Method in the madness at Ellerdine Lakes.

A great day at Ellerdine Lakes

Catching Trout with bad attitudes on buzzers

Your first view of Ellerdine Lakes as you drive in

Bright and bursting with energy.  Scrappers like this Rainbow, will tear you up if your unprepared 

I Lay there looking at the alarm clock, pondering what time to get up? No sleep in the last two hours and it's approaching 6am! My anticipation levels are on a real buzz.  Knowing today is going to be just fab. The weatherman last night said, "warm air temperatures".  I'll have some of that, thank you!

For the past week, whilst at work, all my thoughts are focused on my next fishing day!  I've been reminiscing, about that last visit to Ellerdine Lakes, for a few nights now? 6lb Rainbows that just hammer you senseless! Their fighting spirit, sometimes no match for the slimmest of hook holds! That's what I relish! The challenge in hooking just one of the beasts, is just unbelievable.  Making the hairs on the back of your neck stand out, as the rush begins. The ebb and flow of power, as you try to subdue a fiesty trout, but there's always one that has other ideas. The one that shows you a thrill ride, to match "Rita Queen of Speed", at Alton Towers!

What's the fascination with small stillwater trouting? For me, it's always a fun factor with a fact finding mission.  Plus meet up with likeminded souls, like myself.  Watching folk blast a whole fly line out, with good casting skills and effortless turnover. Then stand there wondering why there are fish rising, within yards of the bank?? Sometimes giving the angler a scare, as they slash out, right at their feet.  Just amazing! 

My first casts are always short, to begin with.  Be ready for any reaction on your line and in the surrounding water. Trout are tenacious creatures, with cunning and stealth. Having the ability to suck your fly in and spit it out, without you knowing what's gone on? There have been moments, when fishing the surface layers with small nymphs, where there has been a flat spot created in the ripple, right at my line tip. I've lifted and felt that fish for about 2 seconds, before it peels away and leaves me pondering, what the hell has just‎ happened?

In most cases the trout has come from depth, looking for a feed? Seeing your offering, is just one of those chance moments, when the fish decides that it must have it. Then in the blink of an eye, it has inhaled, tasted and squashed your fly into the roof of it's mouth, with it's toothy tongue, then exhaled your offering‎. You didn't even know it was there, but that lasting deadening of the line, against the drift was all the feel you got? What you forgot in those lasting seconds, was how the trout came to take your fly, in the first place! True?

Getting your offering to the comfort zone, that the trout has homed in on! That's the key in trouting and then being able to replicate it again. Competition anglers call this repetition and they do this out of instinct.  Fish are creatures with fear, strength and purpose. They are always looking out and upward, due to their physiology. Their lidless eyes, look in those directions constantly.   When they're at depth, I believe, they have a large general window of vision, to view activity at the surface. As they move up in the water column, this window or cone is reduced in size, but now posseses much more focus.  Hence their ability to pick out the smallest of flies and other debris, in or on the mirrored surface film.

In most cases, I start my days on Meadow Lake, right in front of the Lodge. It makes sense. Several good fish hang around here, with depth for shelter not too far away, if they want it?  I've had several nice trout from here and there's no reason, why there shouldn't be more?

‎My two rod set up for today is 15ft of G3 Flouro on a Airflo Super Dri Mend floating line and two buzzers.

A skinny black buzzer with a UV overwrap on the holographic rib. This adds a blueish hue with the red head as a trigger

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The red holo buzzer with a UV rib and covered with Deercreek Diamond fine UV resin

 Top one being black with a silver holographic rib and on the point a red holographic buzzer with a pearly thorax . Both of these are size 14. Adding a pearly flash rib‎, makes for a great trigger, in prompting a trout, to come and have a sniff?

The other rod is set up with an Airflo Ridge Impact Mini Tip line, with just 11ft of G3 Flouro and two flies. On the dropper, is the ever popular Mirage Cormorant, courtesy of Gareth Jones, Airflo. On the point is a small size 10 Hot Head Green Damsel. I'm fishing the shorter leader, so that I have a little more control in the wind, with this sub surface set up.‎ Plus I don't want to bouy my flies up in the water, with a longer leader.

Fishing a floating line and two buzzers, on the last visit, I was getting takes on the dropper first. Indicating the fish were higher in the water. Then, Mr Sunshine came out and sent them below and out of the harsh, March sunlight!‎ Today, with warm temperatures, the trout are actively looking for food. They'll search the surface and with a little ripple, this helps break down the bright light and highlight buzzers hanging just sub surface.

