In 1983 my book The Truth About Trout introduced the concept of windlane fishing to many anglers in this part of the world, but even today the windlanes that wander the vast expanses of Australian and New Zealand lakes remain relatively unexploited.

In the British Isles where drifting windlanes is a well established technique, the stillwater experts still lament the failure of most anglers to recognise the potential of windlanes. In a recent Trout and Salmon article, while confirming that a drift down a conspicuous windlane was the obvious way to start the day's fishing, successful competition angler John Horsey went on to comment: "Although their fish-pulling potential has been well documented over the years, it is amazing how few anglers bother to fish them (windlanes) and how many are blissfully unaware of their existence."

If this remains true of the English reservoir scene where many stillwaters are relatively featureless and are subjected to intense boat fishing pressure, I suppose it is understand able that most windlane trout in Australia and New Zealand lead charmed lives.

FINDING WINDLANES - Windlanes appear as calmer strips of water, rather like smooth roadways, across a rippled lake surface. A series of windlanes will often be seen running in parallel, more or less aligned with the direction of the prevailing breeze.

Although they are often very conspicuous on lakes and can be seen from any high vantage point, local familiarity with lanes can be a great advantage. When conditions are favourable, lanes tend to form in the same places from day to day, and lanes which cross particular parts of a lake can be more productive than those that form in other areas - in other words, there are particular windlane hot-spots.

But the real skill is in interpreting the subtle clues when windlanes aren't so obvious - mere remnants of lanes can be identified by narrow lines of scum and other flotsam when conditions are less than ideal. The trick is to appreciate that, no matter what the conditions, the surface of a lake is never uniform - subtle interactions of wind and water are continually at work, influencing the distribution and behaviour of food and fish.

PHYSICAL CONSIDERATIONS - From an angler's perspective, the physical mechanics of windlane formation are of little consequence - in any case, the dynamics of windlanes at sea and on lakes remain poorly understood. It is sufficient to be able to recognise windlanes and to know that they attract fish, though I can't resist a few more observations that may help understand what goes on.

The wind blowing across a lake interacts with the surface waterlayer to create windlanes which appear as strips of flattened water. They normally form in the same direction as the prevailing breeze and will change position and width as the wind varies in direction and intensity. The shape and position of windlanes is also influenced by surrounding landforms.

As the wind strengthens, windlanes become narrower and eventually break down and fragment into narrow lines of froth and scum. This transformation from a well defined lane to a narrow scum line often characterises the same lane moving downwind from top (near the more sheltered shore) to bottom (towards the exposed shore). The fact that windlanes accumulate debris on the surface is self evident - lanes become choked with goodies which appear only sparsely on the surrounding water. What is not so obvious to us, but is a major attraction for the fish, is that subsurface currents are at work as well, drawing food into the lane from beneath - things like daphnia and midge pupae.

Scientists generally explain windlanes in terms of 'Langmuir circulations' and rotating current spirals. Some lanes, usually identified by foam lines along the edges, are said to exert a downward current pull (a slight undertow), whereas neighbouring lanes are said to exert an upward current trend (a slight upwelling). The message for the angler is to treat each lane on its merits - while one lane may be devoid of fish, another close by may be full of them.

DRIFTING THE LANES -To fish windlanes effectively you really need a boat, and it must be well set up. A collapsible parachute drogue is a must, for aligning the boat and slowing the drift in windy conditions. For fly casting the boat needs to be stable with a snag-free floor, and raised seats are a good idea for extra comfort. Most importantly, the boat must be easy to row - it is best to row facing forward in a sitting or standing position. A bow mounted electric outboard is also ideal for this sort of fishing.

The idea is to position the boat broadside on, at the top (upwind end) of a suitable lane and to drift slowly down with the wind. Positioning the boat in the broken water at the edge of the lane will reduce the likelihood of spooking unseen fish.

Trout invariably swim upwind as they feed in lanes, though they do wander about a bit, and browns, in particular, can be quite slow and erratic at times. Rainbows usually hump and heave upwind quite deliberately, at speed, though on rare occasions I have seen them wallowing in the scum and actually surfing down the faces of quite considerable waves - which just goes to show that when you start to apply hard and fast rules to fly fishing the next fish is likely to prove you wrong!

When you've run out of lane, or fish, then motor back up to the top of the lane, or try another if there isn't much doing, and then repeat the drift. Etiquette dictates that you should not disrupt the drift or spoil the water for another boat - if someone is already drifting a lane, go elsewhere, or slot in behind (upwind of) the other boat.

If the fish are few and far between, or if the breeze isn't sufficient to push the boat, it may be necessary to row slowly down the lane until you spot a fish. But on a good morning they will come past thick and fast, even in groups of two or three, and occasionally in uncountable schools. If you don't have access to a boat, then the best windlane fishing will, for the most part, remain out of sight, though there are always occasions when windlanes are blown close to shore. Again, local knowledge is a factor in assessing when and where this may occur. Often a narrow neck or prominent point will regularly attract windlanes, carrying both food and trout within reach.

