Sunday 14 July 2013

Another New Record

0300hrs the alarm went off, it felt like I had only got to sleep but as always no hitting the snooze button when it comes to fishing, and 20 minutes later I was in the car heading up the Dale. It was foggy and overcast with a lot of water in the air as the windscreen wipers had to be turned on a few times to clear the water from the windscreen.

I'm amazed at the amount of people still out & about at this time in the morning, returning from party's or walking alone, along a country road in the middle of nowhere in a suit! obviously forgot his taxi money.

I had decided to give my Greys of Alnwick 8'6 rod an airing and combined with my 1950s Allcock marvel reel that was to be my choice of tackle for the day.

I was welcomed to the river this morning with a group of 6 oyster catchers working their way along the river and it was nice to just sit back and watch them at work.

The first fish of the morning as expected was one of the rivers small wild brown trout, rising to the dry fly as I had seen fish rising from arriving at the river so went straight onto dry fly tactics.


I was expecting this sort of stamp of fish until I got up into the deeper water and sure enough they didn't disappoint with a further 9 trout of this size coming to the net before I made my way up to the start of the deeper runs.







What happened next I definitely wasn't expecting in a month of Sunday's, I seen a fish just breaking the surface mid run just behind an overhanging tree and presumed it to be one of the Grayling I had caught from the pool last week, I cast over its head and first time through it took the small dry, the fish went off like a steam train and I knew it wasn't a Grayling, and as it turned I managed to grab a quick glimpse of its flank under the water and saw that it was totally silver so the first though on my mind was a small sea trout, when it decided to finally give in and come to the surface I was astounded to see that it wasn't a small sea trout but infact a Blue trout!


Absolutely fin perfect and a fraction over 2lbs when weighed this certainly never crossed my mind that I would be catching one of these from the river today.










Well that's another River first for me and although I've caught blue trout from stocked lakes years ago when I used to fish still water's, this is my first river fish so that's another new river record for the diary, this place is definitely turning my river record books on its head this season.
On a serious note, these fish should not be in the river its the irresponsible stocking by someone or a fishery not having the proper defences to the river system in place that these find there way into our rivers.


 I like to take a trout from time to time for the pot and this one will do nicely, so cleaned out on the river this one was coming home.

After this I sat and fired the Kelly kettle up for a brew and I was amazed at the amount of wild flowers which were out in all their glory today as I sat and let the world go by for 30 minutes or so.















As I made my way up river it was becoming apparent that the Grayling were not in the places where I had caught them last weekend. I had covered a few smutting fish and they had came up for the fly but at the last moment turned away from it.

Another couple of small brown trout obliged before things started getting really hot and I took shelter from the sunlight under the branches of a sycamore tree.



I must have sat for over an hour just taking in all the sights & sounds of the river before finally making a move back downstream and back to the car.










Another excellent day in the dales and am constantly amazed at the sights, sounds & fish this place provides me with.

5 comments:

  1. Smashing day George, well in :-)

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    1. Thanks Graeme It was certainly different that's for sure :)

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  2. What a shame we aren't neighbours. Given that I cannot sleep I'd be gently shaking your shoulder in the early hours saying, 'Your tea and marmalade toast, Sir, it's time to go fishing'

    My pond is doing really well, some real decent pan sized fish in there now. I am now trying to stock it with fresh water crayfish and prawns.

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    1. Tea & Marmalade, You have been gone too long mate, I'm all coffee & a cereal bar in the morning....lol Haven't touched tea in over 30 years, dreadful stuff....lol.

      Glad to hear the pond is coming on well even though the locals have been dipping into it, crayfish, you could export some from the river clyde in Scotland its stuffed with them and getting worse.
      Nice hearing from you again mate.
      be safe
      George

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  3. Oh, as an aside, to fish the environment you fish, I would risk the fact that the only snooze button on me as an alarm clock is punch on my nose!

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