Extreme Dry Fly Fishing

March is a funny time in the UK. The Grayling really need to be left alone to get on with their annual orgy, the Trout are still looking down so I tend not to fish too much around home.

However, this is s great time of the year to dig out the passport and travel for some fishing.

Work lent me an opportunity to have a crack at those crazy Trout in the South Platte below Cheesmans Dam in Colorado. If you have not read John Gierach you should, well you should if you like fishing rivers with fur and feather, he captures better the feel of fishing this part of the world and I for one am hooked!

In March the Rockies are full of snow but there are one or two micro-climates that form below the outlet from the deep dams. Because the water comes from such depths its temperature is constant throughout the year, which means when the banks are lined with snow and ice the flies still hatch and Trout are looking up.

This micro-climate does create a false sense of security and the drive back to the hotel in Denver was a little scary as the snow closed in.

I took a day with my favourite guide, Jessy (see blogs from June 2009). We caught a load of fish, in fact it was nearly a South Platte grand slam of Rainbow Trout, Cuttbow Trout, Suckerfish and Brown Trout...only the Brown eluded me. It was fun fishing tiny size 22 nymphs under a small dry. The air temperature was well down and the hatch, light and sporadic.

The following day I fished alone, hiking up river into the canyon. Here I was closer to the dam and the water warmer. What a great day catching some really nice Rainbows and Browns on size 22 and 24 dry midge patterns.

I look forward to returning next year for some more Trout in the Snow.

There's snow way I'm fishing today....

...read the text message from my little brother, so I'd be fishing alone today. The overnight snow had left the local roads a bit of a mess. Still I have a 4x4 so that shouldn't stop me, or so I thought. There were no other car tracks in the snow as I headed up Marston Lane and took a left toward Hatton, the A50 and Ashbourne. What I had not factored in was the other road users. Thirty minutes later I was turning the car round, a jack-knifed lorry blocking the A515 and my route to Church Mayfield.

As I pulled up on Monks Bridge I was actually feeling quite excited about getting in the river. A new fleece bib and brace for under the waders should keep me nice and warm. It was a quick purchase yesterday, a few hours in the Derwent at Cromford has left me frozen to the core and something I was not keen to repeat.

As I walked up the river, my footprints the first in the snow apart from a fox, it suddenly occured to me that drivers passing on the A38 would glance up river and see this complete head case standing in the river waving a stick; what would they think?

I caught fish from the off. Nice healthy, fat and fit Grayling - nothing big, perhaps 12" the best fish but nice all the same. A team of three nymphs which were all being hit by the Lady of the Stream. I was certainly having more action than the Derwent of Friday. Glen Pointon and a few others are fishing the Upper Severn today, we were due to be fishing there instead of the Derwent but Birmingham airport had been closed Thursday night and I was left stranded in Holland. By the time my flight got in Friday morning it was too late to head to Cearsws, perhaps we will get another chance in a few days.

After half a dozen fish and a freshly brewed coffee it was time to head for home to pack for another few days away with business....it had been worth the effort...

The perfect cure for a hangover

A couple of hours engrossed in the bright orange and black banded leader as it weaves its way towards you, watching for any of those tell-tale twitches that indicate a fish has been tempted by the team of nymphs trundling along the bottom, is good therapy for a hangover; I should do it more often.

A solid performance by England’s brave band of fifteen, to hold off a very determined gang from the valleys, had resulted in a couple more in celebration than was good for me. I had, yet again, spent half the night slouched in my chair, probably shaking the foundations with my snoring; these days I am convinced it's not the pints that give me a hangover but several hours with my chin resting on my chest!!

There was already another angler in the river when I wondered up to the weir at Church Mayfield. A few pleasantries were exchanged and, very kindly, he suggested I fish the lower end of the pool that he had already fished through. Now this beat has limited opportunity for a fly angler, being better suited to maggot drowner’s so this act of generosity was well received.

I struggled to find the right team of flies to get them working hard towards the bottom, after about an hour the other chap came for a quick chat before wondering off down to the bridge pool. Another quick change to a slightly heavier Pink Shrimp on the middle dropper added just enough to get the depth needed and a couple of Grayling in the 12" stamp were hooked an landed.

