So heres another post to bring the year to date....

 last year the blog and social media in general got under my skin a little . It  both occurred to me and concerned me that I got to wondering was I going fishing for pleasure and just sharing my joy or was I going fishing to get something on the blog .  When you think about it the blog and social media in general is a strange beast . Anyway just to let the world out there know that I am still alive. Although the heat is proving somewhat irksome.  I thought I would drop in a cheeky post really saying nothing at all other than I am enjoying the fishing this season. Enjoying the cane / bamboo rods and enjoying my new fishing place. 

Season started cold but at least the chalk stream was at a nice level all my other local spate streams were bank high 

I fully enjoyed using the cane rods and silk lines for these fellows , I am really getting into the bamboo thing ,  playing a fish on them feels brilliant . The one in the Picture is a particular favourite firstly because it fishes beautifully and because it was an amazing bargain 

Still use the longer carbon rods for nymphs though I bought that rod below  as a present to me for the season , not a fan generally of long rods. mainly because a lifetime of using shorter rods has made me struggle with the cast timing and also to be truthful not the greatest tracking. But that rod, a Marryat tactical pro 3/4 9ft 6 inch has bonded with me like no longer rod ever has. Delicate but able to stop fish like the one below bury themselves in the weed.

End of May saw me and Mrs becks and Brown trout in the lake district for four days she even let me have an afternoon on the local river Derwent ,  Not easy fishing but I had a few , the river and the scenery are stunning 

Well done to Keswick  Anglers Association for a great website and bargain priced day tickets 

The reason for the short break 

I have been to the lake district dozens of times and believe me the weather is not typical ....

When we got back it was mayfly time which around here is end of May to mid June 

There were a few Danica around but the fish largely either hid from them or splashed at them 

The natural and my imitation....

I love this time of year , it tempts me to get all romantic and arty with the pictures I  take but they usually turn out well rubbish 

The fish in that little stream are just about perfect though....

More recently the hot weather and bright sunshine have made things tougher but still managing a few ...

The rod is a Hardy Hollolite Hollokona  I had always fancied a classic Hardy and well you cant have to many rods...

the bankside vegetation is at last growing back up. Which makes Stealth a little easier . This one took twenty minutes of stalking and casting it took the third change of nymph . Maybe it was the pattern or just the first time I got the drift just right.

  

Chalk and Cheese

The title is an old saying popular in the English language and it refers to things which are totally different ,  It  also links the two places I have fished this week rather nicely .  Not having had any significant time of work since Christmas I decided this week to have three days of.  Wednesday I planned to fish the Ure .  A beautiful Yorkshire Dales river flowing through Wenslydale .  Interestingly Wenslydale is the only one of the Yorkshire Dales which is not named after the river that flows through it ,  it is named after the town that is shares its name with .  It also shares its name with a famous cheese , Wenslydale is a delightful crumbly pleasure recently made famous by that cartoon series Wallace and grommit.   The chalk half of the saying is relevant because of the delightful Chalk stream that I was invited to fish on during Friday .  The Yorkshire Wolds are a series of rolling chalk hills that are host to a few Spring fed streams of extraordinary clarity and richness ,  it was the Driffield West beck that a Friend invited me for a day ,  but first was the Ure this was one of the first areas we explored my companion is there exploring the faster water.

The river was at a reasonable summer level,  and was running that nice colour which can either be said to resemble cold tea or a fine Yorkshire beer depending on how you like to describe it.

For once this yours truly pictured mid stream and rather smartly photographed which would indicate that the casting style is somewhere near decent ,  Also perhaps confirming that photos can be very misleading .

The Ure is a largish freestone river famous for its trout and Grayling , it is one of the birthplaces of Spider ( Soft hackle ) fishing ,  It is also infamous for its ability to rise with terrifying speed should heavy rain fall at the head of the valley. On the day I shared the day with a good friend who made the journey over there at the same time ,  As far as the fishing went the least said the better the highlight of the day was in the end the scenery and the sound of curlews , My Companion had the better of it , My tally was a few small brownies most came in the last hour or two of a long day .  My companion had both a a decent trout and a nice Grayling as well as other bits ,  On Friday it was a different story the fish gods shone on me . aided by some canny guiding this was the result.

This next  picture gives an idea of both the size and the extraordinary clarity of the stream .

