Days that just dont go to plan...

This Sunday I really needed to get out on a river.  All my local ones were doing a fair imitation of liquid mud so were no hopers .  The Ure however which is 60 miles west of me appeared to me to be dropping nicely after the recent rain. So I bit the bullet and set of on Sunday morning , however what became apparent pretty quickly was that most of the nations caravan enthusiasts were out on the road as well.  Living in a touristy part of the world and having to drive a lot for work means I have to contend with them all to often.  Why they have to drive in mini convoys making you overtake them several at a time mystifies me. Anyway arrived at river after taking 15 minutes more than usual with blood pressure simmering nicely , A quick check on the river showed reasonable level and colour.. I was in business..

Before I go any further on the day I only took one picture , here it is I hope he had a better day than me and didnt get eaten...

Got into the chesties and boots and realised that my gravel guards were still hung on the washing line in the garden.  Oh well it is a nice rocky river small grit and stones shouldnt be a problem..  Waistcoat next , now recently I have been wearing a bra in my leisure time no not what you think not a nice little black lace job a mycket bra a snappy little waistcoat / rucsack  number  from vision , I really like it a very practical item.

However I now remembered that I had taken my magnetic release for the landing net  from my waistcoat and put it on the bra and it was still on it back at home .  So I had to permanently clip the net to a side ring on my waistcoat .   Lets hope I dont have to get at it in a hurry.

The Ure on a nice day....

Anyway eventually got set of and realised that the extra six inches of water in the river had really increased the flow.  I dont remember it been this strong last year .  After I had fished along a run I needed to change position in the river so reached down for my wading staff which I eventually located under the water.  Realisation was that this pillock who thought he had been clever and reattached the stag horn head on it with a stainless bolt and  epoxy after the old wooden peg had rotted through had now made the head of it so heavy instead of it sitting nicely above the surface next to me it now sunk without trace tethered by its lanyard.. Crap.....

I struggled for the next couple of hours no rising fish were to be seen and I couldnt locate any. Walking was a pain as I had to stop and empty the grit and small stones form my waders several times so the neoprene foot didnt puncture.  Eventually around two some sunshine started the LDOs hatching they were floating down the river like a little flotilla of yachts,  and on cue the odd trout started rising , trouble is they were all tucked right in under the bank in places that were damn near impossible to reach.  However there was one rising just upstream of me and just above a smaller river that enters the main river .  I would have to wade back across that small river again then work up tight to the bank depth of water allowing but it looked possible, Wading back across that stream It is shallow then deepens of close to the upstream bank but wadeable, at least it is 30 ft further up that stream.  Keeping a wary eye on my rising fish I waded across the stream and my leading foot went forward and down, and down......You all now that feeling which for me was now compounded by clutching for my wading staff which had now sunk out of reach of my frantically reaching hand and actually was tangled up in my landing net .  I must have made an  amusing sight arms flailing legs frantically working to keep balance.  Which I did however Some water did get over the top of my chesties introducing that nice creeping chill of seeping water... but I had stayed largely upright. I must have put half the fish in the river down and as I stood shivering regaining my composure smiling to myself and saying inwardly you big daft sod as I watched the waves spread across the river . I realised it just wasnt my day.  So I went back to the car slowly with the knowledge that it couldnt get any worse.  As I drove away from the river an aged volvo with a caravan pulled out in front of me. Maybe fishing isnt for me.......

Tying up some Mayflies beats the rain.....

Had booked a days holiday today well actually had a day booked earlier in the week but ended up working it so had today of instead.  Anyway today all the rivers were up and running very coloured so for a couple of hours I amused myself filling a fly box.  For the small streams I have two boxes scientifically split into two groups these I call big flies and small flies....

Over the last few years the number of patterns I tie have been getting less and less but the mayfly is one I always have prepared.  I am fortunate in that several of the rivers I fish can have superb mayfly hatches so being ready is a must.  The mayflies  reside in half of my big fly box, the other half is sedges and daddies and the like....

Anyway today I tied half a box of mayflies , spinners , duns and some spent patterns with cdc instead of hackles .... The patterns I use arent complicated and are very simple to tie but they all take fish and it doesnt hurt to bad when I leave them in overhanging bushes ....

It isnt as good as spending an afternoon fishing but it helps you look forward to warm evenings filled with the sound and sight of rising fish.....

As for pattern , The spinners are silver badger hackle , Cream Antron body and microfibbets for tail.  The Duns have light Olive antron body and Golden badger hackles and the Spent pattern has Cream antron body natural CDC feathers for wings and pheasant tail fibre for tails.  All patterns have fine black wire ribs..
They are a very simple pattern but I have found they work well .

New Season New river same old weather .....