WINDLANE TACTICS - As in so many forms of fly fishing, knowing where and when to find the fish is a giant step down the right track, but it is never the whole story. On their day, windlane fish can be as finicky as the most selective trout you'll find anywhere.

At times I've put in five or six hours and covered dozens of actively feeding fish for no result. But at other times every trout will slam the fly - provided the fish that you're after maintains its path and the presentation is true, the take can be anticipated with total confidence.

Though tradition would dictate a team of three flies to search for windlane trout, and nowadays on English reservoirs sinking lines are often used as well, we prefer to sight-fish the windlanes and usually present a single fly on a floating line to fish that are actually showing at the surface - either a small wet or a dry depending on the circumstances. Fly choice is largely dictated by feeding behaviour and by what is on the water.

MORNING WINDLANES - A windlane trout bulging the surface and finning about in the early morning will almost certainly be snatching midge pupae just under the surface. These are generally the easiest fish to catch and are suckers for a wet beetle, nymph or buzzer pattern cast a few metres in front, allowed to sink a little and then drawn towards the surface as the fish approaches.

Calm, chilly, clear-sky nights generally produce the best morning midge fishing and first-light is the best time to score. If it's flat calm at dawn, look for patches of scum punctuated by the shimmer of rising fish - even on a calm surface the food will be pushed up into broad lanes.

Once the sun gets on the water the going gets pretty tough on calm days, with the fish losing interest soon after sunrise - though if the wind picks up a bit the fishing can still be worthwhile as the lanes narrow and the food becomes more concentrated.

So, first thing in the morning it is usual to start with a small wet, then to change to a dry fly if the fish start snipping off the top and lose interest in the subsurface fly. It pays to persist with the wet for as long as possible because a stationary dry fly does not have the same pulling power - the trout only has to deviate slightly and the dry will go unnoticed in the surface scum. Emergers are worth a try if the trout get fussy, but again, it is quite difficult to keep track of a static fly in the thick pea-soup which often coats the surface of a productive morning windlane.

AFTERNOON WINDLANES - Whilst morning windlane fishing is dominated by small wet flies and midging fish, in the afternoons the menu usually changes to windfall insects - such as beetles, ants and termites - and dry fly fishing prevails. A warm day with a moderate but steady breeze (consistent in both direction and strength) is likely to produce worthwhile afternoon and evening windlane fishing. The best lanes are relatively clean (without the scum of shucks and spent flies which characterise early morning lanes), with just a nice smattering of insects so the trout are prepared to deviate from side to side to hunt down anything that looks like food.

If the sun is out and the water is clear, polaroiding windlanes is a real option. Viewed through polarised lenses, windlane trout just cruise upwind, casually snipping insects off the surface here and there. They are suckers for a well presented dry fly - usually a Red Tag or specific beetle pattern. The trick is to coordinate the drift to allow best visibility, and to scan the water well in front so the fly can be presented before the fish becomes aware of the boat. It takes a fair measure of skill and practice but, when it works, it provides real heart-in-mouth action.

EVENING WINDLANES - In hot weather the midafternoon doldrums often make way for increased windlane activity late in the day. If there is food in the lanes - and this can be confirmed by a casual glance once you're out there - then rest assured that trout will start feeding on the surface sooner or later as evening advances.

A Black Deerhair dry fly is a dependable standby for evening windlaning, though as the light fades, a lure-type wetÑa Black Fur Fly or small Sunset Fly for example - dragged across in front may be slammed by trout that seem anxious to nail anything in the last of the light. This technique also works into the night, when trout will happily continue their windlane feast if you are clever enough to find them. A moon helps, and 'moonlighting', as we like to call it, can be great fun, although you have to sleep some time.

WINDLANE ADDICTION - To be honest, it is rare for windlane fishing to continue all day - more often it is one thing or the other; either morning, early afternoon or evening action . . . though I do remember being thoroughly unpopular with family and friends on a couple of occasions when all three sessions somehow merged into one! And, come to think of it, I don't remember catching too many either - something that is even more difficult for non-fishers to understand. It was the fact that the trout were there, but being so damned uncooperative, that kept me on the water all day!

Despite the literature and endless talk, fly fishing is really a process of personal discovery. For me, those early revelations about trout feeding on the surface in windlanes far from shore had a dramatic influence on my appreciation of lakes. Windlane fishing has all the ingredients that make great fly fishing. Windlaning, at least the way we choose to do it, is a sight-based technique that relies on keen eyes and fast accurate presentation; there are plenty of prime trout to be caught and very few anglers chasing them.

Despite all the fishing I've done over the years, there's no place I'd rather be with a fly rod than drifting down a windlane with the chill of early morning in the air, wisps of mist rising off the surface, and trout rising and finning in full view.