conwyrod
Advisory Board
Autumn on the Conwy
Posts: 4,659
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Post by conwyrod on Apr 9, 2008 22:13:04 GMT
'A moon that wades through a sea of clouds need not disturb the angler very much, but one which converts night into day is not loved by the keen fisher who desires some sport with sea trout. In these circumstances he must exercise the greatest care, study his every movement, approach the water quietly and always keep himself concealed from the trout, use the finest tackle and throw the lightest of lines; in short, he must stalk his fish, and in the end his reward, if any, will not be great. It will, however, be highly creditable. A single capture is a triumph; more than that constitutes a glorious night's sport'.
R. C. Bridgett, Sea Tout Fishing (1929)
I think Mr Bridgett is generally right, however some tree lined pools on small rivers can escape the worst of the moonlight.
A big moon and clear sky on the Conwy, and fishing is a waste of time - after the moon rises over the eastern hills.
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Post by mikeyny on Apr 11, 2008 1:20:33 GMT
I have found the same thing , one night in particular the moon was as bright as day and i knew that there were a load of ST in the pool in one holding spot in particular as there usually are a couple of hours after the high tide so after tying on the fly that had worked well the last few nights for me my wife was on lookout for the clouds to block the moon . The word came down that the cloud was due and i was ready to go , cast just up-stream of the lie and let it sink and drift downstream within 2 or 3 seconds got the best sea trout that season about 3lbs .
I got about 6 or 8 fish that night but only when my lookout had me warned that the clouds were about to cover the moon , i did not fish when the moon was shining bright as i did not want to spook the fish
I suppose the moral of the story is
1.... don't count out a bright night 2.....Know where the fish lie in a particular pool
Personally i believe that the ST is blinded by the moonlight like a rabbit in the headlights , I have not researched this and it might be just stupidity on my part but it seems logical .
Anyone have any opinion on ST vision at night ?
Mike
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Post by sinkingtip on Apr 11, 2008 7:29:29 GMT
Hi Mikey - as a committed night time sea trout fisher I am total agreement about cloudless nights not being and ideal taking condition. However, I am not so sure that it is a "vision" issue we are dealing with here. I am more inclined towards it being a temperature related matter instead - what I mean is that clear nights are often colder, or get colder, as the cloud base clears. As we are all aware, this is mainly due to the fact that a bit of cloud cover acts as a 'blanket' which in turn keeps the air temperature a few degrees warmer resulting in a better taking condition all round. Don't get me wrong - "a braw bricht moonlicht nicht" probably will, in all probability, slightly increase fish visibility but also how visible you are to the fish - the flashing glint of a rod in action or perhaps a moving silhouette on the skyline. If a sea troot can spot a size 14 Stoats Tail in a heavy, dirty, dead of night water then a bit of extra moon light isn't going to make all that much difference IMHO. Naw - its definitely a temperature "thang" Makes sense to me. Regards STip PS - Add a third one to the list "morals of the story" - (3) Get a missus trained up, committed and willing to roam the banks checking for impending cloud cover or lack thereof. Out of interest - what method of communication does she employ - mobile phone or bird call ? Sorry man, couldnae resist it ;D
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conwyrod
Advisory Board
Autumn on the Conwy
Posts: 4,659
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Post by conwyrod on Apr 11, 2008 11:02:54 GMT
Get a missus trained up, committed and willing to roam the banks checking for impending cloud cover or lack thereof. A moonlit night by the river with the missus? You'll be suggesting candles instead of torches next!
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Post by mikeyny on Apr 12, 2008 3:14:07 GMT
Sinktip On reading your post and re-reading my own i am not totaly convinced about the vision thing , I have good vision yet i cant look at the sun ,we will never know as no one has been able to get an answer from a sea trout on its vision yet Temperature really has a bearing though on a good night and a bad one , for example when you see the mist rising from the river it cant be good thats when i switch tatics from floating line and wet flies to, mudler or jambo patterns to, intermediate or sinking line and wet flies again as the fish are deeper in the water , then back to mudlers or secret weapons
At night i carry a floating, intermediate and a sinking line and have all my flies tied on to traces ready to go in case of wind knots / lost droppers etc The fish are there and they are not on so you have to change the game .
Regarding communication , usualy its a quiet word ''clouds comming ''as i could be in the middle of a bush roll casting on to the river and have no direct view of the moon . I would never be standing in a dierct line between the fish and the moon and I try to keep the movement to a minimum though
Regarding (3) its handy to have someone keep an eye on the moon and clouds if i do not have a good view of whats going on .
Candles you say Conwyrod I remember one night i was fishing the same pool as the waterkeeper and someone else came along on his first nights fishing with a creamy/white t shirt and was chastised for it and advised to wear something dark would help the cause , when he lost his fly to the bushes back to his car ,lights on to tie on a new fly the result almost no night vision .What a steep learning curve his first night . Since then with some advice and a few lessons he has become a really good fisherman .
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