BFFI Sunday 31st October

Went to the Flyfair at Trentham with Roger. Decided to buy a bit of pike gear for tying up some pike flies, size 1 hooks, various hanks of synthetic for wings, wire trace, and bigfly thread mmmm lovely. Just need to practice tying some stuff, Celtic Fly had some good looking pike flies immitating roach, perch brown and rainbow trout all very realistic looking so hopefully mine may look something like them. Any way back to the BFFI, there was a lack of punters this year, maybe the recesion is hitting more people this year however it did make walking around the various stalls easier but it must be worrying for them at the lack of buyers. There were loads of excellent tyers too from all over the globe tying flies from tarpon down to size 32's! All in all it was another good day out, long may it continue, however next year it is in June at Stafford. Personally I think it is a mistake having it during summer surely people will be fishing? Anyway thats just me.

BTW does anybody know what has happened to Midgeman from USA as his blog has disappeared?

What a Weekend!

Well I was hoping to get out this weekend but to no avail. It poured down for most of the weekend and the derwent is running high and coloured. At least I can see some of you guys have been fishing in various parts of the globe, good on you!
Got my counter back, its amystery as to how it disappeared.

Wednesday 22nd September - A Grand Day Out

As I am on holiday this week and I have not fished for a while due to work being done on the house, Derek invited me onto the Wye for a fish and a get together with Bill, David, Don, Keoth and John. We started about 1100 below Litton Mill as I have not fished there before and it always looks interesting and fishy whenever I walk along the river there. I tackled up my 8 1/2 footer with a small olive nymph and immediately took a decent rainbow at the head of the pool where numerous fish could be seen on the fin. Needless to say that was the only fish to take it as the others took fright! I notice a few olives about with the occasional rise so switched to a BWO and started to take fish (and losing some!) I worked my way up the pool and finished with 5 rainbows and a good brown.
Lunch was at the hut where Don was the chef performing well on the BBQ. The wine flowed and banter too! It was good to see David after his accident earlier this year, hope your back on the bank with us fully recovered next season. Keith was also there who I hadn't seen in ages and Bill one of my all time fishing friends, we joined L&DAA together then Chatsworth before he was seduced by the charms of the Wye and C&LFC.
After lunch Derek and I wandered upstream but as the valley was in deep shade the temperature must have been 10 degrees cooler than by the hut. No rising fish ao I went back to "Duffers" pool for a last cast before heading home after a thoroughly enjoyable day. Only downside was that I forgot my camera, DOH!

I Need to update my blog!!!!

I have lost my counter! What the f is going on. Anybody know how to retrieve it?

Will update blog this week.

Rusty Spinner Does It Again

Friday 6th August

Decided to go over the road even though it was very cloudy and looked like it was going to hammer it down. Went down to the pool above Baslow new bridge. I had my usual grey olive parachute on and covered some rises on the far run and took a decent grayling followed by a small wild brownie. Fly life was a bit absent only the odd olive fluttering about. A fish sipped down a fly and I covered it and after a couple of passes the fish took and I landed a brown about 14 or 15 ins. and the most perfect brown you could wish to see, massive spots and a shovel of a tail and a buttery belly, superb. The rain started and the rises stopped until the rain ceased and by now it was almost too dark to see but I picked up another small brownie then stumbled and staggered back along the river to home.

Sunday 8th August

Met Derek and John above the works, Derek was working his way up the sycamore pool annoying the fish with a sedge.

I snook in just above the sycamore where there were fish rising. The temperature, for once, was possibly tropical, this had brought out a wide variety of fly from sedge to olives and small caenis. I also had a sedge on and took a rainbow, this was slighty flooky I think as other fish covered did not so much as look at the sedge. The rise forms were mainly just sips and head and tailing with the odd splashy rise which were obviously to sedge. I thought blow this so got out my seine net and waded out to the foam line where the fish were lined up and found a rusty spinner, bingo! On went one of my trusty rusty spinners and first cast took a brown.

I worked my up the pool taking 5 browns and a nice grayling all to the good old rusty. There were fish rising everywhere not splashy rises nut just sips and sucks, it was great to see at lasy this season. We all finished about 2115 as the temperature dropped more or less at 2100 and the usual switch was thrown and the rises more or less ceased.

Monday 9th August

This evening it was quite blustery but the sun was out and the temperature was so-so but after last night thought I would go to the same pool again. I started with a sedge and cast under the trees and gave it a twitch, a fish had a go so I twitched it again and it took, my first cast. Then the fun started, it was all over the place and I couldn't do anything with it. I only had 2.6 bayer so had to play it carefully, after about 10 minutes its head came up and then I knew it was nearly ready. I just about managed to net it as it was the biggest rainbow I had caught in all my years on the river, it turned the scales at 5.5lb perfectly finned, superb.