Fridays trip ending up being a totally different day ,  the day was blessed on a number of counts ,  the weather was kind , the Wolds streams can be a trifle windy ,  Or more accurately a gentle summers breeze down at sea level at my home can turn into a wind that bends trees over up on the wolds .  The fish were there in profusion and for a change Lady Luck was smiling on me .  But more importantly my host as well as being a damm fine angler is extremely knowledgable about the stream.   I was guided skilfully to where the hotspots were .  Fish of prodigious proportions were there to be seen .  Even accompanied by a native guide many were spooked .

My first five minutes casting was rubbish ,  well more rubbish than my usual casting is ,  but after that I improved from awful to passable and settled into the day .  In the end I managed a good few fish the best two were carefully weighed at 3lb 3 oz and 2lb 12oz. The 2lb 12 was a stunning fish but avoided the camera , after been carefully weighed in the net as I went to hold it up a last thrash of the tail sent it sailing back into the river .  ah well such is life.  It was in the end a stunning day finished of by the last half an hour trying to tempt some large resident chub and Grayling a in a large deep pool.  The late afternoon sunshine beating down on our back was the signal that the day was done .  A memorable day with great company.

River swale with a fly rod

I have just returned from a week in the Yorkshire dales , a lovely area to visit . Especially for me as it doesn't seem to matter which part you stay in you are never far away from one of the beautiful Dales rivers .  This time we were in Richmond and the local river is the Swale , in fact the river flows right through the town. Apparently the Swale can be the fastest rising river in England .  Due to its extensive high ground catchment catchment and steep valleys .  When we arrived it was dead low due to the last few weeks lack of rain. 

Despite the idyllic scene above its sad to report the litter  muppets still manage to spoil things , the shingle bank showing was liberally scattered with dozens of broken bottles and the remains of a good few bonfires .   Sadly it's an all to common story of many people's lack of respect for the countryside.  

I managed a few early morning sessions on here , not an ideal time to fish but under dead low summer conditions it has a good few things going for it.   The river has been un disturbed for a few hours and water temperatures will have dropped slightly .  Also the procession of dog walkers , fire lighters, bottle smashers and other bank side dwellers has been absent for a few hours .  The river is as quiet then as at any time of day. Swale dale certainly  is a very handsome place . The first fish of the day and in fact all he fish I caught came from Runs less than a foot deep fast broken water ,  "skinny water"

The river was a cracking place to be early morning ,  I shared it with Buzzards, Kingfishers , Dippers a couple of foxes and butterflies in abundance ,  should know more about butterflies but it's something I have never got to grip with , not sure what these are but there sure were a lot .

The run below was pretty typical of where fish came from fast, and generally less that a foot deep with a few pockets a bit deeper , a size 16 Klink with a nice visible post was the best on the day. Rises were sometimes amazingly small given the speed of the water often the fly just seemed to sucked through the film. A highly visible fly was essential.  Its also worth mentioning that not one fish was targetted as a riser.  All fish were taken by casting to likely lies and holding spots.  Fish that were visibly rising were small fish splashing in the dead slow pools.

I caught a lot of the size below and a few better fish , my best of the trip was about a pound and a half   But stupidly allowed it to flip out of the net after carrying it to the edge of the current .  Barbless hook came out and the fish bid me farewell before the camera could be deployed 

The run below was where I had my best success between one and two feet deep of very clear  fast water over a very rocky bed in a 100yds I had five fish , one released at the net as stated above and four to hand , the best photogenic one is below.  They put up a tremendous scrap in the fast current , great fun on a 10ft four weight .

Just as an aside , I like a lot of anglers can be guilty of indulging in expensive posh label gear , I do love Winstons and have several , but last year needing a 10ft 4 wt for exactly this kind of occasional use I took a risk on a cheap ebay Trabucco 4 pce.  Quite a sweet rod think it was about £75 quid. Just shows whats out there in the marketplace.

My few days in the dales were delightful , The rivers although low and full of spoooky fish were great fun. 

Until the last couple of days when overnight rain demonstrated why this river is known as the fatest rising in England.  From dead low to bank high in just a few hours..

River Ure and more lessons..

