26th may,dovedale,mayfly mayhem

Cracking afternoons fishing on the dove from
the dovedale carpark end.the wind was quite
brisk working my way down to the stones with
loads of people milling about i didnt really fish
till the nursery pool.started spotting the odd
mayfly being smashed into which had me reaching
for the flybox .on with a grizzly wulff straight
into action .

fished most pools on my way up to ilam rock
footbridge where i caught a couple before some
kids started chucking in rocks,ahh dumbf**ks.

made my way back downstream with the odd
shower making me hide under canopy.
the boards area was alive with fish all going
at the mayfly like it was their last supper.

worked my way down towards the nursery pool
stopping on route to speak to another mayfly
mullerer who happened to also be on the wullfs.
he reported catching a few in the short time he
had been there.

on reaching the nursery pool the fish where still
going at the odd mayfly as well as the clouds
of midges now present as the wind had died
down.still caught a load more on the wulff
which was my fly of the day.i had fished upstream
on the dove two days before with the odd mayfly
showing but the fish not being switched on to
them .brilliant days fishing with a couple of dozen
brownies wild and stock fish alike hammering the
mays. i will be back soon.

24th may,wolfscote dale,greedy buggers

Lovely days fishing on the dove at wolfscote
dale.stopped at hartington for tea and a slice
of cake (aunt sally)on arrival the river was still
a bit brown but the depth was about right.

not many fish showing on the surface considering
the amount of olives ,midges and the odd mayfly.
as we made our way down river we caught steadily
fish after fish my best fly was the balloon caddis
in the streamier sections and the F-fly in the
calmer pools.

caught a variety of fish wild ,stock and some
very small ones which means that wildies are
succeeding but they face many hazards.

pictured below is a heron (ardea cinerea) trying
to catch the young trout they better learn fast
these can live 25 years or more. also spotted a
goosander .
spoke to a fisherman who reported seeing a
mink (albino)which also had a liking for
the trout.
lets hope that enough of these wee trout make
it through to adulthood and manage to keep a
good head of wild trout in this part of the dove.






mick resorted to the nymph but caught quite a
few john on the other hand was struggling on a
blank so i decided to change roles and preceeded
to help him to rise a few trout before catching the
one below.not long after he added another decent
trout in the meadow just before last knockings
taking both on the tan balloon caddis.

all in all a smashing day spent in a beutiful place
cant wait to get back when the mayfly are about.

17th may, foremark,rain didn't stop play

fished at foremark sunday afternoon as most
of the rivers had gone chocolate due too the
last few days rain.arrived to be greeted with
a good shower so i stayed in the car watching
mick and some other anglers catching fish but
also getting soaked.after half an hour the skies
cleared leaving a blue sky pictured below.

tried taking pictures of these feisty rainbows
but due to flipping about like a labour mp with
a blank cheque none turned out.
although the bend in my rod felt good i can't
wait to get back on the rivers.

i did get into double figures with the fish fit as
fleas fighting even whilst being unhooked.
mick had quite a few as well all on buzzers with
all mine coming to lures(orange)
if thinking of giving foremark a whirl it is full
of fish at the moment and the water level is back
to about normal levels.

14th may,ecclesbourne "jacob was not home"

fished the drac stretch of the ecclesbourne
today for a few hours even though the weather
forecast was quite bleak.on arrival we noticed
a few insects about mainly meduim olives ,
hawthorn and midge with a few rising fish.

this is quite a difficult little stream to fish
with some steep banks and a lot of overhanging
trees ,bushes

this chap above came up twice for a yellow
paradun before giving me a chance to hook him.
when wading here the bottom soon stirs up
leaving clouds in the stream below and sometimes
above(back eddies)

the most civilised thing about fishing here is
the cabin which makes a comftable pit stop
point.
whilst enjoying a lovely cup of rosy lea john
thought that the little house resembled the one
in lost so from now on we will know this as
JACOB'S CABIN

6th may,horner water,minehead,somerset

managed a few hours fishing on this lovely
little stream very near to minehead.
got my ticket costing 1 whole pound per day
from the horner tea garden (the cream tea
was delicous)started off near the road but with
the water being very low i made my way
upstream at a brisk pace stopping for the odd
cast at anything rising.this little stream is full
of small trout which seem to rise freely.

i did have to climb a few gates and fences but
after about a hour and a half decided that the
stretch by the horner tea gardens was probably
as good as it was gonna get.

this really is a smashing little stream and i would
love to visit when a bit more rain as risen levels
abit.

caught quite a few little chaps.if you are visiting
this area it might be a good way to spend a
couple of hours.just enjoy the surroundings
and not forgetting the tasty cream tea.