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Quick exit for the opening
Back from a trip, I have my daughter with me for this opening weekend, but I still have a micro-slot, as she has a birthday!
So I escape for a couple of hours to soak my nymphs in the river that runs 3 minutes from my house: the Jet.
It's a charming little river full of fish where I fish from time to time, especially when I don't have much time, and where I've made my last 5 openings.
It's so good to hear again the sound of flowing water, the awakening of nature, and the associated smells. That's why I'm doing the opening. To be back in the environment I love so much!
Fishing the upper reaches of rivers is always a good idea, especially fly-fishing, as there are often fewer anglers, but also because the water is a little warmer. The trout are therefore more active than in the lower reaches, where the water takes longer to warm up.
So I set up my nymphing rod, a SAGE Sense 10-foot silk 3, my pink fluo line and my touch indicator, then a 15° tip to avoid breaking in the numerous snags on the bottom at the start of the season.
I tie my favorite nymph, a hare's ear with an orange tag mounted on a 3.5 mm ball, because the flows are strong at the start of the season.
Rediscover your sensations and the first trout of the year
I'll have to find my feet again to get the feel for it, as I haven't fished with a line in over 8 months. In fact, I do a lot of fishing, and I fish with line especially at the start of the season. This technique allows you to fish close to the bottom and slowly, but you need to get back into the swing of things to be precise and not lose half your box in the many trees along the way.
Once these adjustments have been made, my nymphs drift better and pass through well. The trout are often in calm currents so as not to lose too much energy. It's important to know how to read the water to find where the fish are holding.
I know the area by heart, and with these flows, good spots are few and far between. I favour the ends of currents and the insides of bends where trout like to hang on.
The line slows down and I hook my first trout of the year. A pretty little Breton trout, around 23 cm long, which has made me several candles! She's survived the many floods we've had this winter and it's clear that she hasn't been able to regain much strength yet. On the fast-flowing sections, the trout have had to adapt to avoid being swept away during periods of very high water. These fish are fascinating and their adaptation is incredible.
I'll catch three trout during this 1:30 micro-session, as I already have to leave the banks of this beautiful river to pick up my daughter.
Prospecting trip for the upcoming season
I won't have the opportunity to return to the waterfront until the Wednesday following the opening.
This time, I've got a slightly longer slot to check out different areas in preparation for my next guiding sessions. I have to check out the rivers in my territory before my courses, and I usually take the opportunity to put in a few lines.
On this first corner, I'm in a bad spot, as some youngsters are training for a kayak competition. I try anyway, but to no avail. What's more, levels are very high on this part of the Odet upstream from Quimper, and fishing isn't easy.
After an hour of hard work, I decide to climb higher to see a second section.
The river is a little slower here and will be more favorable.
It's already 5:00 pm and I'm afraid I'm outside the trout feeding window, which is often at the hottest time of the day.
To my astonishment, I catch four trout in a small, slower sector that offers some nice deeper areas. I alternate nymphs and find a pattern they like, mounted on a size 3.5 copper ball. The trout are on the edges of the strong current, and are active.
My nymphs are being intercepted violently and the bites are hard to miss as the fish seem to need to regain their strength.
It's great to see the beautiful colors of our wild brown trout. In Brittany, we're incredibly lucky to be able to fish trout on so many unspoilt rivers.
It's time to go home and I'm already looking forward to getting back to river fishing, but also very soon to seeing if the bass have returned to the coast.
