John and the Ladies

With the trout season ending at the end of the month, I decided, on Sunday, to have another go at catching one on dry fly on stretch I've never managed to. I've caught them on wets, nymphs, lures, even luncheon meat, but never of the surface.

Upon arrival the wind had got up again and was gust straight down the best of the trout swims. I wished I brought a #5 rod instead of the #4. The only fly life I'd seen while having a wander was a few daddy long legs tumbling over the grass banks. So I stated off with one on the end of the leader, an Airflo Polyleader which helped turn the large fly over onto the wind. A couple of small fish had a tentative nudge at the fly, but nothing more.

 



























 As I wandered upstream and the wind eased I gradually decreased the size of the fly via Klinkhammer, APT, down to a size size 18 IOTBB Humpy. Near the top of the length the sun popped out and quite a few fish were rising. All I got were splashy rises and the occasional nudge though. Rooting through the fly box for inspiration sense finally prevailed and a John Storey was tied on. After all the fly was invented on the Rye. First cast with it produced a small grayling followed by several more over the the next three swims.

 










Just as I was beginning to enjoy my self a chill wind got up and the sky turned black. The rises stopped and then it started spitting with rain. Despite the lack of trout I decided to call it a day. I made it back to the car before the heavens opened. While I sat there having a cup of tea and waiting for the rain to stop, so I could get out of the chesties a herd of bullocks gathered round the car. I decide to drive out of this field before getting changed and was escorted by them all the way to the gate. Just before arriving at the gate a hare bolted from cover and caused them to stampede away.

Flapping Flounder

Sunday saw me heading east for another spot of sea fishing. With less wind than last time things looked good, increasingly so when I spotted other anglers upon my arrival. Fishing was to be from low water to high. Armed with the long rods, tactics were one with a cascade rig at 100 yards or so. The other, with a two hook flapper, was to be fished at 30-60 yards. Baits were lug, squid, mackerel, mussel, in various combinations.

It was a little while before the closer rod’s tip started to bouncing about and a 9” flounder was quickly cranked in. While re-baiting the other rod showed signs of life. The culprit this time being a bait thieving crab. This was all the action I had for the rest of the flood. The others there didn’t do any better.

Never Ignore the Locals

With reports that Withernsea was fishing well from low tide up, I decided to give it a go on Sunday with my shiny new Imax Rod and Penn reel. Stopping at the tackle shop to pick up bait, Worm, Mussel,Squid, Mackerel, I realised my rig wallet was not in the car. Thankfully there was a plentiful choice in the shop. Arriving at Withernsea just before low water to find it windier than I'd hoped, as the consensus was that it fishes better in calm conditions.

After some fish 'n' chips for lunch I started to get set up. This is when the first of several people decided to inform me how good the fishing had been last week and how bad it was going to be today. It was also when the second of the day's problems turned up. One leg on my tripod was jammed and no amount of pulling tapping or wiggling was going to unjam it. No matter I'd just have to rest the rod on a groyne. Problem number three occurred with the first cast. A birds nest was ripped from the reel and into the rod rings. This despite the fact that I'd had more than a few casts over grass , to ensure the braid was well bedded in. The bird's nest was quickly unravelled, only to the line out to sea had drifted round the end of the groyne. After much pulling it eventually snapped at the leader. I tied on another one and soon cast out again, only for a similar problem to occur. I'd made sure the leader knot was at the front of the spool. Not sure what was causing this I change spools to mono and enjoyed a trouble free day after that,

I tried various combinations of the bait I'd bought at various distances, but nothing seemed to entice the fish. Really I should have known better than to continue as the was no sign of anybody else fishing. If the locals aren't out, something's amiss. I was eventually joined by a couple of youngsters who showed me some pictures of rays they'd caught earlier in the week and weren't optimistic about the chances of catching.

 

While they fished similar baits to me, at close range, I cast out to a deeper hole near the end of the groyne. When even the crabs aren't having a go at your bait I think it's time to give up and this I did just over the top of the tide.

The problem with the braid puzzled me, so I had another go casting over grass, the next evening, and even with the leader knot at the back of the spool I couldn't reproduce the problem. Must have been a hint from the fishing gods not to bother.