One of the things I like about fishing urban rivers is all the wee nooks and crannies you get to see which are right underneath people’s noses.
Things that people don’t usually get to see just because they are walking along roads instead of underneath them.
This was on the lower Clyde on the very outskirts of the city and whilst not being truly urban you could still see the remnants of industry – a ruined mill causing the river to have an interesting flow. It was still very low and my fishing buddy and I could tell that with a bit of water it would be very interesting to fish however as it was there was only a few likely looking pools and runs.
I think the cold east wind cause the trout to decide to have a day in their beds as not much action was seen at all. Of course it could be the case the fishing in this section of the river is very poor anyway and it did not matter about conditions however I have not fished it enough to form an opinion.
On my way back from the gym today I had a wee look into the canal – it looked very clear and inviting – what I have found is that good visibility means a high probability of catching a pike on the fly. I had tried a section of canal outside the city the other day and it was the colour of mud. Of course the problem is the nearer the city you get the poorer the fishing gets. I wonder if that is the same for the Clyde? Of course the anomaly is that the Kelvin is fantastic right in the heart of the city – strange eh?
Or is it that some of the best spots on the Kelvin are hard to reach and are not that pleasant to stick around – I think we have all been there when a hatch of tampons has been on and those Sea Running Shopping Trolleys are just not playing by the rules.
I cant speak for anybody else but i would give the canal a wide berth when the east wind blows, the fish vanish off the face of the earth.
I was down with the lures yesterday and didnt see/ touch a thing throughout the lenght of an exceptionally pike ridden spot over an 8 hour session.
All my fishing has been guff recently and i suspect the constant east winds are playing a part. That and my crap skillz.
Now that is odd – I know the reason why an East wind is bad for the trout as a cold wind effects the hatching of flies and consequently water temp however I had no idea it would effect the Pike as well….
“Pike ridden” – I love it !
The East wind pretty much kills all sport. I have been fishing the canal quite a lot recently.With the east wind blowing i blank, but as soon as it changes slightly to north east the bites start appearing.
Be it roach/perch/pike/rudd the east wind stops them feeding 🙁
Thanks for dropping by Michael – now that you mention it I often talk to a chap down in Anniesland who says he has not been doing very well for weeks now.
Any thoughts on why an east wind effects coarse fish? water temp effecting buzzers etc for roach and rudd but what about preds like perch and pike?
To be honest i’ve no idea why it affects it, theres a saying on the canal though “west wind good, no wind good, east wind …go home” which ive found to be gospel haha.
Theres been an east wind blowing pretty much non-stop for about 2 months now!
The pike and perch definately prefer slightly warmer water to start feeding, certainly on winters days the slightest increase in temperature usually gives you bites.
One thing i would say about the canal though, at this time of year save your energy and wait till about 7pm before you start fishing, it fishes (for pike anyway) so much better in the later hours of light.
I believe sometimes that I fish only to be where everybody rather don´t want to be… in the middle of a cold mountain river.
I’ve been told be a marine biologist that it has something to do with the pressure system that an easterly wind brings.
The pressure affects the fishes swim bladder and this in turn affects their appetite so that they do not feed.
No idea if that is true or not.
I spent a lot of time fishing cold mountain streams, i know their secrets haha
In Canada, where I live, many people have told me that old saying “West is best, East is least”…..Superstition, that’s all! I have found that if you use the same procedures on east wind as you would normally use on west wind, yes, many will get skunked. So, change your procedures until something works. I agree that the barometric pressure has much to do with a fishes appetite. You have to make the bait more appealing by changing colour, speed, scent or any of the other many variables. You have a 100 percent better chance of catching a fish if your line is in the water rather than out……I am not a superstitious sort, “luck” defeats fisherman even before their line hits the water. Just get out there and have fun….east or west wind.
Well, that’s my take on it!