End of a weird but actually ok season .

I know I am letting the blog drift but i thought an end of season update was in order. Also to show that I do also listen to those kind readers who emailed me and said don`t give up writing the blog .  So the plan is I will do that but I plan along the way to change what I put up .  I hope I can convey and  reflect more on why I fish , especially why I visit the places I do.  Also as I am now semi retired and soon to be fully retired I will be including some of the other things I waste my time doing . 

On the face of it it’s been an awful season ,  the mid season few months have seen desperately low levels due to the lack of rain following a almost dry winter of 24/25 .  The chalk stream is the lowest it’s been for 60 years the first few months of the season fished well until the aquifers finally emptied .  The rain fed streams that run of the North York moors have been pitifully low all season they barely got going at the season start and then quickly ran almost dry.  So by all practical measures it’s been a miserable season .  But in terms of catches it has had some real highlights,   Early season I managed a new personal best fly rod caught chub .  At just over 5lb it was a real highlight ,  but in the few weeks before that I had managed several nice chub and a couple of notable grayling , I have always enjoyed chub on the fly .  They take dries and on their day they rise  as well as trout .  I have always been fond of them, a chub was the first fish I saw caught on a dry fly , I watched a teacher at my first boarding school catch some chub in the Whiske a little tributary of the Swale a river which then was the perfect image of a small stream clear water , full of streamer weed and shoals of fish, Sadly years later I foolishly re visited and found it destroyed and polluted . 

Driffield Beck Chub 

A few weeks later I very nearly didn’t bother going on a planned trip ,  I had a bad back and really wasn’t feeling like it but after giving myself a virtual slap I took an old Sharpe’s featherweight bamboo and ended up with two cracking fish , one over 4lb and the other 3 1/2 lb .  The bigger fish I had targeted before but that day approached its regular holding spot red  Indian style on all fours which for a gentleman of my years with buggered knees is not something to be done on a whim .  Spotting it just up stream of where I was expecting it to be and after watching it through the bankside grasses and stuff and seeing it was feeding, the nymph was cast upstream and second drift down the fish moved to the side and took it comfortably.  The river was carrying heavy weed growth and I am convinced  the bamboo rod and silk line made a difference to holding it as it clearly wasn`t impressed by the idea that an overweight old bloke on all fours had managed to deceive it .  The silk line has zero stretch but the bamboo absorbs the sudden lunges of a big fish well that’s my thoughts .  I certainly seem to be able to apply a lot of pressure.

Driffield Beck Brown trout 

An hour later and nearly back to the hut I noticed a large shape drop down in the water at the base of a large willow .  I decided it was worth a speculative cast .  Almost as soon as the nymph hit the water the tippet darted away .  Another dogged fight meant fish two in the net .  

That really was the end of the good fishing for the season . there was a few early trips after grayling but between catching a few decent fish and a lot of not so decent fish the one real highlight was seeing the big numbers of tiny grayling which meant that this years spawning had yielded good success .  After catching a few on tiny dries I had to leave several stretches to avoid catching the little darlings . I hope they they will be about in a year or two when they are bigger. 

Later in the year we had a cottage booked in Northumberland .  The cottage came with fishing on the Coquet well as you might expect the river was on its bones and unfishable .  I did manage a couple of tiny browns on dry flies early morning.  it’s a pretty river though and have it marked down as a future destination.  

The Bamboo obsession still rumbles on .  The little Garrison that Luke Bannister built for me was given its first outing of the year small trout were out in numbers and it proved to be as delightful to fish with as I had hoped.

I also picked up an unusual action rod it was a somewhat impulsive bid on that auction site . Well when I say unusual it is truly a faster action rod than my other bamboo. It is built on a Dickerson 7612 taper , By Rick Cunningham an American builder. When it arrived I discovered that it had a few defects that weren`t described at all. But after negotiating a very handsome deal with the seller I retained the rod and have returned it to 100 percent  .  It has recently been christened and it is indeed a very nice rod ,  just a bit quicker than most of my other bamboo.

