I'm sure that many of you will be celebrating the Platinum Jubilee by going fsihing this wekend, and you should be well placed to get a good catch. I went to Share Farm yesterday and when I found the right spot, I hooked 3 trout in 4 casts, landing 2 Rainbows, missing a take, then catching a big Brown who fought hard for quite a while then suddenly leapt out of the water and onto some overhanging branches, cunningly throwing the nymph.
I then moved on to Trottenden and got another Rainbow with my 1st cast in one pool, then tried a deeper pool and then as soon as I switched to a 4mm tungsten nymph picked up a large (stocked) Brown. Game over for me, as I'd reached my limit of 4 fish rather quickly, but I was there to stock the freezer.
I'm not claiming any great skill, as there are plenty of fish there, and I was using a nymphing line and maintaining close contact (euro-style), but most importantly I was using some very special nymphs.
These hairy beasts were tied by a long-standing member, Tony Cobb, with Tungsten beads on jig hooks, using Alpaca wool; they were loosely inspired by Jeremy Lucas' Hydro Caddis nymphs. I'm pretty sure it's the hairiness that makes the difference, so don't be too neat with your fly-tying. I have plenty of Alpaca wool if anybody wants any, so just contact me on TeieseAOA@gmail.com if you want some, or if you have contributions for this blog.
Happy Jubilee.
PeterB