Some Photos

I have added my favourite photos for 2010 to my picasa album.

Its snowing here again today and I have some family jobs to do over the weekend so probably won't get fishing again in 2010.

Wishing all my readers a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and hope you all have a good 2011 season.

Thanks for looking in.

Colin

Not a Chance!

I managed to dig the car out from the drive yesterday afternoon after being stuck since Tuesday, Note to self:- next car must be 4x4!

The main roads around here are clear but the side roads mostly impassable unless in a 4x4. Consequenty not a chance to fish and I beliee the temp must have well below zero all day yesterday.

Anyway a few more snowy pics.

I am still trying to kick start my tying, can't seem to motivate myself yet. I have made a list of what I am going to tie :- LDO, pale watery, Adams, Grey duster, black gnat, tiny yellow parachute to name  a few. I have decided to have a clearout of my flybox and get shut of all those patterns of flies I have never used and just stick to those I have used recently. I thin most people carry far too many flies, I know I did so I am going to be strong and those flies I tied or took with me "just in case" are going!
Watch this space.

Snow Snow Snow

Well I think it will be a few days before anybody gets on the river. Snow is knee deep and still coming down although thats probably diddley squat to wat comes down over the pond!

Anyway a few pretty pics!

Baslow St Annes Church

Calver Road Baslow

Bakewell Saturday 27th November

Fishing again soon (I hope!)

Well it is ages since I have been fishing due to having work done on the house but now most of it is done I am hoping to get out this weekend however heavy snow is forecast for tonight and over the weekend so watch this space!
I have kept up to date on the various blogs I follow and its good to see midgeman back! Some good tying has been placed online too, DW especially ties some excellent patterns. I am having to clear all the dust off my tying desk but hope to get back into the swing later.
Its good to see some of you guys (and gals) still out after the grayling, Hope you are LTD Glen. Have you used the nymph Roger as we all know its not your favourite method?
Keep fishing and tying!
Colin

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.