Early Season River Trout Tactics – Darryl Mooney of Partridge

Early season Trout on the rivers is usually a
mixture of opportunism,
putting in the miles to be at the right place at the right time.
The fish are
gonna be feeding at some point and hopefully the conditions are
there for you
to take advantage. At this time of year March Browns and Large
Dark Olives (LDOs)
are the main source of a fish’s diet – Many of these insects
hatch in the
faster water, ascending through the water column where awaiting
fish mop them
up. You might well start the cooler part of the day fishing
nymphs in the shallow
riffled water moving on to the glides as fly activity increases
and fish spread
out. This is where your emergers and dry flies will come into
their own.

Rene Harro’s CDC Biot Thorax Dun

Hatches:
It’s important to be aware of what’s hatching
so you can
align your tactics and make sure you have the right flies in
your fly box. The
March Brown and LDO are synonymous with the new season and will
be the most
important patterns to have in your fly box. 

Darryl Mooney from
Partridge Hooks
swears by Rene Harro’s CDC Biot Thorax Dun for early season LDO
hatches, try
that one alongside  Split
Wing Duns, Jingler
March Browns, Deer Hair Emergers and Olive Paraduns.
For nymphs,
if it’s a day
with a Y in it then you can’t go wrong with Pheasant Tail or
Hare’s Ear Nymph!

March Brown
This member of the mayfly family starts
hatching in the
middle of the month, with duns fluttering  off the water in short bursts
over a few
hours. These bursts are pretty short, the hatch might only be 20
minutes so you
should have an imitation ready.

March Brown Flies have been used for early
season trout since
the 1600’s imitating  including
the March
Brown (Rhithrogena germanica), the False March brown (Ecdyonurus
venosus) and
possibly even the Large Brook Dun (Ecdyonurus torrentis).

Hatches continue through to mid-April, after
which they
won’t be seen for the remainder of the year so now’s the time to
get your early
upwing imitations on.

Large Dark Olive (Baetis Rhodani)

Large Dark Olive 
Of all the upwing species found on rivers,
Large Dark Olives
(Baetis Rhodani) are perhaps the commonest and most predictable
when it comes
to pinning down a hatch. Often referred to as a ‘foul weather
fly,’ they’re
happiest emerging in miserable conditions too.

Although March, April and early May see Large
Dark Olives at
their most prolific, a second brood can be expected in Autumn
with September
and October considered prime months.

Tactics are similar to March Browns, fish
will target the
ascending nymphs early on, making subsurface tactics worthwhile.
However, hatches
of LDOs tend to be denser and more prolonged feeding activity is
more often at
the surface.

Success!

Dry Fly
There’s nothing like fishing a single dry fly
on a long
tapered leader, cast with good accuracy and delicate
presentation to a wild
brown trout. Once you’ve spotted a fish rising, get into a good
position to
make the cast, keep low, tread lightly and wait as long as you
can before
making your fish cast… Wait, what? Allow the fish to gain its
confidence and
then make your first cast, this will certainly enhance your
chances of getting
it to take your fly.

Darryl Mooney – Partridge Hooks
Darryl’s Tackle List:
Hunts Original Floatant & Sinkant HERE
Varivas Tapered Leaders HERE
Marryat LX Fly Rods HERE