I was talking to Brett recently and he made an interesting observation. If you want to know if there is going to be a good evening rise, listen to the birds.
Brett lives out in Creswick, meaning he is lucky enough to live close to some of Victorias best trout lakes. Hepburn, Newlynns, Deans. Great Victorian trout fisheries. It also means he can get out on the lakes regularly and pick up things you and I might miss. Over the last few months, he has been getting some great fish in the evenings after work and one thing that he has noticed is that if you want to predict whether or not there will be a good evening rise, take note of the level of bird noise during the day. The more bird noise, the more likely it is that you will get a good rise.
Thinking about it, it makes sense. Many bird species love munching down on insects. When the insects are out and about in numbers, just like the trout, the birds will be out and about, happily gorging on them and making a racquet while doing it.
So the next time you are out fishing, for a just day or over a weekend, don’t just pay attention to the temperature, cloud cover, barometer or whatever rise indicator you prefer. Listen to the birds. It might just help you catch more fish.
Let us know your thoughts
Cheers
Hamish