As for the the rest of the season it was really a no show ,  As I type it is on the back of a week or two of nice wet weather even a few inches of early snow  ,The rivers were and still are in need of a good period of rain to flush them out . Also it will replenish the groundwater .  So for now the fishing is buggered but if it replenishes the groundwater and aquifers under the chalk stream then I aren`t going to complain .  So i will leave this here and say have a happy Christmas and lets hope for a prosperous new year , Which given the current state of the world seems highly unlikely . 

First signs of summer and first on a dry

Last season this upland stream was new to me ,  it was great to fish during those first few weeks when the high waters everywhere meant that this little stream was still fishable due to its pocket water nature and you could always find fish ,  moving on twelve months we have the opposite ,  following the driest march for 60 years the rivers are low , the ground is dry but the pocket water nature of the stream keeps things interesting 

It was a frustrating day to start with its a fair trek down to the river. deep valley through a couple of fields and conifer plantation .   which is not a problem normally and indeed is part of the charm but when you start fishing and realise that the very old silk line that you have used for years and passed the out of season checks is actually past it best and passed failed the giving it a tug test which meant a trek back to the car for a spare reel.  Which is even more frustrating given that usually I have a spare line and reel in the backpack but due to closed season cleaning I had taken the spares out.

Anyway here is my first brown trout of the season ,  small I grant you but very very welcome especially as it took a dry fly . There is no better way to start a season 

There were some clear signs from the huge winter floods the rock below that has been broken in half has the area of a ford focus and the slab is about 450 mm thick , had to imagine just done by water it isn`t me in the picture above. it is an older friend . I was having a breather and watching and learning , 

A couple of days after this I had my first trip of the year to my local chalk stream.  The river was as low as I have seen it and considering it should be bank high from the winter rains it is a worrying state. The stream is of course spring fed and even very heavy rain now would be lost in the ground and not make it into the aquifer.

On the day I took two rods , not something I normally do but the bamboo rod is a winter build on a set of blanks that were made by Barry Grantham and I wanted to try a line on it, Barry said it was based upon the Hardy CC d France taper  , I got it from him some time ago. It was nice to christen it in style .  I didn`t get the line choice quite right so after that fish I put it away and went back to my old faithful Streamflex plus ,

The fish were very fit wildies and this one tail walked up the river like a rainbow . I have had this rod for many years and I still think it is one of the finest longer river rods out there.

The fish  were in beautiful condition 

I couldn`t help taking this picture seemed like spring encapsulated 

Then on Saturday we had a work party on another local stream and afterwards myself and a friend walked the river to discover that the hawthorn flies have decided to show their face early this year. 

Its a pretty little stream and it has become an old friend ,  on the day i would have caught many more on a nymph but while there was a chance of a fish on a dry I was going to persevere , 

I think you can see the fly stuck in his jaw and that by the time I caught this fella the fly had already lost his legs ,  The first few I caught were , well lets just say well smaller ,,,,I don`t like fishing the hawthorn on very fine tippets so never go below 5 x ,  The wing and the legs make it a bugger for twisting the tippet. 

That day I used a new rod and for me a new material .  its glass. well S glass which i think is just glass but a bit faster.  When I was fishing the upland stream I was stumbling about due to me not being very fit after hardly fishing since before Christmas also my balance seems to be not getting any better due to a duff knee and ears that have being in the wars and have affected my balance ,  so I reflected that wafting a four figure value bamboo rod about isn`t the best idea on rough upland streams , Also  I here much chatter these days about the new glass rods so have got this one to try.  its a 7ft 3 wt and has an action very much like cane and not unlike the old Hardy featherweight carbon ,  Watch this space to see it it grown on me , but first impressions are good . 

A very surprising result

 So my last post used a racing analogy .  My Friday a couple of weeks ago  was another day that would be backing the long odds .  Until Thursday evening I had no intention to fish on Friday as the weather forecast was making Saturday look like a certainty for a good day . But late plans meant that on Friday I was heading out to the river again . I was very happily surprised to arrive at the car park, to find very light wind and warm temperatures.

The river looked in great form , rising fish that had been a rarity all season were showing . Not in great numbers but for me it was just right , enough to keep you looking and hoping .  Aware that in two more weeks the trout season would be over for another year .  By then nymphing would be the order of the day and likely nothing else until next summer . All the fish that came to hand were small and eager but ever so welcome .

