Dries up

New members who attended the club day might be forgiven for thinking that nymphing is the only way to go on this river, and it's often true, after heavy rain, when the level is 40cm plus, and the water looks like drinking chocolate. The recent ridiculous weather has certainly created a lot of opportunities to cast a dry fly however, and yesterday evening one member, Andy W, reported a rare sight - a Trout feeding frenzy. Apparently the water was boiling with dozens of Trout taking something from the surface, in sips rather than splashy rises, but in great numbers.

He tried to interest them in a trusty Klinkhamer but to no avail, then a tiny Griffiths Gnat, and eventually hooked one on an F-Fly, though it eventually broke free. He wasn't sure what they were feeding on, but presumably some tiny wriggly thing rising to the surface, possibly 'buzzers' which are Midge pupae, more commonly found on stillwaters. Here are some of those flies, and a few others worthy of note:

The Klinkhamer is bottom right, and the CDC F-Fly is bottom left; top left is the Plume Tip, and of course the other is a big blousy Mayfly. A Plume Tip was the favourite fly on this river for the fly-fishing celeb Jeremy Lucas who was a member a few years ago, and it might well have worked in the above situation, or for any other picky trout near the surface, if it can be lightly presented, and frequently dried off. The Klinkhamer shown is the 'special' type with a secondary tippet ring tied in, which makes it easier to attach the tippet for the point nymph, rather than tying onto the bend of the hook.

The big Mayfly is not necessarily the first fly to reach for (unless you happen on a hatch of sulphur mayflies, which is pretty unlikely around here). In fact I tend to use a Wulff usually, in grey or various colours, as a good general searching dry. I did try a big mayfly like this recently however, and it did provoke a few rises, as it floats and lands beautifully on the water, even for a poor caster like me, especially as I use a furled cotton leader to help when casting dries. It also worked on a few of those rare sights of a trout rising regularly, so I guess the shape works, and even the colour doesn't put off a hungry rising trout.

Try and be prepared to switch to dries if you do get a chance, as there's nothing more rewarding than seeing a trout break the surface for your fly. If you have gone out intending to nymph, then spot some rises, there are a few strategies to switch over, as a light nymphing rod can also work for dries. You'll probably need to replace the nymphing leader and tippet, so try carrying a dry fly leader and tippet already made up in your pocket. Another option is to carry a spare spool for your reel with a floating line and dry leader and tippet. Of course you can nymph with your normal fly rod and floating fly line anyway, just by changing the tippet and perhaps the leader, though it won't be as effective for contact nymphing. The final option is to carry a Tenkara rod and line for those delicate dry fly situations, e.g. a very short telescopic rod that fits in your bag . You can read more about Tenkara in an earlier blog item ( Oct 31, 2024).

While you're at it, maybe look up some of the gadgets such as stockingfoot wader savers, fly retrievers and other nifty gadgets. Check out the items at 2 July 24, 12 Dec 24, 28 May 25 and Dec 23 2025, or just browse the blog whenever you have the time, and learn about the work-parties, fly-tying evenings, SERT work on the river, Mink, the Bewl Siphon scheme, how the water treatment plant works, and loads more interesting stuff.

Meanwhile,

Tight Lines,

PeterB