FISHING CALM WATERS IN RIVER SEGRE AND RIVER TER (I)

Fishing trout in calm or almost stop waters is the most difficult and exciting fishing that a fly fisherman can taste. In addition, the trout that inhabit these almost immobile waters are usually of good size and some true fly fishing trophies. These waters can be fished by dry fly, wet and although it seems with little probability of success, also to artificial nymph. The Segre River has a good amount of these in its low stretch. They are very slow waters populated by aquatic ranunculus, which bloom in summer, covering the surface of the river like a beautiful carpet of white water daisies. It is a beautiful, sweet and calm show. The ranunculus provide two things to a trout: food and shelter. The large number of insect larvae that make these plants their home, provide our friend with a huge amount of food almost without moving a few square meters. They also give a very nice shade in the hot summer months. Moving in these waters requires keen observation and above all a lot of patience. A few meters from our wading there are fish posted and some of them are very good. Another thing is to know how to fish them and another thing even more difficult is to put them in the saucer without releasing or a likely break the tippet because of the ranunculus, since the trout to feel imprisoned will take refuge in them, especially if It is a large fish, and will be stuck in them until you get rid of the hook or break the tippet, feeling free again. We are going to see some effective ways of fishing them and counteracting the tricks of our friend.

The best way to avoid losing a fish fixed to a dry fly that is framed in water grasses is to lift the rod and try to keep the fish from sinking, always working on the surface or very close to it, no matter how much it jumps or rolls over. of the water. This should not scare us or make us nervous. If the fly rod is not a walnut stick and the trout is not an out of series specimen, in which the luck factor always intervenes, we have a good chance of getting it with him. Unlike many fishermen in my region, I am not fond of fishing with very fine tippets. They simply break easily. Some think that the trout sees the tippet of greater diameter and that consequently it will not sting. It is a tremendous mistake. It is true, there is no doubt: the trout perfectly see the tippet that holds our artificial, in the same way that also sees the tippet of reduced diameter that we think is invisible to your sight. This is so. The eyes of the trout distinguish all colors, including the ultraviolet of the spectrum and therefore within the water has a much better view than any human eye provided with the best polarized and photochromic glasses. This is so and there is no turning of the page. So, why fish with a trickle when we can fish with a tippet strong enough to counteract the strength of a good trout ??, say 15% or 16% ?, if the fish is really big, 60cm or more, we put 18% or even 20% ??? The answer is simply YES. What the trout sees is the fly and also the line that holds it, but there is something really important, it is called DRIFT.

The trout is fixed in the drift of our artificial and in the same artificial. If the dry fly presented is of the correct size and model, more or less, which is feeding or accustomed to feed (it does not have to be precisely the same insect that is hatching at the time) is likely to take it and we can nail it   I have a friend who only fishes this kind of calm water and only devotes his fishing time to throw dry flies to large trout. This fisherman collects every year a large number of brown and rainbow trout of large size, fished with dry fly and with fishing tippet always number 18%. These tippet are tied to long or very long lows so that the drift is as natural as possible and does not effect the unpleasant dredging of the artificial one. They are low between 5.5mts and 6.5mts. Of course they are not pleasant to use, even when you get used to them.

My recommendation is to always fish with hollow braided loops manufactured with fine nylon tippets. They float very well because they are hollow and they expel the water with ease, even more greased with the famous Silicone Mucilin, they do not twist, they favor the throwing and especially the extended throws, so appropriate for trout fishing and even more: it is very easy tie a hollow nylon braid of about 2mts a piece of two meters of 20% followed by 2mts more than 18% and even lengthen it more with a couple of meters of 15% or 16%.

The low hollow braided leader facilitate the release and drift of a dry fly in any type of water and especially in calm or shallow waters. Another thing is to find them of good quality. In Spain there is only one conscientious manufacturer of this type of nylon hem. In France there are some like Guy Plas, Bass of Ligne Tissé, and in USA, Orvis also sells hollow braided nylon leader at a very high price. For me the Spanish leaders are the best and most economical.