On the day most fish fell to a cdc and elk , if after a few casts the targeted fish wasn’t playing then a size smaller cdc f fly usually worked . I was determined to avoid the nymph to make the most of the last of the warm summers day 

I was using a Clifford constable 9 ft light line bamboo that I had bought very cheap on eBay , I knew the handle needed some attention but when I looked at it I knew it was past redemption .  Rot had got into the cork and even the bottom inch or so of bamboo was shot .  So a new handle was spun on the lathe and a modern reel seat fitted .  It’s a fine rod but a bit tiring to use all day . The 8ft hollolite I use is the correct weight but a tad short .  I keep thinking a 8ft 6 inch Hardy Phantom might be joining the family . 

Fly line was a Moxon silk half line 

The day as it turned out was a fitting end to the season . I did make another trip back there with a guest . Although the day was very good with excellent company two lost decent fish and a busted landing net took the edge of things .  But it’s hard to complain when you are privileged to fish on such a stunning bit of chalkstream . It won’t be long until next season . 

Why Bamboo? because its its a joy, thats why! and they are effective....

 After pretty much a lifetime of fishing and being a fly fisherman for 54 years now I have learned a bit about fly fishing ,  mainly I have learned that I really don’t know that much at all.  Technically there is so much to learn , Casting , line control, fly choice , the list goes on. Fly fishing is so satisfying because of that very fact . It is something that you will never be able to say "So that`s it I have learned what there is to learn." , when you do have a good day and you foolishly think to yourself that you are getting the hang of it . The next time you go to the river and you get your arse kicked soundly by a creature with a brain the size of a pea you realise that you are not quite the angler that you foolishly allowed yourself to believe, There are many many angling books a lot say pretty much the same thing , there have been a few published lately that are just a bit different , I have read a couple of them , both of them contained much original thought ,  Although it was the type of original thought that sort of hits you like the form teacher used to do at my boarding school. Which in his case was a good smack around the back of the head for not grasping what should be obvious, but as in life sometimes the obvious is there but it needs someone more able to actually point it out to you .  

The first book was "fly fishing Emerging heresies " by Peter Hayes . A challenging read that jumped about the field of fly fishing and made me think about things differently ,  not least about the downstream dry fly and which way the wind blows , if you want to know what I am on about then read the book .  The book brought to mind the first time I read " in the ring of the rise by Vincent Marinaro, It was the same sort of left field thought provoking stuff that in the ring of the rise inspired me years ago  .

 The other book " Long rods - Light lines: Some thoughts on Fly fishing by Dave Southall.  Now I am already an admirer of  Daves approach and thoughts ,  I have the good fortune  to enjoy his company and fish with him from time to time .  It is always a pleasure and usually a learning experience as well.  its a book that is eminently readable and one that can be dipped in and out of .  Dave is another original thinker and it is largely his influence that is behind the range of flies in my fly box gradually decreasing and also the size of the things diminishing too.

Anyway back to Bamboo.  my fly fishing started 50 odd  years ago with an ABU farflyte fibreglass and  over the decades I have had a clutch of self built carbon rods then as finances improved I  have worked my way through various high end brands , Sage , Winston , Scott and Orvis have all come and gone .  As my fly fishing has been almost exclusively river based and very largely small streams ,  I have increasingly become focussed on rods that offer delicacy , accuracy and flexibility .Where short casts and delicacy of touch are the priority I have for many years enjoyed rods like Winston. Scott G and a particular favourite the Orvis Superfine touch all of which I do still possess. Now I frequently got roasted for this choice but for me on small streams for many years they were my only pick . 

Until, that is a good few years ago when I treated myself to a cane 6ft Chapmans built cane rod ,  built by friend Chas Burns in York .  Following that I have slowly built up a modest collection of Bamboo each new addition increased my appreciation of the material.  I have come to realise that in my opinion there really is nothing better than a bamboo rod for smaller streams. Rods up to about 7ft 6 inches perhaps 8ft and in the range 3 to 5 weight are perfection. For me the sweet spot is around 7ft and 3/4 weight  They really are an absolute pleasure to use .  In terms of real casting and fishing efficiency as well as the increased degree of feedback and delicacy that bamboo as a material gives the user . Especially when combined with a non stretch silk line.  Also on the local chalk stream a bamboo 8ft 5 wt does everything I want . 

