End Of Season Madness

fished the local stream with Mostyn today.  It was nice to get out as i didn't fish over the weekend and there hadn't been any rain for a few days so i was a bit optimistic and was hoping for a lot of fish :D  but sadly that's not what happened :(  Myself and Mostyn  hit the water at around 12 o'clock and the conditions were perfect.  The river had run off its high water from last week but still with a little bit of water still running which was nice but there was hardly any fly life on top of the water so we knew we had a hard day against us.  I was first to hit the water but didn't have anything except for a splashy rise but i couldn't hook him as hard as i tried >:(
Mostyn then said to me that he was heading off up river and for me to catch up while i was tangled in a bush from frustration from loosing the fish before >:( so after i snapped my leader and fly off i headed off up river to find him.  I walked half mile upstream and no sign of him.  So i walked back down stream to the to a few pools above the pool which i finished off and there he was, he had jumped in a pool which we have not fished all season long so i didn't think of looking :/ ( anyways i needed the exercise :-p )

when i seen Mostyn he was just releasing a nice fish around the lb mark so i missed that one, but straight away he was into another fish and another and another so i was grinning ear to ear knowing that the fish were still on the feed even very late on in the season.

we headed on up river fishing the pockets and some runs.  Mostyn was catching a few here and there as should have i but the fish today were just too fast for me and i was missing them every time or hooking them and they were dropping off which is not normally like me :/ and this carried on for about 1/2 mile upstream and about 30 fish lost while Mostyn was on about 20 by then :-/  but eventually i did manage to hook one up and bring it to hand :D  i cast my fly above the over hanging trees so that it will go under them and just before it did BANG!!!  a nice 1/2lb wild speckled brown trout :D

Then i was in my stride or so i thought as the next pool i lost 4 fish in 4 casts :(

I then fished the pool above which is on a bend and some deep fast flowing water.  I fished it all but nothing not a nudge, so i made a cast on the edge of the bank while i had a look around for Mostyn, i turned around and there was a little fish on.


but it was a brilliant day and was nice to be out with nice company :D but i cant believe it things brown trout end in 4 days :(

a bumble bee in the plants and was on the stream too so i have made a klinkhammer pattern for ;)

Mostyn fishing some nice runs.


Some company and the results



a few fish live here ;)

Toatal Paradice

fished the local stream today on my tod, conditions were not the best with the heavy rain during the week and really heavy this morning.  Got to the stream at around 12:30 and it was the highest i have seen it all year as we we have had hardly any rain all season long, but i plodded along and hoped for the best.  I was using my freshly tied klinkhammers for today to see how well they work :p

i placed my fly first in what would be normally slow moving water but due to heavy rain is a little faster, i seen a fish move for my fly but turn at the last moment as they fly started to drag in the water, i placed it past it a few more times and then BANG a nice 1/2lb fish which looked just stunning :)

As i was moving on up stream i noticed a few mayfly, brook dunns and olives coming off the water even with the high water so i was hopeful for a few more fish.  I fished all the what used to be little pockets, riffle and glides and picked up the odd fish or two with the odd big fish around 3/4lb with stunning acrobats while playing them and stunning markings/spots to go with it :)  As the day got along the fish switched off for a while and i didn't have anything for about 1 1/2 miles >:( but i was happy with my surroundings :)

Eventually the fish came back to life after a bit of the odd gaps of sunshine through the clouds and i picked up a few little ones which were very nice to catch and see :)  But im really sad that the trout season is about to end and wish it wouldn't end :(  But im always optimistic for next season :P

Some very nice looking pockets, runs and holes with a bit of water ;)

And all filled with wilder than wild and very aggresive brown trout :D






Spots to die for :)

A Little Place I Call Heaven

Today ( bank holiday Monday ) i made sure i had booked a day off work so that i could get a good few hours out on the stream as i haven't fished it for a few weeks due to practicing with the french leader ready for the winter grayling.  Anyways the day started off with me giving Mostyn a ring to see if he was going fishing today and he was more than happy to say yes :)  We got onto the stream and it was still very low and crystal clear even though we had a good bit of rain for a few days during last week and the weekend :-/ but we ploded along fishing some nice runs with fast water and picked up a few nice trout which were very very fast striking the fly but not very big neither only a few inches but nice to see none the less :)
As we moved on up stream we noticed that there was a very good hatch of olives, brook duns and the odd mayfly plus the sherry spinners flying about everywhere.  There was fish rising everywhere in the fast water, glides and calm water :) myself and Mostyn put our flies in separate pool and both of use were into a fish straight away :) the fast strikes and kept on for around 2 hours and missing them too, but it wouldnt be called fishing if we could catch them all ;) As i rested down for a drink and something to eat Mostyn fished a nice pool which normally has a good head of fish and i just knew that he was going to have a few so i got the camera out and he was straight into a fish and 2 more straight afterwards ;)


As it got a bit on in the day and the air temperature got a bit colder there wasn't as much fly life left on the water and a lot more area's where shaded so there wasn't so many splashy rises but we hit a pool which just screamed out fish so i was first to give it a try :) first few casts i had a rise but didn't strike into it as Mostyn was talking to me and i wasn't concentrating :P but now that i knew where the fish was lying i casted it across the other sections of the pool and give that one a rest.  I cast above about 4/5 feet from where the fish is laying and wait in anticipation as the fly passes it..................... and nothing .  So i cast it again and again and still nothing.  So myself and Mostyn decided to call it a day so i cast the length of my line out to reel my line in and then BANG i wasn't expecting it :-o i struck and as soon as i knew it the fish was hooked and jumping like crazy and then it happened it snapped and Mostyn was laughing :(  But it was nice to be back on the stream with my little 6ft 3# and if i died and if i died and went to heaven  this would be it :)

here are a few more pictures of the day :)

