Afternoon all, just back from my first trip to CS in the brownie season and thought i'd share it.
Anyone who's fished CS will know that it can get crowded, and that the lakes are quite small, but it's GIN clear, and it stocks some of the best browns ive come accross. while some fisheries put in a token brown or two, CS has at least 50% browns in season, and theyre in great condition.
When i arrived this morning it was with huge excitement as i approached the lakes. the first lake was somewhat cloudy, but i could see a lovely looking brown deep in the outflow corner. a few casts of my marabou damsel had him come and look, but not with any great interest and in the end he sank into the depths out of sight.
Wandered onto the East lake and saw about 4 browns sharing a deep hole with some Rainbows. again casting illicited some minor interest from the fish, but no takes. suddenly a large brown of about 6lb appeared out of nowhere and came really close, inspecting the fly a couple of times before flicking its fins and disappearing..
Onto the South Lake and i spent an hour casting at an overwintered fish of about 10lb which again showed moderate interest, before spooking and bolting off after a particularly inept cast! I kept walking round the somewhat windy and cloudy south lake and didnt see anything else worth casting at!
Back to the East and spotted a couple of nice fish but they were'nt interested at all, i kept at them, and eventually one took to save my blushes at 5lb or just less. a lovely buttery coloured brownie that fought very hard and deep before i could net him. I kept at the other larger fish, but gave up soon after as it was clear i was wasting my time!.
Took a small rainbow from the W lake soon after (2lb 5) which snatched the fly from a bigger brown i was targeting. interestingly there were about 5 large browns in a very small area rooting around on the bottom, tails up. i haven't seen this behaviour before.
It was now about 3 and i went back onto the quet bank of the E lake where hardly anyone fishes. a number of decent 4lb browns were patrolling, and among them were a couple who's shoulders gave them away as a little larger. I by now had switched to a weighted GRHE on a 12 hook and flicked it at the larger fish. one by one, i was ignored until one turned slowly on my deeply fished fly and followed it so closely it looked like the fly was a wart on its nose.! The fish veered off and continued its figure 8 patrol. I was tucked up under a tree and coiuld only bend a cast at the fish on the second half of its patrol. Interestingly each cast would be completely ignored unless the fish was right at the end of his fig 8. then he'd chase it as before, over and over again, only millimetres behind the fly, if that. I could see his fins aquiver, and his shoulders, wide and powerful heading straight at me.
I gave up casting at him unless he was right in the right part of his patrol, meaning i had to wait 10 mins between casts. i varied retrieve, he just kept up, depth, he just sank down/rose up but nothing would entice that final take!! Stubborn bast ard though i am, and i just plugged away. finally he came as before, and sat with the GRHE on his nose. i gave a sharp 6 inch pull, which caused him to speed up, then just as he got to the fly, i gave it another tweak... BANG he sucked it in and i had him on. A cracking fight as he went deep intp the weeds and then out in a cartwheel. he then discovered a tree root which i nearly lost him in, before slipping the net under him. the fly was in by a thread and fell out in the net, but i had him, an hour or so after trying for him. I thought 8lb ish, but he weighed in at 9lb 14oz. a cracking brownie i was very pleased to catch..!
Cheers
Alex
Chalk Springs 2010
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