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Airfflo's Tippet Degreaser, helps lightweight tippets and flies break through the surface film

Using Airflo Tippet Degreaser, I can degrease the leader every few casts, to help sink the leader, so it allows for a drag free presentation. To use this, just wet your finger, then rub the soap like lump. Once it's wet, just rub this along your leader. It works a treat at sinking your leader and is as good on mono as it is on light Flouro.  If I'm honest, most hits will come on the red buzzer. But degreasing allows these lightweight buzzers to penetrate the surface, without getting hung up in the flim. This is what today is all about.  Trying to get it right? Casting out a short fast stroke, sends around 8 yds of fly line, plus my leader length out. One quick pull on the line hand to straighten the cast, then a slow figure of eight retrieve, with just two fingers at a time coming in. Bang and I'm hooked up!  A solid thump, thump tells me this is a nice fish?

A corker Rainbow with some bad attiude

Usually the first hit is hard, where the trout has come from depth and sanctuary to take your fly. Then you feel the thud, as the fish drives itself back to cover and safety! Sometimes if your not careful, you can get smashed here? So, let the fish take line on the first hit, or risk losing your rig altogether. Any weakness on your leader, such as dropper knots or nicks are quickly exposed and exploited. Check your leader regularly and change it, if in doubt? Losing the "Fish of a lifetime", through laziness will haunt you, long into your older years?  When you say to your fishing buddies," Oh yeah, remember that monster Brownie I lost on Ellerdine Lakes"? That was a beaut!   Why not have the better memory, of the fish in your hands, in a photo! Check your leader or revisit the moment you lost that fish, over and over. 

Often when your fishing, you'll casually glance around, just pondering the take. Then see the dorsal fin of a trout break the surface. Watching this, you'll then notice the top of the tail fin cut in behind it. The gap between the dorsal and tail fin will give you an idea, on the size of your fish. Remember this? The gap between those fins ‎indicates about half of the length of the trout, in general terms. So larger fish, will have a bigger gap between the two fins. Easy to remember.

This is a nice Rainbow, with a fab tail to power it about the water. After a few hard runs, with this trout trying to weed me, the constant pressure finally takes it toll and the fish, finally gives the turns of pace a rest.   Long enough for me to pull it over the top of the waiting net! We'll chuffed. Hooked in the scissors, near the maxillary bone. After a slight push the debarbed hook, falls away to the net bottom. Now with the fish recovering, I can get some pics for Twitter, then pop it back. With a splashy send off from the trout's tail, it's away.

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On release, this Rainbow is ready to go! 

Share your fishing memories on social media sites, whilst fishing. Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram are just a few places you can drop a pic on, to arouse people's interest? It will also highlight how the fishery is performing, which isn't a bad thing. It may also get you a thank you from the fishery manager in the process. When taking your pics for sharing, always think of the fish. Keep it in the water and photograph it in the net. If it's a poser, take the pic over the water. That way, if the trout does a flip, it will fall into the water, not on the bank, where it could get hurt! 

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This one flipped clean out of my hands, but landed safely in the water and was gone in a flash

If you intend to share your images with your mates or other websites, uploading to photo hosting websites, such as Photobucket are a great way to store pics. This way you can copy the image link, from the host site, then paste it to anything you want. Blogs, emails, texts and any other sharing host, you can think of?

A check of the leader and quick degrease. I let around 12yds of line out. Straightening up sees a slash at the surface on my dropper buzzer, though I'm not prepared and missed the opportunity!   A quick recast and straighten up, then try something different? Roly poly but really slow, then if you get a take, just keep pulling in until the rod tip thuds away! In again and on the red holo!   Applying measured steady pressure, sees the fish glide to the surface, like a mini submarine. It sees me, then just goes bananas!!  Running left and right, really testing the hook hold on my small fly. With bursts of speed, all I can see is small mirror like flashes, glinting in the surface layers. Showing it's distaste for me, by trying to increase the distance between us, in some great blitzes of pace. Then, it just pops at the surface and I guide into the net. At around 3.5lb this is a great looking trout. It's tail shows why it can accelerate so wildly?

