Good bye for now.

 

So I've not posted much on this blog for the last couple of years and to to prevent kidding myself it's still actually live I'm going to shut down for a while. It may get going again, it may not, I'll just see how it goes.

To sign off here are two nice fish taken over the past week or so taken from the Dove. For the past month I've been really enjoying my fly fishing on the rivers again so until next time good bye.

A month on the rivers

There is nothing like the anticipation of the rivers opening for coarse fishing, don't  know what it is but the 16th always remains far more special than the opening of the trout season for me. I even managed to fish the evening of opening day having an unplanned escape from work early. So that was on the River Dove where I have had a few sessions over the last few weeks, my confidence was boosted on the first visit by a barbel.

 I've also had one session on the Trent that was the story of the one that got away. The Dove has been tough and most times I've fished up til 10pm ish to get home at a reasonable hour rahter than fish into the dark, that will come later in the season. This season I also have explored a new stretch a little further upstream than my usual haunts and even caught a barbel on my first visit. This with the one I had on opening night is my return so far, but I will keep trying as you never know and the new stretch certainly looks like it has potential.

Foremark in the spring

I've had a couple of trips to Foremark recently as it is a great place to fish once spring arrives. At first it was decidely parky up there where I had to fish hard off the bank to get a fish. Yesterday evening though I fished in ideal buzzer conditions and after a couple of moves found the fish in Bramble Bay where my size 8 olive buzzer seemed to be to the trouts liking. It's a difficult cast in the bay not helped by an onshore wind but that was where the fish were, also not helped by a couple of boats that insisted on anchoring up closest not 15 yards from the bank! You'd think with all that ressie to motor round on they'd find somewhere else but no, quite amusing for me to see his face as I winkled fish out from under their nose. When you stirke it right at Foremark you have to make the most of it and I went home well pleased, nothing quite like that tightening sensation when fishing virtually static. Percentage wise you'd probably see more takes on the bung but for me it is not a pleasant way to fish or even cast a line. The rainbow above has just gone down exceedingly well grilled with garlic and butter, nom nom. The rainbow below was a lovely site coming right after a hail shower!

Ellastone

Over the weekend we were stopping on Star bank nr Alton so I had a little sortie down to Ellastone for a couple of hours on Sunday morning. My first vist of the year and it is always nice to be back on one of my favourite spots.
Fishing was quite productive with I guess eight or so coming to hand, the water was at a reasonable level and still had a bit of colour in it after the recent rains. All my fish came to a small GRHE nymph, with not a rise to a dry fly. The fish above are now not unusual at Ellastone and there are plenty of theories as to where they come from. Escapes from trout farms or stocking by the Uttoxeter club but that is below Rocester.
Me?? Well I just think that although a good size the fish looked very lean, perhaps still recovering from spawning. But that couldn't be the case could it as it only happens on the Derbyshire Wye.......

Hawthorn Fly

I've had a few trips up to Foremark just lately and also managed a few outings at the back end of last season. I always enjoy a trip up there as I probably fished more with my Dad at this reservoir than everywhere else put together so many memories and also many blanks!! The last bit is still part of the experience for the banks angler, don't let the rod average of 5 fool you as bank fish are hard won here after the initial stockie bashing. On the subject of averages I look at it this way; rod average 5 so way hay fill yer boots time but there has probably been a lucky angler on a boat fallen on a shoal and had 40 fish. If you do the maths that means somewhere 7 other anglers are blanking and I'll wager 5 or 6 of those are on the bank. You can play the percentage game on ther banks also, perhaps with a fast sink line and a booby but that is not my style prefering to earn my fish 'off the top'.
So in preparation last week I'd experimented with a hawthorn pattern, probably another variation on a popular theme.
Hook: Kamasan B400 emerger size 12
Body: black seals fur
Rib: red holo tinsel
Hackle: black
Legs: 4 made from knotted black flexifloss, knotted at mid point.
The legs weren't that long, way shorter than you'd tie for a hopper pattern and didn't extend much beyond the bend of the hook.
Last night I fished the last few hours and after a while fishing various patterns on either floating or intermediate I saw a fish rise off hut point. As there had not been much movement all evening and I'd disturbed a few hawthorns walking the bank I thought I'd give the new fly a swim. Not too bad a cast largely downwind put most of a WF8F out into the region where I'd seen the fish. Well barely had it settled and the trout took it in a lovely roll over the fly, as you can see from the tail on it this rainbow was in good condition and boy did it go before it saw the net. I don't take many these days but this one was destined for my supper so in the bass it went. That was around 7pm, the wind had dropped right down and not 10 minutes later another fish moved in front of me. That one was having it as well so I was well pleased with my new pattern for it's first outing, hopefully it might account for a few more over the next few weeks now the weather is hopefully warming up. The trout I killed went straight on the barbecue when I got in and made a delightful end to the bank holiday weekend washed down with a dram of Jura.