Had a short session on the Ure late afternoon.   Unusually for me didnt fish a dry once.   For two reasons . Firstly nowt was rising and secondly as I had recently invested in a days coaching on nymphing techniques with Stuart Minnekin which was the first proper fishing instruction this old goat has ever had. Furthermore I have to say I enjoyed it immensely .  I decided that I didnt need to try the dry there was another way....

I have always known that my preoccupation with fishing dries was costing me fish but the days coaching changed my mind on one thing , that nymph fishing is more effective and a damn sight more entertaining than I had previously imagined .   Today I caught 7 or 8 brownies all on the upstream nymph . In water that I must confess would have been fished rather badly by me before .  Perhaps I fished it badly today but three and a half hours fishing yielded a decent result when the river was low , clear and with virtually no surface activity. Previously, I could chuck a nymph about and yes I even caught fish on them at times but the whole process didnt have a huge degree of commitment.  Something which is now rectified. 

The day also confirmed that my casting needs a bit of smartening up.   So thats the next thing thats going to get some attention .  

I find my self in the position these days of having access to as much good fishing as I could reasonably ever want .  I have cupboards full of gear ,  So have decided somewhat late in life its time I really go to grip with how to make the most of it all. 

I saw only a couple of rising fish in four hours fishing . and those were only small fish splashing in the shallows.  

Ure brown trout and fishing fine and far of....

I reckon as fly anglers go I am not to prone to impulse buys.  Although I must confess that when faced with a rack full of fly tying products I usually buy at least a couple of things that dont seem to get used quickly. A week or two ago I did however give in and buy a little Vision cult , an 8ft 2 wt with free line at a very tempting price.

A typical river Ure Brown Trout 

Rods in the 7ft to 8wt are the perfect range for me for the local streams and already have a fair collection but these days I do seem to be fishing with lighter gear and it looked like a nice addition  to the armoury. Incidentally moving to lighter set ups over the last few years has not been all about lighter lines but longer leaders and finer tippets .  Even toying with french leaders and leader to hand which both have been great on their day.

The Cult

Anyway the rod arrived and paired with a little Orvis BBS2 and the supplied cortland line I wanted to give it a try.  As it happened we had seen some rain over the last couple of days and the rivers were mostly up and coloured,  so the only place fishable with dries was the little section of the Dove.  A 8ft is a bit tight on there but just about manageable .  

The rod was a delight it really impressed as my first venture in to 2 wt territory.  The action I would describe as an easy middle tip, not as all through as my Hardy featherweight but a lovely action for a small stream rod.  

It had enough flex to work with virtually no line out and yet could cast surprisingly tight loops .  Yes the liitle cult impressed me it has won a permanent place in the rack  and two weight?  well on a summers evening on a tight stream it will be great fun.

The recent largely dry spell has lead to many rivers running very low, that was how I found the Ure one evening after work.  It was very low perhaps half of normal levels.   When rivers are like this not only tactics need to change but in a sense the river has changed to.  Normal holding places are empty and the fish are holed up in new pots and runs you have to find them . But low levels can work to your advantage too.  Runs to deep to wade can now be approached and lies fished that perhaps are normally out of reach.  A couple of stretches normally full of fish.  Are totally empty when the river is this low.

This run up the side of the trees is usually almost impossible to fish due to the depth for wading but when the river is this low its perfect, the deeper water can be waded but still offers fish overhanging trees for shade and  protection.  Today this run of about 70m offered me two hours of slow wading and fishing and accounted for    eight or ten fish both Grayling and Trout. 

A few of these came from the run.  All on the little CDC .  The longer rod allowed me to roll cast and control the fly nicely.  

I was intending to fish leader to hand as it has proved its worth as a tactic when water levels have been very low. Today the stiff breeze seemed to always be blowing in my face so I swapped pretty quick and fished my 10ft 3 wt with a long leader.   Just a plug here for Barrio fly lines ,  I have tried a few of these now and have found the DT Mallard and the GT90 both to be superb lines and equal to lines of two and three times the price.

Later on I headed of to a river section that I have found produces in all water levels,  Several Grayling came first then a smaller trout .   The last fish of the day is pictured below .  I cast to it thinking it was a small fish it seemed to be sipping flies of the surface.  Under a overhanging branch.  A gentle rise and a tightening of the rod lead to all hell breaking loose,  

it launched itself from the water and momentarily the line was in the branches amazingly it came loose and the fish shot right across the river luckily the long light rod and line allowed my to hold the rod high and keep the line of the water and after a bit of time playing chase around boulders and tree roots the fish and I decided I was the winner.  The fish looked like a stockie but the big full tail told me it had been in the river a long time.  It was released to play with another angler. 

