The first week - and the last evening

Well, for once, we can't complain too much about the weather for the start of the season (except on one day anyway). Admittedly the river was ridiculously low for the time of year, and I suppose the weather does bear some reponsibility for that. It did mean the water was pretty clear though and everywhere was accessible.

The one hiccup we did have was that the stocking was much later than usual, due to circumstances beyond our control, so it only happened half way through day 1. That was entertaining for some, and possibly frustrating for a few real early birds, though there's no doubt that a lot of trout have over-wintered, especially on Beat 3. The low water did mean that the stockies found the nearest deep pool and stayed there, which was fun, but more like catching than fishing. Some members were lucky enough to catch 'Blue' trout this time, as a number have been stocked, but they and most of the new trout were definitely extremely fit and lively.

The low water level and the bright sun has also caused a layer of brown sludge (algae really) to develop on the river bed. This has caused a lot of frustration, as you needed to clean it off your nymph after every cast that reached the bottom. Not too hard, with an aggressive flick, but a bit annoying. I'm not sure if it is connected, but several members have reported a much higher than usual rate of 'lost' fish, where the trout have got away despite our best efforts to land them safely. I experienced this myself, and I'm sure I was doing everything right, or at least as well as I usually do, so maybe it was down to slimy hooks. On the other hand, I fished on the one really cloudy and bitterly cold day (the same day as the work party) and I did wonder if the fish were just really desperate to get back in the water as that Easterly wind whipped along the river.

It was good to see that almost every Beat has already been fished, including 1, 6,and 7 (Bockingfold) which was stocked this time, but if you try there, do take a long-handled net. You'll also need a long handled net for the new platform and ladder on 2a put in at the end of March (see item below). This is a good spot, but the river has dropped, and so landing a trout is challenging there, and you really don't want to fall in, as it's very deep.

If you get fed up of catching brown slime, you may want to try switching to dries, even if you don't see many rises. There are definitely some hatches, but one member switched to dries after blanking on nymphs, with much better success. The low clear water should mean that the trout can see your dry fly, even if you can't see the trout, so you may provoke a rise. Let's face it, it's always more satisfying to catch one on a dry, rather than a few on nymphs, and you're more likely to find a Brown that way.

If you do want to stick to nymphs, and let's hope we get a bit of rain to wash some of that gunge away, then you might like to know what's been successful so far, so here's a list:

Golhead PTN, Black PTN, Bloodworm, Hydropsyche, Montrose, Montana, Brown Shrimp, Killer Bug, Olive, Coral-tailed Hare's Ear, Keith's Curry Nymph, and various Quills, including my favourite the Off-bead Silver Quill, and Peter V's favourite the Duracell.

If you'd attended any of this year's fly-tying evenings, then even if you were a complete novice like me, you'd have learned to tie a Quill nymph, as well as the Curry nymph. Wednesday was the last meeting for this end of the year, and the final stage in our beginner's programme. This time we learned to tie in CDC hackles (perfect for quills) and a partridge hackle for a wet fly/spider. We also tied the aforesaid Duracell, though nobody was quite sure exactly what colour a Duracell is supposed to be, but perhaps it doesn't matter that much.

This slightly distorted picture shows us all hard at work following Keith's patient instructions, and we all came away with a few nice flies, as well as a full stomach (the fish and chips there are very good), after another very very sociable evening.

Huge thanks to Keith for initiating, organising and leading these sessions and putting so much time and effort into them. They will start again in October, and I don't think anyone who has attended one has failed to enjoy them and learn a lot, in jolly good company.

Enjoy the river while the weather allows, and keep the catch returns coming in, and do mention your successful flies in the comments, and any other tips you'd like to share.

Tight Lines

PeterB