Shack Nasties and Muggles

 

Monday 8th January 

I had a walk from the office this lunch time.  Grey Skies , Northerly wind coming straight in over the North Sea , pretty depressing weather really ,  I had to drive to Newcastle and back on Sunday the North Moors looked cold bleak and desolate , Standing water everywhere on back roads mud everywhere after it has washed out of the fields . The Weather was well grey and it rained.  I haven`t fly fished for more than a month.  All in all a pretty miserable state of affairs ,  We have another month to tolerate before we start to notice the days started to lengthen. However there is already just a chink of hopefulness coming .  I have already received and paid my first fishing club renewal for this year.  I have received emails from clubs regarding upcoming meetings and functions.  So perhaps the sun has not risen on the new season yet but I feel it is just below the horizon .  I have started to re fill the fly boxes and have sorted out the boxes from last year.  There will be no new waters this year,  Although my intended part time working in a month or two will mean I can just make better use of the fishing I have . Also being semi retired will allow me to live up to the "miserable old twat" identity that I quite fancy  

Sunday 28th January 

As the rivers have been pretty consistently bank high for the last couple of months I have yet to get fly fishing this year .  I don`t seem to have got on as well with fly tying as I should have .  I have managed a couple of trips with a trotting rod and some bait for the Grayling .  It has presented a bit of a relief from the otherwise complete abstinence .  I have tried to do the trotting with a bit of style and in keeping with the manner in which my late Father would have done . Bamboo Rod and proper centre pin.  It would have been his Birthday on the 6th Feb and this coming weekend if the river is fit I will take his Millwards featherlight and Rapidex reel out for a fish .  Before he died he said I should sell them my reply was no pops every year on your birthday I will take it on a river .  

30th Jan Its the evening and I am feeling hopeful now about the seasons changing . 

I am becoming very protective of fishing time and particularly  the solitude that it brings.  I say solitude as I often get asked, "don`t I get lonely spending all them hours alone"?.  Truth is I have always enjoyed solitude but many people seem unable to identify  that loneliness and solitude are quite different . I am finding that I am actively protecting my time in the river . There is something quite satisfying in standing fishing and starting to have an animated conversation with yourself when you see approaching folks who you fear may try and engage you in light hearted conversation .  Other anglers are ok they appreciate that giving each other space is an important part of the game,  None fishing folk or Muggles as a few mates and I have christened them are oblivious to it and happily stand on the opposite bank and point at the bow waving fish speeding away .  Greeting you with "had any luck mate " or "Hope my dog didn`t disturb you" ?.   As a four stone Labrador  careers along the stream in front of you . The dogs I don`t mind its the people I am starting to struggle with.  February is when preparations get going .  I have fly boxes to fill . I am treasurer at a local club and the accounts are to do and then prepare myself for the battle of getting folks to pay on time .  I have Meetings to look forward to I may even put the silk lines back on the reels ,  I am planning my annual trip to the BFFI in February but am determined to keep my wallet closed I am just looking .  It will be good to catch up with friends there though. See you in February .

Autumn Update

Sorry about the pretty meagre  posts this year Its been a strange old year .  Having the new club water to fish has been great and I have caught a few notable specimen fish , A new PB grayling at 2lb 12 and recently a lovely Barbel on a killer bug which was twitched along the bottom have been real highlights .  But the sad truth is what has been really lacking this year is a decent evening rise .  In fact in many ways a decent rise at any time of day has been missing .  The Hawthorn hatch brought some good fishing although short lived ,  The mayfly came and went with a bit of a whimper .  There has been a few rising fish but much like last year they have been sporadic.

Two fish that stand out this season,, The Barbel was on a day when the river was kind to me ,  The fish saved a blank .  After struggling to even see some fish I was tempted to try for the barbel which occupy a Pool on the way back to the car ,  I have often tried to tempt one without success, That day was difference and my old Stream flex 4 wt was given quite a work out .  

Another change to my gear has been the purchase of some Chest waders with Zips, for a gentleman of mature years the convenience is fantastic .  A call of nature now no longer requires extensive dismantling of gear .  I love them . 

fishing with my Son as always is a highlight although to often the stars don`t align and a young man wants more exciting days and has more distractions than Dad ,  The shared days are special memories though ,  This is him above in action after Grayling , In his favourite river ,  

One highlight was a trip to a southern chalk stream,   I had received a very kind offer of a day on a River Test carrier the place was picture book perfection . Manicured, with a perfect fishing hut and crystal clear water with a healthy population of Trout and Grayling . A brilliant day was had with good numbers of Grayling over 1 lb with one hovering around the magic 2 lb number ,  

The Bamboo fascination has not reduced and has resulted in another nice rod arriving .I don`t think there will be any more but never say never . I have actually sold more rods than I have gained this  year changes to my fishing habits have meant some stuff will never be used .  Also I have gained a 10ft 6 inch 3wt Vision nymph special .  I have decided its time I gave euro nymphing a proper go .  It has been to the river a couple of times and have found the lightness and sensitivity somewhat of a revelation especially for something so long . The strange non existent fly line  has felt odd ,  But results so far are good 

Despite my gloom about rising fish my local small streams are still showing nice fish long may it continue .  

An old itch is bothering me,

 I was recently out in the car between home and York .  I drove over a bridge over the river Derwent at a place where I fished probably 35 years ago . As I wasn`t in a rush I decided to stop and take a look at the place I caught my first Yorkshire Barbel.  It was a memorable and strange day that has stuck in my mind for several reasons firstly for the fact I remember well that I had set out to catch some decent chub , So the capture of a first Barbel was a surprise , a modest fish by current standards but at just shy of 5lb a good first fish , sadly in those days a camera did not always go with me fishing so all that is left is a memory of watching my little samson scale not quite hit 5lb  , What was also a surprise was hearing a voice behind me as I lifted the landing net under the fish and turning round to see Michael Clegg of Cleggs people stood on the bank behind me now those young readers will not know him but he was an interesting character a professional museum curator and naturalist  who had a TV show travelling around interviewing and meeting people.  There he was,  large bearded and imposing smiling and offering congratulations.  He sadly confirmed that they had missed the fish capture being filmed but nonetheless he stopped for ten minutes he was interested in the fish as it was the first he had seen in the Derwent and he stayed for a chat until his camera man told him it was time to go .  Was a shame that I didn`t make it on to the TV , my Dad was a great fan of his show he would have been capped ( Old Yorkshire Expression ) to see Son on the TV ,  Sadly not to be .  

This is Clegg, older readers may well recall him for the Yorkshire TV series 

Anyway enough rambling the point is that standing there on the bank a few weeks ago has irritated that old itch to do a bit more coarse fishing , To that end I have opened communications with the club that now runs the stretch of river and am hoping that membership may be a possibility as early as next year .  I even spent an hour in the garage finding where my coarse fishing stuff is stored , It is probably about 20 years since I have done any serious coarse fishing ,  apart from occasional Grayling trips in Winter the rods are still there MK4 Avons , Float rods all sorts Reels too Mitchells , Shimano all carefully put away certainly the lines will need replacing . Luckily the bag with keep and landing nets has been hung up high above mouse range.  Even the bait droppers and float tubes were still good to go.  The seat box was given away years ago ,  Anyway these days I think my rear end and back need something a bit more comfortable .  As I unboxed and reviewed everything on the patio in the sunshine my Wife happened past ,  She just looked at the mountain of stuff , looked at me , shook her head and went back inside after so long married she knows the signs...

The Fly fishing will always be my first love but well I keep getting that itch so watch out on the blog next year for a bit of Coarse fishing ,,,,,,