Evening sedge fishing can be really productive:






~Dave

A delightful but tough afternoon and evening on the Wylye. Starting condition were perfect, but an increase in cloud cover, an increasing breeze and a slight drop in temperature was enough to put the fish off. When the cloud broke and the sun shone through, the fish started to show interest again:

There were small grayling willing to play ball, happily rising to an F-Fly.

There were plenty of Mayfly (Ephermera Danica) fluttering about - this river shows late trickles of the large specimens. There were lots of nymph shucks floating down:


A loop emerger tied on a Partridge 15N 'Gold' did the business with some very selective trout:


Allowing plenty of slack line into the leader helped to overcome some tricky currents. I was pleased to put the net under a nice grayling:


My sincere thanks to Roger Fagan for the invitation to fish this beautiful part of the river. Challenging fishing makes the success you do have even more rewarding.

~Dave

As hoped, the recent rainfall has had a very positive effect upon the rivers and Thursday saw the stream in fine condition. There was plenty of water pushing through and livening up some of those skinnier runs which have been in so much need of the rain. Fish were rising as I watched from the foot bridge and the prospect of finding some feeding fish was very high.

When Nick S joined me, he spotted a good fish lurking beneath the bridge. Anticipation was high with plenty of BWO duns and spinners and caddis taking to the air. Whilst I successfully managed to miss the first few fish I rose, we eventually started to make some positive contact. Whilst we started with smaller fish, it wasn't long before we were to experience a small stream red letter day:

Nick's first fish was a super fit specimen - a fine fish from a very skinny run:


Taking cover, Nick approaches a very enticing run. Take note of the water clarity - despite the rainfall, the river was crystal clear. Fish were spooky, but were willing to rise.


Nick makes a cast into some shaded water:

As I stepped up to fish the next run, I lifted into a very positive rise and was met with a healthy bend in the 1 weight rod. I risked my chances of landing it by commenting to Nick that it could be my best Wellow fish of the season. Luckily, depsite its eagerness to get amongst the submerged roots, I slipped the net under an exceptional brown trout.

In a stream of this size, such a specimen is a fish of which to be proud. I was exactly that.


It was pleasing to see such quality fish and these 12"+ fish are a wirthy prize - and it's easy to go a whole season seeing just a couple of these larger fish. However, beyond our bet expectations, Nick met equal success just around the corner. The fish we had spotted under the bridge rose. Nick covered it with his first cast - inch perfect - and a classic take saw Nick hook another beautiful fish.




We both managed several fish - but to both succeed with such larger fish is a very positive sign and really champions the quality of these streams and their potential. We carried on fishing a few runs, but as the light faded, I am pretty sure we were both satisfied with an extra-ordinary evening's small stream visit.


~Dave

Induce your own!

We have had some heavy rain roday and I had thought the chances of getting on the river was pretty slim today. But there was a decent break in the weather and I slipped out for just an hour before the sun disappeared.

I started with the nymph and managed to hook a decent grayling in some very skinny water. Perhaps that was my undoing, cause after a good few pulls, its twisting and turning earned it its freedom. There were no rises showing, but there were steadily a few caddis fluttering. So, on with a CDC caddis imitation, and I had three takes in three casts. Small fish hitting the fly hard - but nonetheless, they rose to an imitation when they were apparently disinteredt in the natural. I guess they were waiting for them to start appearing on the surface.

Always worth a shot as the light fades.

~Dave

Get those tiny dry flies out, the fish are smutting! If you are faced with those tricky, dimpling rises to apparently nothing, then there's a good chance they are either taking tiny midge rf quite possibly terrestrials. Tiny beetles, ants or aphids are a definite choice and it's worth offering the fish something smaller to tempt them.

Fishing tiny flies may not be fill everyone with joy, but they really do work. I am finding success using Varivas hooks - sizes #27, #28 and #30 all have a place. Don't worry - even the fine wire hooks will hold!

CDC is useful for suspending these tiny offerings, but a pattern sunken will also work well, watching the leader for takes. Those surface bsed offerings should be in the surface film.

~Dave

We have had some 'big' rain today... from the driest warmest April to what must (surely?) be the wetest June and July. Things are starting to liven up!



~Dave

Warm, summer evenings are often an invitation for some spectacular fishing - especially when faced with a fall of spinners. The air is just filled with them at the moment, and whether they fall to the surface spent or crawl down vegetation and tunble down through the current, both brown trout and grayling will make the most of the opportunity:




A dedicated spinner pattern for tough times: tied on a #28

Useful for fish taking sunken spinners, this tiny spider tying has a wire ribbed body:


Although imitating a different stage of their life-cycle, a paradun can also work well durng spinner falls:
There are some nice synthetic materials which can be used to hint at the glistening wings of the spinner:



~Dave