After errands I had a couple of hours on a lowland river with the fly rod. There are trout in it but they aren't the most free rising, but I thought the chub may provide some action. With this in mind I tied on a large sedge. As I arrived at the river there were quite a few fish rising, but many of them looked small. Very small in some cases. Probably dace and/or grayling. Second cast A small chub grabbed hold and was quickly landed. Two more were soon taken from the same area. All exactly the same.
The little stuff then started to attack the size twelve sedge. I had to admire their ambition but it became annoying after a while. Moving on I managed two more of the little chublets. In one of the larger pools there was plenty of fish rising but non except the little 'uns wanted my sedge. A change to the old faithful size eighteen double badger produced plenty of takes but I just couldn't hit them. Eventually I managed to extract three small dace and a couple of little grayling. A couple more twisted off the hook. I must have hit about one in ten takes. Little dace and grayling really are hard to catch on fly at times.
I changed back to the large sedge and made my way back to the car. Having cast here and there. I just ignored the little 'uns attacking the fly. Eventually a couple more chublets managed to get to the fly. Seven chub, three dace, and a couple of grayling for a couple of hours fishing. Equal parts enjoyable and frustrating.
Thursday I descended into the valley to fish the upper reaches of a moorland stream. After wandering down the path to the downstream end of the beat contemplating what fly to use I noticed a few more trees had fallen here and there. A couple had come down over the river where there was already a bit of a log jam. The only insects I could see were the usual black stuff. On went a Double Badger as it had done well in the past.
There seemed to be quite a few trout rising, but they mainly looked like small stuff. This was confirmed with the first fish. A six inch WBT. Soon followed by an other slightly smaller one. I then missed a series of takes. The problem with little trout is their aim isn't very good at times and they can miss the fly but it looks like a take. Halfway up a smooth glide a larger fish was rising near some tree roots. My first cast was a about a foot wide and the fish didn't seem to want to move far for a meal. The second was within an inch or two of the rising fish but the fly drifted into the roots and snagged up. As I moved up to retrieve the fly a good ten to twelve inch trout shot upstream. I had two more instances of this where the fly got snagged and I ruined a swim with a decent trout in it. By the time I got to the end of the beat I'd amassed five small trout and missed or lost many more.
After Tea I wandered down to the beat below. I stopped at the pool at the top of the beat to find quite a few olives hatching. Nothing, though, was rising. Fifteen minutes I sat and watched but not one fish showed itself. Wandering down the beat I didn't see anything rise even though there were a few olives about. There was, however, a lot more balsam than I'd seen and pulled last time. Spent about an hour pulling and/or recording it's location. Keeping half an eye on the beck. Nothing rose while I pulled the damn stuff up.
I swapped the Double badger for a large Elk Hair Caddis in the hope that this may prove to be a tempting mouth full for a trout. Casting it into likely looking spots as I wading back upstream. I suffered the usual problems of trees grabbing the fly. Landing it in tree roots or bankside vegetation. The wading was a bit trick at times. Some deep holes within inches of the top of the chesties. Eventually I spotted a rise and cast to it. The current as the beck came around the corner was a bit all over the place. As soon as the fly began to skate the trout took. A nice nine inch fish still with it's parr markings.
That was it for the evening. Nothing else was seen. I did try skating the caddis but it didn't attract anything else. Quite what the trout are up to I don't know but they don't seem keen on taking dries apart from the little 'uns.
Had another quick session with the fly rod. This time on a moorland beck. I thought the dappled shade provided by the trees would make my life and that of the fishes more pleasant. It seemed to. There was an obstacle, or two, to over come first though. The gates to the fishery now had five padlocks each. Thankfully I knew which was ours.
The beck was now down to the sort of level you'd expect for the time of year, but the water was still cool. I'd put on the usual to start with, the Elk Hair Sedge. The only fly life about was the usual black stuff. After a few speculative casts a fish rose midstream. A covered it a couple of times before took. A 9" WBT that didn't like the net. After three or four attempts it was in. Hopefully there would be many more of these.
As I made my way upstream looking for rising fish I made the odd speculative cast to no avail, but plenty of fish were seen rising. Strangely they were all around the 5" mark. I probably connected with less than half the rises but still ended up with nearly a dozen fish most of which I could just flick off the hook with out removing them from the water.
The intention was to spend an hour or so pulling the odds and sods of Balsam left on this stretch before having a bit of a fish. As it was there was more Balsam then I'd realised. Even when I thought I'd got most of it, having wandered up and down three or four times, I spotted a four foot tall plant in flower in among a stand of them. Quite how I'd missed this I don't know.
