In mid summer trout, fat and lazy after their early feasts, become more choosy and are much more difficult to catch. Most of the activity is in the late evening and early morning. Spent flies, dying after laying their eggs, with their wings spread flat on the water (so-called spinners) are a tempting morsel at this time of day. Flies seen most commonly during daylight hours are damselflies and dragonflies but it is always worth trying a beetle imitation under waterside trees. If there is any wind try a daddy longlegs, cow dung or flying ant.
As the summer wanes the food source includes the small dark olive, the autumn dun and the large green dun. Trout are now starting to feed again to stock up for the winter. The end of the season is often the most productive period since the spring.
Page 4 of 5