I had to take a breather now as my arm was really aching. I then carried on as there were loads of sedge on the water but no olives yet. I covered a lot of fish but they didn't look interested so after trapping one of the sedges they turned out to be small grey body with dark spotted wings,  possibly silverhorns? I switched to a size smaller and then took a few browns all in pristine condition. I got to the head of the pool by which time it was dark but I could vaguely pick out the white of the rusty spinner wing and managed to pick up a few more browns and a grayling. Some of the rises were barely detectable only by the white wing dissappearing did I know to strike, others were more definite sips or sucks. I finished at about 2130 and left the fish still avidly taking spinners my score being 8 fish for the evening with my PB rainbow.

If anybody thinks this is just a blog stating the numbers of fish taken then I apologise as I am using this as my diary and need to retain fish numbers for the end of season report to Chatsworth.

Happy days!

                                                 

Rain but no rise in the river level

Wednesday started pouring down and I thought it would raise the level of the Derwent so when I got home from work checked the river and it was still well below summer level and clear. So I thought I would have the last hour or so. I went into the park and started at Mary's Bower, there was a mean downstream wind which kept the temperature down consequently only the odd sedge knocking about. I had a sedge on but only got a few half hearted knocks so reverted to a sedge pupa and got an average grayling. By about 2000 the breeze had more or less dropped and olives were starting to flutter about so I switched to my grey olive parachute and immeditaley took a nice brown. I started to work my up to the pool below the cricket pitch where there were numerous fish rising. I covered several and they all took landing some more lovely browns and a rainbow. Now fish were rising consistently so ones which were covered came up for my fly, great! I fished on to the far side of the island where again I took a couple of browns all to the same parachute. I finished up at the tail of the pool by the cricket pitch as I usually disturb a few fish when starting there but this time I held back and picked up some more browns in the tail where the water is only ankle deep! I finished at 2130 with a tally of 1 grayling, 1 rainbow and 9 browns, not bad considering I didnt hold out much hope when I started.

Decided to go last evening!

The sun put in an appearance about 1930 and this gave a rise to the temperature so decided to have the last hour just over the road. I took my Hardy 7' 2 weight to give it a run out. I started off with an elk hair sedge but there was nothing of note rising, only the odd fish here and there. I started below the bench on the far side, one of my favourite runs as even though it is barley shin deep there are always small wild browns and rainbows there and this time they were there also but as I said nothing rising consistently. There were loads of sedge buzzing about and with a few rusty spinners. I covered several rises before a small brown decided to have a bash at my sedge and I landed a lively 9" wild brownie. As soon as the sun dipped below the trees the temperature dropped by 2030 and most of the rises stopped. I worked my way up to the bridge pool only connecting with 1 other fish on a rusty spinner (Crofty style) before covering a fish in the run in and landing another 9" wildy. By 2100 I decided that that was it for the day before passing the time of day with derwentflyfisher on the bridge taking his dog for its usual constitutional, Happy days!

An Evening on the Peacock Wye

I was fortunate to get an invite from Ainsley to fish the evening with him on the Peacock Wye. We started around 1915 below Haddon looking for rises but nothing much happening. The river was nearly crystal clear and there were quite a few sedges about so on went a sedge. Walked down to the bottom weir and noticed a few rises which we covered and I took a small wild brown, lovely. This is Indian country where the banks are overgrown and you need to keep away from the water edge in order to prevent the fish from seeing you. We made our way back upstream taking both browns and rainbows all wild as they come. By 2200 it was nearly dark and we found a pool where there were numerous fish rising, I had a rusty spinner on by now as there had been a few knocking about. I managed another 4 beautiful small browns and missed loads by strinking too soon (DOH!) from this pool. Finished by 2215 and walked back to the car after a most enjoyable evening, thank you Ainsley.

Sunday 18th July

Decided to have the last coule of hours below the works. The river was still coloured but definitely fishable, there was an upstream warm breeze. I started at the bottom of the willow pool where there were a few fish rising to the hordes of sedges about. I started with an amber cdc sedge and took a small wild brownie. I then covered a few constant risers but nothing so changed flies and I managed to trap a sedge and it had a grey body and darker thorax with dark grey wings. Fortunately I had 1 so put that on and immediatley hooked one of the constant risers but effected a long distance release! I took another small wild brown and started work on another constant riser but the current was awkward and after about 30 minutes I must have got it right as up it came with its head and gill cover out of the water but don't you just know it that in my enthisiasm I struck too soon and just felt it prick it. I call that a moral vicory. The wind changed direction now to downstream and the temperature dropped, the sedges dissapeared along with the fish so called it a day before taking 1 last small brown. 4 for the evening,not bad.

Just Back

Just got back from Corfu last night, I think its nearly been as hot here as in Greece judging by the state of my lawn! 2 weeks of reading several John Geirach books and the Blood Knots by Luke Jennings all good. Even managed to fish for half an hour whilst on a boat trip and caught a sargus all of 4 inches, hee hee. Will pay the Derwent a visit tomorrow evening for the last hour or two. It looks desperately low and in need of a bit of rain.