The Balsam bashing left me with about an hour for fishing. Slightly less after a cuppa. As I crossed the bridge to enter the water I spotted one of the escapee rainbows. A rather clumsy cast landed the Elk Hair Caddis just above it. It wasted no time grabbing the fly. After bit of a hectic dash about it came adrift just beyond the net.
I worked my way up the narrow little beck bow-and-arrow casting the fly into likely looking spots until I got two thirds the way up the short length. A fish was ring ahead in a very tight spot. I couldn't get a cast to it with out the fly creating drag. Dropping back and going around on the bank I was able to get a cast downstream. Second attempt and the fish took. Things were rather hectic in the confined space but I got it in the net. A nice little WBT around the 9" mark. I think the Eeyores approved as they came over to have a look.
I continued to the top of the stretch but nowt else was seen.
Time had run out. Especially as the traffic was building up and I had to be else where. So that was that, but i have more time tomorrow for a go elsewhere.
I had chance of a couple of hours fishing up the valley of cheese. As I got to the river in the glorious sunshine Swifts and Martins were grabbing insects from the surface. They were so quick I couldn't see what the birds were taking. They then moved away. With no sign of what had been hatching I put on a Elk Hair Caddis for want of a better idea.
I had few speculative casts here and there as I wandered along the river with out any luck. The Oyster catchers were up and down with their sirens going. Again I saw Swifts and Martins going after insects but by the time I got there they'd moved along. As I wandered back upstream I spotted a couple of fish rising in a shallow riffle by an island. First cast produced a nice little WBT.
I sat and waited to see if there would be any more rises. After a few minutes two or three fish appeared to be rising, but for what I couldn't tell. After a couple of casts a small chub of similar size to the trout took the fly. As I brought it in a couple of dozen other chub scattered. Some upstream and some past me. After dealing with the chub I waited again but no fish returned. I continued upstream. The occasional speculative cast again failed.
At the top of the stretch I spotted a couple fish rising in the fast riffle. After wandering back downstream and crossing the river I was able to get up to a position to cast at them. It took several casts to get a drag free drift. A very splashy rise resulted in something a bit bigger. A nice 10" Grayling. Time was running out but nothing else rose. A few more speculative casts produced nothing.
The couple of hours had flown past, but it had been quite enjoyable. Two more species caught add to the list.
Fifth day of the river season and the fourth river. Two days since I got a new brolly and I've been lucky enough not to have to us it. The venue has steps cut in the bank and platforms at the bottom. All very nice but the steps could be smaller and the platforms bigger. Even so It'll do. I had a cast round with the Deeper. I found just under four foot by the side of the weeds on the nearside and eleven and a half foot a third of the way across. One rod with a 4xNo6 wire stemmed stick float and the fifteen footer with a 4g bolo float.
I started on the inside line flicking some maggots in and trotting the float as close as possible to the weeds with out snagging. I got plenty of chewed maggots before bringing in a little bleak. While I like to see the return of bleak to the river they can be a damned nuisance. Especially when small. After two or three of them I got a small perch then some tiny dace and chublets. The problem was most of the time I just ended up with chewed maggots. While this was going on I'd been firing hemp and maggots out to the far swim.
I gave the far swim a try and after a few trots down managed a decent perch before a couple of boats came past from opposite directions. Both swims went quiet, so I had a cuppa. When I lifted the long rod out, having finished my cuppa, a little perch had taken a liking to the chewed maggots. The inside line was still full of tiny little bleak and like, so back out on the Far line. It was a fish a chuck for half a dozen casts. All reasonable sized roach, before I bumped one off and everything going quiet.
Over the next half hour or so I picked up a couple more roach on the far line and a couple of tiny ones on the inside. The last two fish of the session came right at the bottom of the far run. A couple of silver bream. I couldn't fish any further down as the tree to my right blocked my view. Twenty seven fish for 3lb 7oz. Not a great catch, but fun none the less on the float. It wouldn't have won the match on the Sunday as that was won with 30lb+ of bream. In fact I don't think it would have got me a section prize.
A very enjoyable four hours in pleasant sunshine . The only downside was the very vocal lambs on the other side of the river They really were very loud and persistent.
I was surprised to arrive at an empty parking spot so early in the season. It would mean I had the choice of swims over the three miles of river. After careful consideration I picked the first swim I came to. mainly because I couldn't be arsed going much further. Besides this swim had a nice three foot run a rod length out. This river is exceedingly variable in depth ans speed over a very short length. Further out it was a bit slower and five foot deep but the run came to an abrupt halt so far down at a cliff face.
The water was about six inches up and peaty coloured as expected. A 6xNo.4 wire stemmed stick float was set up with the centrepin and a 13' 6" rod. Bait was to be maggots over hemp. It was a lovely sunny afternoon with Kites noisily fly about. I did spend some time trying to get photos of the by listen to their squawking and hoping to judge when they'd glide over the trees into view. This was easier said than done. They seemed to be more inclined to come close when I'd put the phone down and started fishing.