This season I will be fishing on a new beat of the river Dove ( The Yorkshire one) and despite the current wayward water levels and the variable weather I needed to be out on the river today so I decided that it was time I fished my new playground.  On arrival and parking the car the skys decided to drop another heavy shower this time with a little hail mixed with the rain and cold in fact a typical british spring day when you experience all four seasons in the same few hours. About then  dozens of sheep in the field decided that I was worth investigating and galloped across to greet me.  As I battled with  the chesties in the ltd space of the drivers seat  I warmed up  nicely so the first cup of coffee of the day was the next priority.

 The beat is a lovely beat of the upper Dove nestling in farm land away from the main roads here it is a delightful small stream as nature intended , it has never been improved by the EA and the  bankside vegetation is gloriously unkempt.  Its is a combination of deep pocket water and long fast riffles . With some very deep holes on bends just for good measure .  First impressions are that I will be very happy here....

The countryside here is pretty unruly in fact for a few minutes I was kept company by a curious fox you can see him in the picture below left he is just to the left of centre. He kept a careful eye on me its strange that previous encounters with foxes , badgers and otters convince me that a human half buried in water loses much of its fear factor. Weather wise today was a day that was typical of a an English Spring I saw hail , rain and felt warm sunshine and biting winds all in just a few hours.  There was the briefest hatch of Olives at around 2.30 PM but so brief that the trout remained oblivious to the treats on offer.  

During the day I saw not a single rise , my tactics were varied including trying a nymph spider set up . To explore the backwaters and eddies.  The river had only just settled after a substantial rise and was still coloured so the fish could still be holed up in the eddies .  The next choice was the klink and dink an approach that can often present that best chances at this time of year,  First taker was a small grayling on the nymph followed by a couple of its even smaller cousins.  I moved upstream to try and avoid them this time of year they need to be left alone to build up strength for spawning.  

Next up was three small brownies that took a fancy to the klink. It never ceases to amaze me how this fly can bring fish to the surface when seemingly nothing else can get them to show interest .  Whilst fishing up along a glide about 2ft deep I hooked into the best fish of the day, a chunky  battle scarred veteran grayling he took the suspended nymph , a size 18 PTN with a tungsten bead head.  He looked as if he had survived a recent heron or sawbill attack and I handled him gently and he swam away strongly .  But a promising fish to catch on the first visit to a new beat . A decent fish around 17inches.

 

The few brownies all took the klink took with the fearless splashy rises that the fly seems to arouse. So the day ended with 4 grayling and three brownies over a three hour visit fishing fairly hard ,  what surprised me is that in that three hours I reckon I fished only about 400 yds of the river such are the opportunities  that it offers in terms of likely lies .  Roll on those warm summer evenings...

Springtime a time of ups and downs

The weather this year has been weird and I have found the fishing hard.   The combination of dead low water then water levels going up and down  like the proverbial drawers seems to have hacked the fish of as much as it has done the same to me .  Surface fly life has been almost zero and all in all its been a frustrating start to the season.  This combined with copping for the worst flu style virus I have had for many years hasnt done much to put a smile on my face .

Anyway Saturday afternoon presented a chance to visit my local beck for the first time this trout season.  Its a pretty place at this time of year and I figured the mud and cold would keep the local kids away .  It is nice to get out and be on a river with a fly rod knowing the season is in front of you and as the day panned out there was some hatching flies, a few olives were on the water but not in great numbers . They certainly didnt inspire the fish to any great activity.  The water was still quite well coloured after the last few days rain . On the ground the trees are still without leaves and these sheltered sections are good places to cast a fly at this time of year but not today ,certainly the rain has given the wild garlic a real boost and as you walk through it the smell is wonderful.

The bottom mile of this beck is my favourite , it has a few very big weir pools a short section through deep wooded ravines and an open valley as it approaches the sea.  Sometimes when I take guests they can hardly believe the variation.  Anyway on the day I caught half a dozen ,  all small stock fish and all in back waters where the recent spates had made them hole up.  It was nice to see they were all like little footballs the flush through must have bought plenty of food down with it.  I am not a fan of stocking rivers but the club only stocks small numbers and I think most of them end up with the poachers.  

The highlight of the day came when I had packed up and was coming away I was amazed to see another angler on the bank.  A youngster who had bought a day ticket.  It was great to meet a young lad who was obviously keen on the sport, there arent enough kids trying it, I was able to give him a few flies and some finer tippet and pointed him to a place which would give him the best chance of a fish.  Rivers this time of year arent easy places to fish and I hope he did some good.  He deserved to,  hats of to his Dad as well decent gear and some casting lessons are the perfect way to start fly fishing . If he is up this way again I hope he gets in touch hopefully I will be able to put him on a few fish..  

A Revised Prayer

The other day I posted a prayer for rain. Well following an overnight deluge my local stream is in full blown spate.  Which is great as it will clear away all the muck and rubbish but I cant help but worry that the dry ground is just letting the rain run of and will do no longer term benefit to the groundwater.  So  if I please might just amend my prayer slightly....... please god lots of rain but gently does it....