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Post by richardw on May 12, 2004 6:58:39 GMT -5
A text message from Warren last night: “Hawthorns mating today. What date last year Richard?”<br> “15th” went back the reply.
The lines in my log conjured a vision of tiny black figures taking part in a seemingly co-ordinated, whirling, courtly, aerial dance. I might be missing it this year but reverie brings it back.
Have you ever watched the Hawthorn mating? Dragonflies, Damsel flies and our beloved Ephemerids are rapists. Hawthorn males do not need to be. Each fly, male and female, describes a helical path ascending. The ballroom will be a warm area over or very near to grass. In great throngs they describe their terpsichore and just at the right moment a male and a female will meet then join just like some 16th Century dancers meeting mid-floor to join hands.
They couple and then the female flies off but now in a direct line to her egg laying site among the grass roots. Only the male returns to the helical Sarabande. Another female, as yet unmated so still flying in an ascending helix, may join him - but any straight flying female is left unaccosted to fly on her vital mission.
There is something serene about the whole affair. Spinner give the impression of excitement by the frenzy of their activity but the Hawthorn seem calm and relaxed in their slower and more regal progress.
richard
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Post by WarrenSlaney on May 14, 2004 2:34:56 GMT -5
The Environment Agency insists on an eight metre wide riparian strip that is either left unsprayed or sprayed with an aquatic-safe herbicide and their written consent. The Farmers on our Estate have had the responsibility of weed control within that eight metre strip relieved from them and it is up to the Fisheries Dept to sort out any problems plants. If those mated female Hawthorn land within the riparian zone, their offspring will have you looking for your diary next year Richard.
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PSB
Junior Member
Posts: 64
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Post by PSB on May 14, 2004 10:32:25 GMT -5
Well, the river looks in fine fettle, Wednesday started out with bad omens as one of my wellies split along the seam as I walked across the meadow upstream of Haddon Hall. The sky was overcast with northly breeze, fly life was very sparse and so were the rising fish. All 12 tickets seemed to be on this stretch, every last one of them stood bolt up right like the queens guards (same colour clothing for some)by the rivers edge. Manged find some free river after the weir,saw odd fish moving by mid afternoon as I made my way up stream to the show ground. Odd mayfly showing around 1700. Ended the day with 2 small grayling & 2 raindows, the only large fish I saw were in other anglers bass bags, which I feel goes against the spirit of the game.
Thursday was again overcast but a degree or two warmer but still very little fly life, decided to start at the top by the fire station, lost a huge rainbow early after the line rubbed against the stonework of the bridge, after a burst of cursing my calm returned enough to pick off a pretty grayling and small rainbow. After lunch with no fish rising I decided to cast into known holding areas to induce a rise and bit by bit I managed to add a fish here & there. The best being a brownie about 1.5lds. Called it a day around 1900 just as sun finally broke through !. Ended with the day with 3 graying, 2 rainbows & 2 brownies and as usual many thoughts on how to improve. Back again in June when hopefully the weather is more favourable for the fly life.Rgds Paul
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Post by richardw on May 14, 2004 11:22:05 GMT -5
Good man! Now when you come back arrange your days so that you can stay late. It could be worth bringing a few mayfly spinners if you get there in June's first fortnight. richard
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Post by Ifor on May 14, 2004 11:41:31 GMT -5
PSB
Three of us also fished Wednesday, not easy few fish moving although if you took your time there were a enough to keep you interested. I managed 8 for the day 2 good sized browns, 1 good sized rainbows, 2 smaller rainbows & 3 smaller browns. My mate also managed 8 but the other chap blanked, only his second time river fishing and despite telling does stand bolt upright over the fish, he will learn
We caught on BWO, Pensioner, one on a mayfly and during the late afternoon on a sherry spinner.
Speaking to a few other rods they seemed to think there were less fish about, but as it was an odd day with few fish moving I guess it does give a false impression, we certainly did OK.
I have to say on this occasion we did kill 2 fish but had then smoked on the riverbank for lunch, nothing finer fresh fish ready to eat in great surroundings in under 20min.
We are also back in June and look forward to another good day.
Ifor
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Post by ScottRods on May 14, 2004 13:17:49 GMT -5
Any DCAC member want to take me out on the club rivers? I'm really needing to be shown the ropes on the rivers.
I've only fished the club reservoirs so far.
