Monday 24th August, a little bit of extra flow and colour so I fished the field above Lodge Farm up to the Sewage Farm in the evening. Plenty of fish showing and feeding off (I think) aphids being blown from the trees – but I couldn’t catch them whatever I tried. I ended up with 7 fish once I changed to a flashback PTN, best around 10″ and 3 of those were in the run near the sewage farm outlet. A beautiful evening.
Chris Leggett
Tough going today: hardly any water in the river and the thermometer not too far off 30C. I fished from about 50m below the sewage works up to the broken bridge – around 3h. Fish were rising but they were picky. Managed four little ones on an olive emerger, having worked my way through a number of flies without success. Hard work!
Simon Hadlington
Fished the bottom of the beat for a few hours from about 11.30 am today, starting 60m or so downstream of the girder bridge. The water is very low – 0.19m on the gauge – and few fish rising. I was fishing a couple of weighted nymphs. Hooked a couple of 7″ grayling early on – one came off, the other stuck. Was hoping for some action in the weir pool but zilch. Did hook what looked like a very nice fish, just on the dam wall (took the point nymph as it landed), but it came off after a couple of seconds. Frustrating session!
Simon Hadlington
13th July, this 14″ fish took a CdC olive below the dam.
Colin Abbot
Fished the river last week, first proper day on it this year. Started below the weir with a hares ear nymph. Had four fish from this section including one from the weir pool itself. Water fairly low, lost one really good fish which I saw take the nymph below the weir pool, I was a bit hasty trying to set the hook. Had about an hour below the weir, after that I moved up and fished from the cattle field to just below the top limit. Most activity around 3pm, had 14 fish from this section altogether, a couple on the adams, most on the hares ear nymph. The river fished quite well despite the lowish water, average size about 6 inches, biggest about 10 inches.
Matt Shipley
Not News exactly, but some timely reminders from club member Nicholas Fitton on some things to think about on those days when the fish just aren’t co-operating…
I. Dry fly – What size of fly? Match hatch with GRHE, Greenwell, Klinkhammer, Cul de Canard, Sedge, Black Gnat, Knotted Midge or use an attractor, e.g. Wulff, Adams, flashy Klinkhammer, Elk-Hair Caddis, Red Palmer, etc.
2. Upstream wet fly or nymph?
3. Upstream wet fly: Snipe and Purple on dropper (or Partridge & Orange or Greenwell, Waterhen Bloa or Cochy-bonddu), nymph on point = Killer Bug, PTN, Tungsten Nymph, Goldhead, Diawl Bach. Dead drift or retrieved?
4. Nymph: PTN, Diawl Bach, Tungsten N., Goldhead – which colour? Black, Olive, Pale, PTN type? What size? 14 is a good start. Try 16 in low water, 12 in big water. Beetle patterns are good.
5. Static/dead-drift nymph or worked/animated? If so, what speed? Trial and error – find out! A “plopped in” nymph/beetle works well under tree cover, where terrestrials rain down. With little tree cover, work your fly. In fast water, no need to work your fly; the stiller the pool, the more you can work your fly. (The same is true for upstream wet fly, sometimes it pays to work/animate your flies, sometimes to fish them dead drift. Experiment!)
6. Wry fly: fishing dry and wet at the same time? Don’t neglect it in moving water or in tricky light conditions. Avoid in low, clear water. Twin dry fly (two dry flies of differing size) is worth a go too.
7. In very low, clear water, esp. on bright days, don’t use upstream wet fly, use a nymph. Choose something smallish, and not too heavy if the bed is rocky. Diawl Bach was made for this job. Spiders too. Consider leader length and diameter. Be prepared to fish fine and far off.
8. Don’t forget downstream wet fly, if conditions are right. Also, as you fish upstream with wet fly, you can make the odd downstream cast too, e.g. through burn mouths, in backwaters or across big bends. Remember to ‘bob’ your dropper fly on such casts. Be prepared for a fish to come for the dropper, but actually take the point fly on these occasions.
9. Never grind on fishless with the same tactic. To break a blank, you may have to be unconventional. A bobbed dropper fly is fatally attractive to trout, but choose the correct spot to try it. Try a very big nymph or dry fly if all else fails. Try dapping from a tree! Try a fly in your box which another angler gave you but which you have never deigned to use. Brother anglers do not, generally, hand out crap flies, but little miracle workers! Try that green flashy beetle someone handed you years ago.
I0. At dusk, on summer eves, when sedges and moths are about, a big wet fly (or Bustard) is a winner when dragged across a large, still pool. Choose one away from trees, with a free area for your back cast, and no rabbit holes in the bank to break your ankle in the dark. Think creatively when things get tough, there’s usually a way to winkle out a brace. Consider going to a different beat, or river. Go where other anglers aren’t. Crowded car parks make for blank days. Get up early and beat the un-thinking crowds, especially in hot weather. 5.00 a.m. to 9.00 a.m. is a time when lazy, unimaginative anglers are asleep!
A nice 12″ fish, one of eight caught on 22nd June at Crow Wood and above on a John Storey.
Colin Abbot
Fished 15 May on top field with black griffiths gnat and black klink, four fish to half a pound; and on 8 June above farm on black klink, one fish half-pound-plus.
Dave Rowe
I fished Saturday, walked some of the bottom stretch as I hadn’t fished it before. Had a couple of fish but mainly just wandered as saw very few risers. Went up to the top started at the farm fished for about three hours. Had well over 20 on a size 18 iobo , had another six rise to a mayfly but not one stuck.
Andy Tucker