The beginning of the month saw small pods of grilse and sea trout coming in off the tides, but as the water level dropped, the grilse soon ceased to enter after the 12th. Incredibly low levels during this dry period, it must be really bad upstream of us, but to save the day the grayling and sea trout fishing has been just outstanding. Grayling up to two and a half pounds on various nymphs, we’ve been experimenting with these and they are taking pink, purple, black, orange anything as long as it’s size fourteen and at least twelve foot leaders. Even with an east wind, very bright sunshine and gin clear water we are having some sport. It is good to see all the year classes of grayling coming through from fingerlings to two pound plus.
Just a quick word on handling grayling with these warmer water conditions and all other fish come to that while on the subject, (don’t want to tell anyone how to suck eggs, but have seen too many distressed fish), if you put them straight back immediately after unhooking most will go belly-up, cradle them against the current, watch the dorsal fin which will be laying flat, wait until the dorsal fin erects, as soon as that happens the fish will kick and go back to its business none the worse for wear.
If you want the big brown trout you’ll have to fish into the evening and into the dark at present.
The salmon situation all over the UK is the same story, no water, no fish, it’s sad but it’s a fact, maybe, just maybe we will get a return to a back-end run again after all these years, who knows?
The Cherrim Lane is good, I’ve been driving the wife’s small Peugeot down there the last six weeks much to her delight as my truck is in getting a new chassis.
20th -
Now is the time with this low water at minus eight inches, to have a good look at the river bed along the beats, very interesting to see where there are deep gullies, potential lies and features that you will never see at normal heights. Get a mental map of all that when you are out, put your fly in the right place and you’ll be halfway there to a successful day.
29th, the rain has arrived and more of the next few days, the river certainly needs it if not just to freshen things up but to also encourage some salmon to enter the river.
The tide times for September, add one hour and twenty minutes to time shown.
It’s been an interesting month, no salmon due to conditions but the grayling and trout just sublime.
Kind regards, Peter and Glyn.
