Autumn is a great time of year to be on the water. The cooler weather makes it more comfortable for us and the fish. The fish in smaller creeks and streams will become more active as the water cools, this goes for both natives and Trout.
The larger irrigation rivers will begin to cease their flows and the rivers will run low and clear – perfect fishing opportunity!
Now I want to share a technique… it’s something you’ve probably never considered…
When you have high sun in these clear water conditions, we have figured out a technique that helps to produce more bites.
First, you want… SHADE! That is a must… but you probably already knew that. In saying that sometimes you have a massive log you want to fish, but it’s not in shade.
Or the entire section of the river you are fishing is being belted by midday sun. Well, all is not lost…
With such clear running water, high sun can make fishing slow during the middle of the day.
The Technique:
What you want to do is drop your spinnerbaits in tight against the side of the log that is casting a shadow… even if it is only very slight, this is where the fish will be.
Example:
You’re casting towards a large set of logs; the sun is up high and behind your back… therefore the log will be casting a shadow on the opposite side of the log. So, you can either cast your spinnerbait over the log and let it free fall in behind (worry about getting the fish out after – I love doing this), or you can re position the boat at the end of the log and cast in behind it.
Diagram: this snag is fully submerged and covered in half a metre of water and the sun is shining from the bottom of the image. This casts a small but important shadow on the top side of the log (as you can see) and this is where you want to concentrate your casts.
Chances are you won’t produce a hit working the sunny side, but the other side which may only have 15cm of shade will produce the results.
We noticed this was a reoccurring theme on many of our recent trips and when we paid attention to where we were casting, our numbers of fish during the ‘quiet period’(middle of the day) increased dramatically.
I know it’s only a very subtle change in your fishing style, but it may just help.
Rhys Creed
0 comments