Small Wild Trout & Fly By's

My chaffuer and carer for the day turned up at 0930hrs as arranged and we were off up the Dale for another day on the river after last weeks success on that stretch.
I was a bit more confident today in trying to get into the water but still a bit undignified scrambling back up the 2ft bank to the field, my leg is still not willing to move that much which is impeding my walking abilities so still relying on the stick to aid me.

It was great to be back on the river and the level was up on last week which I like as I know a good place where the Grayling on the stretch lie and you can normally tempt them with a dry fly over there heads. The first thing I watched as I sat and put my gear together was a kingfisher working the far bank, these wee birds really do make your day when you see them in all their glory.

It wasn't long till I had connected with my first wild trout a bonnie wee fish and gave a good account of itself in the faster water.







It became evident as the morning wore on that the RAF were on some sort of flying exercises as every thirty minutes or so a pair of Hercules would fly up the Dale at very low level, you could almost see the load master hanging out the back doors. Every time I heard one coming I fumbled for my camera but too late they were gone so see if you can spot the aircraft in this picture looking upstream.

The trout continued to rise, nothing of any size and the average size of the ones coming out were getting smaller so much so that after this one I simply unhooked them and put them back, lovely to see that the river is so healthy and we will have sport for the future.

I took a rest from the fishing and sat down next to an old stump where there were fungi growing, grabbing a brew and recharging the legs for another session downstream.

Again almost immediately the trout were taking the flies as they slipped over there heads, getting a bit bigger again.

It started to rain quite heavy just around lunch time so I knew under the old oak would keep me dry and a nice spot to have some lunch so made my way downstream for some food & shelter.

A year on and almost the identical picture to last year, under the oak in the rain.






An arty shot whilst waiting on my partner to come back upstream and have lunch, the tools of our trade, and lunch in a belt.

 After lunch as we were heading back upstream I came upon the Rowan Tree which brought back many memories, as a boy as we had a large one overhanging our back garden and the mischief we used to get up to with the berries, many a time a slapped backside for doing things we shouldnt have been doing.

The afternoon wore on and I came across the sipping Grayling but they were not having anything that I threw at them and after almost a dozen fly changes I gave up and wandered upstream. Another few small trout came to my hand but nothing of any size and as I reached the top limit, I knew I had had enough for the day so sat and let the world pass waiting on my partner coming back upstream, and a few pictures to wile away the time

 Rod & stick

The spider of the day which took the trout but not the Grayling.










So that was it another day on the river but came home to a few parcels which I had been expecting, firstly the Fishpond Wasatech pack to slide over my jacket for the winter months so I can carry flask & everything with me whilst deep wading, £160 retail price, bought second hand & in mint condition from ebay £50

That will do nicely thank you. 

And lastly my autumn reading and project for next years Brown trout season on the Dales to update my North Country Fly patterns, so book bought and some reading & tying over the autumn and winter nights

 

 

 

 

 

All in all not a bad day at all now just time to relax with a dram and have a quick flick through.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike Harding, a broadcaster, comedian, and experienced fly fisherman authors this reference to tying and fishing 140 classic spider style flies.  If you have the slightest interest in classic style flies you will find this book an excellent and very entertaining reference.  Mike Harding injects humor throughout,  North Country Flies is comprehensive, including a section on materials, tying, and fishing classic spider flies.  However, the book (192 pages), is concise to the point where the reader does not become overwhelmed with hundreds of patterns, techniques, and seemingly unnecessary information.

The body of the book is broken down into four  classic fly genre:

1. Classic Spiders
2. Slim-Bodied Nymph Spiders
3. North Country Winged Flies
4. Bumbles, Bustards and Beads

Each fly is represented with an exceptionally clear picture, a materials list, and a paragraph where Harding describes an abundance of useful information including but not limited to, how the pattern is fished, its history, and how materials may be obtained.