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.

Tuesday - A Warm Balmy Evening Down by Mary's Bower

Met up with Tim, Derek and John last evening at 1930. It was lovely and warm with the sun still shining, plenty of fly about, rusty spinners, B caenis and the odd sedge. Started off at the bend by Mary's Bower with Tim, we both started connecting with fish straight away but as usual it was 50-50 to fish risen and properly hooked to fish lost. Landed a couple of good browns which had risen consistently, then noticed a sipping rise on the far side and I cast to it with Tim watching we were both anticipating a take and it happened, a fish sipped my caenis spinner and was on. A lovely rainbow which looked like a wild one was duly landed. at 2100 we started to make our way back upstream both of us taking fish on the way. On the pool below the cricket pitch I started at the bottom and Tim went to the head. Again I was catching to caenis spinner then the temperature dropped and all the spinners disappeared however the sedge were still about. I changed fly to one of my new sedge patterns with the special film type wings and again was into the fish by just twitching it slightly which resulted in a splashy take. By 2215 I was by the island and started fishing the fast water where there were numerous rises, I landed a nice grayling and then noticed a small sipping rise on the far side which I cast to. An almighty splash took the sedge and after striking the fish headed back to the sea! I couldn't do anything with it and I immediately suspected it was foul hooked. After giving it some stick I noticed it wasn't and that it was a massive rainbow. I eventually landed it, just, as it just fitted into my net and there was a rainbow pushing 4lbs and fin perfect! An absolute specimen of a fish to finish with and I hadn't taken my camera as the battery was flat! I ended up with 2 rainbows, 2 grayling and over 10 browns, evenings don't come any better than that.

What a Difference a Day Makes!

Went again last evening and this time down to the cricket pitch as there were lots of fish rising there last night. Started about 2015 but today the temperature was decidedly chillier and there was a downstream breeze which was probably putting the fish down as only the odd fish was rising here and there, nothing positive. I reached the top of the pool by 2115 and had had nothing, I was becoming more frustrated and my casting was suffering, tailing loops galore! I gave myself 15 minutes and if I still had zero on the card then I was going to call it a day. I had started with a sedge, nothing, switched to a mayfly spinner, only a few splashy rises, nothing definite. Even my size 22 yellow parachute could not raise anything until into the pool above where I took a small grayling (4") and a small wild brown (fluke). I decided to go down to the pool below the pitch where I did well last night and there were quite a few fish rising.

On the way 3 deer crossed the river and started munching the cricket pitch, a lovely sight.

Again there was very little in the air so I persevered with the parachute and took a few more fish which were head and tailing and sipping . Its great when you cover a fish which has been rising constantly and it takes your fly.

Ended the evening at 2215 with 2 grayling and 5 browns, its amazing how 2 days can be so different. I know 7 fish for a few hours is a result but perhaps we need these "knock backs" after a good day to bring us back to reality and focus more, my casting definitley deteriorated the more fish I covered without so much as a sniff!

Still better than working.

Tuesday Evening

Went last evening, decided to start off at Mary's Bower in the park at about 1930. Lots of caenis about again, had my grey/olive parachute on as a general pattern but covered a lot of rising fish but nothing interested. Changed to my new sedge pattern with the special wings as a few had started to make an appearance and immediately started to connect to covered fish, a couple of wild browns followed by a small grayling. There were only a few mayfly spinners about and soon followed by loads of rusty spinners. Ended up taking 5 fish from there then moved up towards the stump but nothing rising there.  By now there was a real heavy spinner fall and the fish were going mad further up towards the cricket pitch. I immediately switched to my trusty rusty and started connecting with nearly every fish covered, it was B fantastic! I ended up the evening with landing 1 rainbow, 2 grayling and over 12  browns. Finished at 2215 but could have carried on as there was still loads of light in the sky.