Feedback & Reports

Fished from 10am-3pm, plenty of surface activity from grayling and a salmon. Took a 14" fish in the first hour but had to wait until much later for the other two, one of which was a huge 17½" the other 12". I fished some excellent barbless tungsten nymphs (barblessflies.com) and lost several other fish who shook themselves off. Fish took size 18 nymphs under a Klinkhammer. Came across a freshly dead (suffocated) trout which was strange.
Good to have met Louis from WUF there and learnt about the work which was done on the river.

3 Grayling

The river is back up to normal flow, it was a bit coloured and running fast. There was a constant stream of olives on the water but absolutely no rising fish until 3.30. I fished 1.5mm tungsten bead nymphs under a bushy klinkhammer all 3 grayling took the nymphs, 10"-15 ½" and surprisingly docile. The afternoon saw some rising fish taking tiny flies and chancing them being grayling I fished size 18 para Adams but took a large trout 14" and decided to stop for the day.

1 Trout, 3 Grayling

I took a good friend along with me this time, and I stupidly told him there were plenty of fish in this river (there are).
The weather was 12-15 degrees, overcast and no wind.
The river however looked lower than it did in May and very clear. We managed a couple of grayling, one taken on the fly fly, and a couple of oos brownies.
Saw quite a few fish rising but could only get the one to come to the fly. Nice day out though, in very mild conditions.

2 Trout, 2 Grayling

Fished from 11-3 ..nothing doing until 12.30 despite searching carefully with nymphs and then an olive hatch brought some rising fish. 4 Grayling from 12" to 14", Trout was around 14" and fish came to Para Adams,Griffiths Gnat and Greenwells all size 16. Glad I'm catching more Grayling than Trout on this beat, it was the opposite this time last year.

1 Trout, 4 Grayling

All fish caught on dry fly. Biggest fish 8 inches others 6 inches.

4 Trout

Not easy fishing...in the morning rising fish were preoccupied with tiny flies and extremely cautious rejecting most of what I presented, finally around midday after repeated casts to the same spot I raised a decent Grayling to a size 18 Grey Duster, around 14".....two more followed around the 12" mark to Griffiths Gnat and Killer Bug. All fighting fit! The trout was around 10" on a Greenwells. River needs some rain.

1 Trout, 3 Grayling

Tough going today despite the sunshine....fish were very wary and few were rising. The river is very low. 6 small trout on a variety of size 18 dries. 14" Grayling on a weighted Killer Bug variant. Lots of handsome Dragonflies on the water.

6 Trout, 1 Grayling

The river was in amazing condition, still quite low. By the bridge at the start of the beat was productive. Up to the area where the cattle go to drink wasn't as good, but after that there seemed to be a good head of fish. I caught on f-fly, klinkhammers and on small nymphs.

12 Trout, 4 Grayling

On arrival the water wasn't that high but was very coloured from overnight rain, water visibility was about 18 inches. It did clear a little more during the day though. The weather was very changeable as was the wind strength, one moment bright sunshine the next a heavy shower. Made my way up to about the midway point, caught two brown trout on weighted nymph. Lost a grayling and three other trout too.
Saw one good fish rise and tried dry fly for a while but the heavens opened up and I switched back to nymphs. Overall a difficult day on a lovely beat, thankfully I've fished this one before so I didn't mind wading in the coloured water.
Thus ends my first trout season, I've enjoyed it so much and all thanks to the WUF giving me the opportunity to fish so many amazing waters.

2 Trout

A shared rod came away with 6 Wbt and 3 Grayling to the net on a sunnier than predicted day, with the riverbed lit up like West Ham's new stadium, we were pleased to have come away with a better result than them !

6 Trout, 3 Grayling