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CHRISTMAS TROUT
The end of December is probably the most productive time of the year for things that are growing outside. The winds of spring have subsided a little, or at least they are not as consistently annoying, and each day bursts out hot for at least part of it. Sometimes a brief southerly front cools temperatures a little but generally the grass is greener, and lambs are often difficult to find amongst the clover.
Trout fishing is no better at any other time of the year. It is true that dry fly fishing is more popular in the autumn but by then trout are picky and a deft hand is required to bring them to the net. The long days of Christmas have trout feeding hungrily most of the time on a wide range of things that wriggle or drift in a river.
Early in the morning trout upriver are busy stocking their larder as soon as you can see them in the dim morning light, and they will still be savaging caddis moths as the day folds into night about 18 hours later. Near the sea whitebait and smelt that seek the shelter of an estuary have to look out for incessantly foraging trout. Although life is perilous for them their abundance, of smelt particularly, show they have the wit to escape even a hungry Christmas trout, who has no understanding of sleep.
Anglers who find a few new flies or an enticing lure in their stocking can make the most of their good fortune I am sure the early Christians had no knowledge that in another hemisphere a festival of their making would be of such serendipity. Northern hemisphere trout at Christmas have their heads down, young fish hibernating in near zero water, and adults busy shedding new life into the world.
Those gifts to anglers are best used right away. Boxing day is almost always a good day to go trout fishing. There will be a need to provide food for the barbeque or for salads. If you cannot catch a trout now, especially with that new gear, with no work commitments, and such high expectations from the family, then you never will. But even if you don't, a day by the river at the end of December will bring a dozen other rewards.
Maurice Rodway
Southland, New Zealand E-mail: fishgame@southnet.co.nz Article ©1997 Maurice Rodway, All Rights Reserved.
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