A quick update

In amongst the general mayhem of leaving my job,  there has been the odd opportunity for fishing trips .  At this time of year every opportunity has to be seized . Nights are drawing in and nights are getting colder.  Thoughts of balmy evening rises are shifting towards harvest sea trout ( if we get some rain ) and the lady of the stream whatever level the rivers find themselves.

My companion hanging on to a 2lb rainbow with his one weight.......

I had a trip to the Derwent courtesy of nearly my last guest ticket , as I arrived I met a friend who I have fished with quite  a few times and we decided we would fish together .  Now its a strange thing about fishing with people .  I wouldnt say I am unsociable but generally I like to fish alone.  Often when taking guests we fish apart and meet up at intervals.  But I have to say this fishing together and enjoying the banter is growing on me I must be getting old.  Besides I always end up learning something.

We caught a good few pretty little brownies all safely returned and even a few oversize rainbows that were safely dispatched.  I learnt something of the italian style of casting which seems to go against every rule of casting I have ever learnt but does seem to work. I even gave my new 8ft 2 wt an outing and was feeling pretty smug about getting to grips with this ultralight stuff until my mate announced he was using a one weight,..

After a lifetime of company cars this is my first car  ideal fishing companion....

I had a trip to the Ure when the river was desperately low ,  it was a devilishly hard day of bright sunshine bare bones and few rising fish, a single big rainbow a hangover from last years mass escape head and tailed my fly in some faster water .  I felt almost guilty killing it but these things have no place in our rivers.  A couple of small trout and a good few salmon parr made up the rest of the catch it was a really hard day.  A 3 wt line and 16ft leader with size 18 f fly was worked on the day.

I had a trip to the Rye on a breezy day to target a few grayling on dries and found the fish taking tiny terrestrials below the trees and bushes having tried everything I had  I even had to butcher a few flies to fashion a few tiny size 18 and 20 black jobs basically a hook with a bit of dubbing that would sit in the film.

probably the last brownie I will catch on a dry this year 

Lets hope for lots more of these,,,,

The Grayling obliged with beautiful boiling rise and the trout just sipped the fly making it sink with barely a disturbance.  I really must tie some SBJs ( small black jobs ) this winter right down to size 24 or so...  For occasions like that.