Nice But Nuisance Grayling

 Thursday started a bit chilly but came out bright and sunny. A typical Autumn day really. While bright and sunny is rather nice for a spot of River Fly Monitoring it isn't really great for trout fishing. No shortage of Baetis and Gammerus. A surprise Stonefly nymph was found. A first for the beck.

Site 3 19 Sept 2024, 10 am	Count	ARMI   2 Bullheads
Cased Caddis	25	2
Caseless Caddis	2	1
Baetis	600	3
Stonefly	1	1
Blue Winged Olive	1	1
Heptagens	0	0
Mayfly	0	0
Gammerus	500	3
Trigger level = 6	ARMI score total =	11

Site 4  11:00 am	Count	ARMI   Bloodworm
Cased Caddis	8	1
Caseless Caddis	9	1
Baetis	105	3
Stonefly	0	0
Blue Winged Olive	5	1
Heptagens	0	0
Mayfly	0	0
Gammerus	120	3
Trigger level = 7	ARMI score total =	9

After lunch we participated in a spot of angling. I had a wander upstream while the others had a wander downstream. As expected it was tough going in the bright sunshine. It was nice to see the pods of grayling up and down the length. These though would become a nuisance later.

 

A the only fish rising were the little grayling I avoided dry flies a stuck with nymphs drifting them next to the weed beds euro style. The only tout I saw were escapee rainbows. Thy did a great job of ignoring my offerings most of the time. When they did show interest a grayling would usually dive in before them. I was interesting watching the grayling's reaction to the small nymphs. The silver bead one was generally ignored. They seemed to prefer the copper bead, along with the killer bug and a black spider.

 I took several of the little grayling despite me trying to avoid them. Apart from one, for a photo, the rest were shaken from the barbless hook in the water. The others had given up earlier than me and moved on to a more productive water. I did do a spot of balsam bashing though. A pleasant day by a beck even so.

Spiders On The Moors

 As I was up the top of The Moors this morning with a couple of hours to spare, and the rain hadn't arrived, I thought I'd have a chuck about with the fly rod. It was very dull day and looked like it could rain any moment. The river was the lowest I'd seen it this year, but carrying it's usual peat stain.

For the first half hour or so I tried a variety of dry flies. Apart from one rise to a Griffith's Gnat there was no interest at all. I then opted for a couple of spider patterns instead. A Williams favourite on point and a Black Magic on the dropper. Can't go wrong with a little something in black.

 

This combination worked straight away. The first cast into a swirly riffle and one of the small residents grabbed hold of the Black Magic.. A couple more little 'uns from the same riffle. These would be this years youngsters. In the slacker smoother water above the riffle I hooked one of last years fish, but it came adrift. I continued on fish the riffles as I moved upstream over the next hour or so. Eventually amassing eleven of the little 'uns with both flies taking their share. They were all between four and five inches. Swinging the flies down and across in one of the wider sections I hooked another of last years. Around the nine ten inch mark this, like the previous big 'un came adrift. The drizzle that had started was now coming down heavier so I made my way back to the car as it got heavier and heavier.

 Not a bad couple of hours considering the conditions. A little bit more water wouldn't go amiss, but not too much, as previous times I've been in the area it's been way too high. This may please the Salmon and Sea trout anglers but it doesn't make for good trout fish.

Several Changes of Plan

 My original plan for Thursday was to park up at the top of the stretch I intended to fish, walk down to the bottom and fish back to the car. This idea was stymied by a fallen tree across the track. I could drag it so far but it had fallen between a couple of large rocks which would require me to lift it  as well. My back suggested this wasn't a good idea. Annoyingly I'd taken my bow saw out of the car earlier in the week. There's nothing much in the way of phone signal around here, so it was back to the village to get in touch with the appropriate people. Having informed them I set off back round to the parking at bottom of the stretch. Before that I had a look at the weather forecast as it seemed to be drizzling for longer than I'd expected. I suspect my clumsy fingers had brought up Friday's forecast and not Thursday's.

