[Mike Barrio]

As usual at this time of year, many of us are probably dreaming about our first outings in the coming spring, dreams of our favourite running waters and lochs and of brownies ................

My own thoughts usually drift to the Don, which can still be a pretty cold place in April and might not produce as many rises as I imagine in my dreams

I find myself going through the motions in my head, hmmm, which flies will I use on this all important first outing of the year?

Which leads to this thread
Unless I see something specific on the river when I arrive in early April, I would probably start off with a couple of spiders, a dark olive and a hare's ear spider, probably size 12 ..... and I will have a nice large march brown dry up my sleeve in case I spot any towards midday

And for your favourite river or loch ........ Which flies would you choose?

It's good to dream
Cheers
Mike

[tie-fly]

I was a regular on the Don, I found the hatch on the first part of April very slow. Often 12am untill 1pm and also short lived at times. In one pool the brown's went mad, then all of a sudden nothing, so I used a gold head, a hare's ear, the snail and the gold. The browines were not all that stuck to the hook  nor were the salmon kelts. I also had a brownie just over 6lb on the snail and quite a few 2lb and 3lb's. A few time i have been approached by other anglers about my flies, when I have learned how to use the camera I will have to post some pictures up of my own fly tying.

[Gordon Zola]

I have a weeks holiday booked for the start of the season, if its mild then a walk up the river with either a dry olive or Iron Blue Dun
if its cold it'will be an hour with a Haresear then back in front of the fire
Gordon Zola

[Barry Robertson]

Iam most looking forward to Monday the 28th of april for my first day of the season on the Lake o menteith  i then have a further 3 days booked in the following 12 days! 
Let the stockie bashin begin and with the water being iced over nae doubt there will be alot of over wintered monsters to be had!
Fly wise at the start of the season, i doubt there will be many rods on the water without a cat and a blob on there line 
Oh the suspense 

[Mike Barrio]

I love it when you talk dirty Bazil    

Now ......... let me get back to dreaming about brownies and you go start a thread about "The Lake" opening and pink baseball caps!

Cheers
Mike

[Mike Barrio]

Actually Baz raises a good point

I don't think I've ever fished one of the big rainbow venues on their first week of opening after being closed for the winter, I would imagine that the sport would be great if they haven't been stocked

Is it just a case of fishing deep with Cats and Blobs on somewhere like Menteith, or are there other methods that would probably prove productive?

Cheers
Mike

[Gordon Zola]

That reminds me of a day over 30 years ago, I arrived at a small stilwater to find it almost completly frozen over, fish were rising along the edge of the ice, I had success by casting onto the ice and just letting the leader reach the water, that day takes were just as the fly sank beneath the surface, the wind slowly melted back the ice and the more the ice melted the more fish were rising.
Gordon

[Barry Robertson]

Actually Baz raises a good point

I don't think I've ever fished one of the big rainbow venues on their first week of opening after being closed for the winter, I would imagine that the sport would be great if they haven't been stocked

Is it just a case of fishing deep with Cats and Blobs on somewhere like Menteith, or are there other methods that would probably prove productive?

Cheers
Mike

Menteith seldom requires you to fish deep to be fair, even at the start of the season the majority of the fish are in the top 3 ft of the water in my opinon anyway!
Its not all cats and blobs mike and i dare say nymphs, diawl bachs and buzzers will be high on the menu also.

A midge tip and a slow intermediate should see you fine if therer is not a big wind on the water, and i dare say there will be a good few fish rising that could be tempted by a dry!

[Mike Barrio]

Now you're talking Baz

I fished Menteith a few times back in the 90s, later in the season and dries, spiders and Diawl Bachs in the top 3ft was good fun. I wasn't sure if this would work in April ...... cool, something else to dream about

Cheers
Mike

[Rob Brownfield]

I have already turned my thoughts to Pollock and Cod on the fly...both are more than catchable just now. No worries about iced over water etc.

My main passion wont start until March(ish) when the big female Pike are in the shallows and willing to take a large fly stripped through the marginal reeds. Something resembling a frog will have bow waves charging across the surface and ones heart racing!

As for game fish, I probably won't fish for anthing with an adipose fin until the summer when evenings spent with the dry fly will fire my enthusiasm once more

[Mike Barrio]

Great stuff Rob

I love the way we can all share each others enthusiasm, be it for brownies, rainbows, cod, pollock, pike or salmon

Best wishes
Mike

[Mike Livingstone]

The new season seems a long way off but it will most probably be mid April on a wee stream south of Stavanger.  The most likely set up will be a Stimulator tied on a #12 TMC200R with a beadhead nymph below it.  May will mean Loch Ness with blue zulu, mallard and claret and butcher on the line and if I hit it right then a hares ear parachute.  The season in the mountains wont start until June where I will be chasing the brook trout, most likely with a shuttlecock style emerger in olive.

[Iain Goolager]

there's still snow and cald days ahead but there's a definate lengthening of the days and that tingling in the bones - the countdown has started 

[Hamish Young]

Rivers and early this season I will mostly be fishing nasty big streamers in pursuit of big hungry browns on a few choice pieces of water nearby. Failing that I'll maybe even fish a dry fly  maybe a nymph 

Come the lochs..... well, I'm undecided as each day is different. Got a few lines I want to try out that failed to get an airing last season  Oh.... but I will be doing a spot of trolling after Ferox early-ish in the year. For that I will mostly be using 8oz brown trout 

H 

PS - kidding, they'll be 8oz char 

[Ben Dixon]

For that I will mostly be using 8oz brown trout 

H 

PS - kidding, they'll be 8oz char 

Where's the angry vomiting emoticon?

I'll be out on the 11th Feb   

Ben