Adverts Over & Now for the Main Attraction

I decided yesterday would be my final fling at this years Brown Trout season so grabbed the rod and headed up the Dale, I was genuinely out for the Brown Trout but secretly I was hoping for some of those lovely ladies that reside there too as they really are in fighting fit condition right now and taking dries.

The forecast was dry but winds of 14mph, I was just hoping that they weren't blowing right up the Dale which would make things a whole lot harder.

I arrived and was welcomed by the usual party of hens looking for food. One day I really am going to get that Welsomer.







 As I walked down to the start Pool where I set up and sit for 10 minutes observing what's going on I watched the old cock pheasant in the field being ganged up on by another 2 smaller cock pheasant, I never got to see the outcome as the farmer on his quad bike came zooming down the hill and the birds took to the wing.

The river looked eerie in the shade as the sun was only just starting to peek over the tree tops.

I fished up through all these runs in the picture and not even a sign of any fish so headed upstream to where the sun was actually on the water & the insects were dancing along the surface, to find that fish were moving.

A quick change from the spiders onto the dry fly  and hopefully that would be it for the day, nice calm conditions and fish rising......some hope!

It didn't take long for the first par to take hold of the dry, and after 10 of these little guys it was time to move on as there was clearly nothing larger in the streams so moved on.





The wind was starting to become a nuisance blowing from the south right up the Dale and a few wind knots were unpicked before I connected with the first proper fish of the day, a smutting Grayling just at the tail end of a pool.

As all the rest recently in tip top condition and providing a good account of herself.

As always released to fight another day.










By now the wind really was becoming hellish and near on impossible as the Dale provided the wind with an excellent wind tunnel effect which it took full use of and it was becoming frustrating having to untangle & unpick leaders & flies on a constant basis and the fish were becoming few & far between on the rises.

I decided to persevere & continue on the dry fly and see what prevails after that, and was rewarded with another Lady soon after.

 This is where I totally lost my Mo-Jo so to speak, the Pool was literally a Grayling anglers dream with fish smutting everywhere but could I connect with them.....No, If I had a penny for every fish I missed or lost in the fight I could easily buy myself a new pair of waders, no matter how hard I tried I just could not get the Grayling to stay on & it wasn't as if they were small fish as they weren't there was some decent fish amongst them. Time to turn and head back home.

I was rewarded with another lady on the way back down the Dale, am not sure if this was natures way of giving me a consolation prize for the amount I had lost an hour or so earlier but it was a welcome sight in the net.

Virtually on the last pool before I wind the line in and head back across the field and head for home I hooked my last brown Trout of the 2103 season.

And that was it the 2013 brown Trout season over for me, not disappointed in any way as I have had quite a few decent fish with some new personal river records, such as the Rainbow & Blue trout caught earlier in the season.
I have to say though the main event is only just about to start for me in the form of the Grayling season, wether it be fly fishing or trotting a float down the stream there is just something about the majestic ladies that tick all the boxes for me, so to the Brown Trout anglers I wish you a happy closed season and to the Grayling anglers I wish you all tight lines to hopefully a fruitful season chasing the ladies.