Sixth Session Sixth River Of The Trout Season

 I could quite easily give up on this fly fishing for trout malarkey, I just seem to be going nowhere fast this year. I had chance of a short session up the valley-of-cheese. There were plenty of fish rising when I got there, but judging by the splashy rises and flashes of silver I suspect they were grayling. This was quickly confirmed when a tiny 4" grayling grabbed my SAE (Shiny Arsed Emerger). It seemed anywhere I cast it to the little buggers would have a go. While it's really nice to see so many youngsters they really are a nuisance when you're trout fishing.

Another angler I had a natter with said he'd had the same problem, along with salmon parr as well. He said he had seen tout rising, but to what he didn't know. We both suspected it was something very small and black given the clouds of smuts here and there. There was also a few hawthorn flies about but these didn't get to the river as the tree sparrows seemed to be feasting on them.

Sitting on the high bank I could see the odd trout rising, just poking their nose out of the water. As opposed to the splashy rise of the grayling. Still couldn't fathom what they were eating though. A poke round the fly box produced the smallest fly  I had. A size 22 IOBO. Despite it's size it was quite visible on the water. The trout ignoring it were also quite visible, under the water. The grayling, though, took a liking to it as if I didn't know what a good grayling fly it can be.

As the trout weren't interested in the smallest fly I had I decide something large may be of interest to them so on went a hawthorn fly. This was ignored by everything. At least i wasn't shaking little grayling off the hook. Time was now running out. I spotted a tout rising in the riffle above me. On went a double badger, a fly intended for this sort of scenario. Although I'm not sure salmon parr are what it was intend for, but that's what i got.

With all the wrong fish rising to the fly I headed back towards the car. As I made my way along I spotted a trout rising in one of the deeper, unwadeable, stretches. My cast landed a bit short, but I allowed it to fish out. Just as I started to lift for the next cast the fly disappear. Something bigger than  I'd been catching was on the end of the line. At this point I realised I'd not thought this though as I was a couple of foot above the water and didn't know the depth of the water below me. Lying down I managed to scoop another bloody grayling out of the water. Admittedly it was a lot bigger than the others. A quick shake of the phone to get the camera up, a pic, and it was back in the water.

That was it. Time was up and still not trout to the net this season. I will get it right one day, or there may be a nice collection of fly fishing tackle up for sale. It's nice to see all the little grayling and salmon parr but I wish they'd let the trout get to the fly.