*The Victorian trout season opens in a little under two weeks. So in celebration, here is a bit of “duh” advice. While aimed at trout anglers, the general theme applies to almost all fishing situations. Pay attention and you will catch more fish. *
Ok, this is going to sound pretty silly, but here we go. When the trout season opens and you hit the streams, look for trout. I know, its obvious. Scan the water, move slowly and deliberately and keep your eyes peeled. Not just when you come to a great piece of water where you think a trout might be sitting, thats not good enough. To improve your chances, you need to always be looking for trout. ALWAYS (ok, there are exceptions, like when driving the car across a bridge, in that scenario its OK to look at the road and stop looking for trout- thats when you have to rely on your passengers, but at pretty much all other times- you should be looking for trout). Trout are well camouflaged and the fact is, if you are not looking for them, you probably wont see them (most of them anyway). So try to always keep your eyes peeled and your brain dialled into trying to spot trout.
Why? Well, I’m sure everyone has done this, wandered aimlessly up through some not so good piece of water as you head for the wonderful trout nirvana ahead only to see a great trout spook at your feet. If you pay attention and are looking for trout all the time, well, that will still happen, but it will happen less. The other advantage of keeping your eyes peeled is that you will spot more trout and once you actually sight your quarry, your chances of catching a fish skyrocket. The more fish you see, the more fish you will catch. While this seems like the most obvious advice imaginable, like pointing out the sky is blue, I know personally, that its something I can often forget. Walking through less than ideal water or late in the day, my concentration fades and suddenly I am no longer looking for trout, I am now simply looking at the water and low and behold, I spook a fish I should have seen. You see looking at the water is not the same thing as looking for trout- looking for trout takes a lot more effort and concentration… Looking at the water isn’t good enough, you have to be looking for trout.
So, remember, when you hit up the season opener, make sure you look for trout- ALL THE TIME. It will probably help you catch a few more fish 😉 Good luck on the opening weekend, I have a 30th surprise to attend, which means I will have to wait a week- so catch a few fish for me…
Cheers
Hamish
