Techy Thursday - Moving late season browns

So there's one weekend to go on our Southern Lakes backcountry tributaries and with temperatures cooling the browns are on the move. However many anglers are struggling to entice these recent additions to our rivers as they hold tight on the bottom of the pools and runs showing little interest in conventional tactics.

Never fear, I've got you covered...

Common sense:

• Don't walk onto spawning redds. Redds generally are those areas of gravel brushed clean by the activity of spawning trout. Wading through these areas can dislodge and damage damage eggs.
• Don't fish to actively spawning browns. Show both respect and restraint and let spawning pairs get down to important business undisturbed, no matter how large they may be.
• Its freakin cold out there. Dress sensibly in suitable thermal layers and waders, and simply dont die of hypothermia. Despite blue skies, sunlight often misses many of our mountainous valleys at this time of year, and you may spend much of the day in permafrost.

Now to the fishing:

• Get deep: these fish are often holding tight to the bottom and moving little, and so your fly must pass right across their nose, time and time again. This means serious tungsten but often you need a little bit more. Longer leaders and longer, level tippet will allow a deeper drift and Loon Deep Soft Weight is an easy-to-use tungsten putty for that little more oomph.
• Strike Patterns: Use flies that will be seen, and carry colours to generate a reaction. OTB Hare and Coppers, Fresh Princes, Batman nymphs, Bloodworms, Renes Candy Caddis , Pink nosebleeds and Simons uglies all carry eye catching colour, and those with the addition of rubber legs can work dynamite when twitched at the crucial moment.
• Fish Sensible Streamers: Dores Mr Glisters, Yoshi Buggers and Angelis Foxy Swingers are my go - to streamers for this time of year wether swing, or pulled. Here's a tip for the facebook streamer frothers out there... Big isnt always good. When the water is low and clear, and finicky browns have just moved into the river you need to calm things down. You will find more than not that the above mentioned, streamlined patterns will spook less fish, and pull more than your huge, fluffy, articulated beasts. I'll usually start off natural, but move to brighter colours when needed to piss off a lunker. Dead drift's get right in their face, and I let the built in movement of the materials do the work for me. If this doesn't get a reaction, drift 'em deep, and strip!

Enjoy the final weekend before winter '17 begins. Fish hard and fish safe.

Chris Dore

www.chrisdore.com