Warwickshire Trout - River Alne Pt.14

Now brook or (small river fishing for that matter, such as the Alne) has most of the problems associated with larger waters and a few which are peculiar to itself. It is important to understand them at the beginning and know how to deal with them. The small size of brooks automatically increases the likelihood of frightening fish before a line has been cast and it is vital to remember the following points all the time if you want to be a successful brook fisherman.

....keep out of sight

This is the most important thing to remember. On a large river the size of the water absorbs quite a bit of the effect of careless movement. The fish in the immediate vicinity vanish but a few steps or a longer cast brings one into contact with fish again. Just try walking ordinarily and quite quietly up to a pool in a brook and see what happens. 

The reaction is instantaneous and panic-stricken trout dart in all directions. Being small, the whole width of the brook is affected and very likely the pool above as well. Frightened fish do not get caught and the brook fisherman really has to get down to it, being prepared to crawl if necessary, to get into a casting position. After a little practice it is possible to get quite close to a fish without disturbing it. Each time you manage this, study the fish carefully and you will notice something else. 

While you are quiet all is well but the moment it senses your presence you will notice a nervous quickening movement, especially of the tail, a sure sign that the fish is on its guard. That fish will certainly be more difficult to catch and to make things as easy for ourselves as we can we must take every care to avoid warning our quarry of our approach.

Another aspect of keeping out of sight is ensuring that your shadow is kept off the water. It is very easy to be well back from the brook and yet still cast a fatal shadow on to the water right where you are hoping to catch fish. Try and position yourself so that the sun throws the shadow on to the bank behind you and not on the water. If you have permission to do so it is best to cross the brook and fish from the other bank whenever this problem arises.

....move quietly

The way you move along the bank has a great deal to do with your fishing success. Whenever you are anywhere near the water you should ooze" along. Apart from not making a lot of noise, movement should be smooth and made for a definite purpose. Try and decide how you intend to fish each place before you get right on top of it, then make for the best casting place with as little fuss as possible.

Closely allied to the business of keeping out of sight and moving quietly is the question of wading. In my opinion brooks should only be waded when there is a definite advantage to be gained. It must be remembered that the amount of water and relative distances are so small that the effect of every disturbance is very greatly magnified and what would be a harmless action on a river will throw brook trout into a panic.

There are occasions when wading can make the difference between being comfortably able to fish a place and not being able to fish it at all. An example would be a deep cutting with the brook running along the bottom and overhung with thick bushes and trees. Such a place could only be fished by getting into the water and wading slowly and quietly along the edge, fishing as you go. Another place where it might pay to wade would be where the banks are very high.

The lower one can get, the less likely one is to be seen by the fish. I have been able, by moving carefully and quietly, to get right opposite trout and catch them at rod length with only a foot or so of cast hanging from the rod top. 

To achieve this it was necessary to double right up and crouch as the final yard or two was covered. cast, or rather pushing forward of the rod, was done from a hunched kneeling position. 

There is nothing outstanding about this, every experienced brook fisherman will have done it, but it does show what should be aimed at and what can be achieved, even with the shyest of trout.

Keeping out of sight and moving quietly are the two vital requirements for successful brook fishing and it will save hours of wasted time and much disappointment if these requirements are fulfilled from the start. Remember them and you will catch fish, however bad your casting may be at the beginning . Common-sense facts I suppose, because common sense is often the thing you have to learn by bitter experience.

So I know for a fact, trout are some of the easiest fish to catch, you only have to venture on the Lower Itchen for that, you'll bag up on every known method to man, oh and the obscure too. 😀. To be fair I jest but do keep quiet when fishing these small waterways.

Anyway I went for a couple of hours down at a stretch of the Alne I rarely fish. Mainly because it sees more foot traffic and I hardly see anyone else on the stretch I fish. Apart from one other angler who had donned the waders in the shallow water there was just the two of us, both fishing 'It's not cricket tactics'

Yes small lures, he'd already fished the upper section for a handful of small trout and despite fishing it plenty of times, he had not caught anything big. I showed him the ones I'd caught over the years I have been fishing the Alne and he was quite amazed. To be fair for a small waterway I've had some nice fish where 2lb is a good'un.

I've hooked and lost bigger fish and they tend to be lurking in the deeper and more sluggish water I've found. Anyway we bid our farewells and went in different directions where I managed a few trout and one tiny one dropped off.

The shallow diving 3.5cm floating Salmo rattlin hornet was getting caught up from time to time because the river is very shallow at the moment.  There was sporadic mayfly activity throughout the 2 hour session and plenty of rising fish.

I'm sure a dry fly would have been by far the better presentation but it didn't stop me catching fish. Maybe the Tenkara setup I have would have outfished it but you know what, I like chucking a lure especially when you get a proper 'whack' felt through the braid when a wriggly trout hooks itself.