A phone call from home told me it was time to get a move on as we had 'stuff' to do today and so I strolled back towards the car, stopping for a chat and coffee at the bridge pool before heading for home - minus the hangover.

Happy Days!

There were a handful of trips to Sutton Brook and Wolfscotedale to see my 2009 season out. The last Trout session was towards the end of August but by then the shotgun had been dusted off and I was getting some practice in ready for the start of the game shooting season. The gun takes over from September until the end of January.

The last fishing trip was to see me waving a Salmon rod over the river Tweed, that was at the back end of October and the rods have not been out since. It was a good trip, landing three fish and putting an end to a rather bad Salmon season for me and, by all accounts, most of the Scottish rivers. Hopefully the poor results from 2009 are just a blip and we will see better days in 2010. As I write this blog the first of the rivers are open and 17 fish were landed from the Dee on the first day.

Reflecting on last season's Trout fishing, Sutton Brook made it a very memorable one with a good number of decent fish landed, although I never managed to sort out one of those lunkers. Perhaps 2010 will see a change in fortunes.

If all goes well I may be swapping the Derbyshire County ticket for a Leek and District one. I was a member of the LDFFA for a good few years; this was back in the 90's and early naughties, changing to the Derby Railway ticket in 2002 for no other reason than to fish some different water. That was replaced by the DCAC card in 2004 and after 6 years it feels right for another change.

There's a waiting list as there usually is for good clubs and I won't get all upset if I don't make it this year, whether I keep the DCAC ticket is another matter. I would like to spend some time fishing the Wye and Usk waters through the foundation and with the launch of a similar scheme in the Peaks, this season might be a good opportunity to support its first full year and I would get to fish some new local water; I will certainly be ordering my voucher booklet

http://www.trentriverstrust.co.uk/

I am sure it will sort itself out over the coming weeks. In the meantime the tying bench calls as fly boxes need topping up. This is always an interesting exercise and is a good indication of which patterns took the limelight last season. The usual suspects will need tying:-

Size 14 and 16 PTN's with and without gold heads

Size 14, 16, 18 and 20 Para-Adams
Size 12 and 14 Green Arsed DH Caddis
Size 14 and 16 DHE's
Size 14, 16 and 18 No-Colour Klink's
Size 16 Black Para-Duns
Size 14 G&H Caddis
Size 18 and 20 BWO's
Size 18 and 20 CDC BWO's

Also in need of topping up is the the Mayfly box. It took a bit of a hammering last year but only one pattern really made an appearance and that was my Foam Bodied Para-May in size 12.

I shall be tying at least half a dozen of each, with some of the more highly used patterns needing a dozen to top the box up. It's a pleasant way to spend the winters evenings and one that makes time whizz by until the start of the season. Happy Days!

Trout before breakfast

Dawn can be quiet, tranquil and absolutely gorgeous..but enough about her, let's talk about fishing.

As we reach the, sometimes, sweaty heights of summer fish become less inclined to feed on the surface during the day. I have a couple of theories on this which are probably way off the mark but they work for me.

Firstly, Trout don't like looking into direct sunlight and at this time of year the sun is almost directly above us at mid-day, unlike during spring and autumn; they cannot see properly and probably feel 'exposed' to predators.

Secondly, they are a cold water fish which means their body temperature is governed by the the water around them, they can sense the slightest change and therefore will try and keep out of water that is rapidly changing such as that in direct mid-day sun; this means moving lower down or into the shade.

Obviously there is less food about and fewer flies hatching but I believe that makes the Trout more opportunistic.

If you read many of the old authors they advocate fishing later in the day or through the evening. Not too many of them recommend early mornings but this is probably more to do with wanting to stay in bed and have a nice leisurely breakfast before venturing out; to do this though can mean missing some of the best fishing of the day, although it does have some appeal, especially at 4am....

You don’t have to miss out on a good breakfast either. Fried Trout fillets go well with a poached egg but if that does not appeal you can always carry some slices of pig and crusty baguette - a frying pan and stove are useful as well unless you like your Pork products rare!

Another plus point and probably the most important for early morning fishing is the lack of other anglers. Thinking back over the last few years I cannot recall meeting anyone else before 10am. There is something satisfying about putting the first artificial of the day over a Trout and they are often the better fish, fish that seem completely absent latter in the day will make an appearance for that early morning meal. A recent outing resulted in one of my best fish from Wolfscotedale this year.