Arriving at the bottom of the stretch the drizzle had now turned to rain. A cuppa seemed like a good idea while I contemplated whether to fish or not. The drizzle eased off and I decided to stay. It was while setting up that I discovered I left my box of nymphs at home. I been sorting the fly boxes out during the week and had replenished the nymphs and put them in a separate box. Given the complete lack of fly life nymphing seemed to be the way to go. Others had been catching up to a dozen fish on nymphs. A small goldhead PTN was found in an old fly box in my bag. This went on and started chucking it into the deeper holes. This plan soon fell apart when it became snagged in one of the deep, three foot, holes. Despite paddling across the beck I was unable to get to the nymph which seemed to have disappeared in among the roots.

It was now dry fly time, whether I liked it or not., I tried anything from a large retirer sedge to a little IOBO and everything in between. In the time I fished I managed to spook only two fish and saw one rise once under some barbed wire across the beck. After another cuppa I had another change of plan. This nearest fly to a nymph I could find was a small Black Magic Spider so this went on and I had another got but to no avail. As i got back to the car as the drizzle turned back to train another angler arrived. After a natter he went on his way with some nice heavy nymphs while I went to have a wander round the pond. The rain had stopped but you wouldn't have known it under the trees round the pond. Every gust of wind brought down a deluge off the leaves. Quite a few of the stocked browns were showing but out in the middle. When I spotted one close to the bank I couldn't resist having a go. I cast the little spider out in front of it. It cruised up and grabbed it. It was at this point I remembered I only had a 2.3lb tippet on and there's a fair bit of weed in the pond. Luckily for me the 17" brown was cooperative and stay away from the weed. It did have an attempt at gathering twigs by swimming along the bank, but none caused a problem. By sitting on the bank I was able to gather it up in the little scoop net.

I did contemplating getting a longer rod out of the car and doing a bit more in the pond but the strong wind made life under the trees very unpleasant. One day I'm going to arrive on a pleasant day with abundant fly life about and trout rising everywhere, even to my fly and have a nice day.

River Fly Monitoring and Stuff

Saturday there was to be a work party on the new section of beck, so I got there early to have a bit of a fish before hand. A simple nymph rig was used with a single weighty hare's ear bug. Fished in the traditional upstream style rather than the more modern euro-nymph style. It wasn't long before I latched on to a fish which I bumped off when a pheasant shot up from behind a tree squawking like fury and frighten the crap out of me. I know they taste nice and have some useful feathers for fly tying, but the really are an annoying bird. Anyway I made my way upstream chucking the nymph into likely looking spots eventually latching on to another fish. With out any drama a 7" WBT was landed. No picture as I'd left my phone in the car. Rather stupidly I'd left it on the dashboard in full view of the world.

The section of beck we worked on is to be left 'wild', but there were several fallen trees that had got hung up and these were to be removed as they're damn dangerous. While they didn't come down easily it'll be Sod's Law that they'll come down in the slightest breeze when you try to pass under one when fishing.

Sunday was River Fly Monitoring day on a different beck. Again I arrived early to have a bit of a fish on the bottom stretch before things started. While I didn't catch using a simple klink-n-dink rig I did mange to spook a decent trout and also saw a dozen or so small dace/chub in a shoal.

As I was having a cuppa the troops gathered. There are two monitoring sites on this beck. One above a sewage outfall and one below. We started on the the upper one first with the following results.

The results were very much as expected apparently. At the site below the outfall I did the sampling. The first thing I did was get stuck on the soft sand at the side of the beck as I got in. A V-weir has been placed just above the site and is scouring the bed out nicely but the sand is being deposited on the sides and the vegetation hasn't taken hold on it yet. It's the same where wiggles have been reintroduced the sand is still soft as the vegetation starts to take hold. The results where as follows. Again much as expected. Although it was pointed out there were enough shrimp for a paella. There was also a fair bit of toilet paper debris. Hands were thoroughly sanitised afterwards.

