Bank Holiday Bonanza!

On Bank Holiday Monday I decided to have a few hours in the afternoon making plans to meet Derek below the works. I arrived a round 1, there were sunny spells and the temperature was ok. I went down to the willow pool for the 1st time this season and noticed that there has been a bit of work done during the winter. It is now easier to get into the middle of the pool as it was difficult to fish the whole pool previously as it got too deep wading up from the bottom or down from the top but now access to the middle bit due to some tress being felled has made it better. Anyway I noticed that there were some hawthorn flies about around the area so put on an imitation, when I got into the pool there was also a massive hatch of black gnats about and plenty of fish rising to them too. I covered a few with the hawthorn and eventually a lovely wild brown of about 10" took it which was landed, a good start. I covered several more fish but secretly I thought they were on the gnat so changed to a black parachute on a size 16, immediately this was taken by another brown, possibly a stocked one this time but in exception condition, no worn fins or anything but different spots to the first. I continued up the pool and landed a lovely rainbow after losing a couple, they were definitely on the gnats! I had to retreat to get out at the usual spot before getting in where the work had been done, this has opened up the middle of the polo beautifully! I covered a few more rises and managed a couple more browns before the cold got to me, I had forgotten to put my fleece lined trousers on in my haste to get out and was now paying for it by shivering like a leaf! I thought a coffee would go down great but blow me the gas had run out in the hut, hey ho!
John the backup keeper appeared and was about to join me when he had a call about poachers by the bottom weir so had to beat a retreat to help out. It never ceases to amaze me these people try it on when the park is busy with people. It subsequently transpired after speaking to Matthew later that the B****** had killed a rainbow around 4lbs landed on a handline too so hopefully he may have some deep cuts on his fingers.
By now it was around 4 and the rises had stopped as the temperature had dropped and I couldn't,t stop myself from shivering so walked upriver to see what Derek was up to. He was in at the sycamore pool and was working his way up so I just fished from the bank which is not ideal as it severely limits you. Fish had started to rise again by around 4.30 so my black gnat remained on as there were still some about. I lost a couple of good fish before landing another 3 browns and a rainbow. Derek was doing rather better than me with his hawthorn even though it only had 1 leg by now after landing around 15 fish on it and also another bucket full from the Wye earlier in the week on the same fly! He certainly gets his money worth from his flies.
We both finished around 5.30 just before it started to rain after having a rather enjoyable afternoon me finishing with 8-9 fish. It won't be long now before we can get out in the evenings, looking forward to them.

Yesterday With a Couple of Friends

As I have a week off this week with my good lady, I was let off the leash yesterday afternoon and had arranged to meet Derek down by the cricket pitch in the park. Bill was also there when I got there around 2, it was a bit cloudy and dull and not as warm as the previous day. They were both already teasing the trout and that's not a euphemism! I spent the first half hour or so chatting with them before making a start where Bar Brook enters the Derwent. Bill was also there so we fished together where Bill took this lovely brown.

A rise a bit further up towards the brook and I covered it with my Nana's fly and first cast a rainbow around 3lb took which took a while to get in. Bill also took another brown before I decided to work my way up towards the deer boom. I picked up this brown to a hawthorn fly and then a grayling before getting to the boom.

 



A few fish were head and tailing but not consistently. Another fish was covered wit the hawthorn and was taken which was another good rainbow but this came adrift and
on checking the hook it had sheared. I replaced it with another hawthorn and soon had a take which was another nice rainbow around 3lb, the twin of the first.

We finished around 4.30 all getting a reasonable few fish for a couple of hours, I think the drop in temperature from the previous day had kept the fly life away as there was nothing definite hatching just the occasional hawthorn, olive and sedge. Something tiny was also about but could say what maybe just smuts. all in all a pleasant way to spend an afternoon.

