River Wye, 4/7/2009

I'm knackered!

Gary, Alex and I fished The Wye today around Bakewell. We started the day with a full English breakfast in Ashbourne, before heading to The Peacock at Rowsley to collect our day tickets and pick up a few flies (small BWO's that are too fiddly for me to tie, and stock up on Philip White active mayfly duns ready for next season).

We started fishing around 10am from the Recreation ground and worked upstream. The Peacock water is dry fly only (no emerger patterns) and no wading. As usual, we agreed the 'rules of engagement' with an elaborate points system; with grayling getting top points, browns next and rainbows least, plus points for first and biggest fish. Gary was first in, with Alex and I quick to follow. The day got hotter and the fishing got tougher, although a few were caught here and there.

We next drove up to the top end of the Haddon Estate water at Lakeside. None of us had fished this stretch before. It was tough to access in parts, with heavier tree cover. Gary managed a good grayling.

A short walk further upstream and we were at Ashford in the Water, where we stopped for a couple of pints. We had hoped for a pub lunch but they stopped serving food at 2pm, and shut their doors at 3pm. We made do with an ice cream and headed back downstream, starting to fish again below the Riverside Industrial Estate. The fish were rising and I took a few on olive paraduns.

Continuing downstream we got to Bakewell, which was manic. It was the Bakewell Carnival and the town was full of revellers. Our plan was to move quickly through the town and start fishing again below the showground, but Alex couldn't resist the lunkers in the town waters. He had a nice brownie below the road bridge and lost one of the chip-bellied 'bows that sit under the foot bridges, in front of big crowd. Two drunken girls fired questions at him throughout, with one of them declaring 'He's won one, he's won a fish!', as if it were a goldfish in bag.

We skirted the funfair, though were tempted to cast a line at the hook-a-duck stall. Below the showground and the heavens opened. Not wearing waders, the long grass soaked our feet and trousers. To make matters worse, the meadows were full of horse flies which are a real pain when you're clammy and damp.

The last hour before dark was the most productive fishing. At times, Gary was catching a fish a cast on a paradun whilst Alex was using micro dries in the failing light. We bumped into Peter (Marxach on flyforums) who'd had a good day but suffered with horse flies too.

At 10pm my body was telling me that I'd had enough after 12 hours fishing and miles of walking. I got back to the car at Fisherman's car park, poured the water out of my walking boots and put on some dry socks.

Gary took honours for the day with 25+ fish, then Alex. I took the wooden spoon but was happy with 15+ fish (2 browns, no grayling, the rest wild rainbows).

Five go fishing up Dovedale, 1st July 2009

Five of us headed up Dovedale this evening for a mini-social - Mick, Glen, Alex, Gary, myself plus Loki my black lab. The evening was hot and fishing tough going at first, so out came the Kelly Kettles, a flask of Aberlour and some home made biscuits (thanks to Gary, the domestic goddess, who currently has too much time on his hands!).

We soon got fishing again, with the occasional fish caught and Alex demonstrating his prowess with a sculpin. It wasn't 'til near dark that the fish starting to take with confidence. I had 5 browns in all before we lost the light.

At the stepping stones there were a bunch of Asian lads with a BBQ. Some sight watching Mick and Alex fishing the pool, bumping and grinding to the Bhangra beats.

A good laugh, something we need to repeat more often.

River Churnet, 28/6/2009

Fished the River Churnet last night from below Alton up to Lords Bridge at Dimmingsdale, with Alex. Started at around 4:30pm on the Fenton and District water, working upstream onto the Leek and District water.

The Fenton stretch was extremely hard going, with just one trout and a dace for my efforts. It was considerable effort too, pushing through forests of nettles and Himalayan Balsam, on a very hot day. For medicinal purposes, we stopped at The Alton Bridge Inn for a pint. Being full wader'ed up, the owner very kindly bought our pints to us outside and invited us to fish the pub's own stretch of The Churnet. We took up his offer and I managed to catch a couple of trout in front of the beer garden gallery.

The fishing improved as we headed upstream, with trout taking blue winged olive spinners just below the surface. Got back to the car just as it was getting dark and the roof was full of dead and dying spinners, all deformed bodies and some laying eggs. I like how, on the photo opposite, you can see the trail left where the spinner has dragged her hind legs. If you click on the photo to expand it, you can see an secretion at the end of the body which is presumably eggs. Also note the deformed crooked body, which was the same for all the flies on the car roof.

Another good day on Dovedale, this time fishing with JeffR.

Got to Milldale around 9:30 and walked down to Tissington Spires, stopping for a couple of casts on the way. The river was not particularly high but was very coloured. Derbyshire apparently had torrential rain on Wednesday evening and the rivers are still recovering.
Lots of fly life but very few rising fish. Some mayfly, but mainly spinners from the previous day. Fishing was hard going for most of the morning, though it was great to be out on a fine summer day.

