super:

cheers
Adrian

[meppstas]

Great looking trout.

Notice you use a swivial clip ?

Is that normal for you ?

Cheers bm

Yes it is bm, it saves time when changing the lures from one model to another and they haven't effected the lures at all. I use the smallest ones possible size 12. I leave it on and just clip the anti kink set up to it as well when changing from hard body spinning to blade spinners.. :thumbsup:

cheers
Adrian