Last night after my day's guiding, I went back to see a beautiful trout I'd reeled in a few days ago. It had bubbled up on my fly without taking it, obviously, and I had shod it into the void. I was very surprised not to have caught it.
A relaxing evening drink
I arrive at the spot and position myself quietly. I observe the surface where it was active last time. There are few flies and little activity, but I'm confident.
I don't work the next day, so it's a moment of relaxation. I'm savoring this moment just for me after a big month of almost non-stop guiding since my return from the Jura in mid-April!
Two small trout show up, then a nice fish, but still not the "big one" of the sector. I take my rod up and try for a few fish, taking my time. Suddenly, there she is, forming a big eddy on the surface. There she is, still in the same pool!
The adrenalin kicks in and I finish my tandem assembly. How big is it? Is it the same size as the big one I lost last year on this sector? Will it go up again?
Once I'm ready, I wait impatiently for the trout to come to the surface, then quickly place my fly in its field of vision. Here, trout are often on the prowl and it's a good idea to know exactly where they are before casting.
Patience often pays off in the end
The first gulp of a small trout, then a big broth forms. No doubt about it, it's her.
On the roll, I send a long cast to nearly 15 m, in a bell shape, just in his zone. I take a good look at the surface and my mayfly, which has a small caterpillar imitation attached to the underside. Within 3 seconds, magic happens. My dry fly gets caught and sinks! I make a long cast, as I'm a long way from it and the line is slack.
She's at the end of the line and storms off. Then it goes up and down in a flash. My 15° allows me to restrain her a little and make her come towards me, but there are big dead branches at the bottom of the water and I mustn't let her out of my sight.
I continue to restrain her and bring her to the surface. I finally see it. It's a beautiful Breton trout that's giving me a hard time. One last flick of the wrist and she's sliding into the landing net! Super!
She's gorgeous. Long and beautifully shaped. Hardly any red spots and a dark coat. A natural beauty.
The mythical 40 cm mark passed
For many anglers, this is a nice trout, or even an average one, but for our Breton rivers to reach or break the 40 cm mark is almost a feat, or very exceptional! So I'm delighted with this line. Strategy and patience paid off in the end.
To top it all off, a few minutes later, a beautiful otter, agile and fast, passed along the opposite edge! What an incredible moment between this trout and this beautiful spectacle. How beautiful nature is! I'll be staying a while longer, as this was only my first cast.
I caught two more trout using the same technique. A nice one of almost 30 cm and a smaller one.
Gobbling is becoming rarer. A casting angler arrives on the spot and casts large lures weighing at least 10 grams! The trout must have gone into hiding!
Enjoy the good weather. The trout will be gorging themselves before summer.