Jonathan
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Post by richardw on May 14, 2004 14:30:13 GMT -5
Any DCAC member want to take me out on the club rivers? I'm really needing to be shown the ropes on the rivers. I've only fished the club reservoirs so far. Jonathan Jonathan don't do that. Just get your maps out and go on your own. The waters are pretty well neglected but they are very lovely all the same. The Dove at Beresford Dale is very easy to get to. You use your small key to get into the gated car park at the bottom of Beresford Lane. Cross the river either by the ford or the little slit bridge and walk down to the very bottom of the stretch on the left bank. Then over the next three hours or so work your way back up to the ford. A trip to the Manifold is a bit more strenuous and you ought to take waders for the bottom reach around Brund. Use the club maps (in conjunction with the yellow labelled OS map "Outdoor Leisure" of the Peak District "White Peak") and you will be fine. Frankly both places fish a lot better when you are alone. richard
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PSB
Junior Member
Posts: 64
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Post by PSB on May 17, 2004 3:20:20 GMT -5
Ifor, well done thats a good day catch given the moody nature of last Wednesday, it was a strange day and its telling that your friend who is not used to river fishing blanked, that said I have learned a lot from my many blank days and every now and then we all need one just to remind us that what worked last week/month will not automatically work next time around.
One thing I did notice was the preference of the grayling to take grey coloured flies and the brownies to take black coloured flies, without the grounding in fishing the Wye that someone like Richard has I am left wondering whether that was just a quirk of that particular day.
On the kit front my new overpants worked so well I just got on with fishing and forgot about the nettles and other prickly plants, without good over pants you cannot get down low enough to get the best from the river, my old but new to me cane rod was wonderful and my new wt 4 wf dry fly line was a revalation, delicate, accurate, easy to mend and in the dark willow colour acceptable to spooky fish, alas I did not take as well to my new silk line, this will be going on the classified page in the days to come.
Finally I need to dig out my fly tying books to find a reference to the "pensioner" fly. I am back on the 2 June and this time I will not be leaving the banks until late, rgds Paul
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Post by richardw on May 17, 2004 15:54:29 GMT -5
Good spotting there Paul! We have had good hawthorn this year and plenty of them have had accidents that meant they ended up on the water. They are a larger fly than the little midges and olives, some of which do appear grey from a distance. Methinks the trout are more ready to take the black hawthorn flies (and take them quickly at that) than the grayling, which usually have further to travel through the water to get to them.
Have you had any hook themselves on the black flies this year?
It must have happened to me half a dozen times this year, the rises have been so violent!
richard
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PSB
Junior Member
Posts: 64
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Post by PSB on May 18, 2004 11:34:58 GMT -5
Richard, I had an instance of this on the Thursday that caught me totally unawares. I had found a small group of trout, mainly brownies sipping down some invisable form of life on a regular basis. This was on the bend where the split river comes back to in to a single body up stream of Haddon. I had crept up, watched the fish rising for 5 or 10 mins, then cast nothing, cast agian nothing so change of fly, I repeated this 3 times with out a single offer. I became concerned that my choice of fly was presenting the wrong silhouette to the rising fish. A quick rumage in the fly box found me tying on a small cdc bodied fly that was just a general representation of nothing & everything if you know what I mean. It was so long since I had used this type of fly I just flicked it out in front of my feet to see how it looked on the water, I watched it drift for about a foot when "umpf" the water appeared to implode and the rod arched over as a good brownie sought sanctuary below, needless to say I was off balance and the fish was off in second. I just had to laugh, it was a classic smash & grab raid and in many ways I was pleased the fish got away as I was not really fishing, more a case of testing. The other very funny event (with hindsight) was an old woman waving her arms around pointing out the trout on the Gatso side stream, I had been hidden away for a good 10 mins, letting the fish settle and I guess she thought that I could not see them, when I did not respond to her gestures she helped me further by throwing a small stone in to the stream to show me once and for all where they were I think it is the good book that states lifes a mystery and a day on the river is proof enough of that. Rgds Paul
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Post by richardw on May 18, 2004 16:02:32 GMT -5
Ah.. the General Public!
You might like to try one of my minor tactics to deal with "The Way of the Public with an Angler"...
viz.
I love hats! (Bigger the better so long as I don't look too much like George Melly). When someone like your lady seems in need of attention, before she will subside, I make a big smile and raise my hat like a very old fashioned gentleman from a bygone age. Mouthing a big silent "Thank you!" is a nice touch.
Shouting is out of the question and sometimes it helps to imply that I am happy for the contribution but would rather it was kept strictly between the two of us by plopping the hat back on my head and then making a "hush" sign with extended index finger to my lips or a "You ain't seen me. Right?" tap on the side of the nose followed by a brief moment of vertical index finger pointing Heavenward whilst the head makes a tiny half nod in front of briefly hunched shoulders. (Go through this in mime and you will see exactly what I am struggling to convey.)
It can work quite well.
richard
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Post by richardw on May 23, 2004 17:01:56 GMT -5
Saturday evening the angling fair over until the next day it was time to grab a few moments on the lowest beat of a loved tributary to the Wye. As time was short, I ignored the confluence pool and decided to start about two thirds of a mile upstream near to the fishing house and where I had left Mrs W's car.
A spinner fall was under way and for once I found myself hurrying to get ready. Crossing the river by one of the little footbridges (made just for anglers) I was on the right bank downstream from where I knew a large red and gold brownie lived having watched it since before the season started.