Shiny Precious things

Why oh why do I never learn? Why?

I know there is no compromising quality and I know quality comes at a price! So why don't I learn? Maybe it's because I really love getting new 'precious' things ('precious'= anything to do with fishing....., of course!!!).

Perhaps, somewhere in my subconscious I know that I can work my way up to a quality version of some item, something that will last and last, by buying several cheaper versions on route and therefore have more precious things arriving in the post.

This has happened over and over again; my first light trout rod cost about £25, was a Diawa #5/7 (how can any rod have such a range?) fished ok with a #4 and was overloaded with a #6, had the action of a soggy piece of string and weighed about 14lbs.

Then I upgraded, going for a bit of quality this time, to something with a Hardy badge but was the bottom end of the range - the Marquis #3/4. It has (I still own it) a nice build and finish but the foundation, the blank, is slow and well... just a bit of a damp squiff really.

Eventually I bit the bullet and bought myself a Sage TXL (actually I picked it up on a business/fishing trip to South Africa before they were launched in the UK). I have had this for few years now and it will last me a good few more, if not forever because I can’t see how it can be improved on....... no really, I mean it!

This last year I have been on a similar 'journey' with packs. For years I have used vests, owned loads but was never really happy with them. Great for carrying fishy stuff up front; fly boxes, tippet etc. However, the back has always been problem to me. I like my Kelly Kettle - bulky I know but they weight sod all and make a better drink than you can get from any flask. Sometimes I have lunch or dinner or breakfast or all of them with me. Previously I used an over-the-shoulder bag to carry this stuff. Then I discovered packs, well I didn't, the 'septics' came up with the idea for their long walk-in fishing excursions.

Packs are great. You can get any amount of gear in them and still have room for more, especially if you buy a really, really big one!! BUT you CAN also carry them with nothing in the back and they still work just as well, ah - see - always thinkin' me, always thinking!

Anyway, I digress. So I decided, after a fishing trip to the US, to switch to a pack. This was a couple of years ago and I have been through four packs to get to where I knew I would end up; with a Fishpond. I tried Ron Thompson, nice build actually but the design was just off the mark and I struggled to get everything in that I like to carry up-front. Scierra, cack design. Phoenix, a cheap copy of the FP Wildhorse, fell to bits in less than 3 months fishing. A month ago I took delivery of a Wildhorse and since then have been regretting not getting one before.

Mind you, none of it helps you catch more fish!

I have been out a few times recently and had a few nice fish and a jolly nice time. A couple of the trips were in pleasant, warm sunny weather and a couple were in wet and windy conditions; each has its up-side and both are better than sitting watching the telly!

It's a funny old game...

The car park was packed; well there were two other cars, which is pretty busy for Sutton Brook. We introduced ourselves and discussed the general state of the nation in the heady world of Blount Flyfishers. All the time I was wondering how we were going to fish without falling over each other. In the end we agreed that they would take a mile of river downstream from the footbridge and I would take the top three miles; very good of 'em I thought!

After the last outing I was interested to see if I could get stuck into some fish of quality. Conditions were very similar; it was warm and sunny with a light breeze. The water was clear, well as clear as it gets in this brook and a little lower than of late which can make the fish a bit spooky in my experience.

I tied on a size 14 Goddards Caddis and a size 20 Adams. They were just two flies I pulled from the fly patch to help me carry the rod to the water and I fully intended to swap them once I had worked out the best options according the hatches.

It turned out to be a funny old session with about a dozen fish coming to the net. Most of them were 12 inches or more and the best went 16" with a 8" girth, weighting about 1lbs 12oz - big for a brook that you can jump across in places...mind you there are also places where you would get very wet if you tried it; being 30ft wide and 6ft deep!

I never changed flies, even to put fresh ones on and caught equally well on the Adams as I did the Goddards. There was nowt on the water to indicate anything in particular hatching although one or two olives could be seen floating around amongst the Sedge, Gnats and the ever present, well it seems so this year anyhow, Mayfly; although nothing was eating any of them - no rising fish except to my poorly presented fur and feather!

A really nice session and one of my best fish this year left me scratching my head...it's a funny old game!

“You should have been here last week, sir!”

