High temperatures and bright sunshine simply isn't conducive to good trout fishing. However, I'm not complaining - it's good to see the sun finally out and you get a real feeling that spring has sprung and that Summer's around the corner... and so will be the Mayfly.



I found the river already low and suprisingly coloured in sections, but with it so bright I felt my chances of success were small. I had decided to give myself an hour of exploring with a promise to make an effort to fish the evenings over the next few weeks.



There were very few fish moving. Having spooked some smaller fish I spotted a rising fish - and it was a good one too. Having tried unsuccessfully to reach it from a downstream position, I had no choice but to creep in above it. I managed a few nice drag-free drifts over the position, but it wasn't to be. They were obviously very timid with the bright conditions. Before I moved though, another fish showed itself withing inches of the other bank. Slow, deep water meant drag was hardly an issue - a CDC & Elk planted just two or three inches off the far bank foliage proved too much a for a pretty brown to trout:


Fly life was pretty slow. There were masses of midges, especially over the faster runs:



A decently sized Stone-clinger would make a perfect picking for a trout:


Oh, and I saw my first, albeit solitary, Mayfly of the year.

~Dave.

The fly in question: Hans Weilenmann's CDC & Elk


Tying the CDC & Elk