This is not just some romantic notion but I would suggest that as fly anglers we all progress in different ways ,  Myself , during my lifetime I have been through all the usual phases .  Must catch more fish ,  then must catch more bigger fish ,  Must catch more fish of a certain species .  the progression goes on ,  I am at the phase now where I am lucky to fish some stunning wild streams . I have caught some decent sized fish and am no longer chasing targets,  I am of course happy when specimens come along , but for me now,  it is how do I  extract the maximum pleasure from the places I fish and the fish I catch there. 

Personally there is not greater pleasure than catching on a bamboo rod paired with a traditional reel and a treated silk line .People say to me " aren`t silk lines  a load of hassle and very expensive ?, Well hassle I would say only a little bit of care , outweighed by better casting in the wind , delicate presentation and superior for roll casting . Also they last almost indefinitely and actually improve with age.  Cost wise they are surprisingly economical , Look at the Moxon fly lines from barbless flies, they are excellent , If you are really worried about the care aspect take a look at the Terenzio revolution , I have one and use it regularly they are very good. 

I was chatting to a local Secretary /river keeper a few months back. He is on a river I don`t fish any more , We were having a chat and my bamboo rods came up , He was puzzled why I wasn`t embracing the latest ultra light hi tec carbons and extolled the virtues of high modulus this and Sintrix that , but not a mention of feel , delicacy or enjoyment I guess there are many folk the same they just don`t get it .  . Incidentally one of my offspring was struggling to time their casts and feel the rod load.  Half an hour borrowing and casting with my bamboo worked wonders , so much more feedback of what is going on .  Cost wise the rod in the second picture is a Hardy Hollolight  Hollokona 8ft 5 wt of the internet for about £300 the rod has two tips.  It was dead straight and in great condition ,  Very good bamboo rods can be obtained at reasonable costs if you know what you are looking at ,  

Reasons to be cheerful part 3

One of my favourite Artists from the 70s was Ian Drury and the blockheads .And after a long driving session a few days ago when I explored my Spotify library that song has been in my head .  The events of the last few days have made me think about the title . It has been a depressing long winter and spring that has brought more than a fair share of challenges .  We have had to little Sun , too much rain and to few fish .  The new chalk stream has been bank high to the extent I just didnt fancy it  bright spot has been the new upland stretch of stream  that my previous post covered it has been an joy. The faster upland nature of it means rainfall runs of quickly and it is fishable for longer . Also nothing beats exploring a new stretch of river .  But on Sunday after a couple of weeks away from all the rivers the stars aligned and the fish were starting to look up and even taking a few mayflies .  So I know that the song has no part one and part two.  But my part one would be the fact its June the fish are looking up and its not a bad forecast for the weekend 

On Sunday the river was still carrying colour , but I think that helped me on the day as it was very bright and I think that a properly clear river would have made life more difficult.  The fish above was my best of the bunch and proof again of knowing the river .  There is one lie where you rarely see rising fish but experience has shown me that the bin lid sized often produces better fish . After half a dozen speculative casts the mayfly was taken .  it gave a good struggle in the faster water on a softer cane rod. 

If there was a part two well for me a few months ago i realised I would never receive a retirement gift from work . For a long time I have had my own business but last year for various reasons the company was closed and Myself and Son who worked for me, Went of to work for another consultants who we had contracted on and of for a number of years . It also means that over the forthcoming years I can consider working less but knowing my Son has some continuity and good prospects with a great company .  So I decided that the last thing that my old company would do is provide me with a new bamboo fly rod ,  I had come close to ordering one a few years ago , first covid got in the year , then the builder retired ,  I have a number of bamboo rods but none were built from Scratch for me. So recently I approached Luke Bannister and an order was placed for a nice Garrison 201 with two tips ,  I have a few bamboo rods but I have seen a few of Lukes rods and so seeing things taking shape on the update he sends me is reason to be cheerful number two.  

So what you ask is reason to be cheerful three? well simply this, in another few months that favourite stream and the Garrison 201 will be united lets hope that on that day the Sun shines but not to much and that there will be hatching flies and the fish will be looking up.

Lukes Rods are here ...

https://www.bannisterrods.co.uk/default.asp

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 .  

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.