Feeding hemp down stream and maggots in front on alternative casts. It took a little while and some adjustment to the depth before I got my first bite. Several more followed which I couldn't hit before I took two bleak in quick succession. A small dace followed soon after. Then the beasties I'd managed to avoid so far turned up. A pike took the next fish I hooked then one attacked the keepnet.
It took nearly na hour before I started to get bites again. A couple of chublets and a couple of roach before a small perch was engulfed by a good double pike. Time for tea. I kept feeding the swim while I had something to eat and drink.
The next few trots down just produced chewed maggots. A bit of twiddling of the shot and a couple more bleak turned up. I then snagged up, or so I thought. The snag slowly moved upstream and across the river. Whatever it was moved slowly and relentlessly upstream for some thirty yards. I began to think I'd foul hooked whatever it was. A look at the phone showed it to be 19:41. I gained some line but the fish just drifted towards the near bank before setting off upstream and towards the far bank again. It did this a few more times but each time I gained line until I had it just upstream of me. I tested the 3lb hook length to it's limits as I heaved it up to the surface. A barbel around the 7-8lb mark clearly hooked in the mouth. On it's side and a yard from the net it woke up again in typical barbel fashion. Three more times I had it on it's side and close to the net. The third time it shot off very quickly. The first time it had moved faster than walking pace. Somewhere it became lodge in a snag. I put the rod in the rest and waited. A couple of minutes latter the tip dragged over then went slack. The float popped up and I wound in dejected. The hook length had parted in the snag. It was now 20:09.
A cuppa and a replacement hook length and I was back in action. Another small perch then a few chub, roach, and dice followed. I then hooked into what I assume was another barbel. This time though it shot off downstream at great speed before becoming lodged in some tree roots downstream. The hook length quickly parted. Although sunset was still awhile away I decided that was that. I'd struggled for twenty one little fish. I didn't care though. Despite losing a couple of barbel and the annoying pike it had been enjoyable.
The weather forecast for the second day of the season wasn't good. Heavy downpours were predicted. Looking at the rain radar it looked like a trip northwards should miss them. So northwards I went. I arrived in lovely sunshine. The river was nearly a foot up, as expected, and rather peat stained. One problem I'd not thought about was the bankside vegetation which was some way into the river. The 15' rod reached over it though.
I'd brought my Deeper Sonar with me to do the depth finding rather than faffing with a plummet. A cast about with it showed there to be around eight and half foot on the near near third of the river before it slowly increased in depth to ten and a half foot three quarters of the way across. I set up a 7 No.4 alloy stemmed stick float shotted shirt-button style. I then proceeded to catapult out some hemp and maggots onto two lines when disaster struck. The catapult broke at the pouch. Throwing the hemp was OK but I could only just throw the hemp onto the far line I intended to fish.
Another angler came wandering down with the intention of fishing. He just wanted to see what the levels were like. He thought they were OK, but we may struggle to get more than a few fish. He also reckoned we wouldn't see more than a bit of drizzle. By the time he'd got back to his car the heavens had opened. I never saw him again. I think he'd sat in his car then given up. I should probably have done the same at this point. My rather elderly brolly was anything but waterproof. Me and everything else was getting soaked. As trotting was near on impossible I just layed the rig next to the vegetation and sat the rod in the rested and waited for the better weather that was on the horizon. I did try to keep feeding the two swims but really had no idea where the bait was landing.
When the rain eventually stopped I went to lift the float out of the water but it snagged on the vegetation. I gave it a bit of a annoyed tug and the whole lot wrapped itself around the rod tip. Time for something to eat. Re rigged I set about fishing in earnest. The sun had come back, making it quite a nice evening. It was the best part of an hour before I got my first bite which I promptly missed. Half an hour later a second bite which I managed to hit despite a large amount of slack in the line. Something gave a decent bend to the rod. I managed to keep it out of the nearside vegetation and get it in the net. I rather welcome hand sized perch. An other half hour passed before the next bite and in came a very welcome little tommy ruffe.
Two hours two fish. Not the best of going but two more species to the roster. I fished on for another hour for one chewed maggot before the arrival of drizzle suggested I pack up. The rain radar showed heavier rain due. Which arrived as I got in the car.
A rather frustrating days fishing but not a blank so I'll take it.
Today I made my way to the tackle shop for a new brolly and ended up with this rather fetching number that also doubles as an advertising hoarding. So if it doesn't rain again you know who to thank. Along with some bait and a few bits and pieces I also managed to leave with a shiny new feeder rod.
