Coastal Sea Trout - Superstitions, Charms or just plain Good Luck?

Today we are checking out Fred’s third instalment of attempting to catch those elusive Coastal Sea Trout. However, we’re also going to talk about “luck” and how a lot of anglers seem to believe in superstitions. A lot of anglers have a ritual they do before they go fishing. Some splash the water with a small dram of whisky, hanging items from rod rests as good luck charms or making sure no banana's make it onboard a boat. Other anglers even go as far as tattooing their bodies with fish or hooks to show the “Fishing Gods” they are worthy. In this episode of OnTheHook Fishing, Fred decides that having a tattoo of a Sea Trout is exactly what is needed to allow him to catch one and he proves it.

Realistically, it all comes down to preparation and some may argue that all these “rituals” are simply just anglers preparing for a day out fishing. Sharpening hooks, setting up lures, looking out the spare parts in case of breakages, arriving at your fishing spot regardless of conditions and making sure the lunch is hearty. It doesn’t matter if what you do is deemed superstitious; the main thing here is that you are out there, soaking up nature and enjoying a sport that brings so much joy to so many people. Though, some of us do believe that if you have a bad lunch, the rest of the day is ruined, but that’s just us!

Izaak Walton -  Compleat Angler 1653

"Next to that, the west winde is believed to be the best: and having told you that the East winde is the worst, I need not tell you which winde is best in the third degree: And yet (as Solomon observes, that Hee that considers the winde shall never sow:) so hee that busies his head too much about them, (if the weather be not made extreme cold by an East winde) shall be a little superstitious: for as it is observed by some."

Top 10 recommended coastal Sea Trout flies

If you are ever out on the coast targeting coastal Sea Trout, here's a list of patterns we'd recommend you have in your Fly Box.

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