Warwickshire Trout - River Alne Pt.3

No need to forage those magic mushrooms, you see of late these towpaths have become a visual treat recently where the footpaths sometime have been visually moving, distorted and have taken on a life of their own. It's odd because spending so much time on the rivers over the years I've never experienced the same visual treat. Snake like observables, it's cool 😎, you just need to spend time sat in one spot cut side with a rod in hand if possible.

Or is it just me ?

Psychedelics have been used since ancient times by various cultures throughout the world for their mystical and spiritual associations. LSD, magic mushrooms, Mescaline and DMT are usually swallowed, smoked or inhaled. Mushrooms are usually eaten fresh, cooked or brewed into a ‘tea’.

Now the environment in which someone consumes psychedelic drugs whether it’s known and familiar, who they’re with, if they’re indoors or outdoors, the type of music and light. For example, using psychedelics in a calm, quiet and relaxed environment can lead to, or contribute to, a pleasant experience.

However being in a noisy, crowded place may result in a negative experience. Being in a good state of mind, with trusted friends and a safe environment before taking psychedelics reduces the risk of having a bad trip. The closed season has its benefits after all, see there is one !!!!

Now trout spawn in the Autumn, after eighty days the eggs become queer little creatures called trout alevin. Three week later the avelin is a little trout called trout-fry and 20mm long and has many many enemies. Herons, kingfishers, dippers, cormorants (yes I'm seen them on the Alne) and other fish, too, are only a few of the enemies of the tiny trout, and casualties are heavy, but this is the balance of nature for if too many trout were left there would not be enough food in the rivers for them all. 

Trout also have an enemy amongst their own kind. He is the cannibal trout. He cannot be mistaken cannibalism provides little nourishment. His body will be a dark for he has a great head and a thin body, which proves that colour. 

There is only one way to deal with the cannibal must be killed for he is a menace! I have never known of a female cannibal trout, but that doesn't mean that there aren't any. You will be able to tell the difference between the male and the female trout or the cock and the hen, as they are called. The cock has a longer head with a prominent lower jaw, and his gill covers are pointed. The hen's head is smaller and neater, and her gill covers are round.

The trout grow rather slowly, taking two years to reach 8 inches. Of course, the eventual weight and size of the trout is dependent the feed the river can provide. The chalk streams of Hampshire Avon hold enormous trout because in those streams there is food galore. 

Whereas in the wild streams of the hills and moorlands a pound trout is a fish to talk about. But, oh my, a pound trout even in the small rivers and streams I fish knows how to fight! He'll give you some sport.

Not only does the river, or stream, govern the growth of its fish, it also governs their colouring. You see a fish's colouring is also its protection designed by nature and it makes them difficult to spot in the water.

Trout in murky streams are darker than those in clearer water and it is even possible to find trout of different colouring in the same river within a few yards of each other if the water varies in depth, the trout in a deep dark pool being darker than those in a shallower run a few yards farther downstream. 

Anyway with the Alne rising with the rain and more on the way I had a small window of opportunity to try and winkle out a trout or two. The weather was all over the shop from heavy rain to blue skies and bright sunshine but I got about fishing as soon as I could.

The water was still pretty clear however the bites were harder to come by this time. In-fact it was only the weir swim that produced a couple of bites and they came after cast after cast.

The previous session 48 hours earlier they were on it straight away and you couldn't fail to get a bite but not this time. Still a couple of fish, one a small'un the other a desperate mans dinner, and that was that. I could have stayed a little longer and fished a couple more swims but I had my quota and I knew any other bites would be hard to come by.