A look back at the last Trouts of the 2016 session

The Trout season is rather short, 6 months. Add to that conditions that aren't always favorable, such as meltwater or low water, and we find ourselves already at the end of the year without having seen it go by ...

So the season is coming to an end with rather favorable conditions this year, as a few saving rains have slightly increased the flow and activated the misses. It's a good thing, too, because it's happened precisely during my summer vacations (no, no, I didn't do it on purpose, I swear!).

It's armed with my brand-new NFC FW 702-2 that I'll be able to survey my rivers for a few days in landscapes that are each nicer than the next.

Author's note: find all the details of my Assembly on the Rodhouse forum.

Here the notion of sport fishing takes on its full meaning: in the evening the calves pull a little... First observation: the Trout are active but not easy. However, I find the trick that will work all week. What's more, I'm going to be able to have a blast with swimming fish without having to constantly juggle between spoons and other spinners.

Rod test

I had the opportunity to try out quite a few lures on this FW 702. From D-contact 50 (it pulls a bit but it passes), D-compact 45, Ryuki 45 and 50, tricoroll 55 and 47, humpback minnow, bevy minnow 40 or even buffet 43. The rods are a delight in these low-water conditions. It allows me to animate lures very precisely, even at great distances.

Its 2m13 length also allows me to fish both sides of the large boulders that are very present on my rivers.

In combat, it becomes round and progressive. This action is ideal for me on salmonids to absorb head strikes and avoid stalls. She knows how to show authority when you need to bridle a tractor in the current or counter a few candles.

Fish behavior

But back to our fish. I noticed two different behaviors:

• the Trout are active and located on hunting posts in the foam under waterfalls: in this case fishing is not too complicated, usually the first pass of the lure is the right one. Sanction with a big cartridge!
• trout are active but caved in under boulders. You then have to get as close as possible to the rock without hooking to trigger the bite. It's tedious but it pays off.

As a result, we often end up with fish that approach a dress to die for. The fish take on this color by mimicry as they remain caved in for a long time under the stones, and I can't get enough of it! To push my rod to the limit, a beautiful 50+ honors me with a visit to an innocuous spot where I've already caught 2 fish in 2 casts. The rod showed no signs of weakness, so I'll have to go bigger! I change my casting angle and attack the spot across the water in order to comb the threshold of the waterfall where there's just 30 cm of water. The result is unmistakable: big cartridge, candle and rush for a Trout wonder. The season ends on a high note, and we hope for good flows and good reproduction next year. Last fish of the year, a particularly fat 41 mm shell lets itself be photographed after having given me such a hard time: what power!