After a spot of lunch I had a fling about with the klink-n-dink rig on this upper end of the stretch. I managed to spook a couple of fish when retrieving flies from overhanging bankside vegetation. Eventually I got to the lower monitoring spot where I knew there was a deep hole beside a tree. Second cast and something powerful took the nymph. After the initial run upstream it came back quietly before kicking off again at the net. A rather pale trout of 11". Something went a bit wonky with the phone when taking the photo. Not only did it end up in a low resolution mode, but it looks like the flash went off as well. Wet hands and touch screens aren't the best combination.

 

Near the top of the stretch, where there's a bit more streamer weed, I spotted two or three smaller fish. I tried to cover them but the nymph kept snagging the bottom. Rather than shorten the tippet I put on a black spider instead. First cast and I was in. A small, and again, silvery coloured 5" trout. As I brought it in several others, of a similar size, shot off.

By now it was time to go. We know there aren't many trout in this stretch at the moment but there does seem to be more moving in. While I was there I didn't see anything rise or any hatching insects. I will, however, have to tie up some shrimp patterns as I don't seem to have any for some reason.

Return To The Trout

 I still hadn't made my mind up where to go fishing on Thursday. I had a quick shufti though the river gauges and noticed a couple of the trout rivers had had a bit of a lift from the rain earlier in the week. I decide a trip up the valley of cheese may be a good idea. I checked the weather and seemed it would be a nice, if somewhat draughty, day. What didn't occur to me was that I would be trying to fly fish an easterly flowing river in a strong westerly.  At various points I passed signs proclaiming some road or other would be close from some point or other at some time or other. How you're supposed to read these signs on a sixty MPH road I don't know I suppose I could have made a nuisance of myself and slowed right down and annoyed everybody behind me. Besides there had been several signs claiming the were no white lines. There were plenty of very bright, newly painted white lines. So were the signs even relevant any more. It transpired the road was closed, but I knew the road that they claimed only went to a village in fact went very close to where I wanted to be. I eventually arrived late late afternoon and was surprised to see a couple of anglers fishing my club stretch. They would be the first I'd seen. A natter with one, Paul, found they they were staying nearby for three days as they weren't from these parts and that they'd had three fish between them in the morning. They'd struggled in the wind though.

I ventured Up to the top of the stretch as I thought it may be more sheltered. With the river nearly six inches up and falling it looked a lot healthier than last time I'd fished. I rigged up a duo and fished the faster water in some of the more sheltered spots for a while with no bites. I then tried some of the smother glides but didn't get an signs of fish. I worked my way back towards the car but things didn't get any better. A change of tactics were called for. As the wind had dropped a bit I decided to fish a couple of spiders through the faster riffles. Getting them to turn over was a bit tricky at times. One spot fishing downstream produced a couple of takes but I failed to connect properly. This is always a problem when fishing downstream. Near the bottom of the stretch and back to fishing upstream I  got a good solid take and a very nice 14" wild brown trout was in the net after a bit of acrobatics. No photo though as it jumped clear of the floating net while I was faffing with the phone. Wet hands and touch screens don't always cooperate. Another fish was lost not long after, throwing the hook as it cartwheeled about.

I thought I'd do a lot better after the river had lifted a bit. There was very little hatching apart from the odd small upright. I didn't see any fish rise at all. The two chaps fishing earlier had seen a couple of fish jump but that was it. It wasn't until I got home I realised that I hadn't taken many photos for some reason.

No Insects - No Fish

 I'd have preferred to fish on Friday, but appointments, etc. meant I couldn't, so Thursday it was. Despite the north-east wind on both days Friday at least had some sunshine, whereas Thursday was dull and overcast. Looking from the bridge the lack of life was astonishing. A couple of bees, a butterfly, and few black things were all the insects I could see. A dipper and a few mallard with ducklings were on the river. Three oyster catchers flew over head making a racket. Never understood this as the oysters must be able to hear them coming and have time to go into hiding.

