Winter I really have had enough of it now...

Was out down the beck yesterday and visited the bottom end , thats the last 3/4 mile beck before it discharges into the sea.  .  At this time of year I am even more of a grumpy old git than I am normally. At the end of the trout season I am optimistic about the grayling season and that usually keeps me nearly happy till christmas. However the fishing is poor the water levels are up and the recent icy temperatures  have put the fish down so I am not a happy man.  Its still nearly three months to the start of the season.  I have spent any spare cash on some new gear and the weathers crap.

Its the first time I have been down to this section of beck since the the freeze set in during November.  Thats for a couple of reasons , this section doesnt hold any Grayling and in the icy weather the very steep wooded sides are downright dangerous to walk on.   I went for a change of scenery to cheer me up. But sadly the day started on a black note Ruby sniffed out the remains of an Otter in the hedge bottom at the side of the road , obviously a road kill victim . Such a shame and I can only hope its place is soon taken by a new resident.  I know the otter takes a fair few trout but cant help feeling that the loss of a few fish is a fair price for the presence of such a lovely creature.

This is  the prettiest and most interesting section of the beck it drops dozens of  feet in less than a mile, this means several weirs and a few hundred yards of rapids and smaller falls. It makes for fascinating fishing and is quite different to any other stream for many many miles.  Whilst I am on I make no apology for the use of imperial measurements .  Trout streams should be measured in miles yards and feet not bloody meters  , much as beer should always be measured in pints and tobacco in ounces . There is and always should be a natural order to such things .  The day a 9ft 5wt becomes a 2.744 m 5wt  will be a bad day for us all.  I am imperial I think in imperial and will stay in imperial and intend to be buried 6ft deep in an imperial coffin.

Well as its a fishing blog I guess I should stop belly aching and show you some nice photos

The pictures above and below show a length that is a delightful stretch to fish in the spring , the tail of the rapids is a lovely long glide that always holds a few trout. This is a lovely stretch to fish on very early on a summers morning .

In the spring the banks above are thick with wild Garlic when the air is still the valley is full of the smell . It can be almost overpowering .  This little valley is right on the edge of town but has badgers ,foxes and loads of deer.

One of us seemed to be enjoying the river.  What is about water and labradors that makes them inseperable.

The picture above is the largest weir on the river its proobably about a 15 to 20 ft drop.  Today it was really bowling through. In the summer in can be the merest trickle.  This weir pool holds good trout and even a few perch.  For a last pic heres Ruby chewing on, for her a very small stick.

Sorry for such a down beat post. I really dislike the winter its to dark to cold and I cant fish. So I am going to go now and try to think of something cheerful to post next time.