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Post by Cranefly on Mar 17, 2006 3:38:04 GMT -5
At this rate, June 3rd.
My dafodils are still to come into flower.
Rivers high and cold.
But it will be all the better when it does arrive!?
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Post by richardw on Mar 17, 2006 17:11:09 GMT -5
At this rate, June 3rd. ... That reminds me of the old saw that went: "Ne'er cast a clout till May be out." To which my Grannie used to add: "Aye and put it back on on the 1st of June!" Wise woman my Grannie was... richard
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Post by richardw on Mar 20, 2006 8:19:43 GMT -5
Wandered by a very private beat on the Wye on Saturday. Big wide bends, all sorts of current sets, great big old trees, some broken and regrown crack willows, some poplars originally planted for the matchstick industry now in various states of strength or weakness, nine of the twelve black poplars extant in Derbyshire are on the left bank, birdlife very rich and prolific, an island covered in snowdrops, wild garlic (a sprig or two made a delicious nibble during my "walk"), water high and slightly coloured, no fish spotted but I'm sure they are there. All in all it is a glorious woodland reach of "my mother river" and I look forward to future visits...
Earlier I'd "helped" Warren on a tiny tributary of a tributary. What a different set of circumstances! The Wye has water aplenty. This little river suffers the ravages of abstraction from its upper aquifer. The proper answer is of course to cease abstraction but that is beyond the fishery owner's power. So the changes being wrought are concerned with making what little water is allowed into this river to do enough work to keep it alive. Warren's ambition is to make it thrive. Having seen the progress so far I reckon he has a good chance of succeeding.
I'm taking pictures of this (unofficially) because if it does work then his findings will be of great value to many other fisheries in the land, whose rivers are also undergoing the constant rape of abstraction!
richard
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Post by richardw on Mar 23, 2006 6:20:37 GMT -5
Going back to the wooded stretch on Saturday with Warren to put up bird boxes... richard
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Post by richardw on Mar 30, 2006 5:25:45 GMT -5
Not long now. WTT gathering will cut across traditional All Fools' Day this year. A feature of the day will be opportunities for everyone to visit a couple of Warren's rivers and see the effects of thoughtful husbandry... richard
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Post by coldweld on Apr 2, 2006 15:21:26 GMT -5
First day on the WYE 2006 ! A lot of water not to colored could see approx 15 " hooked 3 landed 2 ,small brown and 2 lb rainbow. Cold and wet but good day !
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Post by richardw on Apr 2, 2006 17:42:55 GMT -5
Well done. Very nice indeed. Opening is particularly hard this year. You persevered and reaped your reward. All the water we should have had in January and February has arrived seemingly in the last fortnight! The ground is lovely and wet, springs are running well but the Wye is coloured, as you saw. I tried to make up today for missing Saturday but, on a very clear tributary, I was punished for fishing on the Sabbath with a blank! Wildlife watching was very rewarding though... but I would have liked to catch just one little trout. I did find a big one though, but it was four or five feet down and not interested in wasting strength rising to my Double Badger. I saw only three flies come off all day (LDO). Once these gales and lambing storms ease we shall have Sport aplenty richard
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Post by richardw on Apr 9, 2006 16:10:22 GMT -5
It is still a bit on the hard side. The weather is amazing right now. In a patch of less than 20 minutes yesterday, I had blazing sunshine and clear skies, suddenly I was totally enveloped in a very heavy hailstorm and the East wind picked up to the point where it was best to sit down, the hail turned to snow, then to sleet and then heavy stair-rods of rain that just as suddenly stopped and left me again with clear skies, brilliant sunshine and almost flat calm.
LDO came off consistently during the bright periods and February Reds were also among them (and on me, stonefly family are pretty good at letting you know when they are around, they crawl into your earholes!)
The blank was broken by a 5 ounce wild brown trout in fat order but with a heron hole just to the right of her back bone behind her head. I dribbled in some Klinik and set her free. She shot away, giving me confidence that she was going to make it.
Wandering upstream I came to a flat pool we call "The Terrace". The back cast is awkward, it requiring a steeple back throw to avoid the close by ash trees, but if the fly is NOT caught up on the back cast it is just possible to get it into a run on the other side of the river and gain a yard or two of drag free drift.
