Chasing rainbows and making plans

Its very rarely I kill any trout, Mainly because I mostly fish for wild brownies and grayling.  Two creatures that around here are to precious to just be caught once.   However on a recent trip I had fished a beck for the afternoon and was at the car playing with a new kelly kettle , brewing a fresh cuppa when she who must be obeyed rang. It was the usual call. " I suppose you will be staying till its dark " and "do you want something to eat"  when you get in... He parting comment was, "you havent brought any fish home for months I would like some trout for dinner tomorrow".  Well I had been wondering where to fish the evening so my mind was made up for me.  One club I fish has a couple of lakes one of which is liberally stocked with rainbows.  Its a pretty place made even nicer to fish by the population of water voles, sadly such a rarity these days .  Its just still waters just dont do it for me and I rarely fish it.  I hadnt visited it this year other than to show a new member its location.

When I arrived at the lake I was pleased to see that it was only me fishing .  The lake was very still and showed little surface activity.  I was determined to catch of the top though I really dont like retrieving  a nymph.

After a while I spotted signs of fish they were tight under the bank and seemed to be rising inches from it , just often enough to give me hope.   I had sign little fly life apart from a solitary mayfly .  So with that single clue a Mayfly with a deer har wing went on.  After around 10 minutes of exploring the margins I heard a crash behind me and turned to see a roe buck dissapearing just a few feet from me.  When my head turned back I then saw my fly bobbing back to the surface in the middle of a rise.. Bugger...... Anyway that at least gave me encouragement.   I kept moving and casting and eventually a good rainbow was on , It has been a while since I had been connected to a rainbow and had almost forgotten their acrobatics and stamina epecially on an 8ft 3 wt rod,.... Eventually it was in the net and dispatched ,  This was followed shortly after by another, smaller but even more lively.   I can report they tasted excellent.

The evening was made complete by the water vole. I did see one swim out the island and several times heard the distinctive ploop as they dive under the surface.  It was good to see them.

I am looking forward to the next two weeks I have holidays booked . I have a trip planned down south to the Monnow following last years monnow restoration auction.  I have a day planned to take the two guys who took part in the lets tackle cancer auction on my local rivers. Thanks again to those two.  I also have a day arranged when Android from the walks and fishes blog will join me on the Ure at Masham and I will be hoping to fit a trip or two in on my local becks just on my own. 

So far in May....

May this year so far  has a been an odd sort of month, before that March and April were mild and dry, drier than an April and May in Yorkshire have the right to be.  May started well enough but the last week has been full of howling winds and rain , and yet in all that the mayfly have started to hatch early this year,  I say early because up here in Yorkshire the Mayfly should really be called the June fly as so often its in that month that they really hatch.  As i type this its blowing I can see branches flying past the window and the last of the wisteria blooms are spread like confetti across the garden.  May? it feels more like November.  It just looks like summer .  Today it doesnt feel like it.

This month so far there have been a few trips memorable only as an anti climax.  Normally April shows a steady warming and in May the river really takes of, but this year in April the rivers were fishing beautifully but now we are faced with cold winds and stinging showers and becks that are already down to their bones.  A recent trip showed the Mayflies are hatching and the fish are taking them but yet with the low water and cold air things seem strangely distorted

The beck here is barely 9ft from bank to bank testing your casting skills , a pool here can be the size of a coffee table and the beck can go from 6inches deep to six feet deep in a couple of strides.







These beck fish are beautifully coloured but a 1 pound fish here is a monster.The fish here are delightful small and feisty free rising but very timid. A careless footfall can not be tolerated here, When you do catch them the colours are superb, truly jewelled fishes as that lovely book names them. This trip was a puzzle the fish in one pool would be taking mayfly and yet 50 yds away the fish wouldnt touch them but would be taking beetle patterns,  The 4 hours I spent resulted in many fish and the succesful flies varied pool to pool and included greenwells glory, mayflies, erics beetle and hawthorn patterns in fact almost half a summers patterns all in one trip.  Truly a mixed up season.



I have fished as often as work and family allowed there has been a work party to attend and tree clearance to carry out.  It was great to see fish rising in a stretch of beck that last year seemed dead, choked by a lack of sunshine but last years work is now paying dividends.  The feeled trees are used to form features and bank protection . There are miles to clear it is some task.

Tree clearance in progress



An area worked and cleared last year now with resident rising fish.

Lets hope these winds let up and those balmy summer evenings arrive soon , The evening rise is a truly special event lets hope that warm evenings arrive soon.



What you can do in 90 minutes

In an earlier post I referred to losing a good fish in a pool on the local beck, Well it has been in the back of my mind that the fish may still be in that pool.  So the other evening after cutting the lawn and the hedge I spied a window of opportunity I had a little over an hour before the roast beef and Yorkshire puddings. So with some careful clock watching of I went.  It took 6 minutes to don the thigh waders and grab rod reel and waistcoat, 8 more minutes saw me down to near the beck and car locked. a couple more minutes and a quick pause to admire the view down to the beck. 

A Few more and I am back at the tail of the pool,  First surprise there has been another land slip and the pool has changed again,  The deepest section has been reduced and the cast to the best part has been made more awkward,  

 Anyway time was advancing it was now over 25 mins gone and not even put up the rod, Despite the pool changes a size 14 PTN was attached and worked around the deepest section.  After exploring the area with no response decided to try for some small fish that were rising further up the pool in the shallow areas under the trees, 

I didnt have a clue what the fish were rising to there was no apparant hatch in progress .  So in as much as the klink has become my early and late season general fly , The CDC F fly has joined my list of must have patterns and on it went,  Tied on a size 16.  First cast a rise and a miss , Followed by many more rises and misses.  Now normally I would have changed fly but time was not on my side. So instead I moved to the head of the pool to the  faster water Perhaps this would result in a hook up.

 By now I could almost smell the roast beef and knew I couldnt afford many more casts.  A glance at the watch revealed an hour gone.  Then at last a take . But not the speciman I had hoped for.  Now some anglers I know would have resented this diminutive trouts appearance, but I was glad to see him and one day we may be reaquainted when hes a pound or two bigger,  The return journey to the car seemed to take longer, perhaps my legs didnt really want to return that quickly.  As I took a last glance down into the valley I noticed the rise of a good fish in a pool I would normally pass by quickly ,  So note to myself to pay it more attention next time. 

The return drive was quick arriving in the drive and noticing the smell of dinner as I walked in the kitchen I was greeted with wash your hands and sit down.  A glance at the watch revealed elapsed time 91 minutes.  The dinner was excellent to....