Near the bottom of the fishery I spotted a couple of splashy rises, but to what. With swarms of midges about that's what I tied on, in size 18. There was clearly more than one fish feeding in the pool as I made my way up. My fly was totally ignored by the feeding fish. Ensuring the point of the leader was not floating, I cast again and again with out disturbing the feeding fish. Thinking they may be interested in something more substantial I tied on a size 14 foam beetle, which again was ignored. Deciding to go the other way, I tied on a new tippet and a size 24 IOTBB which was taken first cast. A spirited little WBT somersaulted around the pool, sending one of it's companions up through the very shallow riffle at the top of the pool while, the other passed with in inches of my waders. Surprisingly, while unhooking this fish another was rising in the pool. After a couple of casts this was taken, only to come adrift after a couple of leaps. I waited a while, but nothing else stirred so moved on. Three more fish were hooked, but only one landed over the course of the next few pools.
By now I was getting rather thirsty and having left my drink in the car so headed back there. On the way back my phone rang. Worryingly it was the police, enquiring about my 'abandoned' car and asking me if I could move it to somewhere more suitable. Given there aren't any car parks nearby I wasn't sure where more suitable was, so I moved it further down the verge. As I didn't get any more calls about it I assume I'd got it right.
Drink in hand I wandered back downstream to where I'd left off and entered the water to be greeted by small trout flinging it's self out of the water in the pool upstream. This pool is one of only a couple in the beck that I can't wade through, even in chesties. Even though there was no sign of fly life there were a couple of fish rising at something. My little IOTBB was resolutely ignored as the fish rise around it. Eventually I noticed a little upwing struggling in the surface. A change to a CDC emerger produced a take on the second cast. It very quickly became apparent that this was a larger than average fish as it circled deep in the pool. It then had a sudden change of plan and shot past me, downstream, before performing the obligatory gymnastics. After which it came to he net quietly.
In the net one thing became apparent, apart from it's size, it was missing a pectoral fin and judging by the wound it was quite recent. This is the second one I've taken like this in the last couple of years. Otter attack? I haven't seen any sign of otters here although they are on the main river, so it is possible. After a couple of quick photos and holding it in the stream to recover it seemed to swim off strongly, back into the depths of the pool.
By now a rather strong and chill breeze had come up which was probably why I never saw another rise. Not a bad day at all.
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