Low water woes

Its not too often I get the opportunity to get out during the week, so with no interviews on my schedule for today I decided I was getting away and having some me time. I set off up the Dale with the knowledge the water was going to be low and most probably full of leaves but I wasnt too concerned that much I knew I would always find somewhere to fish.

It didn't take too long till I had parked the car, donned the waders and was heading to the river when I came across the first of the fungi poking their heads skywards.

Although we haven't had really what I would call a wet Autumn so far there seems to be an abundance of fungi around over the last few weeks, something I like to take close up shots of as so many people simply walk along with their eyes shut and dont see the intricate structures of them.








I got to the river and sure enough it was low and full of leaves, with even more coming down each time a small gust of wind blew.

It wasnt long until I had today's weapons at the ready.

As I sat and tackled up a dipper flew onto the rock close by, I do love these small birds, so resilient and adapt in their watery surroundings.

The first 15 minutes or so was really quiet apart from the few leaves I managed to hook then the indicator went to opposite direction and the first fish of the day was hooked, a lovely grayling giving a good account of itself on the 3#, as I was about to land it the top dropper snagged on the side of the net and the fish gave another dash and slipped the hook! 

Well to say I wasnt pleased and murmuring a few chosen words to myself was an understatement...

After a few moments of giving myself a right good talking too, I got back to the fishing and almost immediately was rewarded with its partner.

I was as pleased to see it as it was to see me displaying its fin in gratitude. I was off the mark.

I fished down through but alas nothing else came to see me so I decided to head upstream in search, taking in the array of colours on the trees.

The next set of fungi nestled tightly in the base of a tree.

I was last on this stretch just before our holidays when I came across a tree that had some unusual fungi growing on it, this time around the tree is almost covered in it, showing how fast this stuff moves in a matter of a few weeks.

As I continued upstream I stumbled across the few geese which seem to be resident in this particular stretch but nowhere near the numbers there used to be.

I dropped onto a bit of water where immediately I noticed a bow wave shoot off from the bank towards the deeper part of the river, a trout or a salmon Im not quite sure but it left a large wake as it went.

A few casts and the first of today's small trout was hooked, I do love these wild trout with full tales, a few seconds for the camera and it was gone.

A further 3 small trout succumb to the same tactics so I decided to move on and let them be.

As I walked up past a small copse I just seen some movement in the corner of my eye so halted to observe and sure enough a couple of roe deer appeared, one quite obvious from the picture but the other more camouflaged.

The fishing may have been a bit on the slow side but there was certainly no lack of things to keep me interested.

I dropped onto the part of the river I was looking forward to most and sure enough almost immediately hooked another Grayling, but that was to be it, no more fish for the next 40 minutes so again I was on the move.

My next sighting is something I have to say I've never seen around these neck of the woods before and was quite taken back at how friendly they actually were, even coming right up to me.

A couple of friendly alpaca's  the brown one coming to within touching range before it dainty trotted off.

Just as I was moving upstream that ancient fencing material which caused so much damage in the trenches of the great war claimed another victim, thankfully I felt it and never pulled off and it only punctured my waders instead of ripping them so a relatively easy fix with some aquasure when they are dried out, thankfully it was the old set and not the new set which I bought for Finland but put back into storage when I returned.

The view upstream was lovely in the warm autumn colours.

With no other fish seen or felt I decided to call it a day as I didn't want to do too much wading now I had a hole in my waders as the water was quite cold. Walking back through the wood more fungi appeared in my path.

A single mushroom growing from a crevice in a tree

to multiples growing at the side of the path. but I think my favourite picture from today was this lone mushroom proudly standing tall in the rain which had began to fall.

On the way home I decided to stop off and see if anyone else had been to pick the sloes and I was amazed to find that they are still heavy in fruit, seems nobody wants to make sloe gin in these parts anymore, or that they haven't been discovered yet.

ah well its wasted on gin anyway, All the more for the whisky.