I am sure many of us have been looking forward to the opening of the Rainbow Trout season at Siblyback. Being a season ticket holder we got the chance to fish a day early which very nicely avoided the weekend.
I was particularly looking forward to this year more than most as the number of season ticket sales had almost doubled this year and club membership was booming compared to previous years.
The day started with a frost and clear skies. At least we had avoided the storm force winds which so often seem to double in speed by the time they reach Siblyback.
I arrived at 9am to be greeted with the site of several anglers, mostly club members setting up in the car park. The car park actually had the feel of the old ‘fishermans car park’ of several years ago.
There was clearly a range of opinions as to tactics for the day as the full range of lines and flies were being set up, although I think the popular choice was a floating line. I hedged my bets with a 6ft slow sink tip.
The wind was light and blowing from the south to south -east which made for some leisurely fishing along two meadows. With the stocking taking place ten days ago, I expected the fish to have spread out.
Rodney Wevill was already fishing in two meadows and it appeared the fishing had been slow since his early start. I set up to his right with a lure on the point in the form of a green and black barred zonker with a size 10 black cormorant with some holographic green flash in the wing. Second cast fishing a bit deeper and with a slow figure of 8 produced a tap followed by a hook-up and 3 seconds later it came off.
A few minutes later, Andy arrived and informed me he had cooked up a load of bacon and sausages……what a fine chap! Quick retreat to his car and I joined the group of anglers enjoying an opening day sausage and bacon roll.
After breakfast I worked my way along two meadows dropping in here and there for a few casts without any success. Eventually ran out of bank to fish so carried on to the North Shore. By the time I arrived the wind had died which luckily avoided having to cast into the wind. Pete was having a break on the bench so I joined him for a coffee. He had caught two fish and Ben had also fished there and had one. This was good news as the fishing along two meadows had been slow. BY now, it was mid morning and the air temperature had risen. I changed the zonker for a weighted black and green tadpole and the dropper for a holographic red ribbed diawl back. The next 90 minutes produced 4 Rainbows, 3 to the tadpole and one to the diawl back. All were caught on a slow figure of 8 retrieve allowing a ten second count down. One came on the hang. Every 3rd cast maybe, I varied the retrieve from a roly poly, or short and long pulls but the takes for me at least were all on the slow figure of 8. Just when you think you have it all worked out, Roger Truscott comes along and roly poly’s his way to a couple of fish !!
Lunch was had on the bench after which I went back to the area near the bird hide. Logic says I should have stayed put, but I just like to keep moving. Two anglers were in the first couple of spots south of the bird hide so I went in about 50 yards from them. They had caught a few fish each and soon after both were playing a fish each. I tried to get a photo but they were too quick so just got one being unhooked with a swirl where the other had been released.
I didn’t have a touch so moved again onto two meadows proper where I saw 2 or 3 fish rising twenty yards out. First cast and fish on. Two more fish came to the net in the next twenty minutes so there must have been a little pod of fish out there. Same again, all to the slow figure of 8.
By now wading in the cold water was getting to me so I had my last cast and went looking for some of the others who I found drinking coffee on a bench outside the café. As far as I know everyone had caught today with many catching several and one or two hitting double figures.
Most pleasing was the fact that the fish had spread out all over the lake. Many fish were caught from two meadows, the North Shore, West Shore, near the dam, Stocky bay and Crylla.
The fish had fallen to a variety of methods too, including pulling lures, snakes, slowly fished nymphs and even buzzers.
After another coffee I wanded down to the water with my camera as I was hopeful of getting a decent shot of an angler playing a fish. Five minutes later Ian duly obliged.
I think its fair to say everyone left the lake looking forward to their next visit. A very encouraging start to the trout fishing season at Siblyback.