Rather than fish I decide to have a wander along the river and see if anything anywhere was happening. The answer was no. The odd tiny fish could be seen dimpling the surface. Others gave a splashy rise. Nothing of any size showed at all. No of this was surprising given the weather conditions and the state of the river. It was low and weedy with horrible green slimy algae around. The area looked some what desolate apart from the sheep and a flock of gooses. There were a few interesting looking riffles that may hold fish. The deeper sections looked dire and covered in debris and in some places a brown scum. My local canals have more flow. Herbicide had obviously been recently sprayed as well given the wilting thistles. They lack of insects around the sheep shit was also a tad worrying.

After an early tea I set up a spider rig to fish the riffles. Despite the long walk between the ones deep enough to fish I set off with hope. This had faded by the time I got to the top of the stretch with nothing to show for my efforts. On the way back I switch to dry fly. A klinkhammer and a small black beastie were rigged up. The pink post on the klinkhammer allowing in to show up among the bits of debris and also allowing me to have an idea where the little black beastie was. All that happened they they hit the water was for little fish to attack them. Nothing of any size made an attempt, as far as I could tell, to take the flies. I also tried a nymph in the faster riffles but it always ended up stuck in the weed and slime.

I waited nearly to dark hoping something would happen, but no. not a thing. A spot of rain and a change of wind direction would do wonders for the river and the fishing. I now, however, have a lot better idea of the the parking spots and access places for my next visit.

Duns And Dead Phones

 Looking from the bridge, on Thursday, near the parking spot it was obvious the river was rather low and an awful low of filament weed had grown, but fish were rising and not just the little grayling and parr splashing at things. When I got back to the car there was a Brook Dun on the window, which I took to be a good omen. As I wandered down to the bottom of the stretch there was a few more Brook Dun drifting down with fish occasionally rising to them. A foam dun looked to be the right fly.

It took half a dozen drifts, in very slow moving water, over a rising fish before it excepted my offering. A nice fish of 11" that despite it's acrobatics didn't shake the hook free. A bit further up a trout I spotted earlier was rising occasionally. I sat and watched for a while before making a cast. This one hit the fly just after it landed and very kindly stayed in the water until I netted it. A similar size to the first. I thought it was going to be a really good day. The cloud overcast weather with only a very slight breeze is supposed to be ideal for hatches and the trout seemed to be rising. I took a photo of the fish before releasing it only for the phone  to throw out a message about camera processing or something before it froze. I restarted it and took a pick only to get the same message. I think last week's dunking may have finally got to it. I switched the power off and continued on. Two more fish followed in similar fashion to the first two both of a similar size. having reached the bridge I retired for a cuppa and butty, as it was now mid-afternoon.

After refreshments I headed upstream. The Brook Dun were noticeable by their absence but, apart from the splashy rises of the parr, there was the occasional rise from better fish. The first of these was next to an overhanging tree. Just as the fly landed a lamb behind the tree bleated and mummy duck and here offspring shot out from under the tree. I managed to drag the flt out of the way before they got tangled. This obviously spooked the rising fish. A lot further up I came across another rising on the far bank. Wading out to a suitable casting position it became apparent that the left leg of my waders was leaking. The fish duly obliged on the second cast. Another of a similar size.  A fish then started to rise a bit further up in very shallow water. It grabbed my fly despite my cast been 18" to it's left and soon throw the hook as it cartwheeled about. I then missed four rises in a row from what looked like good fish before hooking another in very shallow water. Keeping the rod low seemed to stop it jumping but it got it's self into the filament weed and came adrift as I hauled it and the weed back.

Things had now gone very quiet. I tried an APT and a foam beetle along the edges of the overhanging trees but only the little'uns seemed interested. As I walked back I noticed the odd crane fly on the water and was very surprised that nothing was rising for them. Trout can't normally resist a crane fly. I tried the odd spot with the foam beetle but to no avail. Another cuppa was the order of the day. With nothing happening I decided to try a different stretch. It was on my way home after all. It appeared as dead as the first. I spent an hour and a half wandering about chucking a fly here and there but never saw a fish of any size. Still five sizeable fish was the best I've managed this season and we still have the mayfly to come (hopefully). One good sign on the insect front was the number of squashed beasties on the front of my car. Not something I've seen in a few years.

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.