Belated Trout

The season is over now and I've been neglecting updating this blog so will try and do a bit of catch up! This trout was one of the prettiest I've seen and it was taken at Darley Dale in September. I hope to get out for a few grayling sessions now the winter is here and will have to try harder to update here.

Mayfly

 I've had a few trip over the last week or so to the Dove and the Derwent and have been lucky enough to find the conditions OK each time. The fishing has been productive but despite it being the height of the mayfly you've had to work for your fish.

Prospecting has not really raised many fish and it has been important to find fish on the feed and them cover them and a well presented mayfly pattern has usually met with a positive response.

 On my trip to the Dove last Sunday I didn't actually cast for the first hour as there was no sign of rising fish, however as a good hatch developed the fish started to move and the air was soon swarming with drakes as can be seen in one of the pics. Phil joined me on this beat and as he stayed a little later really enjoyed the cream of the fishing.

 The Derwent last Monday afternoon was a similar prospect, with the angler having to first find the fish and then present the fly. This is not the easiest prospect at Darley Dale as the banks are very steep with deep margins so it is extreme wading!! You will also be rewarded for staying low, I took a couple of fish rising close to the bank with a only a few feet of line out of my tip ring but I was nestled nicely into the undergrowth.

 I finised off the week yesterday evening on the middle Dove and despite being in two minds about the river conditions it was spot on, a lovely level and colour with a constant hatch through the two hours or so I was there. This was real duffers fortnight stuff once the sun dropped and in a short period I took high teens of fish on a variety of patterns.

I had a chat with one of the Norbury fly fishers who had celebrated his 40th birthday by taking 40 fish! Not sure how many days we have left of the drake for 2014 as it is now raining heavily and not a brilliant forecast for the rest of the weekend, but I can't complain and have had a good mayfly season this year.

Spring awakens South Derbyshire

 Wow was December really my last update? Not quite sure where the time has gone as it seemed like a busy winter with not much fishing but some good outing with Sam and the air rifles. Spring is now well and truly upon us and I'm just back from the dog walk round the village where we saw the ewes still lambing in one of the paddocks.

Back to fishing last week I managed my first session after tench and even managed to land a few!! The local club pond seems to have given us a surprise of it's own though as it is now full of rudd, I'm not quite sure where they have come from but guess that's nature. Anyway, bread flake is a favourite bait here for the tench but as you can imagine the rudd are all over it.

 

So some tench on bread and a swap to corn also brought a few more to the net as the rudd weren't quite as keen. It certainly expaliained the sail away bite a cast I was getting after the rudd moved in. Hopefully I'll get a few more sessions in now the evenings are drawing out. Tight lines all!!

December Grayling

 

I'd been very aware that the autumn was rapidly slipping away and I hadn't managed to get onto the river for a session after grayling. Now it was December and after a morning spent in Burton buying a Christmas tree and then the dutiful erection I decided to head off to catch the last couple of hours. I was quite optimistic and that only increased as the sky clouded over as I drove up the Dove valley after a bright start.

