Old mate looking for breakfast.
a 5lb fluorocarbon leader around 6-8 feet in length. With such a light leader it pays to inspect it for wear/damage after each strike, or you risk a premature release and an ungrateful fish with an expensive new piece of jewellery. For lures, I favour using a Rapala J-5 or J-7, as they sit nice and high in the water column with a steady retrieve. However being so light, they can prove hard to cast accurately into a prevailing breeze. In this case, I opt for the slightly heavier XRCD-5; starting the retrieve as soon as the lure hits the water and holding the rod tip up to prevent the lure from diving too far down. It also helps to pause as the lure reaches the boat, just in case there’s a last minute change of heart by the trout. Over the years we’ve seen fish almost shove the boat out of the way to get to the lure!
As good as it gets.
As for colours, I guess it depends who you ask, but they seem to attract fishermen more than fish. Outside of alternating between a natural pattern and a bright pattern, I haven’t noticed a preference for, say, flurogreen over fluro-pink. Brighter offerings seem to work better after a heavy rain when the water is more turbid; and natural/neutral after a few still weeks of calm weather when the water is clearer. To combat more subtle strikes, swapping the treble hooks for singles seems to give a more reliable hook-up even if it means missing a strike or two. It’s also much easier on the fish, especially for catch and release. Windlanes occur on Burbury most calm mornings, ranging in size from a boat width to a hundred metres wide, and sometimes the entire length of the lake. I’ve found the best activity occurs within the first few hours of daylight, and again just before sunset. With the right conditions however, surface activity can continue throughout the day. Unlike the brown ‘sharks’ that work the open water in Great Lake, Burburys windlanes primarily yield Rainbow Trout, with Browns more commonly found if the windlane is near the shoreline and structure. Averaging 1-4lb, these fish may not be the behemoths of Crescent, but they are well conditioned and in much greater number, cruising about near the surface, engulfing all the insect debris they can find. Upon cleaning a fish and seeing the stomach full to bursting with remnants of last nights hatch, it makes one wonder how the fish planned on even fitting the lure in there! So, the next time you find yourself staring at that ‘fish’ symbol at the 15 metre mark on the sounder, look up - you may find a whole lot more happening on the surface than you ever realised! Brad Martin
A colourful brownie comes to the boat.
You need to layer up and take a warming drink.
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A good morning on Burbury. Fishing News - Page 27