The Mayfly

I have not found time to write recently, thankfully though that is not for lack of fishing. The last few weeks have seen several trips to the club water and to the river Wensum in Norfolk. None of these were particularly memorable trips and although fish were caught the going was hard.

More recently things have looked up thanks to the mayflies making an appearance. I saw my first mayfly on the 17th May.

Ephemera Danica

Although the fish were taking the odd dun I could not tempt them to a dry mayfly. They were happy to take a big klink though and I had a good day catching 20 (10 trout, 9 grayling and a chub) fish all told. I did resort to a black gnat to tempt one good fish in a slow pool that proved tricky to catch.

Tricky one on a black gnat

A good fish taken on a large Klinkhamer

By my next trip on the 22nd the hatch was in full swing. This was a Friday evening trip and the fish were taking spinners. I managed to lose the only two spinner patterns I had after only a few fish. I was fortunate that the fish were not too selective though and would take a Danica PHD freely.

16" Trout taken on a Danica PHD

This fish was the best taken on that trip measuring 16". An accurate cast was needed as it was feeding on spinners drifting into a small back eddy near the head of a deep pool. Casting as I was over the main flow I could only manage a second or two of drag free drift, but that proved to be plenty as the fish nailed the fly as soon as it hit the surface. This was a productive trip yielding 12 trout several of which were over 12".

My most recent trip was on bank holiday Monday (24th May). I fished with my friend Eliot who I have fished with since I started fly fishing a few years ago. You could say he's responsible for my getting into fly fishing as it was he who suggested going on an Anglian Water beginners course in the first place.

Anyway, we arrived around lunchtime and from the off it was clear that mayflies were going to be the order of the day again. I caught a small fish bow and arrow casting in the very tight bottom of the beat.

Bow and Arrow casts are needed at the bottom of this beat

Eliot was into the first good fish in a pool containing several rising fish.

A good trout for Eliot

The day continued with us regularly rising fish to our flies. Unfortunately Eliot was having trouble getting them to stick and only managed two more fish to hand. I was more fortunate managing 11 including my best fish of the year so far.

I had tried for this fish on my last visit. It sits under the low overhanging branch in the centre of this picture. The pool is slow and there are trees and bushes making a back cast impossible. Slotting a fly under the low branches is not easy and one bad cast puts the fish down, as I learned to my cost on my last visit.

A tricky cast to get a good presentation under the low
hanging bush in the centre of this picture

This time however I managed to pull it off and no sooner had I done so the fish nailed the fly. Life was made somewhat difficult by the deflector in the foreground of the picture as the fish made straight for it and I had to quickly wade up the river to head it off before it snagged me. That achieved getting the fish to the net was a relatively simple affair and I was rewarded with my biggest trout of the season so far. The fly that did the damage today was an OE Mohican Mayfly tied for me by Ben Lupton.

A fat 17" fish from a tricky spot and a happy angler

I'm hoping for a few more mayfly adventures before they pack in for this year and its off to Yorkshire again in a couple of weeks too.