Easter Bank Holiday Monday

I decided on the sycamore pool today and got there around 2. A couple of fisherman were just departing so that left upstream to me! It was a warm afternoon with a bit of cloud, the river was crystal clear as well. I was determined to stick to the dry today so started off with a grannom emerger I found in one of last year's Trout and Salmon magazines. I started off where the brook enters the river below the works where a few fish were rising consistently. I covered them and had a few half hearted knocks but nothing definite so decided to move up to the sycamore. I got in at the usual spot where fish were also rising consistently too. The emerger didn't produce anything so I switched to a LDO and on about the 2nd cast struck into a lovely brown which fought well for its size.

 

 

I rose a couple more fish but in my eagerness struck too soon. I always do this in the early season until I convince myself to "RELAX" and take it easy! Needless to say the next rise I waited and struck into a lovely rainbow around 2lb which also went all over the pool before resting in my net. As I worked my up the pool the fish weren't really showing much interest now in my LDO so I switched to a smaller olive, one tied with the dyed stripped peacock quill. These really do produce a good looking fly. I picked these up at the flyfair where Niklas Dahlin was tying some exquisite flies using these quills.  Well the first couple of fish covered took the fly but I still struck too soon again and just felt them on then off, for goodness sake (or words to that effect!). I worked my up to the head of the pool but nothing else so I went back to where I had got in and in a cast or 2 bang! A cracking rainbow pushing 3lb (below) which took ages to land, I was determined this was not going to get away. It was now around 4 and the temperature dropped and only the odd fish was now showing and after losing another brown and then cracking off my fly I thought that was a sign to pack up just as it started to rain. 3 fish not great but not bad for a couple of hours.



 

A Miserable Day in Derbyshire (weatherwise)

It didn't dawn too good here today, rain and a good breeze. A break around 1030 convinced me to have a go so I went into Chatsworth Park. I started by the willow stump and as there was no hatch decided on my usual fsn heavily leaded to get it down. Earlier I had spoken to Derek who went yesterday and did well but had to use heavy nymphs so ditto for me. After about 10 minutes my line stopped and I struck into an excellent rainbow around 3lb which led me a merry dance jumping numerous times. Fortunately I managed to ease myself out to shallower water and gave chase. Eventually it came close enough to net but I missed it and off it sped again but this time it threw the hook, a near miss! I then went down to Mary's Bower and noticed a rise but it was a one off, I was still on my fsn and soon landed a small wild brownie around 1lb. The wind was increasing now so I went back up to the stump and got a grayling before moving to the cricket pitch pool. Her I moved through pretty quickly as really if it had been later in the season I probably wouldn't have gone fishing today anyway another brown landed in the net so all in all not a bad couple of hours and some of that cabin fever was dispersed.

1st Wetting of the Line

As I was desperate to have a cast I decided to go for an hour after work today. Normally when the weather is like it has been I would not bother but with cabin fever etc. you have to take a chance. It was quite chilly and the mist was descending as I nipped over the road to below Baslow Old Bridge around 1615. Even so I noticed a couple of rises and trapped a olive dun, these were just one offs. The river is currently very clear and running an inch or two above normal. I made a few casts in the pool below the bridge but I could tell that really there much down for me! After a fruitless few mins ?I changed to my usual fox squirrel nymph  and landed a rainbow stockie around the pound mark. That was really it I called it a day after about 40 mins as it was really not worth fishing as it was way too late for this time of the year so I toddled off home where my daughter had arrived with our new granddaughter Sofia, God it's great being a Grandpa!

 

Back After a Bit of a Lull

After 6 months of non-blogging I am posting again. So how did the 2nd half of my season do? Well after the last post I had a brief session over the road and caught what was probably the best looking brown trout for a long time. It epitomised a true wild brown trout, massive black and red spots and a tail like a spade. Probably weighed just over the pound mark but a cracker.

The season progressed well and I had numerous evenings with Derek above the works when the rusty spinners were falling. we had some cracking last hour's and I can remember 1 particular evening when the fall of rusty spinner was so heavy that the fish didn't have to move to the side to take, needless to say we both gave up in the end and left them to it as our imitations were lost by the multitude of naturals. I know it's a cliche but I have never seen falls of rusty spinner heavier in all the years I have been fishing on the Derwent.

