Catch it whilst you can.......

With the weather being so unpredictable recently, the rivers being unfishable for a few days since last weekend, and the weather people guessing more than actually predicting the weather I decided yesterday with heavy rain showers due over this area overnight to head onto the river and hopefully catch it right for a few hours.

I headed up the Dale after lunch yesterday with the hope of a good few hours fishing into dusk in front of me arriving at the river just before 1400 hrs.

I dropped down onto the river from where the car was parked and heard splashing before I saw the river, as I glimpsed the river there were a lot of fishing moving and taking off the surface so the decision of what to start with was made it would be dry fly.

Mainly small fish but nevertheless great fun and still quite challenging as they splashed at the fly.








It was a bit surreal listening to the whistle of the steam train off in the distance running up the tracks blowing its whistle as it went and standing waist deep casting upstream to rising fish.

and few better sized fish started making an appearance

I had only fished a matter of an hour or so and had over 30 of these small fish to the hand, and then the heavens opened!
What part of no rain in this area till overnight had I misunderstood......BBC weather forecast strikes again!
Thankfully not too heavy and it didn't seem to put the fish off, and a few trout decided to make an appearance, all in the same spot and within a few feet of each other where before it was all Grayling,

Stocked fish and not as beautiful as the natural browns of the river.

The Grayling rising had died down a bit during the rain and it was only a few trout that had made an appearance but with the rain now subsiding the Grayling seemed to becoming back on again.

I was back amongst what seemed a shoal of smaller fish but catching plenty of them when a better fish made an appearance which took me off guard.

a lovely big grayling which simply dimpled the fly from the surface, it was only when hooked that it showed its true weight. a nice addition to the catch.










The rain was coming down heavier and with no waterproof jacket packed I decided to head back to the car.

The view upstream looking very moody with the encroaching black clouds. but still some colour amongst all the over looming black and grey.
Just under 3 hours of fishing but with fish from the go and Im sure would have continued if the predicted overnight rain hadn't made a very early appearance & spoilt things.




As I update the blog the amount of rain which fell has been quite considerable with the rivers rising over 2 metres in some places.