[Mike Barrio]

Was watching the trout dimple for ages at Haddo the other day ...... fascinating!

I often wondered how trout could take emergers hanging in the surface, yet barely disturb the water

They were coming up from the bottom as if for a standard surface rise, but at the last moment turned on their sides and glided just below the top in a kind of 'rising then falling side on arch' without using their tails, just their momentum ..... taking the emerger in the corner of their mouth

I think I got some photos, I'll try to find them to give you an idea of what I mean.

[Mike Barrio]

Here are a couple of examples ........





And another, which is not as obvious, but the trout did the same thing.



In all cases the trout's mouth opened and closed as it took something ...... Perhaps what I had often thought were refusals in the past ( as the fish appeared to turn away from my fly at the last minute ) were maybe not refusals after all

Interesting stuff ......

[Derek Roxborough]

 I read  a very scientific book" the Trout" and the authors were postulating that at certain times trout gulp air to maintain  there swim bladder , I dont know if it really happens but it is another reason for them doing it,  easgach 1

[Mike Barrio]

I see the trout adjusting their swim bladders when they are stocked, this is a much more splashy affair and a fair old gulp

These trout were taking emergers along the margins, close enough for me to sometimes see the olive in the surface and be able to guess where they would rise next, hence the ability to get the photo

Cheers
Mike

[Mark Zhang]

Thanks for the information. I'm new to fly fishing. Does this means we have to wait until the fish pull the line away, then we lift the rod? otherwise, we may pull the flies away from fish? last time, when I saw a fish rose for my fly, I lift the rod immediately, but nothing, I didn't hook it. Cheers.

Mark

[Marc Fauvet]

Yes Mark, wait till the fish 'turns' (goes back down) before gently striking.

Strike too early and the fly gets pulled out before they close their mouth  ! 

Mike, i'm not sure what you're saying...      but one thing's for sure is trout can inhale a bug from a few centimeters without actually touching it. by the time the mouth closes the bug's already in the gullet.

cheers,
marc

[Mark Zhang]

Thanks Marc. Looking forward your diagram. Don is high again. hopefully can fish tonight.  Cheers.

Mark

[Will Shaw]

Those photos (nice ones Mike!) totally remind me of Skues "Kidney shaped whorls" which he thought were evidence of trout rising to (I think) BWO's. Total rubbish - but a nice phrase anyway.

Has it stopped raining up there yet? I can actually see some blue sky here for the first time in 8 weeks. Can't last...

W.