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Post by charlieH on Mar 2, 2004 12:00:45 GMT -5
Theo, I think you may have to start a 'Sarf Lunnon 2004' thread to keep up with the Derbys. lot. I have yet to see a kingfisher there, though was impressed to hear that Alan S saw 4 in the course of one walk recently. It was good to see pairs of both pied and yellow wagtails, though, just downstream from the Sainsburys Savacentre, feeding merrily on a nice hatch of Iron Blue Duns. Great invertebrate life on those submerged pieces of carpet, too!
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Post by Cicada on Mar 3, 2004 18:38:36 GMT -5
Charlie I know it's warm in Sarf Lunnon but Yellow Wagtails usually spend the winter in Africa and don't return for another month or so. So if your report is a recent one those 'yellow' wagtails were probably Grey Wagtails who confusingly are more yellow than grey!
Anyway, it's great to hear the Wandle is in such fine fettle but wouldn't want the Derbyshire boys to think us Southern Softies didn't know our onions..... Cicada
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Post by charlieH on Mar 4, 2004 5:31:38 GMT -5
Yes, you're quite right, they were definitely grey wagtails, and my onion knowledge is sufficient to have identified them as such at the time - brain must have been in neutral when posting, though!
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Post by richardw on Mar 4, 2004 11:30:34 GMT -5
What about those Iron Blue Duns?
They are far from common up here in Derbyshire. I wish I could predict when we will see them again. Rare they may be, but it is always worth carrying a few efforts at the sub imago in readiness. (Sounds posh that - what I mean is some little dark Grey Dusters, with tails, and variants thereof with crimson thread and maybe mole fur or black thread, rabbit under fur and bluish or even badger hackle with a heavy black list...)
Worthwhile because the fish go barmy for them. Why? I don't know, the fly is tiny, the hatch is short and sweet but the fish do like them.
richard
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Post by WarrenSlaney on Mar 9, 2004 9:50:28 GMT -5
I get phone calls every day from anglers who would like to fish the Derbyshire Wye but think they have to stay in the Peacock to do so, especially during Mayfly.
The fishing diary is now open for non-residents to book to fish the Wye at Rowsley during some high season(Mayfly) days. Prices have stayed the same for 2004.
Telephone number of the Hotel: 01629 733518
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Post by Ifor on Mar 10, 2004 10:06:26 GMT -5
Warren,
Are you saying that we can book to fish your part of the Wye during High Season and we dont have to stop at the Peacock, that not the impression I was given a few weeks ago when I enquired, I was quoted £60 for the fishing (thats OK) but £125 for B&B at the hotel and the price of the hotel was likely to be going up. I did not book as I thought the hotel price was a bit over the top.
If it is possible to book high season without staying at the hotel then there are 4 rods here wanting to book a couple of days.
Ifor
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Post by richardw on Mar 10, 2004 10:54:32 GMT -5
Ifor I believe that once the rooms are booked by non-anglers then the rods they could have had become available for non-staying anglers to book. I didn't want to chance it, so last year I booked in to stay to guarantee my favourite days. I'd call the Peacock again if I were you. If I could get more time off I'd book some of those days myself...
richard
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Post by richardw on Mar 28, 2004 10:05:36 GMT -5
Last river walk before the start on Thursday proved worthwhile. Following the Duke of Wellington's maxim that "Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted" showed that fish were taking up station especially around the middle of the day. The new bridge into the Show Ground at Bakewell was a good spot to observe as the light fell just right into the ranunculus beds downstream. Quite a lot of fish showing with a three pound plus brown in pride of place at the head of a run down the left bank. The fly being taken seemed to be a small grey midge. Only duns noticed were Large Dark Olive but they were few and far between.
The really uplifting aspect was the abundance of fresh green buds and shoots. The hard work by the keepers will really bear fruit when the sun gets going, as a lot more light is now getting to parts of the river bed that for at least three decades have been overshaded.
