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Fishing the flood
This year has seen a succession of short-lived floods. This is known as the "flush" phenomenon. The water rises quickly and then falls again. In these conditions, there are of course a few moments of euphoria for carnivorous fish, but they are short-lived and difficult to target. When the water rises steeply, it carries a lot of debris (leaves, branches, etc.), which is not very appealing to the fish, and descents are rapid, so that the fish are constantly on the move without ever settling on the positions.
Today, we're at the very end of the rise in water level and about to fish for the peak of this flood. These days, it's easy to keep track of water levels thanks to the applications we have at our disposal. I myself use RiverApp, which I find perfect. There are several stations for each river, so you can accurately forecast the evolution of your area by looking at what's happening upstream.
Choosing the right zone
The thermometer in the car told us so, but the feeling is even worse on the water.
We soon realize that the edge stations are difficult to use. The current is strong and there are lots of leaves suspended in the water column. So we head for a huge area sheltered from the current.
In these conditions, it's best to think carefully before deciding to sail to a remote outpost.
The Dumoutier method
The water is chewed up and we apply the "Dumoutier" method to get an idea of the depth at which to look for pike-perch. This consists in determining the maximum depth at which we can visualize a lure in the water. The easiest way to do this is to let our lure sink gently until we can no longer make it out, then reel it in by lowering the rod until our tip is flush with the surface. Without reeling in the lure, of course.
All you have to do is look at the distance between your tip and your lure. By multiplying this value by 10, you obtain an approximate theoretical depth for holding pike-perch.
In our case, the water is quite turbid and the measurement gives us only about 25 cm of visibility. We'll therefore target a depth of around 2.50 m.
The chosen area is easier to fish, with much less suspended matter. However, it's difficult to fish in a straight line without bringing back plant debris with every cast, so we opt for vertical fishing. We explored the area, zig-zagging with the boat to present our lures between about 1.80 m and just over 3 m.
Find the lure of the day
The first bites are coming in and the fish seem to be between 2.50 m and 3 m in length. However, the first bites don't materialize and we keep changing lures to find the best menu of the day.
We're going to bring the first pike-perch aboard by trying out the new Fiiish. This pit swimmer in the flashy Atomic citrus color seems to appeal to pike-perch today. Quality touch and swallowed lure prove it.
A second fish followed shortly afterwards and my fishing companion decided to use the same lure. We use sizes 10 and 12.5 cm.
With the presence of this plant debris, you need to lift your lure regularly to make sure it's clean and fishable. It would be a shame to drag a blade of grass for 10 minutes.
It's also important not to touch the bottom too often, as this is where most of the debris is concentrated. Ideally, you should even be able to see your lure on the depth sounder so that you can stop your descent at the right moment and stay close to the bottom without ever touching it.
The cold is as intense as ever, and the fog is never going to lift. But the regular touches warm us up a bit. We also have the satisfaction of having found something today, which helps us cope with the conditions. We're even rewarded with a big fish caught on size 125.
Now it's time to warm up by the fire.
