The Mayfly Have Started

I finally managed to get out for only the 2nd time this season due to family illness. I had arranged to meet Derek at the works so we could go down to the gully where the sun would cast a shadow over the pool. It was an unusually warm day and when we met around 2pm the mayfly were starting to hatch off sporadically.  We ambled down to the gully but I decided to go beyond the deer boom as this is a good place to watch the mayfly hatching and I was after some video of a fly hatching. Unfortunately there were not the numbers yet so maybe in a couple of days I will get my shots. I tackled up with a mayfly nymph just below the deer boom and noticed a fish in the margin so a quick flick and tweek of the nymph brought the fish up and of course I struck way too soon! The fish wasn't touched and returned to the bottom so again I flicked the nymph out and again he came up and yes gain I struck too soon but I think he must have felt something as he sloped off into the depths. Mayflies were drifting off but it is still a few days too early for them I think, according to my fishing diary. Hopefully this week will be better as I have each afternoon off so watch this space!

Looking up towards the deer boom from Bar Brook

I didn't get anything from this area so wandered down to Bar Brook, here a few more fish were showing but  not to mayfly. There were also a few yellow may duns coming off but I have yet to see a fish take one on the Derwent, I know other people take fish on them elsewhere also but not here. Lots of other small flies and duns were also hatching so off came the nymph and on went a IOBO cdc. Something which Dave Southall had tied during the close season at one of the grayling evenings. I noticed a fish rise several times and covered it with this and blow me up he came and had it. I struck into a lovely brown which was eventually netted.

A lovely brown to  IOBO cdc

Below  the brook I watched numerous mayflies hatch in the run on the far side and suicidally float past a number of fish which had risen to small stuff but let these by so this convinced me that they have yet to get the taste for them.
A mayfly floated past which was obviously having trouble casting the shuck away as can be seen below so I gave it a helping hand but it's wings were deformed so that wasn't going anywhere!

Stuck shuck emerger

Nothing down for you I'm afraid!

  

 By now I could feel the sun making it's mark on me so I decided to wander back towards the deer boom where some shade would be forthcoming and on the way picked up a decent rainbow.

Derek was ensconced in the willow pool and  I was given a masterclass in upstream nymphing where he caught and released 6 fish in probably 10 minutes! We called it a day as it was definitely an evening rise evening to be out and maybe we had fished at the wrong time of day, for me at least!
Roll on this week!