Opening Day on the Rivers

June 16th, first day of the coarse fishing season on rivers and like the opening day of the trout season it tends to not live up to the hype. The last couple of season I've gone down to the Nidd for opening day and had a few pleasant hours trotting for what ever in the sunshine. This year was the same, with out the sunshine.

After hacking my way through the Himalayan Balsam I was on the side of the the river, trotting rod and 'pin, couple of maggots on the hook, full of anticipation. It was a good half hour before I got my first fish, a 6" dace, a few more followed over the next hour before the little, 4" chublets moved in. If you ever have problems identifying these little fish it's easy, if it has a mouth full of maggots it's a chub, if not it's a dace.

 

 

















After a while everything went quiet. I chucked out a bomb rod while I had a cuppa and some thing to eat. The bomb rod sat motionless so I returned to the float rod, a grayling was the next fish, which was lunged at by a pike as I brought it over the near bank ledge. a couple more followed before going quiet again. 

The final hour consisted of 'unmissable' bites, little chublets and gudgeon. While not up to previous years it was still pleasant non the less.