My last few visits to my fishery have been frustrating in that there has been a lot of fly-life on the surface but virtually no interst from the fish. This tends to happen each season and I was wondering what the reasons are .Could it be fish take time to connect that flies on the surface are food but as they had none over Winter take time to remember? Could it be that there is still adequate feeding on the bottom or when the nymphs start to climb towards the surface? Could it be as the water is cold that their metabolism is low and thus they do not, or need, to feed actively and only when the water temperature passes a certain level they feed (or dissolved oxygen)
Hmm

Are you talking stillwater here or river ? the rivers in my neck of the woods are suffering terribly with lack of rises.

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"A glint of sun has warmed the air,The flies will soon hatch out, To lure and tempt from their deep lair, The bonnie speckled trout." SKB tackle supporter. I love Furled Leaders.

River but I guess could apply to stillwaters

I had this trouble on my river last year. I could see little or no activity on the surface at all and thinking I would have to keep at it with nymphs and wets, in desperation I decided to try a small dry, an adams I think it was. Imagine the delight when a fish floated up from the bottom, clearly visible all the way up, to take the fly and give me my first fish of the season off the top. From then more followed, so don't just wait for the evidence, have a go with a dry. You may get a nice surprise. Having said that, it may just be a week or two early. ATB, Alan

The fish were rising at Wharncliffe, taking small black buzzers, right up until Wednesday. The bright sunny weather seems to kill off surface activity stone dead, even though there's been a lot of flies hatching.

We've seen record numbers of Sepia Duns this last week although the trout haven't latched onto them at all.

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How poor a thing, sometimes I find,
Will captivate a greedy mind - Isaac Walton.

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Hi' Tommy. So it's not just happening on the Eden. It seems that trout have been feeding with the normal spring time freedom only at odd times, on other rivers, as well as our own system. Mrtrout and I have never seen trout behaviour so consistently difficult to handle in our area, which we have fished for one heck of a long time. On the upper Clyde, we learned today, the lads have apparently been enjoying some good rises.
I have no doubt the trout are feeding, as the water temp. of the Eden is up at 53 F. The lack of surface activity means gorging on nymphs, in our book; but we haven't killed and spooned a trout to check stomach contents, as we don't need to really. In the temp range 55 to 65, trout feeding is supposed to be at an optimum. I wish the beggars would read the books on which I was raised!!
Steven and I are still waiting for an average rise of trout. We're not greedy or needy, just 'peedy'. OR should that be 'peed-offy?' Hopefully, it will sort itself out, this very odd season of ours. TC
PS Sepia Duns? Are you fishing in peaty water?

possibly something to do with sun exposure, i notice a lot of blue sky recently.

the stretches of river I fish are shadowed by tall trees and high banks, with plenty of fish rising, not so many through midday though. the evening rise has already started down here

sorry to rub it in boys

Compared to me your up there, not down here, and you should be later than us.

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"A glint of sun has warmed the air,The flies will soon hatch out, To lure and tempt from their deep lair, The bonnie speckled trout." SKB tackle supporter. I love Furled Leaders.

sorry to confuse, im home in yorkshire for a bit sorry....