Easing back in.

As some bloggers would have noticed there has been a distinct lack of fishing posts for a couple of weeks, reason being Karen & myself have been off on holiday cruising as always, this time around the southern mediterranean, including a couple of places I managed to revisit from my days in the forces and a couple of new ports.

I won't bore you all with the holiday pictures but here is a couple that stand out for me.

The Alps still very much covered in snow as everywhere else bakes in the hot temperatures from 36,000ft with Mont Blanc off in the distance.

One of the many canals of Venice taken from the top deck of our cruise ship as it sailed up the centre of Venice's Grand canal.

The saluting battery overlooking the port entrance of Valletta on Malta.







On returning to the UK on Friday with the scorching temperatures and low water conditions the only tactic I could think of to get an hour in was heading out just before last light, so last night thats what I did, heading up the Dale the river was probably the lowest I've seen it in a few years and I knew things were going to get worse with no predicted rain forecast for the next week or so.

Arriving just before 9pm I headed for a deeper pool and was picking up Salmon Par from the off on dry fly, a size 20 olive doing the business, making my way to the head of the pool showed the first Brown trout.

As like on previous low water conditions I found the fish to have a few lice on them, which I helped remove before releasing back to the river.

I continued to get Salmon Parr mainly for the next hour before I spotted a couple of rising trout in another deeper pool hard against the bank. Casting to the first fish it rose immediately and was off in a matter of seconds, straightening the hook in the process.

Tying a fresh fly on I cast to the 2nd fish and on the 2nd  pass it rose and sipped down the fly.

Another fish rose off in the darkness and I could only guess where its location was and after a few casts I heard a splash so lifted into it as I couldn't see the fly in the darkness, this time a much better fish and again after a long fast run the fly & fish parted company, this time the tippet had given up so with no light & my eyes very much not up to tying flies onto tippet in darkness I headed home just after 11pm, satisfied and very contented, a nice session to ease back into things before heading back to work.