Denver is a lot like any other big US city when you first look at it. However, there is a difference; head a few miles West and you will trip yourself up, several times a day if you’re me, on some dodgy wading in what is probably the best river Trout fishing in Colorado; the South Platte.

I am huge John Gierach fan and his scribblings inspire my fishing antics. This is one of his local waters and I was well pleased to be getting a chance of catching a fish that the man himself may have once hooked and lost.

Thirty miles is not a long way to drive but when it’s on a winding mountain road with no lighting and averaging around 30 miles per hour it seemed like it is. After midnight and feeling very tired from travelling thousands of miles across North America, it was blinkin’ hard work! I was mighty relieved to see the cabin lights welcoming me to Trumball, a small cluster of log cabins that overlook the South Platte.

Danny’s directions had been spot on and it was a relief to drop the bags in the entrance to my temporary home for the next couple of days. The sound of the river roaring below me started butterflies fluttering somewhere inside, although that could have been a dodgy chicken pie from the service station.

The alarm was set for six o’clock but I was up by 5.30 to deposit the pie down the big white pipe and to brew a pot of coffee.

Now at this point I would like to say that this was a remote mountain cabin with no electricity and basic facilities but it wasn’t! It was spacious and rather luxurious; somewhere you would happily live, let alone spend a few days admiring the view – a rather lovely river and Scraggy Mountain in the distance.

I stood on the porch drinking the first coffee of the day watching the House Martins which had taken up residence over the front door. I never did like their chirpy tunes and once they started on the “Caravan of Love” I chased them away. A Buck in velvet with a Doe in tow wandered into the garden of the cabin next door to browse on the lawn. Regardless of how good the fishing was I was going to enjoy this short break!

It was just about a mile back down the road to the retail expanse known as Deckers; a coffee shop, a a general store and a fishing store. At 8am, as agreed, I shook hands with Danny Brennan, the owner of Deckers fishing outlet and general all-round good egg. He informed me I would be guided by Jessie, a young but experienced guide and general all-round nut case! We shook hands.

There was some discussion about flows. It was down to less than 400cfps, which sounded high to me having tried to wade the Vaal in South Africa at 500cfps. However, Jessie said “You should have been here last week, it was over 800! You’ve timed your visit perfectly” – now that’s not something you hear every day...

Setting up in one of the many free parking areas along the South Platte, Jessie informed me that he’d screwed up on the wading boots front and had a size 11 and a size 13, with the size 11 being too small; after this he was named as a Cherokee Indian – Chief Little One Boot (LOB). He returned from the shop with matching boots and we set off for ‘Mad Dog’ run. We fished down past ‘Bernie’s Rock’ to ‘FBI Johns’. We caught fish too, lots of ‘em; Browns, Rainbows, Cutthroat and the Cutbow hybrids. The fish were all strong, wild and very, very beautiful – I was very happy.

We moved later in the morning, LOB led the way to the ‘Scraggy View’ car park and we fished a wide sweeping bend just in front of it. My guide was good, he knew just when to switch from nymphs to great big attractor dries, that looked like they could eat a trout, with droppers to double dry rigs. Every time we changed the rate of takes would return to normal and my conversion rate would follow; about a 4,000,000 to 1......seriously I was catching a lot of fish compared to all those around us.

Lunch was served at Danny’s house on the veranda, overlooking the river. It was a fine burger, grilled to perfection and served with a potato salad. LOB and I talked about the fire. It was the Missionary Ridge fire of 2003 and it was the anniversary. LOB explained that some mad-mare of a woman had started it intentionally to try and secure a position with the local fire department. It took a week to put out and had changed the landscape for miles around as well as effecting a change in the rivers. Fishing had gone downhill after that.

The good news was it was returning to normal now, the river is full of fish again but there have been some changes. Caddis hatches are different and there are some fine Green Drake in the river now, hardly ever seen before the fire. The Blue-wings, Trico’s and Caddis are still providing the fish with an excellent diet. Everything I had read about the area recently suggested it was hard fishing, with one or two fish being the norm. Well after the arm aching morning I had just experienced there are lots of hungry fish in that river waiting to be caught – you just need the right flies.

We fished the afternoon out stalking Browns and ‘Bow’s and Cutt’s using dry flies and we caught plenty. Not as big as the fish from the morning session but just as much fun on short line double dries. We shook hands at around 4pm and I went off to fish on my own. I caught a few more and returned to the cabin for a well earned beer.

