It's The Way You Hold Your Mouth!

The start of the Trout season is well under
way and with quite a dry warm start to the
season the fishings been a bit of a mix.
The fish are about, laying up in their
normal streamy feeding spots quite early.
The dry weather and clear water makes hooking
them a little tricky.

I would say we are now blessed a lot
of our local streams and rivers hold
the odd fish, infact our urban trout
that are on the door steps seem to grow
quite large. It's not quite how you
would imagine it, a free urban stream or
a prime stretch of rural water costing
a arm and a leg to fish, which brings
the chance of the better fish?
A fish may lay behind a old tyre or disgarded
home appliance but if you can see behond the
ignorance of man nature as found a way.....
or has it? These fish have found a place
to live without the predatory threat ok
the chance of polution is a constant concern
but the once dirty streams seem devoid of
over predation, pressure may change this
but for the moment certain waterways alow
the Trout to grow and grow. Already though
some are changing and the signs are plain to
see, big fish yes but the numbers of smaller
parr has and is falling.

So the first visit a few fish could be seen
and after some hard work Phil took a nice
fish on his new coiled leader. My first clumsy
attempts lacked any hook ups, a few plucks and
the odd flash was as close as I got.
I worked my way down river trying every
pot and fihy looking spot, now it may be
early season but the numbers of small
fish are just not like a few years back.
When the line darted and a good fish
broke the surface I was not surprised.
You always got these fish, normally you
would have had a dozen 5inch to 10inch fish
first, these fish are not around or at least
dont seem to be.

Well my peeping caddis, when all else fails
I turn to this fished upstream on a short line
the takes are hard and fast. It's now been refined
a little, I lose a few so quick and easy to to tie
is a must for me I can wip one up in two minutes
which is about it for me.

I'm not sure if this bug is the reason
I catch many fish on it. Let me explain
I soon turn to this fly so it spends more
time passing fish. I also know how to fish
it........practice makes perfect!!
Last my concentration picks up as I expect
to catch on it. So I may well catch on
other flies just as often if I only gave
them a chance. I do think it's a good mix
it looks buggy, the dubbing, tungsten gold
bead are all tried and tested fish takers
the grub part is easy and looks good.
All you need is some wool knot it and burn
the loose end down to the knot and thats
it tied in with some phesant tail legs
dub and done!

So on to the rural setting and I expected....
well nothing to be honest! Nice surroundings
and a nagging wandering of how such water
is so devoid of fish??Well what a plesant
surprise the river was low, clear and beautiful
as normal. Aftera good walk I saw a fish rise,
a short wait eyes searching and again.
At least one in the river at least one!!
Now for my I'm not quite sure what to use fly.

I'm on new water here, nothing much to
see and so I cover a few bases. From
being a bit of a mix this fly can be fished
in all manner of ways it's a good size to
cover several things it's a good weight
not to heavy but by lowering and raising my
rod I can get it to search if needed. Oh
and the most important thing I catch fish on
it and so it spends plenty of time wet!

After a bit of searching and wading I found
some water, you know the kind, all your senses
intensify you expect a fish... my first run.
Now even though this water must have fish
Im still saying looks good but "Nah" I can see
the drop off, the water looks spot on. I leave the
rod high and then lower it, Im seeing the fly
in my mind and how it travels along, now I lift
the rod again watching the tip of the line and
trying to keep in contact without efecting the
flys path in too much of a dramatic way, just
as I imagine the fly is lifting the line darts
a little and the thud of a fish!! It's on long
enough but off again to soon,I feel like I may
have missed the chance but next run and again
as I let the fly lift a fish is on I can see it's
not a trout but a grayling a good one, again the hook
looses it's grip.... &*%£ !
So I let the fly wander it's way dwn again and
this time a little perfect grayling
comes to hand. I had lost another and caught
one more before Phil made his way down. We had
a chat and rested the water a little.

After my succsess I was keen to find more
and on my way down stream I came across
not one but two rising fish the dry F-Fly
was nipped on and moments later my first Trout
lay in the net.

So not the Trout we set out for but a
good few out of saeson Grayling which
is good to see two happy fishermen made
our way back home.
Now it could be luck maybe a tiny bit
of skill or and most likley
"it's the way you hold your mouth"