Warwickshire Trout - River Alne Pt.2 (Stoneloach Content)

A short window of opportunity this, I literally had an hour and a half max in-between finishing work and the Wife having to go out, so to the local Alne forthwith, a river I could walk to if I wanted. After a natter with the lord of the manor who was interested what I was catching, I fished two swims without a hit on the spinner it was to the weir banker swim where I had 40 minutes to catch a fish or hopefully three.

Anyway bare with me, I'll get on to the trout later, because washed up in the weir was the remains of a birds leg and also a stoneloach !!! Now I know stoneloach reside in this little river but I've yet to see one before let alone try and catch one, but now I've seen one with my own eyes, albeit one that had seen better days I'm going to try for one on rod and line. 

Now because loach are small fishes and because they are seldom fished for they are rarely featured in angling books or discussed in the angling press. Diminutive they may be but they do not deserve this neglect.

So sensitive are loach to changes in atmospheric pressure that by means of their restless behaviour (it is claimed) they can give up to 24 hours notice of an approaching thunderstorm. This sensitivity to atmospheric pressure - probably linked to changes in the amount of dissolved oxygen caused by changes in pressure - may be the key to the loach's behaviour, but it is not the whole story.

Uniquely in the physiology of British fishes, a loach uses its intestine as an auxiliary organ of respiration. 

Experiments have shown that when a loach dashes to the surface to take in a bubble of air (the air is swallowed, passed through the intestine and out through the anus 💩) the air so taken is changed just as if it had been breathed. Intestinal respiration has evolved in the loach to enable it to survive in stagnant pools, in over- warmed pools and even in nearly dried-up pools.

The restless behaviour of loach was observed by the ancients; indeed the very name 'loach' from the French 'loche' (Izaak Walton used this spelling) is derived from locher: to fidget. 

The ancients also averred that the loach 'seems always to be either spawning or in roe' so it acquired a reputation for its 'wondrous fecundity'. As one of Shakespeare's characters remarks: 'Your chimney lie breeds fleas like a loach.' All very apt considering I'm fishing in Bards country. 

Now As its name implies, the stone loach is the one found (during daylight hours) hiding under stones. It has six barbules (two long and four short) or 'beards' as its specific name barbatula implies. It grows to a maximum length of about 5 inches or as Izaak Walton put it: 'groweth not to be above a finger long.'

Having done ones research stone loach is nocturnal in habit, only leaving the shelter of stones or weed to forage after dark, which is why it is seldom caught on other than very dull days. Not surprisingly, therefore, loach are of small interest to the angler except as competitors with the young of other species for food, and as food for larger species. 

In Ireland the stone loach was widely and successfully used on trailing rigs for the big lake trout. Victorian anglers were very enthusiastic about loach as bait. But as a changing economy forced many fishermen to catch their own loaches, trailing with loach bait died out. 

IF I'm going to catch one on rod and line then fishing for them from dusk in to dark seems the best time to fish for them, better get thinking on rig choice and selection. The coarse season ain't that far off and it's always tough in the first month or so, so I might see if there is method on ones clear madness.

Anyway back to the fishing, unlike the loach the predator trout can be caught any time during the day. Take this one, clear blue skies, the sun beating down, the air temperature around 14 degrees. 

The river was still up but it had cleared remarkably since I was here last, so much so after the spinner was untouched I switched lures to a small tiny trout crankbait that hugs bottom rather well. A more natural colour as well, this surely would pick up a trout ?   

Errr just a bit !!!

They were really on it straight away, the first fish only a small juvenile but the 4 fish that followed proper scrapers. In-fact the biggest one of the best I've managed from here over the years. I have lost 2 that were >3lb I know that and I'm sure it will be only a matter of time before one slips up again.

I might pick up a few more of these small crankbaits as they really do the business and you can never have enough lures in your armoury. 

I might have another dabble Friday afternoon as there is something about fishing these small rivers for trout. I just love it especially when there is solitude in abundance down here and I've got it to myself basically.

With May just round the corner they are going to be more active and when the Mayfly stat showing themselves I'm going to give the dry fly a go again. This time not just on the Alne, but the local streams and also the upper reaches of the Warwickshire Stour, a stretch I've not fished for trout before, I do like an new adventure.