River & Stream

STREAM 
It was Saturday and had the weekend off and i was determined to get out onto the stream to get out and persuade a few wild trout to the dry fly.  I phoned my trusted companion for the day and asked where are we going and he said that he has a surprise for me today as he was going to take me onto a stream which is hasn't been fished for years  :-D  So we get to the untouched stream and it looked as beautiful as i imagined it in my head, over hanging tree's, large boulders, fast runs, nice glides, riffles and pockets.  I couldnt wait to jump in and wet a line :-D

Mostyn let me take the first pool, it had a bit of slow water with a fast run down the middle and sides at the top of the pool.  I fished the fast and slow water making dozens of casts, kneeling down all the way not to spook the fish but still didn't entice anything to the dry fly.  It was like that for a few more pools and runs up the stream until i came to a nice side pool which had lots of channels of fast water coming into the main pool.  I placed my fly at the ends of the fast runs first just encase there was anything lying there before i put my fly into the much faster water, and straight away i had a rise to my fly but these wild brown trout are very very fast and i mist the take but i was determined to get one from this pool ;-) a few more cast and a few more mist takes and i actually hooked one, a nice little perfect wild brown trout.
But it was the same all the way through the stream, a bit of hit and miss for myself unlike my good mate Mostyn who was picking them up rite left and center but mainly dropping them off but a nice day and i shall definatly visit this wild small stream again :-)

Mostyn fishing a nice pool.


RIVER
The next day ( Sunday ) my brother phoned me up asking me to teach him a few things about fly fishing as he has been nagging me for ages so i could not say no :-/  I set him up on a team of nymphs as where i was taking him it was ideal as it had some shallow fast runs and some deep pools with a bit of flowing water in it.  I was first up in a run which i like to call mine and only mine pool :-p
I was set up with a klink & dink, i stood a fair bit off the fast water to start off with just showing my brother a few things on casting etc etc and then started fishing the faster water where i know usually there is a good head of fish :-) I placed my flies up against the fast water and directly in the fast water itself where there normally lies a few nice fish but nothing today.  So i decided to put on a heavier nymph and sort of czech nymph it with a short line keeping the klinkhammer out of the water as an indicator and using a heavier nymph.  as soon as i was drifting the nymph down in the fast water next to the wall i felt a tug on my line but i didn't strike for some reason and didn't hook into the fish so i decided ( obviously ) to put it past it again, but this time i struck and was into a fish.  Then all of a sudden it shot off up river and down river, i knew i was into a good fish so i let it run some line off the reel and tire itself out whilst placing a bit of pressure on it to keep the line tight.  It was jumping and splashing about like a wild horse and finally after about 5 minutes managed to calm the beast down enough to get it into the net.  A nice 3 1/2 lber  give or take :-)

After hooking that monster i gave my fly rod and same set up to my brother and showed him what to do and where to place the flies and low and behold a few flicks to get used to the rod and how to flick the rod he was into a fish around 1lb.  As the day got on myself and my brother hooked into a few nice fish and lost a few nice fish too.  But i will definatly take my brother fly fishing again as it was a good laugh and we also caught a few nice fish too.  What more can you ask for ;-)

Here are a few pictures of the day.


my brother with his first fish on the fly

A rare photo of myself ;-)

Mid Summer Magic

It was the end of the weekend and i hadnt been fishing all week so when it came to Sunday and my better half could see me looking out of the window looking at the rays of sunshine coming through the clouds from the rain the night before she felt pitty on me and let me get out on the river for a few hours :-)

as i got onto the stream there was a slight down stream wind and very little life on the water but after 5 minutes the sun made an appearance and i was on my way.  I started off in  pool which i always start off in under a bridge slow and fast water which normally holds a few nice fish but even though i was putting my fly in the rite places and not creating any drag on my line there was nothing there to greet my fly.

So i moved on into the next few pools which was very fast water which with the river low there had to be fish lying off the fast runs waiting for nymphs and flies to pass their way to snatch up :-) and low and behold my first cast into the side of the fast water a nice little fish snatched up my fly and then after that one there were about 3 more to follow it :-)

after fishing a good   few more pools with fast and slow water and fishing glides too picking up the odd few fish i noticed that the flies had stopped hatching completely and the only thing on top of the water was midges and i didnt have a single rise for a few hours and thought to myself is there something which im doing wrong, im kneeling down out of the shadows, presenting my fly rite, fishing the faster water so what am i doing wrong.  Then the sun came out for half an hour and woke things up a little with mayfly, olives, sedges etc coming off the water and noticed a few splashy rises a couple of pools above me and after fishing the pools below the ones which fish are rising in and having a few splashy rises but not hooking anything as you can imagine i was ready to pull my hair out :/ but after a few casts under a little tree and in close to the banks i soon picked a few up :) and then after around 4/5 hours on the stream and about 20 fish after i had a phone call saying to make my way home as dinner was ready and i had a sad face as i didnt want to leave my surroundings high up in the mountains listening to the mountain streams running through the lush valley.   But mark my words, I WILL be back ;)

you have to pick a pocket or two ;)




My company for the evening whilst sitting down taking in my surrounding eating my lunch

And the inhabitants of the lush small stream which i call home :)