7 inches of Devon brown trout…



… and what it is doing, lying on the gravels (top right) with a peal (small Westcountry sea trout), bottom left, looking for trouble…



… and finding it. 6lb of cock sea trout defending "his" redd.






Trout chased off but the peal is unmoved this time…



…but gets out of the way next time!



Somehow the cock fish finds the energy to chase the little 'uns around every 2 minutes but they are back within seconds. The little trout even got chewed and shaken at one point but still came back for more.

The cause of all the excitement, Mrs sea trout, wouldn't come out in the open to have her picture taken

Andy

Thank you for those photos Exerod. Were you lucky enough for that to just happen or had you been there for quite a while?

Anyway, good to see things as they are, not as two pretentious dimwits from Derbyshire think they ought to be.

Lovely pictures Exerod, thanks.
All the best,
Andy.

great photos Exerod. I'd like to see some of this "hanky panky" in the flesh - would you expect to see trout mating in the headwaters of any trout bearing river or would activity be very localised.

steve

great photos Exerod. I'd like to see some of this "hanky panky" in the flesh - would you expect to see trout mating in the headwaters of any trout bearing river or would activity be very localised.

steve

It isn't always the stronger or the most fit that will pass it's genes onto the next generation. We've watched very small males sitting in the bottom of the redd and being quite ignored by the action on the river bed above. They are in pole position when the hen spawns. But the favourite is the quick rush in at exactly the right moment.
Looks a great little nursery stream for the resultant babies.

The mottled fish is the hen?

Warren the little mottled fish is almost certainly a cock brown (you can just make him out in the top right of the 2nd and 3rd pictures) waiting his chance to nip in and do his bit while the big cock sea trout is distracted. All the browns (or small sea trout that haven't got around to going to sea yet?) that turn up on sea trout redds on this river have this mottled colouration, presumably for camo. The hen sea trout (tucked in under the bank out of sight ) was also around 6lb.

Cothi. I was there for about ten minutes to get the pictures. The action goes on all day and night. The fish always use this riffle around the first hard frost in November, they are very predictable, just like some forum members.


Andy

Thank you, yes. I can see it's bottlenose now.

Awesome Andy,

Thanks

I have to say that this series of pics is one of the most interesting I have seen. Thanks for sharing Andy... without being sycophantic, you are a proper riverman

__________________
"A homeward tramp thro' mist wrapped night,
With heart and creel in common light,
Complete content, the day has brought it,
They fished for pleasure - and they caught it"

P F Morgan
taken from the catch record book at Llanthony Hotel, Honddu Valley, Aug 1942

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