As the river fishing season has ended, I went to fish at the lower reach of my home river to find some winter fishing spots and to know how productive or exciting fishing at the lower parts of the river.
I tried two different access spots to the river to see how.
The night before, I uncased my switch rod Scott L2H 1106 after... mmm I can't remember, maybe more than a year I never used it.
Rod: Scott L2H 1106
Reel: Waterworks Lamson Konic 3.5
Line: Rio Scandi Short Versi Tip #5 320gr
Leader: Tiemco Fluoro 2X 12ft
The strategy for the day were to strip some streamers and to swing some wet flies on the switch rod.
It was a nice and calm winter day.
Although the temperature was still high for a winter day, the river water was getting much colder, and the current was quite slow at this lower reach.
The first browny was like 16inches one.
And the second one was even smaller.
Both of them bit on this fly which I created as one of my original patterns using Japanese " Trout Gum" stuff. A copper tungsten bead 3.3mm at top, vibrant orange Polar Fiber for the outer body and some red Salmo Web added on the gill.
Actually the Trout Gum gets so much longer as it gets wet, so it can be shorter that was what I found to improve it today.
I didn't get many bite on the day but I dropped a good one that bit on the Clouser Deep Minnow kind of streamer which I tied when I was back in Sydney to use for saltwater games.
And the next day, on Monday, I went back to the river again taking my 6 weight single hand rod to try to fish at a different stretch out of the lower reach with some heavy nymphing in my mind.
Rod: Loop Evotec 696-4MF
Reel: Ampex SK-PⅢ
Line: SA OH&D Single 14g #6F or #6Inter
Leader: Tiemco Nylon 2X 12ft
Another calm and warm afternoon.
A little browny.
And maybe 16-17inches one.
Both of them took a Clouser Deep Minnow in the same run.
After that I missed a good fish again just like yesterday!
"Buggerrrr!!!"
Why.... Just hooked out again...
Hmmm, maybe I wasn't a very good fisherman this weekend but I thought it was okay for the first week for winter fishing, caught two fish each day and dropped a good fish each day. What I found about fishing methods were flies had to be heavy because my woolly buggers never worked. They were weighted but not with a tungsten bead or a dumbbell eye like flies that worked this weekend. Additionally, heavy nymphing was not really fun to do there as the current was too slow. Streamer and wet fly fishing were a lot more likable methods to fish there. And swithch rod or single hand rod? I think it doesn't really matter, my double hand Sage is obviously something too much because the river is not really big even at the lower. Maybe I'll focus on my switch rod to build up some effective methods for this fishing. Good things were I could find those lower stretches worth fishing during winter and they hold some good size brownies for sure, I didn't land them this weekend though...
Hopefully I will land some good ones next weekend.
