ZEBRA TROUT FLY FISHING IN CATALUNYA (2)

There are other terrestrial insects with specific names such as the Bibio Marci or hawthorn fly and the Agelastica Alni or alder fly (alnus glutinosa). These two flies are very effective and there are fishermen who only use these two flies to search for zebra trout at any time of the day. The Bibio Marci must be mounted in the state of an adult insect with wings on hooks number 12 or 14 with long stem. This terrestrial insect is born in abundance from the beginning of April to the beginning of June, but it is always effective despite looking terrible.

The alder fly or alder worm is very effective in the months of June and July, which is when with the noon wind they fall from the leaves of the tree. It is a small black worm that parasitizes the leaves of the alder. This worm is eaten immediately after falling from the tree and it is better to mount it as is on a 14 or 16 long stem hook, with black plastic strips or simply black mounting thread to be able to be greased so that it floats a little.

Chironomids are equally effective, especially in the waters of the Segre River, which has a large number of them on its muddy banks. In the hottest period of summer and always in the early morning there are large trout that feed on hundreds of these aquatic insects. The emerger parachute assemblies are very effective on small hooks from 18 to 20, in black and gray colors. It is better to put a red, yellow or green indicator on the parachute to better see the artificial in the water.

The tippet to be used for Mediterranean trout fishing must be fine but not too thin. I normally use a 5X or 6X for the finest fishing. I always use Nylon tippets, specifically Stroft ABR and GTM, which are classic threads that work perfectly. The Trout Hunter Evo works very well because it floats very high and fishes well in shallow or shallow waters. The best thing about this tippet is that the fly poses very well, spreading the leader very well and has a total absence of memory.

The rods I always use are 9ft to 9.6ft for dry fly fishing in line weights 4 and 5. With modern fly rods it is possible to use even lighter rods such as 3 weights. My favorite rod is a somewhat old-fashioned Orvis of weight 5. This rod has great precision and dominates this particularly vigorous trout species very well.

The lines I use are the classic Cortland 444 SL in their Silk variants, because they load the rod very well and pose the fly wonderfully. I am not a fan of modern casting head fishing lines, of which all brands currently have a wide variety of models. These heavy heads are a disaster for dry fly fishing. They load the rod very easily but, on the other hand, they fish poorly with a dry fly, at least to my liking, because when piling up all the weight of the line in a few meters they lose precision and the posadas are a disaster. These casting heads are very fashionable for the simple reason that most of today’s fly fishermen have trouble loading the rod properly, simply because they have not acquired a correct casting technique. The old forward weight WF fishing lines, as their name indicates, have the weight distributed throughout their first 14mts and load any rod with ease and have a position and precision very suitable for the dry fly, the veteran brand Cortland and its Model 444 SL is an indisputable representative is this model of fishing line that has caught more trout and salmon than any other known line.

Another line that I frequently use with the Maxia 3 and 4 weight rods is the Royal Wulff Triangle Taper. This line loads the Maxia rods wonderfully and as it has a growing weight distributed along its 21m, it is very suitable for fishing distant trout in wells or long stretches of very calm waters.

Another important aspect in the material that must be worn in the rivers of the Pyrenees is a good breathable waterproof jacket because as we can see on many occasions, the day starts sunny and at times changes, unleashing a scandalous storm that on many occasions clouds the water of the river. . I must say that these garments are difficult to choose because many have really exorbitant prices. On the other hand, there are others at reasonable prices that perfectly fulfill their function, which is to keep us dry and perspire so that we do not suffer the effects of the condensation of our own sweat. In this aspect I have a really good garment at a good price that is the Caddis Wading Jacket.

~ Carles V.