Derwent Coloured

Thursday 8th September
Following the recent rain I had hoped it had freshened up the Derwent so I decide to go down to the willow pool for an hour or two. The river was slightly coloured but not too much to prevent the odd cast. I waited a few minutes to see if there were any fish moving but there was only the odd one here and there. I noticed a constant riser under the first tree so made a note of where the rise was and eased my into the tail, again the fish showed so I cast my size 20 yellow klink about a yard above the rise and I watched him come up slowly to engulf the fly.......wait....wait...strike and its on! It was a decent grayling knocking a pound a great start! Rises as I said were few and far between and they were those slow head and tail slurps. There was nothing definite on the surface only the odd sedge and I did notice a few very pale olive type flies probably pale wateries of some sort. I covered a few other fish but nothing. There was a riser on the far side beneath the cover of a branch but by some deft side casting I managed to drop my fly above but it was ignored several times so my thinking being that its after something else. I changed flies several times but fortunately the constant casting failed to put it down, in the end I put a small rusty over it and it decided to have it! A lovely brown but I am sure I've caught it before in this pool as it has a missing pectoral fin! Obviously a stock fish but each of the other fins and tail were perfect together with the lovely red spots so some stock fish do look good. That was it for the evening as I had to be home by 7.30 as it was our 'dance' night!

Friday 9th September

As I hadn't been down to Beeley for ages I decided to pay a visit to the area around the hut. Unfortunately due to the overnight rain the river had maybe come up another inch or two but had coloured up considerably, to be honest I should have turned around and gone home but as I was here then I may as well have cast. The pool above the hut has some fast water were I thought the clarity maybe better. Rises were conspicuous by their absence to say the least. Leaves and other autumnal detritus were being brought down however on the hut side there is a nice run which usually has a fish or two as I remember a few years back fishing with Bill when he trundled a nymph down the run early season a ended up with a cracking rainbow. Anyway I digress but unfortunately I put a dry down the run and a nymph but nothing. however I was taken aback by the dipper which was no more than 10 feet away busily trying to find his dinner in the margins! I then noticed a small rise in the fast water at the head so changed my nymph for my small yellow klink and after a couple of casts had a take and landed a grayling as below. The sweetest thing you could see and one of the smallest I have ever taken. Its encouraging to know that the river is still as clean as can be following the previously pollution from the mine in Stoney Middleton.

I finished of with a cast or two in the pool below the hut with a caddis and took another daft brown. Not a brilliant hour or two but at least I got out.