Expect a report after Thursday as I intend to open proceedings on April Fool's Day.
richard
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Post by richardw on Apr 1, 2004 18:35:37 GMT -5
To the tributary as planned. On a beat about two miles upstream from its confluence with the Wye. This beat is the haunt of big, strong brownies that are often so orangie red that if you painted an accurate picture of one folks would ridicule the bright colours as being "unrealistic".
Milder than last opening day but still got rained on. Many fish around but only one or two seen rising properly to naturals. Resorted to casting a bushy concoction to drift over fish high in the water in an effort to trick them into rising. Some of them fell for it.
Some new "coffee tables" that The Head River Keeper has created out of split tree trunks anchored on short legs to the river bed have introduced new bolt holes and cover for trout. In these places where last year there may have been one fish, now there are three. Very clever stuff this husbandry....
Had a break about 14:00 for a cuppa with THRK and a New Rod. Convivial, THRK brought flapjack and didn't laugh at my fire going out first time I lit it under the Kelly Kettle. Turns out the NR can fish a bit too and had instantly fallen in love with the place.
Very pleasant interlude.
Having donned Barbour instead of windshirt and weskit, I was ready to go hunting again and wandered off upstream. A tall and violent weir discharges highly oxygenated water and all sorts of titbits into a long weir pool that has two fish filled eddies, one on either side of the river. The bigger fish dominate here. Only the very strongest fish can cope and small fish would be eaten anyway. At this time of year there is no cover for the angler just here. The only thing to do is creep down to the water's edge and sit crosslegged and bowed until the trout settle down again and overlook the brown huddled lump that has recently taken up position by their haunt.
You get one cast.
Sometimes it works.
It did today. One of the most beautiful brown trout I have ever caught took my Double Badger and after a violent few moments I was able to net, unhook, weigh and even take a photograph before slipping it back to surge away into the long eddy where it came from.
It was a special day. That fish was the pinnacle. No need to fish on after such a high, so I didn't.
Daffodils and lesser celandine provided some welcome yellow punctuation among all the green shoots. Won't be long before the water avens bud and hide their faces like embarrassed school girls. They will be followed by foaming meadowsweet and then the place will suddenly be covered in wild flowers of all sorts. I can wait. There is no need to hurry...
richard
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Post by richardw on Apr 4, 2004 10:04:02 GMT -5
Even the most determined angler can find himself deciding to give up before he planned to...
In many years of angling I've had a number of dreadful things happen that have still failed to stop me having my day out in full. You know the sort of thing: falling in, breaking a rod, losing a fist fight by the waterside, billiousness, torn ligaments, insect bites and stings, bulls, the list is endless. What happened to me on Saturday I know not.
The day started with a very mild irritation that meant I was (as far as a fellow rod was concerned) on the wrong beat! No problem, a call to THRK and I move cheerfully to another beat. I have been looking forward to fishing this beat this year but mentally had set it aside until the second week so going earlier niggled a little bit. There have been some brilliant improvements made that stem from two new bridges to gain easier and greater access to the right bank and very skilfull extraction of certain trees to allow more light to the river bed. By the end of the season there will be many new ranunculus beds and all their attendant communities to add their input to the riverine community.
The fishing started well enough. I crept into a couple of newly accessible spots and winkled a rising brownie out of each. Mid-afternoon and a pleasant tea break with THRK and Dill had me in jovial mood and ready to continue where I left off.
Two hours later I was unfulfilled. Sure the fish were not rising, hardly surprising, the rain and wind had increased in intensity and the sporadic fly hatches had ceased utterly. But that wasn't it! I toddled back to the fishing hut and made another brew. That did nowt for my negative frame of mind so I did the decent thing and packed up. I didn't deserve to be there, miserable bugger that I had become. Quite out of place in such a lovely part of the world. Going home was the right thing.
There were a number of very positive aspects to the day: lapwings almost ready for nesting in the meadow that this year has been harrowed early just for their protection, the two adult buzzards with their one youngster from last year wheeled over head four or five times, there is a new kingfisher, Deo Gratias, to replace the one THRK found in flood debris this winter, the fish I caught were in immaculate condition for so early in the season, the new in-stream features THRK made this winter have already improved the numbers of lies and hidy holes for resident trout. The stage is set for a wonderful year of growth and consolidation. So what the devil was wrong with me?