Luck was with me as I lined not one, not two but three sentries that for a change decided just to sink to the bottom instead of dashing upstream in terror and spooking my quarry.
Then Luck seemed to have deserted me on my first cast to the "whopper" as I managed to get the fly (a small PPS) in the alder twigs and leaves that made a half canopy over him. No bushy hackle to give me a good chance of extracting the fly so my positive mental attitude was just beginning to fade but then the fly just seemed to climb up, over, down and round and then plopped on the surface to drift harmlessly down to me.
By gum! I was being allocated another chuck!
The next cast just missed the canopy and the fly was in perfect place to drift down as dead as the real spinners. The fish took it exactly as it had taken all the others and a few minutes later I was weighing it in the net as it was too good to just guess at. Four pounds two ounces on the scale - so the fish weighed three pounds exactly! The release was nearly as joyful as the capture. As I eased him over the rim of the net in the shallow margin there was a slow and steady pulse passing through his entire length. My right hand round his caudal peduncle (wrist) held him upright and as he curved to kick I let go. He forged steadily away, back upstream to the deep water just behind his feeding station. I was going to fish up further and did catch one more brownie as I edged round a 90 degree left hand bend but the lapwings were irritated by my presence so I decided to retrace my steps, cross back over the river and go downstream to another spot, where I knew fish enjoyed spinner falls and it had the added bonus of being away from the worried lapwings.
One more brownie and then the rises stopped. That was fine! I was so happy I sang all the way back up to the car.
Following a similar dash to the river last year after the angling fair, I was joyful then over one rainbow trout.
This year I fished from 19:00 to 19:50, caught a wonderful "project" fish and two normal ones and now I had the chance to be home earlier than expected and thus bring peace, love and harmony to chez W...
richard
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Post by richardw on May 26, 2004 8:49:24 GMT -5
Twenty to three - just joined the queue on the M60 - the sign tells me I’m twenty-eight miles from home. Half an hour then? Perhaps not…<br> The meeting had been at Haydock. That’s near Liverpool is it not? Better not take any gear with me then or the windows will be broken and it will all be nicked. So the gear was left at home and I had to get to the river via home.
Haydock is a lovely place and the car park was secure! I could have saved myself this ludicrous detour and waste of fishing time if I’d taken my gear.
It was a quarter to five by the time I reached the little fishing house. A fellow rod had left me a Permafloat bottle filled with carbon tetrachloride – what joy! As soon as I was tackled up and dressed I took about a teaspoon full of the solid Permafloat (THAT can still be bought) and mixed it with half a bottle of the CT. Brilliant! Enough real Permafloat to last a season was now in my pocket.
Drake flitting about, roughly half and half duns and spinners, my Wulffe variant was ignored so on with a white bodied Ethafoam Bodied May (EBM). The first fish I cast to accepted it. The next two hours passed quickly and I found myself up at the top of the beat above a very high weir by the old mill. Lots of small fish were dashing about and leaping to intercept airborne duns. Ignoring them I stared hard at a dark pocket right in the edge on the opposite side where, two weeks earlier, I had watched a good fish hard under the ivy and brambles that hang from the wall above.
The EBM is a bit of a drogue. Shooting the last couple of yards helped to get it under the overhang. The fly was taken almost immediately. By gum! The fish was strong. It was by no means the biggest brownie in the river but at 2lbs 12oz it was in perfect health and it actually took line four times before it was tired enough for me to trick into the net. She was still full of fight in the net and gave me a soaking as I released the fly. Then I just lowered the net down around her and she eased over into freedom and a rapid exit towards her dark pocket. It was worth coming just to watch her regaining her composure and her tenure of what must be a top class residence for a top class trout.
I returned to the fishing house for refreshment then set off down river. By now the duns had ceased hatching. I put on an experimental Polyprop Winged “Spent Gnat”. Hmm! It seems to work quite well. Inevitably sport slowed as the spinners ceased their egg laying but one or two fish still took it. One of these was a beauty caught by Warren after he had watched me fail to reach a fish that was out of my reach but within his. He quietly asked, “Can I have a go?” I passed him the rod and three casts (long casts) later he was playing a lovely trout that proved to be 1lb 14oz. Being the pro he is he spotted a leech on the brownie’s belly and quickly removed it. We put a drop of Medi Carp Malachite Green Gel on the wound just prior to release. One good turn deserves another eh?
The day was over by a quarter to ten. Not a full scive of course but a very pleasant interlude all the same. I have a whole week off next week - apart from a board meeting on Thursday morning…<br> richard
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Post by richardw on May 28, 2004 11:44:17 GMT -5
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Post by ACW on May 29, 2004 13:57:05 GMT -5
PSB , please dont give up on the silk line just yet if its new it needs running in after a few tripps it will start feeling good and then it will just get better ,if youreally want to part with it let me know ,sure I can find a good home .
Richard / warren ,sorry finances keeping me south .am dying to get up there .
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