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April 2006
Monthly
Meeting Sheryl Bryan gave a presentation about the effects of the Hurricanes of 2004 on the trout waters of Western North Carolina. She is a fisheries biologist with the National Forest Service in North Carolina.
North Mills Stocking Dates 2006 May 1 - Monday October 6 - Friday November 1 - Wednesday Usual time and place. Contact Don Bellm at: dgbamb@charter.net to let him know you can help.
Casting For Recovery Enter
to win a Bahamas Bonefishing Trip. Winner
will be announced at a drawing on June 10th, 2006 at the FFF SE
Conclave at
Taxonomy and Pollution Ecology of Aquatic Insects Meg Howard, a new LOS member, will be offering this program in July. It is sponsored by NCDENR. Contact her at mhoward@utk.edu
North
Shore Road Update
UNDERSTANDING HOW TROUT FEED Steve
Parrott Probably one of the most fascinating things is to see a trout rise and take an insect off of the surface. The most frustrating thing is casting to where the ring was, matching the hatch perfect and coming up empty.
Hopefully the following explanations of trout rise forms will help
on you next fishing outings. There are several different ways that trout feed.
One way is considered to be a Simple Rise which generally
occurs during a good hatch and the trout are pretty sure of the type of
food floating downstream. These
rises are usually quick and sometimes violent with very little hesitation
by the trout. He will leave
his holding area, rise to the surface and either takes or refuse the fly,
and will always return to his holding area. Another type of rise is the Compound Rise.
This is similar to the Simple Rise, but it involves a much longer
drift from the holding area and longer inspection of the food.
This is caused when the trout has some doubt about the edibility of
the food floating by. The
trout will almost always stay with the food, drifting just under the
surface at the same rate continuously inspecting the food while deciding
whether to take or refuse. This
is why it is important to have a drag-free drift.
Any unusual movement that does not look natural or goes against the
current will result in a refusal 90% of the time.
If you notice the trout turn sideways in the current, this is the
beginning of a more thorough inspection because there is still to much
doubt. A puddle cast can be
very effective in getting the long drag-free drift required in this
situation. At some point or
another, the trout will make the final decision to take the fly or refuse
and move back to his holding area. The third type of rise is the Complex Rise which occurs when there is
extreme doubt in the trout mind about the food type drifting overhead.
As with the compound rise the trout will begin drifting downstream
or across stream with the fly giving it a thorough inspection.
If there is excessive drag on the fly or the trout believes it is
an inedible object, the trout will immediately refuse and return to the
holding area. If the drift is
good, and the trout is still interested but very doubtful, he will allow
the fly to begin floating away from him.
It is now time for a decision.
If he refuses, he will return to his holding area.
However, if he does decide to take, the trout will turn facing
downstream in a very fast motion and begin his pursuit.
Once you see a trout displaying this pursuit, he will never refuse
it. Hopefully this will help you understand that when a trout rises, he is
generally not sitting under the ring he left waiting for his next morsel
of food. When you make a cast,
make sure you land the fly far enough above that last rise form or your
cast may fall short of where the fish is holding or you may land directly
on top of the fish and spook him.
One of the most important things is the drag free float when you are fishing
over finicky fish. If you
cannot achieve the drift you need from where you are fishing, try moving
upstream and fish back down to where the trout is holding. If you have questions, comments, or contributions please email Brad Sprinkle.
If you are interested in talking about the various aspects of fly fishing with others around the country who are as enthusiastic as yourself, here are some sites to check out. http://www.southeastflyfishingforum.com/index.php
Fishing and Stream Reports
We will add other sources of fishing and stream info as we can.
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