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Wild Brown Trout Fishing

By Mick Angel

A New Experience

I arranged to meet up with Scratch aka Rob Denson on FFFORUM for a day out on Malham Tarn, this is the highest  alkaline lake in Britain 1237ft above sea level. it is about 150 acres and a maximum 12ft deep , no stockings and a truely wild brown trout venue. 4 boats are available, no engines, but you can take electric motors with you, This area is a site of SSSI  so a few rules and regs, however once out fishing its great, incidently i was really pleased to be asked for my fishing licence whilst purchasing a ticket.

Arrived in Settle at 7.45 to meet up with Rob , looked a nice day , a little mist up on the hills but fine and dry. Oh no! we set off up into the hills  after about 6 miles on mostly single track road heading permanently uphill , we arrived to a wet , misty and windy Tarn. enough said.

Now the fishing bit, Rob is a bit of a legend, muddler/daddler and traditional type when it comes to fishing and as a tarn regular he was showing me the ropes, its not an easy water, read , 2 fish in 10hrs average for him over 5 years !

Being a bit of a heathen , and i like to wind him up , after watching him set up on a Di3 and traditionals, I  set up a fast glass , pink blob, 2 nymphs and a sparkler on the point, reasoning not much food they will go for the flash and it would anchor my cast in the blustery wind. Any way to the fishing, it was cold blustery and very wet most of the day, you soon find out electric motors and batteries dont last long motoring upwind in a good wind and wave, read battery packed up and get rowing, in the afternoon, as you know i am built for comfort not agility.

We started the first drift pretty much along the boathouse bank,  after about 10 mins i had a rattle , but no fish, another 10 mins and my line locked solid, good fish on,have  you had the experience of not being able to get a fish coming up of the bottom, well this brownie just stayed down and held good, eventually giving up , this is whilst drifting with no drogue, (read traditionalist) a fine fish about 4lbs 8 ox , photographed and released, we had another drift over the same area, I had one folow , Rob one brownie read 6inch long 4 ozs. the wind was swirling about and making life difficult out comes the drogue, we went on working across the tarn on different drifts, its a matter of covering water to find fish, After an hour i picked up my second fish a beauty about 2lbs, again on the sparkler,  I ended up with one more at 3lbs ,  3 fish for the day, The afternoon was really a waste of time due to motor problems we tried anchoring up , but  you need to cover the water to find fish, so an early finish  for a change.

A very different scenario to the midlands resies where once you find fish you stay on them , here you really are searching for A fish. However a magnificent setting and a challenge to catch some fabulous fish ,

Enjoy the pics

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