By mid afternoon there were a some rises but the fish were not keeping position and rarely taking an artificial fly in the slacker water. The faster water was productive, with fish taking big and bushy flies such as mayfly dun and grey wulff. We fished into the evening, with plenty of fish coming out of the upper sections. Around 18 trout between us, with Jeff catching the best fish of the day.

Stopped for a pint on the way home at The Rose and Crown, at Middle Mayfield. There were clouds of olive spinners in the car park, even though it's a few fields away from The Dove.

Dovedale, 10/6/2009

Spent the day up Dovedale guesting Richard, who won the day as a lot in the Monnow Fisheries Association auction. Rob joined us for the first half of the day.

The river was in good condition given the rain earlier this week - just a little up and slight colour. There wasn't much fly life about at first; a few mayfly duns and spinners, though no significant mayfly hatch until mid afternoon. Both Rob and I fished lightly, a couple of casts here and there, but we caught a few trout.

After a very agreeable picnic at Ilam Rock, Rob headed off whilst Richard and I headed upstream. The fishing soon picked up and we both started to take fish consistently, both stockies and wild trout. There was a good hatch of mays just down from Doveholes.

Trout were rising freely on the upper sections. I had a good trout, hooked in the margins, that shot upstream and I ended up digging him out of a ranunculus bed.

It's good to get out fishing with new people, not least 'cos they remind you what a special place our rivers are.

Dovedale, 5/06/2009

Fished Dovedale today with Phil (Thymallus Thymallus off Fly Forums). Did the usual route, leaving one car at either end of the dale. Started from the car park at about 10:30am and got off to a good start with a trout from the first pool above the bridge.

Few mayfly about on the way up to the stepping stones but, when we turned the corner at Sow-Sitch, the sun came out and so did the green drake. Lots of splashy rises, although getting them to take an artificial was at times difficult. It wasn't until the middle stretches that we started taking fish with confidence, with most coming from faster water where the trout don't have as long to inspect the fly. I guess it's a sign we're coming to the end of the mayfly season when they become more educated.

Ilam Rock pool was frustrating fishing, with loads of rises but canny fish. I picked up a few fish from the top of the upper pool, including a 1lb+ fat bellied speckled fish with silver flanks.

I hooked and lost a couple of good fish today, first having gotten one snagged on a submerged branch (I went in after to retrieve the leader) and the second trying to bully a fish away from disappearing under a fallen tree, with just the leader out of the ring tip - not easy on a soft Sage SLT. Also had a snap off on a long cast at Doveholes that took the last of my Spiderplus mayfly pattern.

Got back to the car about 5pm, just as the skies turned grey. No more than 10 fish, but all well earned and far from easy fishing. Great fun.

A long day, 30/5/2009

A long hot day, bright sun and no wind.

It was the Wild Trout Trust annual get together, this year held at Youlgreave. The great and the good of the wild trout world, with presentations by Tim Jacklin, Paul Gaskell, Andy Thomas, Andrew Ferguson, Eric Verspoor, Simon Johnson and Cyril Bennet. Subjects included the work of the WTT, the Trout in the Town project, stocking and triploid trout, genetic variations, fishing passport schemes and monitoring the quality of rivers by sampling river flies.

Lots of food for thought, though four things stood out for me. First, there's scope to introduce the Riverfly Partnership's Anglers Monitoring Initiative (AMI) on the Dove catchment, serving to benchmark levels of fly life and to quickly alert agencies to pollution. Second, just how close we are to getting a passport scheme up and running in the Peak District, thanks largely to the efforts of Andy at the Trent Rivers Trust. Third, that any river angler with an ounce of passion about his sport really should be a member of the WTT and appreciate just how important this organisation is in safeguarding the habitats that give us so much. Fourth, for reasons undisclosed, I need to find time to fish the Dove at Crowdecote!

Alex and I skipped the last session and headed for Bentley Brook, where we fished for a couple of hours. I don't think I've ever seen so many mayfly spinners, clouds of them, rising and falling in their mating rituals. Click on the top photo to enlarge it and you will see how the sky was full of spinners. The fishing wasn't easy, though I picked up two trout.

We then headed for Milldale to fish the Dove at last light. Again, mayfly spinners abound and some small olives. From 9.30pm onwards they were replaced by wave after wave of sedges. Despite the abundance of fly life (or perhaps because of it) fishing was extremely tough going. I fished badly, only managing to get two takes and missing both. To rub salt in my wounds, Alex tweaked out a few fish.

Oh well, you win some you lose some - I'd just prefer not to lose when duffers is almost upon us!