2016 03 10 Trout No 600 for the 2015 16 trout season Mersey RiverMersey River gives up trout number 600 - 10/3/2016

With light drizzle on the way this afternoon I thought I would give the Mersey River a quick session at Kimberley. I haven't fished here for quite some time as the fishing went right off. I'm hoping to pick up at least three trout today to bring up my 600th trout for the 2015/16 season. Once there I found the river to be running very low and crystal clear, being a dull over cast day it didn't really bother me all that much. In fact I thought it would probably be a good day to fish here. I headed down to a fast water run that always gives up a few rainbows and I'm hoping it will again today. I started off with a small copper black fury flicking it up and across the river and letting it drift with the flow as I slowly retrieved it. It took ten minutes of working this run before I had my first sign of a trout. It just sat some 3'' behind the spinner and followed it without any sign of aggression at all. It was off with the black fury and on with the F-3 Rapala rainbow pattern to see if it would entice the trout to take it. I spent another ten minutes in the run without a sign of that trout, so I moved on.

The next run looked good too and it was one where I flick the F-3 Rapala into and let it drift downstream where I slowly retrieve it back along the edge of the fast water that had a nice bubble line along it. I don't normally fish downstream and retrieve a lure upstream, but this area also holds some nice rainbows and I know they'll have a crack at the lure if they're here. It was on the second cast and slow retrieve when the lure was taken in a very savage attack. I was onto a nice solid rainbow that was really testing the 4lb mono in this deep fast water run. With the drag set just right I finally eased this 'bow out of the centre of the fast water into a large pocket of slow water before I managed to lead it into the net. This was one very well condition fish that went 560gms. I plucked the hooks from the fish while it was still in the net without having to handle it. This rainbow was a breeder and I didn't want to get it too stressed. It was long before it had recovered enough to be released and it was on it's way. Two casts later I had take from another solid fish that stayed deep and I it made several runs before it spat the lure. This would have been a rainbow too going by the way it ran and stayed deep.

Onto the next run and four casts later I was onto another rainbow that gave me merry hell even though it was nowhere as large as the first one caught. It wasn't long before it was in the net and back into the river. Only one more needed now to reach the 600 mark I kept thinking to my self. Ahead of me was a split in the river, on the left side of it ran under the willows on the right was a wide open stretch of water. I decided the best spot was the run under the willows as I had caught some nice browns here over the years. On the very first cast upstream & with one turn of the reel the lure was taken by a good brown that immediately leapt from the river and made a dash towards some fallen willow branches. I had to just hold this fish and hope that the light mono wouldn't give

Way at the knot which is the weakest point. The knot held as I eased the fish away from the fallen willow and into open water. After it had made few more leaps and runs it tired and was soon in the net. What a relief it was to see this beautifully coloured brown in the net too. Trout number 600 has been caught today and well ahead of schedule. The drizzle had really set in now as I kept on working my way upstream for another five hundred meters for just the one hook up which I lost, that was the only take over that distance. I decided to call it a day, I had achieved what I set out to do today. That was good enough for me.

Adrian Webb


Trout No 600 for the 2015 16 trout season Mersey River

2016 03 10 Trout No 600 for the 2015 16 trout season Mersey River

 

Good solid 540gm Mersey River rainbow

2016 03 10 Good solid 540gm Mersey River rainbow

 

Good size brown trout taken here Mersey River

2016 03 10 Good size brown trout taken here Mersey River

 

Shades of Autumn appearing Mersey River

2016 03 10 Shades of Autumn appearing Mersey River