Sunday - A quick hour and Tuesday another hour too!

On Sunday I decided to have the last hour over the road below Baslow old bridge. Unfortunately there wasn't much fly life about so I started with my grey olive parachute which is always a good searching fly. The run along the opposite bank always produces a fish or two and this was no exception as a lovely small brown around 8" took, wild as they come! I noticed another small rise in the run in to the pool and covered it a couple of times before I got the cast spot on and another brown came to hand this time around the pound and a half. I persisted in this pool as time was running out and just as it was getting dark some spinners started dropping so,on with the rusty spinner and immediately a rainbow was landed. 2 further browns were landed before I called time around 1015.

On Tuesday again I decided to have the last hour and a bit but this time down at the willow pool. This time I started at the head of the pool where several fish were head and tailing. It was a glorious evening, warm with the sun about to dip behind the trees, lots of various fly about, spinners, Duns sedges and more! Again I had tackled up with a grey olive parachute and was soon into a decent brown followed swiftly by a second before losing my fly in a tree. As the top of the pool is "protected" by trees on the opposite bank under which the trout rise necessitating a sideways cast. I decided to put on a sedge and again a rainbow was taken. The fish continued to rise but getting them to take was not as simple as there was something they were taking which I could not make out. A few Duns were spotted which went through the head of the pool before being snaffled by the trout but I was not convinced that was the target. I changed to a rusty spinner and immediately was taken by another brown followed closely by a second rainbow which I would put money on being a wild one as it only about 6-8 inches and had the tell tale white tips to its fins. I worked my way down covering several fish but only landed another 2 browns, 6 fish in little over an hour and a half was not a bad evenings work!

Friday July 11th - A Lovely Evening

I had planned to go fishing each evening this week but never made it so was determined that I would go this evening. I went down into the park below the bottom weir. The sun was shining nobody was around and fish were rising everywhere, heaven! I had my usual grey olive klink and covering the second fish it was a lovely head and tail rise and I struck into a brown which was duly landed. The next rise was a cracking rainbow around 3lb again a lovely head and tail rise. Fish came thick and fast mainly browns and I soon had a tally of 8 fish. All to the grey olive which was now looking decidedly knackered. There were loads of sedge about as well as duns and spinners so I switched to a sedge and again started picking up fish. I lost the fly to another large rainbow so another sedge was put on and again fish started to take it again. I could not go wrong it was one of those evenings when everything comes together. I had the river and the park to myself, my own private stretch. Fish continued to rise to around 9pm when the sun dipped behind the hill and the temperature dropped. Only the odd fish rose from then and I finished with a second grayling taking my tally to 2 grayling, 2 rainbows and 12 browns for a joyful couple of hours.

Monday Evening

I decided to have the last couple of hours this evening so just went to the willow pool (again I hear you say!). It was a decent clear evening with the sun just setting behind the hills, lovely. I had previously spoken to Derek who said there were lots of sedge about so I had tackled up,with a brown sedge size 16. I started at the bottom and missed the first couple of fish but hooked into a lovely brown which I would put money on being as wild as they come. I covered a few more but they were definitely not on the sedge so time for a rethink. There were also some Duns around and I managed to trap I in my net, it was a greyish colour so on went my grey-olive klink. On the second pass over a fish a lovely head and tail rise took the fly and I struck into what I thought was another brown but turned out to be a cracking wild rainbow around 1 1/2lb, full of spots right along its flank and fin perfect, it did not jump,about like other rainbows but bored deep. Another fish showed midstream and I placed my fly in the ring of the rise and up he came again and took, blimey I love this game when it comes together like this, fishing to rising fish and getting a take to targeted fish! Fish were showing at the head of the pool and so I got out and crept in at the head, fish were showing underneath the trees on the far side and by now there were plenty of spinners about,I still had on my klink and a fish took which was landed, another brown. At this point I decided on a rusty spinner for a change and although I covered several fish only 1 took the fly and was landed, a lovely spotted brown. It came the time when the switch was thrown around 9.30 and the temperature dropped, the fly disappeared and only the odd fish showed so I called it a day, 5 fish in a couple of hours after a sh!t day at work made it a good evening.