Closer to Home

I had more or less half a day to fish today. I was able to get away at 12 and needed to be back for 5. Not wanting to waste time in the car I decided to fish a small river that is much closer to home than the main club water. This takes about 25 minutes off the journey giving me more fishing time.

The river is very small, just two metres across in many places with some wider sections. The lower half of the beat is very overgrown, real jungle warfare. Having heard this and not having fished this river before I opted for a 7ft 6 4wt rod. As I was expecting to be fishing nymphs predominantly I left the french leader on and stuck on a couple of nymphs.

This is one of the pools towards the bottom of the beat looking downstream after I had fished through. It was bow and arrow casts through here and the pool below but I managed to pick up two small fish to put any thoughts of a blank to bed.

This unassuming pool came next. It didn't look much, I had half an eye on the pool under the bridge which looked even more promising but I expected there to be a small fish or two to pick up on the way.

I flicked my line upstream and about half way down the pool the indicator stopped and I lifted into a feisty and much bigger fish than I expected.

 That little copper head PTN doing the business again

Photographed and released I continued up this small pool not expecting another fish having already taken this good one. Just a few feet further up my indicator darted away again almost the moment it touched down. I lifted into something very solid and which kept its head down. After a spirited fight this fish glided over the net.

16" Brown Trout

The first fish was well over 12" so to get another sizeable fish out of a small pool was a very pleasant surprise. I added a third of similar size to the first out of this pool on my way back to the car later on on a dry fly too. Its not more than about 3ft deep and quite a narrow run too but is clearly a favoured lie for several good sized fish.

I continued on. This fish was small but I post it because of its very silver colouration, strikingly different from any of the other fish I had in the day. 

About 3pm a few LDOs started hatching and it wasn't long before the trout started rising in a pool ahead of me. I picked up a small fish further down on a dry fly using the french leader and the noticed a number of fish rising here.

I tried a few casts but the wind had picked up and I was having trouble getting the french leader to present the dry fly with the wind coming directly downstream. Switching to a standard line allowed me to rest the pool and watch where the fish were rising. They were clearly enjoying themselves, several fish coming completely out of the water in their efforts to catch the hatching duns. I picked up this fish on one of Bens barbour paraduns.

Unfortunately there I had to leave it and drag myself away downstream, I had to get back home and left the hatch in full swing.