Bang!
The Double Badger is snaffled and the rod assumes the position. Quite a bit bigger than the previous fish and with buttery yellow poured over its multi-coloured spots it looked a delight. It was also quite fat!
Warren checked a bird song with me. I felt sure it was a Blue Tit, Warren wondered whether it may have been a Great Tit. A bit later I had the pleasure of watching both species taking it in turns to fill the trees with sound. It had been a Blue Tit that we enjoyed earlier.
Driving away at 17:35 I was amazed to see a Raven circling over the Rowsley junction on the A6 at only about 200 feet. Perhaps it had spotted some carrion and was deciding whether to risk collecting it?
richard
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Post by Cranefly on Apr 10, 2006 4:01:13 GMT -5
A survey of raptors in the Peak District, carried out last year states that the numbers of pairs of Ravens went up from nil to 18 pairs last year
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Post by richardw on Apr 10, 2006 5:31:32 GMT -5
NIL?
They must have had their binoculars pointing in the wrong direction for at least 5 years then.
I have often thought that we anglers must see far more of certain species than the professional observers. For my own lucky experiences I believe I have to thank that I spend most of my time sitting still. The wildlife comes to me rather than me going to it (and frightening it into hiding before I get to see it).
Hiding is the key to angling success and the key to seeing more of what is around us.
richard
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Post by Cranefly on Apr 10, 2006 5:57:06 GMT -5
Probably too old to move around
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Post by richardw on Apr 10, 2006 7:59:44 GMT -5
Hmm... I can get down as well as anyone else. Getting up is the tricky bit! richard
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Post by richardw on Apr 16, 2006 9:11:32 GMT -5
Saturday and to the Wye. Lovely day, warm and a bit on the humid side. Watched grayling pairing off nicely and at least one pair were already coiling and corkscrewing their way around each other and the gravel slope they have selected for their nuptual bed. Another two weeks and they will all be busy. Another two weeks after that and we shall be seeing the pinhead fry in the margins...
The WRT I caught were in very nice condition indeed. No browns yet, but I have a second chance tomorrow.
richard
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Post by richardw on Apr 18, 2006 2:56:22 GMT -5
Even more grayling busy yesterday (Easter Monday). Managed brown as well as WRT plus one more out of season grayling of about 4 oz who fooled me with his rise into thinking he may be a trout! The light was awkward for me, making the river almost the same shade as my Double Badger. A change to a Red Tag and all was well. It proved nicely visible to me and, of course, the fish. Duns of any sort were scarce. I believe I saw more February Reds than Large Dark Olives. More fish came to me by simply fishing the likely looking runs than by watching for rises to real flies. As things warm up and the days lengthen we can expect Sport to increase. But it was good to be out. My new Barbour has broken already! One of the press studs has come apart. Guess which one. That's right, the second one down. Bother! It's the most important one on the coat. especially with chopping and changing weather like we are "enjoying" at present. richard
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Post by drfrank on Apr 18, 2006 6:38:45 GMT -5
I managed to fish the Wye on Monday, after a sunny trip up the M1 the clouds rolled in and the rain and wind increased over derbyshire. Arrived on the Peacock stretch and started at the Mill end working up through the put & take section. My fishing pal managed a grayling and stunning brownie winkled out through speculative casting on a double badger, I however spent most of my time putting my untangling skills to the test and practising my knot tying (the bloody wind !). As we moved further up no rising fish were apparent and I was beginning to lose heart. A lunch break was taken and my drooping spirits were revived (for at least an hour). By two-thirty I thought I was destined to blank and we considered giving the stretch beyond bakewell a try, as we walked back to the mill the clouds broke and the sun made a surprise visit, a hatch of LDO started to come off and at last some rising fish ! LDO quickly tied on and a fish ! (a cheeky grayling) I missed a good few more but picked off another late on.
Not the most inspirational day's fishing but certainly enjoyable. A big thankyou to my fishing partner I think he really is the most patient ghillie/manservant I have ever met.
I will certainly be visiting again and I look forward to RichardW's sound advice for the coming weeks. Warren et al have certainly worked hard and I am sure the river will be stunning as summer approaches.
Regards,
Drfrank
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