Frustrated by the ladies

I didn't have high hopes of getting out this weekend with all the rivers running heavy after the rain on Friday night, the readings were all in excess of 1m but I kept an eye on it and thankfully no rain through Saturday seen the rivers dropping off  and when I checked the EA website this morning the river was 0.48m at the nearest upstream measuring station to where I was fishing, I generally dont go out unless its below 0.45m but with more rain forecast for this afternoon and not wanting to be stuck in the house I gave it a shot.
When I got to the river I was beginning to think about calling it off as it was still up more than what I like it to be and was heavily coloured but after I seen 2 Grayling rise to flies within 5 minutes of watching to see if anything was moving  my mind was set.

My plan was to fish it with nymphs, just so happens I tied up some for coloured water and wanted to see how they fished but after watching the Grayling sipping flies off the surface I knew if I had any chance of some sport I would have to chase the ladies.
I covered the Grayling with a dry fly and first cast down it went fish on....fish off 3 seconds later!
Waited, watched cast again to another, fish on....fish off!
After that one the self aimed ear bending took over!!
For a 3rd time I cast to a rising fish and again within seconds I had lost it, by now I knew it couldn't all be my fault and when I closely inspected the hook I seen that the fly had the point & micro barb missing, how I overlooked this I dont know so off it came.
On moving down the river I covered a few likely looking spots but nothing, it seemed the couple of rising Grayling were going to be it for the day as the first drops of the forecast rain started and got heavier so shelter below a large oak tree looked like the best place to be.

With the rain coming down very heavy now it was just nice to sit and watch the rain drops on the river below the shelter of the big oak and enjoy my surroundings, in relative dryness.










I didn't think there would be any pictures for this weeks blog update so you were stuck with a picture of me and a picture of the fungi that shared my shelter below the big oak.

As the rain eased I made my way back to the car and past the place where earlier the Grayling had been rising but not a movement this time but I decided to chance my luck anyway and see if I could tempt one and luckily I was rewarded but this time it was a small perfectly finned trout that obliged

That was it fishing over for another week and hoping that next week the rivers wont be so high, there isn't much Brown trout season left and I want to enjoy what there is left of this washout season.