Wasn't meant to be.

I was very optimistic that today would be a good day to be on the river, the weather according to the experts was meant to be spot on and the river was beginning to run off after all the rain on Friday.

I looked at the levels last thing last night & although still slightly on the high side I knew they would drop in during the night, well thats what I thought!

Woke up early this morning to  see water on the garden path out the kitchen window...not a good sign & the so called experts had said it was going to be a dry night, looking online at the river levels, my heart sank as I seen the river I was going to fish was almost carrying a metre of water, so that blew my plans, looked around at another couple and found one stretch although right on the limit of fishablility I decided to give it a bash.

After throwing my stuff in the car and driving 40 minutes or so I had found the river was moving in the opposite direction that I wanted it was indeed rising, ah well Im here I might as well give it a bash so getting my gear on I found I had left my neoprene inner socks at home, looks like I was going to get colder feet than normal.

Setting up with a 2 nymph set up with a 3mm tungsten bead as point I fished down the first stream to find the under current a lot stronger than anticipated and had to knuckle down to a 4mm to start feeling the river bed.

An hour passed and all I had to my name was the umpteen leaves which were coming down in the rising river and cold feet, the wind was picking up and a rain shower was imminent as the sky started darkening. I was starting to think I was an idiot for being out but decided to give it another half hour.

I decided to walk to a part of the river where I knew one small pool shouldn't be as bad for floating debris  and almost instantly on the first pass I felt a pluck on the line and low & behold a grayling had took a fancy to the dropper.






I stayed on in the pool fishing it hard for the next 20 minutes but nothing else so my mind was made up as the next rain shower passed over I was heading home & my thoughts turned to hot coffee & a sausage sanny sitting in the warmth of my front room, sadly today's fishing wasnt meant to be, but I was very gracious of the Grayling.