Discovering a new river, towards the Normandy border. Only trout fishing awakens such primal hunting instincts. Those moments when all your senses are alert, that work of understanding to find the fish. It was this instinct that guided me to the Normandy border for this opening day.
Adapting to conditions
The day after the opening, I decided to go fishing in an area that hadn't been hit by the same bad weather as the day before. I open my weather app to see where the rainfall was least severe.
The extreme north-east of the department seems to have been spared the brunt of the depression. I scour Google Maps for spots with good potential and quickly spot three tributaries of the Couesnon. I mark a few spots on the map and off I go. As I approached the first marker recorded, a sumptuous river about 2.50 m wide came into view.
Clear, flowing waters punctuated by large granite boulders and long lines of diatoms (algae) accompany me on this morning of "discovery". The area looks as if it has undergone some fishing pressure, the grass seems to have been trampled and numerous footprints are visible on the ground. I decide to head downstream until all traces of any fishermen have disappeared. Now that I'm just over two kilometers from my starting point, the game can begin.
Making the right choices
Here, I've chosen to go downstream, taking care not to stick to the river so as to be able to fish it Upsream and thus be more discreet. I quickly realize that I'm going to have to be discreet, as the water here is very clear and I have very little vegetation to hide behind. I start my survey with a steady current in a shallow zone (- 30 cm) with lots of algae.
I opt for a slow sinking lure that holds the wave, BlackMagic's BMAX50. I cast my lure about 4 m - ¾ upstream and bring it back fairly quickly, a yellow flash appears at the last moment out of nowhere and is right in front of me as my lure has just left the water. I remain static until the fish returns. I back off 2 meters, kneel down and cast again, barely enough time to finish my 3rd crank and the yellow flash takes hold of my PN.
It's a magnificent little wildling that graces me with a most visual fight in the middle of this superb river. Using single barbless hooks, I quickly unhooked her, immortalized the coat of this magnificent fish and quickly released her back into her element.
Discretion first
With a change of scenery, I resume my progress and arrive at a completely different spot. The area is not much deeper than the previous one, around 40 cm. But the lack of current here gives the fish the edge, and they're likely to see me coming. And yes, in such slow-moving areas, trout regularly stand in the opposite direction to the river, as the cushioning creates a counter-current, so it's vital to be cautious.
This change of spot obviously forces me to change my approach. Here, the slowing of the current has created a silting-up effect, and this same slowing is likely to make the fish more "observant". I know that this river is rich in gudgeon and this kind of biotope is perfectly suited to their habitat. So I look in my box for something that might remind me of them.
I then pull out a Glenroy 45 from Caperlan with a color really similar to that of a gudgeon. I cast my lure out of the bait to reduce its impact, then calmly retrieve my banner. My lure arrives on the crest of the sandbank, its lip hits it and lifts a little sediment. That's all it took for a magnificent silver trout of about thirty centimetres to seize my lure and launch into a powerful rush downstream. I shorten the fight by exhausting my fish, unhooking it and taking advantage of the fact that it's in the landing net to admire its silvery coat.
I take a few photos to keep track of the fish, then guide it back to the river out of the landing net. I enjoy his elegance one last time as I watch him swim away into the transparent waters...
The experience game
Just before returning to the car, I think it would be a shame to leave without fishing the trampled area. This part really looks like the one where I caught my 1st fish downstream.
I then reel in a BMAX50, approach the river discreetly and prepare to cast. I look down to unhook my line, which I've just threaded through the handle of my reel (beginner's mistake, I know), and that's when she appears, a magnificent fario trout of some forty centimetres standing at my feet.
I slow down my movements so as not to spook her, I don't yet know if she's seen me. I lower my lure gently behind her, drop it to the bottom and barely make it vibrate. She turns around, sucks it in and spits it out just as soon, then goes back to hiding a few meters downstream. Nature was stronger than me this time...
Fishing isn't just about the catch, it's about the whole. Smells, sounds, sensations. Only fishermen know the feeling of releasing a fish and watching it swim away, feeling as if it's thanking us for having graced it.