 Two hours is about right for me when you're in the river at this time of year. Yesterday was actually quite mild but by the end of the session I was glad I had donned my neoprene socks.

I set up with a three fly cast using a hand made French style leader, the flys were two soft touch shrimps and a PTN with a tungsten bead on the top dropper. One of the shrimps was pink the other natural with an orange hotspot which from what I've read is proving a real winner.

So it wasn't long before I was into the lovely 38cm fish below, it felt like I hit the stream just right.

In less than a couple of hours I bought ten fish to hand, and one of the more pleasing aspects was three or four fish that were only a few onces each, that bodes well for the future. There were also another three or four that I practised my long distance C&R on, including a couple of lunkers, doh!

The river is now looking quite desolate but was at a good winter level yesterday at 0.26m on the gauge at Rocester. So Christmas is just round the corner now and many chores beckon over the next few weeks. I can deal with those now though safe in the knowledge that that little window of opportunity was well worth making the effort for, my best grayling session for a while.

Oakamoor & Cotton Dell

Eaton Dovedale

Summer is fading fast, and as I didn't leave work until late knew I would barely catch a couple of hours. So after throwing my tackle in the car it was off to Eaton Dovedale where I would just fish the top of the beat.

Some members have complained about the banks being overgrown here, it is not too much of a problem though. I was soon through it and into the river rewarded by a nice brownie third cast.

 Some nice grayling are also starting to appear. Hopefully they will provide good sport over the autumn and winter. It feels like the former is approaching rapidly now.

River Dove

A welcome return to the middle Dove for a session with the fly rod.

Good company.

French leader and small nymphs.

Kelly on the go.

A rising river that was starting to colour.

Managed to winkle out a few.

The grayling are now coming into condition and will hopefully feature over the autumn and winter.

I've not fished this stretch much over the last couple of years. 

That needs sorting.

Ellastone is a beautiful spot.

The improver

Sam is getting to grips now with his Lightning XL, the rifle has settled down from it's boingy start now we have had a good 500+ pellets through it. I also replaced the naff standard breech seal with a HW80 one which also improved the rifles consistency. I'd love to get it to bits and at least get some decent lube on the spring but am reluctant to whilst we still have a warranty. Yesterday we were at Rough Wedge and after an hour or so on the plinking range went for a dabble round the wood. The pesky blighter only went and pinched my HW97 and showed his dad a thing or two getting three out of four knockdowns in the first lane!!

Testing for gas

 This magnificent sculpture is on the site of what was the Silverhill Colliery as a memorial to the miners of Nottinghamshire. The old pit which closed in 1992 is now landscaped and is worth a trip if you are in the area, it takes about threequarters of an hour to walk the main circular path. The miner sits aloft on the highest point in the county.
It is a sobering thought that in virtually any other country in the world there would still be a thriving coal industry.

A tough start

River Dove

It has seemed to be a very slow start on our local rivers, not only for me but from the other anglers I have spoke to on the bank plus the talk on the forums.

Typical Dove Chub

My blank has been saved a few times by my friend the chub. The standard Dove stamp is about 4lb ish these days and some of them even pull back! Chub of this size were fish of my dreams as a schoolboy on the Derwent at Borrowash.

River Trent

I've also had a session on the upper Trent but this was through the middle of the day. Again a spritely chub ensured that I didn't go home with the dreaded dry net. On that day I had the dogs in the car and one of the club stretches is ideal as you can park right behind your swim with the windows open.
Then last Friday on my fourth trip of the season I was lucky enough to land the magnificent fish below. This was a cracking Dove barbel at 9lb 14oz, it went like a train making my my drag hiss like a scolded moggy!
I've not been out since and now have some domestic chores to complete, the dreaded painting! It is nice to get the first bertie of the season under my belt though.

Dove barbel 9lb 14oz