Feedback & Reports

River a few inches lower than yesterday and less coloured, fancied my chances but no fish, but was lucky enough to find SMS as he was playing a strong fresh fish in the upper Heirag. Lucky really as I thought I had lost my wallet somewhere and he kindly lent me some petrol money to get home! It turns out it was on my Kitchen Table> Idiot.

Arrive on a dazzling sunny day. River at 0.75m and nice tint perfect. Had a thumping take on 15 footer on Upper Rock and a feisty 1.5lb was safely returned. No sign of salmon or trout rising to a heavy hatch of upwings from 10 a.m.
Fished below the bridge p.m. and had a firm take just above the pub. As I bent the rod into the fish the line went slack . Reeled in and found the leader missing (I had not attached the braided loop correctly!) Feeling downcast and angry with myself, continued fishing down to below pub decking. Salvation arrived with a firm pull and a hard fight ensued with several upstream runs against the current.
An 18lb bright silver cock fish (no sea lice) swam off indignantly after posing for the camera. All takes to a
Reverend Mole fly. Magical day suntan included.

1 Salmon, 1 Trout

2pm - 3:30pm... Steady trickle of mayfly, plenty of gnat & blackfly with the odd brook dun!
Cast to risers throughout approx the first half stretch and induced a few non showing fish by fluttering may & hand of the wind style !!
4 fish @ approx 12", 2 fish @ approx 16"
Plenty enough for one day!! Saw a squirrel catch and eat a mayfly!!! That's why they are so fat around here!!

6 Trout

One trout, about 1.5 lb, on a bibio. Abundant fly life but few fish rising.

1 Trout

Beautiful beat, lot of fly life no rises. One trout 8". Moved onto Arrow Mill for an hour few mayfly no fish. Met and chatted to the owners very friendly.

1 Trout

Really enjoyable couple of hours fishing on this beat. Fish caught on both nymph and olive dry patterns with plenty of fish / fly life activity. Trout generally below half pound size although also caught quite a few smaller ones approx 3 to 6". All fish returned. Lots of Stonefly hatches but no mayfly hatch to report. The only disappointment was breaking the tip of my fly rod which has been with me for 30 yrs. Will see if Shakespeare have any spares!!

6 Trout

Lots of sunshine. Fished for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Quite a lot of surface activity. Two small fish to an olive klinkhammer.

2 Trout

A three hour session on my journey home to the Midlands. Beautiful weather, I was serenaded by a Cuckoo up the valley. The river was still carrying some colour and the fish weren’t showing on the surface to start with. Three trout 5-8” to a size 16 weighted PTN. I had a fun final half hour on the pool at the very bottom of the beat tempting rising fish with a Parachute Adams. Lots of abortive takes. A shame I couldn’t stay longer.

3 Trout

Lovely couple of hours in the evening at Court of Noke - masses of fly life again including a lot of mayfly. Started off at pool by bridge with a grayling 8" and then two wbt both around 12" on something small and white. Lots of splashy rises - but were tiny grayling slashing at almost every cast.
Moved downstream and did not see another rise despite all the flies. Nice to be able to fish dry fly only.

2 Trout, 1 Grayling

Nice day fishing, size of fish were about 6 inches caught on goldhead nymphs.

2 Trout