taking a month or two break....

In the last few months I have become increasingly disinterested in all things online.

A lack of inspiration a lack of fishing the steady creeping misery of winter have all contributed.  Anyway stay tuned I will be back in a month nor two..I just am taking a break.

Andy

February..

Strange month this.  A colder more dispiriting month is hard to imagine.  But yet its one that I eagerly await.  The first week of Feb is the time when the lengthening days really become apparent , Winter in the main is behind now and the new seasons approach is becoming tangible.  The Subscription reminders and AGM notices have arrived for the clubs and Syndicate I belong to offering yet another reminder of what lies ahead.

The lengthening days lift my spirits and those first few precious days when the spring sunshine arrives are a taster for the approach of spring.  This Sunday was such a day and I escaped to the local stream to see if the Grayling were in the mood.  In the event they didnt want to join the fun but given the state of the river levels recently I was not surprised. Water levels have been up and down like the proverbial.   The banks have taken a real beating and there has been many collapses .  As I left the river I noticed these snowdrops clinging on by their fingertips.  The next decent flood will have them relocated.

 It was nice to cast a fly though I even saw a rise or two and proceeded to waste a ridiculous amount of time on that fish.  It was good therapy though and went some way to lift the veil of winter.  The day was about looking forwards and looking over the river, fishing was an excuse, a reason to tramp along the bank turning the odd rock and checking the bank side footprints to separate the otter prints from the farm collie.  It was a day to look at the river and marvel that the barren water in front of me can be filled with the dimples of rising fish in a few short months.


The season isnt that far away now and I for one cant wait.

50000 and counting

Was just answering a comment on here and noticed page views just passing 50000.  From the look of the stats it was a visitor from Doncaster.  So thanks to him or her and to all the people who read my ramblings. Strange thing this blogging . I never thought when I started it so many people would read it and from so many  places.

Anyway who and wherever you all are thanks.....

Andy

A dogs life.....

I reckon most who read this from the UK will relate to this.  Apologies from those of you from the nice warm places in the world  whom I know read these ramblings.   This winter has been wet , cold and downright miserable.  The couple of fishing trips I have managed since the end of the trout season did little to fend of the encroaching shack nasties.  Trips to the river are largely  ltd to walking the dog.  I have even struggled to get the invertebrate monitoring done.  Something that at least gives me chance to have a paddle about in a stream. When I have been able to do it I have now got a new trainee. She is getting the hang of it but its slow work.

She thinks I am a bit of a tart bothering with waders and thermals she thinks you should just get in and go for it...

I reckon I should learn from her though it doesnt matter what the weather is doing or what else is going on nothing meets just messing about in the river....

At last a fishable stream... ( just)

I am not going to say this loudly but over the last week the rain has not stopped but it has eased.  In fact the local beck has dropped to a decent fishable level for the first time in two months.  This is the only reason I need to get out on the bank for the first time since October....Today was about inspecting the river and even maybe have a chance of a grayling .  First was a trip to a section where I do my kick sampling to see what the floods have done to the gravel..

The gravel has moved about a bit . But more worrying was the bank erosion higher upstream caused by the floods. There used to be a footpath here on the bank top.  There was an extra three feet of water powering down here for some weeks I am surprised the damage isnt worse,.

Although still carrying colour I hoped to find an odd grayling ,  The section holds a few but they are isolated and not easy to find .  I intend to get the trotting gear out in the next month there is a section of river that despite many attempts I cant get near with the fly rod.  I am convinced it may hold a decent shoal of fish.

Today I didnt find any Grayling only more evidence of bankside erosion.   I do wonder how much the balsam infestation is helping this happen.  

On the day a few of these little fellows showed up and were quickly released .  So no Grayling but my it was good to get out and have a wade about .  It seems like an age since I cast a line .  It was just what I needed.  

Roll on the start of the Trout season. At least this has got the new year rolling.  Tight lines to you all.  

New Year prayer and resolutions...

Right then in the Spring I prayed for rain and we ended up with the wettest summer on record... So now I am praying for a year of good fishing , I am not greedy not after British records maybe the odd PB ....Lets see how that prayer is answered.

Resolutions well....I intend to fish more and make more of an effort for Sea trout and Salmon on  the rivers of North Yorkshire I also want to try a few rivers that I have never fished.  The Wharfe, Eden , Clyde and Annan to name a few.....Oh yes and to continue to improve my tying which can be best described as functional.

Andy

CDC emerger...

I have been restocking fly boxes over the last few weeks.  One interesting aspect of that is by inspecting the various boxes I have it gives a pretty good review of what worked last year.  The box of mayflies and sedges   was pretty much untouched all year apart from the daddies.  The wet year meant that the crane flies had a bumper year and when the rivers were fishable the daddies did well. My  box of yorkshire spiders was virtually intact from last winter.  Whereas the small dries were largely unused apart from the tiny size 18 and 20 adams.

One box that was virtually empty was the CDC box.  F Flies and IOBO humpys were thin on the ground and my version of a CDC emerger had been completely exhausted despite tying some more misd season..  This fly has been a killer for me the last couple of seasons and seems as useful for Grayling as for Brown trout.  Tied in sizes 14 through to 18 .  It seems to be effective across the board.

Sometimes I include a light dubbing of rabbit around the root of the wing . It is a fly that has caught a very large proportion of all the fish landed by me this year.  A very simple tie but very effective .  I have recently started to reinforce the stripped herl body with UV resin .  The hooks can be the very light Varivas 2200 or my preference the Daiichi D900.  These are all tied with natural quill but of course dyed quill can be very effective...