Maybe a few days back at work will knock some sense back into my silly head...
richard
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Post by ScottRods on Apr 4, 2004 11:09:57 GMT -5
I'm keen to get out on the water, where should I go. I've got a bit of choice being a member of DCAC, but not sure where as a beginner to start off.
What set up should I use. I plan to use my 9' five weight, Snowbee prestige floater. But not sure about a tapered leader, mono filament or fluoro?
help please
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Post by richardw on Apr 4, 2004 16:14:20 GMT -5
You have a fair bit of choice in the DCAC. Your tackle is eminently suitable for the Derwent, Dove and the Manifold. Tapered leader is best made to suit the water perhaps 9 to 12 feet long. Reply #2 on this thread flyforums.proboards53.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1079520698will show you how to make them up. You may find a visit to Ogston or one of the other still waters at this early stage of the season will give you more chance of a fish but the rivers will usually be more interesting (unless you spot the ospreys at Ogston that is). richard
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Post by ScottRods on Apr 4, 2004 17:00:43 GMT -5
I went to willington on Fri and it was poor. The water cloudy, too many birds polluting it - they need to cull those. They need some more sedge grass there to cultivate fly life.
There were nets spread out on the banks. Couldn't work out why.
Would you reccomend Ogston?
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Post by richardw on Apr 5, 2004 4:57:08 GMT -5
It's years since I went last but it was okay for me then. I was learning how to fly fish in still waters at the time but still managed to catch a fish or two. However, in those days I did have some eminent company to help me and short circuit the error strewn learning process...
It's a good sized place and you can get plenty of bank to yourself.
richard
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Post by richardw on Apr 5, 2004 10:00:26 GMT -5
What to do if you have come a long way to fish the Peacock water and in the night the rain has coloured the water spoiling your prospects for a day of fly-fishing?
Check the water before buying your ticket. The Peacock staff will understand if you decide to give it a miss under adverse conditions.
You may want to have a try anyway so okay get your ticket and let’s think about rescuing matters at some time during the day…<br> You will have more chance (if it has slowed or stopped raining) later in the day. So don’t give up in disgust too soon. To give yourself a chance, whilst you wait for things to fine down a little, go upstream. The map from the Peacock will show you how far you can go.
Let’s consider some of the locations.
At the very top of the fishery is Lakeside. The river is narrow here so will be moving rapidly but at the top, below where a high weir from a lake feeds in on the left bank there is a flatter area, rich in ranunculus and it is here where the river will clear first. Pay attention to fish in the very edges of the runs as well as those that live in the pockets of the ranunculus beds. Just below the big weir you will see a large eddy on the left side of the river and fish frequent it making a very stern test of your line and fly control because up here you will be on the right bank with quite a current between you and the eddy fish! Usually these include several two pounders, so it is worth the struggle. There is room on this top stretch for a couple of rods who don’t know each other and if you do know each other then you could probably manage one more.
Moving downstream to Lumford there are shallows here after an island has split the river. On the right bank is an old millrace in which quite large fish can be seen from the little bridge near the medieval sheep wash. This section is often more clear then the main river and a single angler can spend several happy hours here stalking these millrace fish.
A few yards away, on the river proper an old packhorse bridge spans rich gravels with a very large number of fish holding station. Here the water is also filtered by the ranunculus, the shallows here are often fishable when the river is still clouded. Above the packhorse bridge you have some more wide gravel beds. On the left bank here the splitting of the river by the aforesaid island slows the flow. It’s another fine place for an hour or so of sitting in ambush.
Much further downstream of Bakewell, at Meaden Bridge, you will find another filtered back eddy on the left bank immediately downstream of this new bridge. Fish are resident here all the time and in dirty water conditions more join them. This causes the fish to be quite active as territory and feeding rights are at stake. You have a good chance of one making a mistake and asserting these rights on your bushy artificial!
It is best when the river has fined down so occupy yourself as best you can on these spots and others like them until things settle. Then you will find that the fish start to make up for lost time and feed very well. Sport can be very brisk towards the end of these days.
richard
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