High Coloured Water and Grayling

Last night the river was running at 0.98m and I thought today was going to be a total write off, but by some sheer miracle when I logged on this morning to check the level it had dropped to 0.71m, which I knew it would drop more as the day wore on, only if the rain stayed off just like the lady on the telly said it would till 5pm, and we all trust them....aye right!

I arrived at the river just before 10am as I couldn't see the sense of having an early start with the river up and I didn't want a repeat of the billy smarts circus act I had the other day. I wanted to get another shot of the large fungi on the tree as the better shot never came out the other day so on the way down I walked through the wood and found it still in place in all its glory and managed to grab a better shot of it this time.

The colours in the wood were really vivid and green today, with just a mere sprinkling of gold leaves lying around.
The wood seemed to have its own micro climate as hardly any the plants have really started to decompose and wilt where outside the wood some of the same ferns that are exposed to the elements have all wilted and starting to turn brown.






The river was the colour of Newcastle Brown Ale and the leaves were coming down in droves but at least the height had dropped below the mark I had marked the other day.

I set up with the flies I had caught on the other day and within the first hour of fishing I had 4 small par, 2 small Grayling and this better Grayling.

I was well chuffed with how it was going especially seeing as I couldn't see my feet in only 2 foot of water.









I kept getting the odd rain shower from time to time which seemed to turn the fish right off as during these showers, I never touched a fish all day it was only when the showers had receded that I caught fish.

 This Grayling like the one above took the flies as I was lifting out, wether it was the flash of the fly coming up in the water that triggered it I'm unsure but nevertheless very welcome.

After fishing down through the pool, resting it & grabbing a chance for a coffee before fishing through it again only to take a couple more small par, I headed up the river to a long stretch of riffles which I knew would certainly hold some better Grayling, if we could wade out past the boulder strewn area without falling in.

I sat on the bank and contemplated wether it was worth maybe taking another dooking when I noticed all the fungi on the underside of the tree like a growth coming from it.

The first few meters negotiating the unseen slippery boulders were the worst but after that it was relatively easy and it wasn't long till I had connected with another couple of small par. It was almost an hour before I got a better stamp of fish with this better Grayling.

That was it the thought of a hot coffee and a sit down for a wee while behind the wall was too much and I decided to take some time out from the rain showers which were blowing through.






It was nearly 2pm by the time I was ready to get back in the water and then just as I got waist deep,  forgot that the camera was lying on top of my bag and it had started to rain again so back out through the boulders to recover the camera and put it away.

About 30 minutes had passed before I hooked in to another Grayling again and so as not to wade back to the bank took a picture in situ and noticed that in the camera lens there was some condensation, obviously water had penetrated the camera when I left it on the bag, so I apologise for the slight blurring in all the future pictures, I have tried to darken them the best I can to get rid of most of it.

I made my way fishing upstream through the riffles and glides and managed to stay dry, so it was time for a short walk upstream to my next area I wanted to fish before heading home.

I was fishing the new area  for around 40 minutes and was about to leave when I got my first pull and this lady came to the net.







Almost immediately in the very same run on the next cast I managed to hook another Grayling. strange that for almost 40 minutes nothing at all then two fish within literally a minute of each other.

I fished on for a short while further and managed another Grayling.

This lady had the look of being caught before with her mouth slightly distorted or a wound which had healed sometime in its life.

With this fish I decided to call it a day as the wind was picking up and the rain was starting to become more persistent, it was almost 5pm so the woman on the telly was half right.




 As I was climbing out I came across this little banqueting table for something.

May only be a small feast but it means they arent swimming around destroying stuff in the river so long may they feast whatever it was.
 Another day of high water but very enjoyable and despite the amount of leaves that fouled the line it was all worth it to get fish like this from a Newcastle Brown Ale coloured river.