Leaf Stew

All week I have been boosting the nymph box for the Grayling to try and get a couple more trips in before I switch over to trotting completely, as I don't do nymphing in the dead of winter, but seeing the weather forecast on Saturday and the reports from some friends who ventured out onto Border rivers it looked like today was going to be a complete wash out, so in anticipation of this I had decided it was going to be another day on the worm. The water was rising when I checked the charts last night but this morning they were dropping again, although still a bit higher than normal it was quite fish able but I didn't know what colour it would be so stuck with the worm option.

Some of the nymphs I've been tying up midweek to top up the box, all patterns from last year which worked well on the local rivers.

and some squirmy worm patterns a bit like marmite, you either love them or hate them, but they do work.

As I got to the river I could see it was the colour of coal, black and running just a bit higher than normal, what struck me the most though was the amount of leaf debris in the river, it was like a leaf stew and I knew instantly it was going to be a tough day, probably hooking more leaves than fish.

Sure enough for the first hour I never seen much in the way of fish but plenty of leaf action, from horse chestnut to sycamores. Positioning myself upstream and trotting in the slack water below me started to pay dividends with a couple of smaller fish taken as I made my way downstream

The emblem of the Yorkshire Dales Nation Park came and paid me a visit on my walk downstream.











As I got into the deeper slack water the worm started to work its charms with a couple of better fish coming to the net.

But as quick as they turned on they were soon off again and it was back to the relentless leaf stew and moving to try and find water where there weren't as many leaves.

The trees look lovely in their Autumn colours but I will be happier when there is less of the leaves in the river.
On moving downstream through the wood there was a cold wind blowing which definitely had a chill to it as the temperature dropped considerably.

I found this small fungi sheltering on the downwind side of the tree.

It was a slow day in the terms of fish but still a joy to be out observing the wildlife around with the dippers on the stones searching for insect life  and a quick glimpse of a kingfisher as the blue flash flew downstream.

Another fish just before I decided to call a halt and get the kettle on.

A warm brew and 20 minutes sheltering behind the tree made a world of difference out of the wind as it was bitter. I decided to fish on for another hour then call it a day and was soon rewarded with another grayling for my efforts.

Again another grayling in quick succession before it went quiet again and returned to the constant leaf bites.

With the time marching on I decided to brave the cold water for the last two smaller fish of the day and grab a couple of underwater shots before heading back to the car.

Another session over and although not many fish around, still a great day to be out in the countryside observing the sights and sounds mother nature has to offer, now can we have high winds to get rid of the leaves before the next trip out.

UPDATE

I have uploaded a short video to accompany the day, 2nd video I've produced and still learning the in's & out's of things but managed to attach some music to the video, so just for the auld hillbilly's out there.......Grayling