The next day I was on my own. I fished a few of the known pools that we had fished the previous day and a few I had not. I caught, not as well but was well pleased with the result. After a shower I headed for the airport but not before popping in to see Danny and thank him for a great couple of days.

As I drove out of the Platte valley I came across an area still ravaged by the scars of the fire and it bought home to me just how devastating it must have been. However, as with so many things, time heals and as far as I can tell there is no lasting a scar on the South Platte and I look forward to a return visit.

If you are thinking of a bit of fishing in this area I can recommend the service of Danny Brennan and his team of excellent guides at http://www.southplatteoutfitters.com/



If you can only secure one of them ask for Jessie...after all he may only have one boot that fits but if John Gierach recommends him (Still Life with Brook Trout) he can’t be that bad, can he?

One thing I can suggest is get a guide. One thing I am sure of - I’m glad I wasn’t there last week.....

Struggling with your flies?

There's nothing worse! Fish are rising and whatever you put over them dead drifts past with only a cursory glance. You catch the odd fish, usually small but there is little consistency. At times like this I often feel like putting it down to a bad job. The last outing to Blount was like that.

Conditions were good, a light, warm breeze and plenty of stuff on the wing. There were still a few 'Mays' about but the fish didn't seem too bothered. I guess after a twice daily, three week diet of double big Macs with extra fries and diet coke, you probably want to pick at some fruit for a while. What is it about diet coke with a 2000 calorie meal? It's a bit like having salad on your kebab after downing 10 pints!

At times like these I tend to lean towards my 'banker' fly selection; Adams, Deer Hair Caddis, No-colour Klinkhamer or PT Spinner.

We caught a few, fish to about ten or 12 inches but we could not really get into them. The usual "dead cert" pools let us down and we were in the pub for 9pm.

Being sociable and showing good etiquette

Fishing alone is great, you can focus on the job in hand and you will have the run of the river. Fishing with friends is fun too and it’s nice to be a little sociable every now and again. If fishing with friends, or your on a busy water, you need to follow good etiquette.

With a regular fishing partner this is all quite natural. It starts before you leave the house, like who drives; taking it in turn without really discussing it. Perhaps, if a meal is involved, usually on longer sessions, then KG will bring his pork based products one time and I will make a butties another. Often a treat will be slipped into the food bag, like a nice cold can of Stella! Sometimes we like to share a ‘proper’ meal like Dynamite Stag Chilli and Rice....then text each other the next day comparing bowel movements!

When selecting how to fish a beat a natural system forms, in our case its short sticks. If we divide the beat into two then the one who draws the short stick gets the longest walk to start. On some waters, like the upper Dove we alternate pools between the stone weirs. This is a lot more sociable and we will stop for a brew on a regular basis. A word of caution; if you have been drinking Stella avoid wading and dont stick your finger in the top of a lit Kelly Kettle!

We always fish up stream; this is good etiquette and should be followed by all river anglers. It is a sensible approach to stalking Trout but also saves on any confusion.

A good example from this recent outing was some numpty who decided it was OK to work his way down stream. The guy had little water craft and no manners. The inevitable happened and a pool that I was working up, nice and steady, ended up getting spoilt because he just jumped in at the top, scaring any decent fish for 50 yards downstream – I can’t stand rude people! If you fish rivers do everyone a favour; start at the down stream end and work your way UP RIVER!

All in a spin

I don’t like crowds when I'm fishing, I don't like crowds much at all come to think of it. I like having the river to myself, don’t we all? There are some waters where this is hard to achieve and some waters where its damm near impossible. If you can't do owt about it then, I guess, you learn to tolerate it or fish somewhere else.

Wolfscotedale on the Dove is water a bit like that. Only a couple of miles from Hartington, a very popular base for walkers, there are times when you think the procession of blue and red anoraks will never cease.

I used to fish Dovedale on the Leek and District ticket and that was very similar. In fact I read a report recently that said this was the second most visited spot in a national park next to Mount Fuji. It certainly felt like that at times but I learnt a few valuable lessons which apply at Wolfscotedale and probably many other stretches of river popular with the general public or, as I like to refer to them when I have rod in hand, noisy scumbags! Those lessons were, in no particular order but I will give them one anyway...