Some evenings had fish rising before the spinner fall to microscopic flies which made identification difficult to almost impossible. There were also plenty of sedge about and at times a dragged sedge pattern created some exciting takes. Stuart Crofts sedge pattern proved another one of his truly successful patterns, definitely recommended. The quality of the fish was excellent with both stocked fish and the wild fish all in beautiful conditions due to the amount of fly life available, no doubt.

As we went into September the pale wateries appeared and again a good few sessions ensued before the season closed.

Yesterday I had my 1st grayling trip above the works. It was a relatively mild afternoon and the water had a slight tinge to it. I started with a klink with a small ptn off the bend but nothing. So I changed to my usual dark olive fsn and eventually managed a 10" grayling which was very welcome. After an hour I went down a couple of pools and again picked up another grayling the twin of the 1st. Then to my amazement I noticed a couple of rises so but could not see anything on the water. I put on a ldo but nothing doing so changed to a small black parachute and 1st pass over the rising fish in the main stream induced a take and another grayling. The final one was rising hard up against an overhanging bush and after a few abortive attempts snagging the branches I lost my fly and the fish went down. I finished up with 3 grayling in an hour and a half which wasn't a bad start to the grayling season.

Thursday and Friday again

I decided to have Thursday and Friday afternoons off again this week. On Thursday it was an awful day, very windy but I decided to go down to the willow pool at about 2.30. Casting into the face of a gale was not easy and no fish were showing. I persevered with a nymph but nothing so I went up to where the brook runs in below the works where the wind was not showing itself as much ion the water. A few fish were showing and I managed a couple to a dry mayfly but as ever the wind changed direction and made casting impossible. I gave up after an hour. The evening wasn't much better so I didn't bother.

On Friday I met Derek down by the hut at Beeley around 1.30. We went down to Max's bench pool and Derek took the pool above. I started off with a mayfly nymph and quickly landed 2 browns. a couple of mayfly hatched and were quickly polished off so a change to a 1 up 1 down dun and covering the couple of rises resulted in another couple of browns, result! The mayfly continued to hatch intermittently and I was constantly switching between nymph and dun. I landed a lovely rainbow pushing 2lbs to a dun and a couple more browns to the nymph. I got to the top of the pool having a reasonable tally of 8 browns and 1 rainbow. I retreated to the hut and put the kettle on before a cloud burst also brought Derek back fora well earned brew. We called it a day around 5. The evening changed to squally showers again and the temperature dropped so again I didn't bother going out in the evening.

As I write this the spinners are covering my car in the drive but I can't get out as on-call. It's a lovely evening and I have just been over to check the river where there are a line of fish rising below the old bridge. I've put my name on that run for myself for tomorrow evening, finger crossed

A First

Last evening I went down to one of my favourite pools, the willow pool. It was not as warm as it has been but there was still lots of fly about mainly gnats and a large olive spinner. I decided on a size 18 griffiths gnat as I have had success with this fly recently. After dropping a couple of browns I landed 1 by hand but dropped it and pinged off the fly so on went its duplicate. I noticed a head and tail rise quite a good cast away so covered it and blow me the fish took. Well then I knew it would be a tussle as a large rainbow leapt out of the water and made off up the pool. I was fishing fairly light and the first run I just let it go were the fish took me down to my backing, a first for me! The fish led me a merry dance all over the pool and I struggled to get line back on the reel. Another couple of shorter bursts and I could tell it was tiring. Eventually I managed to get it into my net after a few abortive attempts and there lay 5lbs of fit conditioned rainbow, brilliant. These fish are in tip-top condition.

I continued fishing up the pool as far as you can go as it does get rather deep so you can probably only cover about 75% of it before having to retrace your steps and get in at the top, needless to say I stayed towards the middle. I landed 3 more browns all to the griffiths gnat again, why haven't I made more use of this fly in the past. I noticed that the fish were also taking some duns and used my net to trap a few, some were small probably size 18 with a grey-olive body. Others the same size but a black body possibly iron blues? The larger olives were also still about these had olive-brown bodies but I am not sure what they could be possibly the spinners of olive uprights, large brook duns or what? I must try and find out from my books. I finished about 2145 as the temperature dropped at about 2115 and more or less put paid to the rises. Another enjoyable evening.