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This clonker hit pace from the get go.  Just superb fighters

As the sun climbs higher, I can feel it's warmth hit my beanie. Time to soak up some warmth, so I keep my baseball hat on. It's peak allowing some respite for my eyes, with the surface glare. The mirrored surface now showing more rise forms, as the buzzers are taking advantage of the warm temperatures. They sit on the surface for a few brief seconds to dry the tiny wings, before taking flight. For me, I'm watching the rise forms and their shape. They look circle like, but there's nearly always a pull away on one side, indicating the trout's direction of travel, that the trout is heading. Recasting and quickly straightening the leader, I'm poised for the hit. It's not a big hit, but I see the banding on my fly line slip away from me, then drop the rod tip right‎ and pull with the line hand. In again! Just amazing and what a thrill ride.

The acceleration of these powerful Rainbows is quite something else! Sheer ‎power and I'm loving being attached to these beasts. Considering the take was merely a visual slide away of the fly line, seen on the line banding. The first burst of energy is just breath taking. Peeling line through the rod rings, the line sizzles as it's dragged through the surface water. At this point, I'm always concerned on the hook hold? Such is the point of focus, where all the resistance from you, your fly line and drag are the held in one position, by just the hook point and your tippet knot?? Mind blowing.

Applying more pressure, brings this fish lolling to the top. I pull it to one side, then quickly net it. Twitter gets it's feed and this one isn't interested in returning too quickly. It rests itself in the weeded margins, but looks Ok? So I leave it there to recover. Even whilst I'm casting, this trout is unperturbed and wants nothing. I recast again, look down and it's gone??  

I decide to make a move to Lakemoor, as the wind is picking up. Setting up near the trees on the left side of the lake. I have a restricted ‎backcast, but more prominent gaps in the pond weed. Out goes my first tentative cast with the floater, but I have to overpower the cast to turn it over. Pulling the line straight, I miss another fast take again? Recasting and dropping into the Roly Poly, straight off the bat gets the desired response, with my rod tip pulsing then all goes tight? This is weird and there's steady resistance with the occasional thump. I've been weeded again. I have two choices. Apply more pressure and bully the fish up, which may pop the hook hold? Or, slacken the line and see if it pulls away after a short wait? I apply a little pressure, but the thump is no longer there? So I pull the leader up and away.

With pond weed all over my leader, I clear it up and see a casting knot from overpowering my cast. So it's re-rig time. Three full arm stretches of G3 is 15ft for me. I set the dropper at 5ft from the line tip with a three turn water knot, then attach a skinny Black Diawl Bach on the dropper. To be honest, I've tried the two turn water knot and have little confidence in it.   A recast and we're back in business!

A Black Diawl Bach, green wire rib and silver holographic tied in horizontally 

Several good fish are dimpling the rippled surface, with the tell tale flat spot left behind, as they depart for another cursory browse upwind. Swapping my Black skinny buzzer for the Diawl may improve my hook up rate. On a size 10 this larger offering, will often entice a take out of pure curiosity? I cast a shorter line in close and around 4ft from the bank on my left and upwind. Pulling the line straight to get a feel for any resistance on the leader, works a treat! Fish on and I don't believe it? A gorgeous little Brown Trout of about a half a pound. A tussled few tugs on the line and he's netted. I sit down on the bank and admire this stunning little fish. Beauty comes in small packages and with brilliant black spots and tiny red dots along it's flanks. A pic for friends, then he's away to the depths. Come back again my little friend! Well worth the wait.

Absolute beauty in a small package.  A wonderful little Brown Trout

I'm watching the surface closely, as I check my camera? There's a pod of trout in front of me, picking off something super small, that I can't make out? Their rise form has the fish coming to the surface vertically, with just their heads breaking the film. It looks like they're just popping the surface slowly and turning on the last second, to see their prey. Whatever the fly life is, they seem preoccupied with them and nothing else will do for this pod! I'll leave these, to a better angler than myself.

I move left and up to the prominent point on Lakemoor. It sits adjacent to a drop off, which offers structure and a change of flow. Where the cooler under flowing sub surface water flows over the drop and also adds a sprinkling of fly life‎, to the dwellers on this mark. From this spot, I put up the Mini Tip rig after a cursory glance at my flies and leader. I pop 20yds of line out to the opposite tree and rushes. My unweighted Damsel's marabou tail hanging in the surface film. A few quick, short plucks sinks the fly and I'm fishing again.

