Brook and river trouting / A manual of modern north country methods, with coloured illustrations of flies and fly-dressing materials

by Harfield H. Edmonds; Norman N. Lee

To fish a coloured water, the angler must throw his minnow well across stream and then bring it round to his own side in a series of short pulls, occasionally, where the current is strongest, allowing the force of water to carry it a foot or two down stream, imitating more or less what one would imagine the actions of some small fish would be that had got into heavy water. And as trout will often follow a minnow from one side of the river to the other before taking it, and as in flood time they are to be found under the banks very close to the edge, it is imperative that the angler should not lift the minnow out of the water until he has worked it well up under the bank on which he stands, and thoroughly searched the edges. It is impossible to lay too much stress on this point, as it will be found that almost eight fish out of ten take the minnow close to the edge, just as they become afraid that they may lose their prey.

All slack waters, eddies and places out of the rush of heavy water, where trout seek shelter in time of flood, should be fished; and, if it be possible to cast the minnow upstream and to work it down, the reward will be greater than that gained by the man who will not take the trouble to fish as recommended.

The next point to consider is the strike, and it is in minnow fishing that the angler’s self-control will be most highly taxed. As soon as he feels a trout touch the minnow, he will be tempted to strike—the novice will probably give a startled jerk and ruin his chances—but not until a trout has got a good hold on the minnow should any strike be given; and then it should be more of a firm steady strain than what is generally known as a “strike.”

Minnow fishing in a clear water is very much more artistic, and at the same time more difficult, than the methods previously described, for it calls for precise and delicate casting, and requires an intimate knowledge of the habits of trout. In the blazing days of late summer it is very exhilarating to fish the minnow up some small clear tributary stream or brook, at the most only a few yards wide; and to do so successfully requires consummate skill.

In fishing waters of this description it is imperative that the minnow be thrown directly upstream and then rapidly spun down. This latter point must be attended to, otherwise the minnow coming down more or less with the current, will not spin. The main stream, places under banks, about submerged tree roots, and behind boulders, and the heads of rapid streams, should all be carefully searched, and when the angler observes a trout rush from its place of concealment at his minnow, he must keep a firm hold upon his nerves and simply continue steadily to spin without himself otherwise moving.

A trout bent upon the capture of a minnow becomes very unwary and will frequently follow his prey almost to the feet of the angler, and, if the angler remains as still as his spinning will allow, will often seize the bait at the last moment. It is very necessary therefore to fish a cast right out.

It is also wise in the main to adapt the size of the minnow, be it natural or artificial, to the size of the water to be fished; and it should always be remembered that a minnow is better too small than too large. When fishing small tributary waters, or even thin water on the main river, the weight of the lead or sinker may be materially reduced, and a small minnow should be used.

When fishing the main river under low clear water conditions, upstream methods must be rigidly adhered to, and the beginner may here be warned, above all things, not to get into that mechanical method of fishing the minnow now so prevalent, which is satisfied with long casts across the river and recovery of line without any definite object in view, except to get the minnow from one side to the other.

If a boulder resists the onward flow of the current near the far bank, throw the minnow so that it drops gently into the water a foot or more above the boulder; then spin down past it. If nothing happens then, try the other side of the rock. Should the water undermine the far bank, drop the minnow in at the top of the run and spin down it; in fact try every place, including the thinnest of water, that could contain a fish, and use all the knowledge and intelligence you have; for you will need it all, if you are to get any success in low clear water.