Thursday & Friday

I had booked a couple of afternoons off on Thursday and Friday to hopefully take in the mayfly however things don't always go according to plan especially this year the season is behind schedule. I went down to the hut by Beeley and was hoping that the mayfly may be up. I must admit that Derek had been previously during the week and told me that there were not many about. True enough there were the odd ones around but the fish were not on to them. I started off at the pool by the hit and winkled out a couple of browns to my usual grey-olive parachute. There were loads of fly about swarms of black gnats, yellow mays, some olives,  unbelievable. Derek turned up so we went down to one of our favourite pools, I worked my way up but even though there was tons of fly about there were not many rises possibly due to the blazing sun. I changed fly to a griffiths gnat and then took another couple of browns. At the head of the pool there were several fish head and tailing but couldn't see to what. On went the gnat again and I hit 1 brown  but it soon became detached so moral victory! I persevered and did land a last brown before heading home.

I went out again in the evening down to the works again but how 2 nights can be so different. I really struggled to land anything, I changed fly too many times to count but could not get the fish to take. It was those head and tail rises again! I eventually went down to a size 22 or 24 small black para and landed a brown. I called it a day by 2100 as the damp seeping through my waders got to me!

On Friday again I went down to the hut but it was even hotter today. I was met by hordes of gnats again but today the fish were definitely taking shelter from the sun. It was just too hot for fish and fishing. Mayfly were appearing very intermittently but still not enough to encourage the fish into taking mood. I did manage to get a couple of browns before calling time around 4.

In the evening I went down to the cricket pitch hoping to find an evening rise to something. I walked all the way down to Mary's Bower were several fish were rising. Again loads of gnat about so on went the griffiths gnat. I covered several fish before attaching to a decent brown. I noticed some spinners about so switched to my rusty spinner and landed a couple more browns. I went back up to the cricket pitch and now it was past 2130 and only a few fish were showing but to what? I covered several with the rusty but nothing so as the gnat were still about I went back to the GG and rose a couple of the head and tailers which soon let go, maybe that's what they have been taking all along. Before calling time I did land a last brown to the gnat.

Interesting to note that over this week so far I have only landed 1 rainbow, strange.

2 Lovely Evenings

Monday 3rd June
As it had been a lovely warm day I arranged to meet Derek down by the works. When I got there at 1900 Derek had already started so I snook in just below at the sycamore pool. There was plenty of flylife about olives, gnats, sedge and smuts a whole smorgasbord! I started off with my usual grey-olive parachute and immediately got a reasonable rainbow knocking 3lb. Lots of fish were head and tailing all in a row so I started to try and pick them off but nothing else stirred to my fly. I switched to a black parachute and got a brown in lovely condition. I was still not convinced I had the fly right. I tried to get as close as possible to the rising fish to use my seine net but then noticed lots of small black gnats and I mean small size 22 or smaller and I had left my box of tiny flies in the car! I had some smallish black parachutes so persevered and started taking the odd brown. The temperature was now dropping and waders leaking into the bargain! I finished the evening at 2130 with 6 fish in total but lost easily as many more. It was a really good evening and hopefully more to come, its been a long time coming.

Tuesday 4th June
Another lovely evening and had arranged to meet Derek again at our usual spot at the sycamore pool. Again lots of flylife about and tonight I was armed with my tiny flies. Derek had started when I got there at 1900 but had not managed anything yet. I started with a size 22 black parachute and hit a couple of browns landing a good example of derwent brown trout. I followed Derek up the pool and was dropping and taking several browns before Derek landed his first, now that doesn't happen often! I continued with the black gnat parachute until a monster tree devoured it! Another gnat was quickly attached to my leader and I continued up the pool taking browns ending up at 2100 with 9 fish. I finished early as the temperature dropped and most of the fish stopped rising plus 2 damp legs again. Note to self :- get waders repaired.