The sun is gradually pumping out more heat and sunshine. The trout seem untroubled and carry on with their surface ‎picnic. I'm catching weed nearly every cast, so cast to the same spot, but on the release of the cast, throw a line mend in and keep the rod tip at 90 degrees to bank. Using a slow roly poly and short spurting pulls, gets some attention, but no firm hook up. I pull in the leader for a fly change. Now I have a Flash Back Damsel debarbed on the point. I soak the fly in the margin water, then flick out a shorter cast to my right, down the bank again?

If your careful and quiet, you'll sometimes see trout explore the margins. I've just seen a mud cloud mushroom to my right, hence the cast in that direction. I roly poly quickly on the edge of the mud cloud. A fast silvery flash and my line at the rod tip pulses, but no take? I cast back to the cloud, but this time to the right of it. Pulling fast back through the murk, I lose sight of line banding for a moment, but felt the thud, right down the line and in the same instant, the rod tip arcs around. The take is that fast, that I line strike straight downward and the fish hits the bank edge, creating another mud cloud! It regains it's sense of direction and plunges for the weed and safety. 

I'd lost sight of my line banding, because of the take. But, whatever you believe you think you know about these Impact Mini Tip lines, transmission of a take, from the line tip to your fingers is instant. With these low stretch lines, you feel everything. With just 6% stretch when compared to a conventional PVC fly line, you can get better longer range hook ups and more feel for your money.  Even weeding feels different, compared to a pull or pluck. It a characteristic, that I love with this line range.  These lines are due to have Super Dri technology, added to their make up.  A characteristic that can only enhance their already great perfomance!

Some hard surges have this trout taking line, but not like the others? A long Rainbow, but not heavy. With it soon at the net rim, I'm more than happy with my small successes so far. But, this wind is increasing, as it always does at Ellerdine Lakes. So I opt for a move to Crannymoor.

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After trying to weed me, this one is finally in the net

Catching my drift, with method in the madness.

The Island on the right on Crannymoor.  In the foreground is a drop off, harbouring some nice Trout

There are lots of fish showing here and with anglers catching all over the lake, I plonk in, near the island edge. Short casting the Mend line first of all, then extending and shooting more line. I'm now getting close to the lsland. Fish congregate near obstructions as they break the movement of water and disrupt the flow. Providing a hunting habitat to feed. There are rises near this, so after casting. I straighten up the leader, so I'm in direct contact with my rig. Now all I do is make sure the leader and line tip are moving at as natural a pace as possible. I let the line drift, then as it swings in, I gently pull tight then release. Maintaining this steady draw and drop, allows me to see changes in the pace of the line tip and leader. It also highlights when the line stops, which is important and could indicate a hit? If it stops, draw your line tight. You'll feel the thud, thud if there's a fish interested in your offerings. I let the wind and water carry my flies around, as this allows me to keep pace, with less movement of my flies. I want them to stay in zone, at depth for as long as possible.

A small reed bed and the pump in the corner on Crannymoor 

I watch my line banding near the tip, hawk like?  It's approaching the bank and I'm at the point where I'm ready to lift. Carefully, I peel the line tip up and there's a stutter in it's upward movement, like a snag on a weed stem? Having been mislead by this before, I line strike and lift the rod straight up‎. My rod tip arcs downward and my fly line glides away, out onto the water. I'm hooked up and this is a good fish. Having peeked it, as it hit the gas and shot off from me. A messy scrap sees me in the water, waiting for the fish to tire. I reel in the slack, to prevent me pinging the trout off, if I snag the line? Then, with a quick lift I have the fish on the surface and into my Carp net.   

A clonker fish that was lying in wait near the pump on Crannymoor

I manage to get some poser pics, of this nice silver Rainbow, with another angler taking the shots for me. With thanks and the usual question, on what I caught that on?  I Hand over my two flies and explaining my method, we part as new angling acquaintances until we meet again? I then start to pack up.  Mulling over what I've achieved today?

A fun filled day, with some great looking trout. Finding the successful method, makes all the difference. Degreasing your leader, will always pay dividends against an untreated line. The next time your out, cast some lightweight flies out and see what happens as you retrieve? Then try Degreasing and see the difference. You'll be surprised by the result.

Don't forget to share your experiences, with all of us?  We're all watching........ waiting!!!

Best regards

Stuart