Long Overdue!

Finally a day on the river!

The temperatures are increasing, the days are getting longer and the predicted bad winter hasn't happened, what could possibly go wrong.

With the river at summer levels I wondering where to go so decided to stay local, take along the camera and make a complete day of it, if the fishing wasnt too good there is always something to point the camera at, so thats exactly what I did yesterday.

Setting off from the carpark just after 10am I walked downstream hoping to glimpse any fly life coming off the river as the last couple of days have seen bright sunshine and warm temperatures, apart from a few midges there wasnt that much happening.

First thing I came across was the abundance of wild flowers, mainly snow drops but a few crocus throw into the mix also.

First few pools didn't result in anything and after almost an hour of fishing I decided to change tact from the european nymphing style I had started out on and changed over to spiders. I had it in my head that the fish wouldn't be hugging the bottom of the deep pools but instead would be in the faster water with a possibility of looking upwards and not downwards for their food. Sure enough 20 minutes or so later I was into the first fish of the day, in this case an out of season trout which if I were to be honest was in a poor state so released immediately in the water without even hitting the net.

Moving downstream I came to my favourite part of this stretch which is where the path pulls you through a bit of fir wood, it always seems magical as I enter it and it was nice to get out the wind for a short time.

Deciding to fish the pacy water, it was again drawing a blank & it wasnt until I had dropped right down to the very bottom of the runs in the slacker water which was no more than 1 ft deep did I register the another fish, & I was playing the first grayling off the day.





Nothing big by any standards but it was a Grayling and I was thankful for it.

With lunchtime fast approaching I decided to take some shelter out the wind and crack out the storm kettle I had brought along, nothing finer than having a fresh coffee on the bank.

10 minutes later I was sat at the base of a large beech tree with a fresh coffee watching nature go by, it was a nice half hour or so of doing absolutely nothing but soaking in the surroundings.

As I sat there letting time go by I got my photographic head on and started playing around with the camera for a few moments. This being the Ivy that was reaching up the tree trunk I was leaning against.

the next couple of trees up were fir trees and some nice mix of colours.

From afar

and in macro

Lunch over it was time to get back to the task in hand and pick up the rod again.

I dropped down the the bottom of the current section and decided to fish the spiders upstream and it wasnt long until I got another fish interested but alas again another trout which again wasnt in the best of health, very lean and empty feeling so released immediately.

The next couple of casts & I actually seen the fish come out the water for the top dropper which was just starting to break the surface to sink, a Grayling of better size.

I was almost back at the point which I had lunch without any further interest from any fish, so a couple of shots of the river around me.

And the house with a view all the way up the river.

It was time to head back upstream towards the car and fishing my way upstream I managed to connect with another trout which took to acrobatics out the water & threw the hook but I didn't care it would simply save me unhooking it.

Back in the fir wood I took one last picture with what was lying around the forest floor with a bit of photographic arrangement before heading back to the car.

A long awaited day back on the river which turned out to be a cracking day indeed, the Grayling might not have been biting much but an enjoyable day nevertheless.