Red Letter Day

It was Friday.  I had a day off, my partner was in work and the kids were in school.  After watching the partial eclipse I threw all my fishing gear into the back of the car and half way to my destination I phoned my partner to say where I was going(She was not too happy).  On arrival the river was gin clear and low with not a cloud in the sky. started off in some fast deep/ish water so kitted up klink and dink and I found it too low for a team of nymphs on a French Leader. there was no fly life at this stage around 09:30 in the morning but managed a good couple off fish to the nymph/Dink before a good hatch of LDO's came off at around 11:00. I then switched over to my favored LDO/Large Dark Olive pattern as the fish were looking up and taking the flies off the surface quite confidently.

Hook - Hayabusa 383 size 16
Tail - brown hen hackle
body - olive superfine dubbing
thorax - hares ear
wing - 4/5 cdc feathers.

I managed to hook and quick release a few opportunists charging out of the fast water to attack the fly but moved into some slower pools where there were also fish rising. I had to slow my pace down in the water, make sure I didn't stumble/splash the water and keep low to try and not spook the fish. I noticed one fish just picking his nose out of the water in a feeding frenzy. I cast to it but nothing. I thought that I had spooked it as my cast splashed a little on the water. I waited a minute and he was back again rising. So I cast my line just above the rising fish and as it passed a head came up and slurped my fly down. I was in for a shock to the size of the fish as it leaped out into the air and tail walked half a dozen times in the next couple of minutes. It gave an extraordinary fight (One I will not forget) before sliding into my net. this fish was huge, I would not like to say as to how big in weight but i would imagine over 3lb and the head on this fish was huge. The fish also had some fin damage i would presume from spawning season whilst competing for a hen fish or mink.


In total I managed to catch half a dozen fish well into the 2lb bracket and 3 fish well into the 3lb bracket and smaller fish too. I call it a red letter day