Seatrout

NikolaCG

Your Salmo dentex looks very much like the seatrout we have in the UK (known as Sewin in Wales)

Seatrout are genetically identical to brown trout but migrate to sea in the spring when approximately 2 years of age; returning in the summer and each
year after that to spawn in the river.

The attched photograph is of a young friend of mine with the biggest recoded seatrout from my fishing clubs river...



The fish was caught in 2008 and weighted 15lb 2oz which is approximately 7 kilograms.

The seatrout are mainly fished for at night with wet flies, cast down and across the river; often with a surface lure fly that creats a lot of disturbance.

Ray

well well well
That 's the catch
Beautifull fish Ray...but,you know the drill now you have to tell us about that ff at night

Hi Madjoni

Now how did I know what you were going to ask?

Should I be starting a new thread on seatrout fishing? Or will you do it?

After about 2 years spent in a river, young seatrout, at approximately 15cm - 20 cm in length, will start to turn silver (usually around April or May time). These silver fish are what we call 'smolts' and are ready to migrate to sea where they feed and grow rapidly to about 0.5 kilogram plus and return to the river from mid July onwards.

These seatrout returning to the river wil eventually spawn in late autumn or early winter and then migrate back to the sea during the late winter period. They will then return to the river year after year, growing bigger on each vist to the sea.

The bigger seatrout may return to the river anytime from about April onwards and, depending on age, weigh anything from about 1 kilo up to the very large fish of 7 or 8 kilo's - ( typically 1.5 to 2.0 kilo's).

Genetically these seatrout are identical to the resident brown trout Salmo truta

I use a fly rod 3 metre long with a #8 line for seatrout, the leader used will be about the same length as the fly rod and 2 or 3 flies are used. (Yes - I know many of you guys think this is poaching; but it is accepted in the UK).

The lines used may be a floating one or any of the different sinking densities. Line density selection is generally based on river levels; low river level = floating line; high river level = fast sinking line.

Flies sizes will vary from a size 10 up to size 4 (sometimes flies are tied as doubles, trebles, tube-flies or tandem mounts).

Anglers wait on the bank until it becomes dark and then enter the water to begin fishing (no light should be allowed to flash on the water). Fish can be caught from night fall through to dawn.

Flies are nearly always fished through the pools in the traditional down and across wet fly style.

But sometimes, as an alternative to the traditional wet fly style, surface lure is used on a floating line to create wake (wave) when it is retrieved; other times when fishing very slow sections of a pool a fast sinking line will be used with a buoyant fly.

I will photograph and post some of the flies used for fishing after dark.

Ray

Very fine..diolch mate :ziveli :
But I dont get it why that fish cant be cought by day light?
This fish is just like wampire
Is them like salmon.....dont eat anything in fresh water?

Madjoni
Correct - they are very much like salmon and generally do not feed in the River.

Some fish are caught in the day - but not many - probably because they are a very cautious fish and take fright easily.

Ray

A few flies from my fly box.









The last fly was tied by a good friend of mine who was an expert fly fisher seatrout, it is a great seatrout pattern. Sadly my Friend is no longer with us - he was a top guy.


Ray

Beautifull flies and fantastic photos mate
Is it wrong to call this flies a strimers?i ask that because some of them like that Teal&Silver in our ff literature(very poor by the way ) was presented as strimers?
p.s.very sorry for your friend

Hi Madjoni
Both the Teal Blue & Silver and Dunkeld with jungle cock cheeks would be describe as traditional wet trout fly patterns. I think the Dunkeld is simplified version of a salmon fly by that name.

My friend died a few years ago - he had fished a lot and caught many fish in his life.

Just hope the same can be said about me in 50 or 60 years time - because I will be happy.

I'll post some more photo's of seatrout flies tied by my friends brother - also a top seatrout and salmon fly fisher. One of his surface lure patterns is very well known in the UK; he is another good friend and I have a box of his flies that I have photographed.

Ray

This is a surface lure designed and tied by a good friend of mine John Graham and named after his son James (Jambo is his nick name). It has become a firm favourite with night time seatrout anglers across the UK. This one is has yellow bucktail in the wing - probably the best of his patterns is the one he ties with blue bucktail.

The lure is cast downstream and across and allowed to swing across the current creating a big wake (wave) as it moves. The underside of the large clipped deer hair head is flat, he uses a hot piece of metal to burn it that way.
On a dark night it has a reputation for bringing large seatrout to the surface to take it.

Interesting lure! And interesting night fishing too.

NikolaCG ::

Interesting lure!

This might work well for huchen

On some nights, the surface lure can attract a lot of seatrout and be deadly.

Ray