French leader / leader to hand

Readers of this blog will perhaps remember that last year I spent a day on the Ure with an angler who fished leader to hand . The guy is a damn fine angler and I was comprehensively out fished  I think I would have been even if he had been using a cane and a bent pin,  what it did do however was to demonstrate what an effective tactic it was.  Over the last year I have used the same tactic a number of times when conditions have favoured it and have found it very effective.  Like fishing traditional spiders and the upstream nymph Its a tactic that on its day is deadly and is something that will have a permanent place in the armoury.


Its not often I post a link to websites or other blogs but I found the following series of articles so good that I have no qualms of offering a link .  I actually printed them of and took them on holiday to Portugal with me last year and they were my holiday reading .  What was refreshing is that I find that 99.9% of so called instructional or "new" tactic writing on fly fishing found on the interweb. Is just the same old stuff re hashed or in many cases just reprinted,  These were an exception and actually offered some new ideas.


http://www.fishandfly.com/our-world-of-fishing/3038-fishing-on-the-frontier-part-37-leader-to-hand.html


A year or two back the Author published an article or two in fly fishing magazines his critics were pretty ruthless under a series of letters " wheres the mass" where a few very notable "experts" stated it was impossible to cast such a rig. To be honest at the time I didnt take a whole bunch of notice.  But I can say that although my casting skills are pretty average I can say that this average angler can cast a 10 m  leader with a fly on the end and its a bloody effective technique. its also a very easy ( and cheap )  form of fly flishing to get into.  Many anglers who fish rivers have a 10ft 3/4 wt for grayling fishing .  That is the rod for the job.  The leader, well I used 10m of copolymer as suggested.

Apologies If you have already read the articles, but if you havent I think they are worth a read.

A River Ure spring day ,,,,

This strange year moves on .  Here we are nearly half way through it and the usual rythm of the seasons seems to have disappeared,  by now evening sessions should be the main pastime and yet not one evening has been spent by the river. The cold and windy weather has meant that the evening rise has become only something that is read about, the mayfly hatch shows no sign of appearing. It should happen any time soon and around here any time means  from the last week in May to the second week in June .  But as it should be its gloriously unpredictable.  Meanwhile I shall wait patiently for the summer to arrive and herald the start of the evening rise.  

Today was a chance to get over to the Ure .  The river had dropped to a nice summer level and on arrival was seen to be extremely clear. Its normal strong tea stain replaced by the clarity of spring water.  Bright sunshine a gin clear river and low levels are not a usual recipe for success.  But a french leader and a 12ft 2 wt rod gave me confidence that I was equal to the conditions.  The 12ft 2 wt is a result of an impulse at the tail end of last season a bulk buy opportunity on an online forum encouraged me to invest in the blank and Chas Burns did an impressive build to produce a rod which certainly offered the capacity for a different approach.   A  french leader well more leader to hand ala Jeremy Lucas allowed for a delightfully delicate presentation and the ability to hold a 10m leader clear of the water allows a drag free presentation across multiple current lines. The approach certainly worked but the 12ft ? well we will see .

I show this matched pair of out of season Grayling only for their perfection. They were in the very peak of condition and rose to the dry with abandon.  I had six grayling during the afternoon these two and the lower one were the best of the bunch . Just a shame they dont realise its their close season.  The two fish summed up the day. No fish of real note came to hand but those that did were bright solid and very very welcome.

There is something about the green of spring that is enchanting it has a newness and freshness that fades all to quickly,  combine this with bluebells, wild garlic and bracken you have a delight.  What is it about a unfurling bracken that makes me think of sea horses ? .  

It was a good day finishing with around 8 brownies and perhaps the same grayling , all on the dry fly .  The largest fish of the day was this Grayling which appeared to be still recovering from spawning and was returned quickly.  

The best fish of the day should have a been a brownie that fairly screamed line of the reel .  Jumped once to show me that I wasnt messing with a kid then in a final flourish threw the hook. I am sure that it was blowing a raspberry at me at the time .  At least it seemed that way to me.

A fellow angler was on the bank today ,  it was good to see you Richard check your emails.......