Firstly, that the fish actually get used to scumbags walking next to the river, they will carry on feeding but they tend to be a little more cautious of anything over or on the river.

Secondly, the fish will adapt to the scumbag hatch/fly hatch cycle and make the most of the early morning and late evening but that they become ultra cautious of bankside activity at these times.

Thirdly, scumbags don’t rise until 9am and are not seen making noise and merriment before 10am. They need long, big, hearty meals before a long sleep and are at the dinner table by 7pm and so desert the riverside by 6pm.

Finally, Scumbag hatching cycles increase at the weekend - avoid at all costs!

I arrived at Wolfscotedale at 6.30pm to find one car in the car park. He'd been fishing since 3.30 so it was a good guess that he would not be fishing late. This was a good sign, not many of the Derby County AC anglers’ fish the spinner fall even though it can be very good fishing.

There was little activity on the river and no activity on the footpath. Nothing really happened until about 9pm when the first fish started that classic rising pattern of trout feeding on spinners; a porpoys..poirpose..porposie..dolphin like rise where the head comes out first slowly rolling along the back until the dorsal fin shows. I like this kind of rise, you get a good feel for the size of fish.

Although I had been at the river two hours already the Pheasant Tail tied spinner pattern was already in the butt ring.

Five lovely fish between 12 and 15" graced the net in about an hour of wonderful silence!

A case of mistaken identity...

"I know where you live!", that's what I was saying to myself as I drove towards Blount. No, I have not started to collect debts for big Vern and I have not taken up a post with the Royal Mail. I was just psyching myself up for stalking a big fish.

It was a fish I had seen a few weeks ago and unless it has already been served with a squeeze of lemon then it should still be there, having found itself one of those lies that is near impossible to present a fly to without snagging a tree/hooking the rushes/fly dragging like a skating sedge on speed etc.

I arrived to find the air alive with Mayfly, in fact the car was covered in them before I could get my wading boots on. My fishing time was limited to the cooking period of a pair of Mediterranean breasts.., with new potatoes and my seasonal favourite, asparagus.

As I walked down river the dancing May's filled the sky, the grass and even the fishing hut looked like it had a living skin. The spiders would be having a right hearty feast for the next few days but they would need it to repair their webs, damaged by volume.

The leviathan's lair was quiet. There were few flies on the water and no sign of rising fish. I would sneak into position and wait for him to show...not too long mind, I like my breasts soft and moist, don’t we all?

After maybe fifteen minutes a fish snatched at a passing fly. It was not the monster Trout but it meant that he would soon be out to play. Another five minutes passed and now there were three or four fish under the willow, all snatching at the Mayfly feast. Then, moving a large wake of water he came to the surface of his dark lair, to engulf his starter.

It was time. I got into the river and crawled on all fours, rod in teeth, to the spot where I knew I could present the fly. Although only shallow, I needed to stay low and the water was dangerously close to the top of my chesties as I knelt against the rushes.

He was now rising steadily.

I prepared the shooting line, I prepared to cast....the fly landing just at the top of the eddy, enough slack to hold it still whilst the current ate up the free line, "SLOSH!!", he struck, so did I

....a blinking Chub!!!!

Its the 1st of June and we all know what that means

Whey hey! Its June at last, Epemerella Danica, the Green Drake Mayfly, that time of year when I spend a lot of time watching fish feed, watching flies mate but not actually do a lot of fishing.

Why? Well I don’t find fish particularly hard to catch when they are gorging themselves on the old 'Danica' so I prefer to spend my time stalking bigger fish, fish that normally might not show or be seen.

Last year’s best fish came to a ‘May’; hopefully this year’s will be even bigger!!

What is it about Salmon?

You would think spending a week waving 15ft of graphite and a #10 line about with little to show for it, apart from sore shoulders, cracked skin on the fingers from line burn and an empty wallet, should be enough to put any sane person off?

It was a great weeks Salmon fishing, despite the lack of Salmon! They were in the river but we seemed to be about 10 miles behind them all week.

The first few days we fished Ardoe on the Dee in the morning and the South Esk for Sea Trout in the evening. As with so many Salmon trips, like so many anglers before us, the weather proved our downfall. It had rained very hard the Friday and Saturday before we got there. So we used the first three days as casting practice.
Fish that had been sitting in the Estuary all piled into the river at the same time and used a rising Dee as an opportunity to get as close to their spawning grounds as possible. They swan like fish possessed all the way to the middle and middle-upper beats, they were caught on the Monday and Tuesday from Lower Blackhall to Cairnton. We were about 20 miles too far east.

Mid-week and we switched to our second Dee booking, Lower Blackhall. Overnight rain on Tuesday scuppered us again and as we arrived on the Thursday to see the last of the Salmon swimming under the Banchory bridge and heading for tea with the Queen at Balmoral!

Soon the aches and pains from constant Spey casting were the main topic of conversation and AT's bad shoulder and my sore hands were the focus of our attention. Even the capture of a silver tourist was not enough to fire the hope that we were about to start catching Salmon.

The afternoon rain storms continued for the rest of the week and there was little prospect of a fish. We were neither seeing Salmon in the river nor were there fish being reported from the lower beats to give us hope that something could be heading our way.

However, no sooner were the rods loaded into the car on the Saturday evening than we were planning a September trip and the hunger for a Salmon was all consuming, again, until next time!

You ain't seen me, right?

The bank side cover does not really start growing around here until early to mid May. Keeping yourself hidden from those over-wintered or wild fish can be very challenging through March and April. So we have to ensure, more so than during the summer, that we wear the right clothes and use a higher degree of stealth. Two tips for not being spotted; make sure your head is below the cover behind you; wear dull, dark colours.

A recent trip to Sutton Brook was a good example. Both my fishing buddy and I were wearing camouflaged tops and spent most of the afternoon on our knees trying to avoid our silhouettes falling on the water. It was the only way we could get to see rising fish.

Although RE does not do a lot of river Trout fishing a sound coarse fishing background means he has excellent water craft. Fly selection was critical on this outing and the fish soon switched from sedge to olives and then to gnats. Although RE is a good fly tier his preferred method for filling the fly box is blatant pilfering and very soon some of my double badger and Klinks were re-homed!

It was good to see that the fish are doing well in Sutton Brook. One positive sign on this outing was a couple of small wild fish, much smaller than the stocked fish.

Somewhere over the Brownie..Part II

A few days later and I returned to the Haddon Estate for another go at these lovely fish. The three of us spent about half an hour trying to find breakfast in Bakewell before giving up and giving the Grouse and Claret our business. It was a good breakfast too although I should know better than to tuck into a big lump of black pudding and spent the rest of the day regretting/tasting it!

There is something guiltless about a cooked breakfast before a day’s fishing, as if the fresh air and day pursuing wild creatures makes all the cholesterol OK. I just wish my doctor could see it that way!

It was a friend’s Birthday gift and seeing as he has not done a lot of river fishing I suggested he start on the Put and Take section where it’s nice and open. Here he could get his casting eye in and there's a good chance of a fish or two to build confidence.

We arrived opposite the cottages and I pointed to a spot at the end of some reeds on the far bank, "A lump of a fish lives there Ian" and proceeded to peel of a length of line and cast to the spot I was referring to, the fly hit the water, "Just there" and it disappeared in a swirl that can only be made by a good fish! I'm a generous fishing buddy like that...

We watched a Stoat get chased off by a couple of Coots, they gave him a real scalding and us a good laugh. After mucking about for an hour there IP was now well into fishing a dry on moving water, had caught his first Wye Brownie and so we headed up stream.

We fished hard and all caught well. It was pleasing to see IP catching a few and having a jolly time of it.

The day was a tough one with the gusty wind, I knew I should have given the black pudding a miss but the fish were obliging, all three of us caught well through the mid-day feeding spell. They were coming to the Double Badger mostly but as the day wore on the flies got smaller and by the time we finished it was small olive immitations that were catching.

The hatches were of Grannom, although few and far between the fish still wanted them, and Spurwings, well that's what the book said

As the light started to fade I called it a day and took a steady stroll back to the car. IP joined me and we opened a bottle of warm beer whilst we waited for TJ to join us, and we waited...and we waited...

The Owls were just settling down for a nice kip when TJ decided to join us...we clicked our heels together and said "There's no place like........

May so far; 5 Brown Trout; 9 Rainbow Trout