Willersley Castle

Today I started with dry fly around the bridge catching a 2 small grayling and on reaching the faster water set up my check nymphs on my 10ft rod then fished through the likely areas upstream to Masson Mill. The grayling were pretty keen today with all ladies fighting very hard, dragging through the fast water making my life very hard, losing a few nice fish as a result.
I steadily caught ladies going upstream with my leatherbacks winning the day easily and after a while I fished 2 of them size 10's which proved effective and stopped getting snagged in the shallow water so much. The Derwent still needs water as she's very low, mind you I managed to wade up next to the mill for a new experience which bought me a couple more small but perfick grayling. After a massive tangle I switched back to dry and worked back downstream with my elk caddis, working along the edges of the fast strips which also worked well and finished me back at the bridge with 12 grayling the best shown below.

Dee-lightful Day

Yesterday I treated myself to a day's grayling fishing on the Dee with Arthur Wellersley who was on holiday in the area and he kindly invited me for a day's fishing, after some badgering. After getting my directions sorted I took an early morning drive to meet at 9am in Llandderfel, and parked next to the most glorious bridge with some lovely water running through it - pictured below. I instantly knew this was gonna be a good day, even without fishing, just taking the time to pan the view was spectacular, full of autumn gold and reds, a truly beautiful venue to spend the day fishing.

Arthur arrived soon after so we got tackled up and got cracking with both duo and check nymphs purely for exploration purposes really to see how the ladies fancied it today. We both quickly learned they weren't going to throw themselves at our feet, which added to the day as we both chopped and changed to work out some form of success. Eventually it was obvious heavy nymphing wasn't the answer today, in fact the fast water produced very little but as things warmed up, we began spotting fish taking off the top. I began catching fish in the tail ends of the pools using my Bradshaw's Fancy with a Partridge and Orange which gave Arthur a giggle, probably my fowl mouthed working class accent getting all traditional on his ass. Joking aside the method soon caught plenty of fish mostly on my Bradshaw's including this well fed beauty below who I homed in on under some trees on the far bank but after tugging her way to the fast water forcing me to hold my breath for a while, I gratefully received my rewards for some tricky casting, and to be honest I could have gone home totally satisfied right then.

We decided to sit and have some lunch while observing a lovely smooth stretch of river and noticed a nice fish rising along a food lane out in the middle of the river. We sat for a while discussing our approaches to the rising lunker that persisted in tempting and teasing us throughout lunch. I gave Arthur the honours who decided on a black f-fly type pattern and with me drooling, he eventually got up to make his cast while I was like a cat on hot bricks stood behind him. In true textbook style on the 3rd cast this wonderful grayling came crashing through the surface taking the fly with it - Bingo!. It doesn't get any better really as Arthur had sat and observed the fish before making his decision on approach and carrying it out resulting in a belting grayling. Below is Arthur playing it around the smooth water before eventually bringing it to his net, needless to say with a smile after his perfect 10 minute masterclass, mind you I should claim a little piece of that fish for my moral support.

We fished a little further downstream where I caught a couple in some huge swells on a bend, dry fly fishing on a glorious sunny autumn day on the Dee is something I won't forget and will no doubt experience again in the near future. Things became quiet for a while but before leaving Arther demonstrated his "eat a sandwich approach" again, bringing another nice lady into his hand. We decided to have a walk back and try a couple of hours a few miles upstream and although it proved a lovely stretch to wade and looked very fishy they weren't playing ball, mind you Arthur had some sport with tiddlers in the shallows but the deeper holding water offered nowt, which was confirmed by an angler who'd had nothing all day. We sat chatting on the bank for a while taking a well earned rest before making our way back to the cars and bidding our farewells. Reflecting on the days fishing during the long drive home, today was a most memorable one and totally worth the effort, here's a couple of pictures below that I wont forget in a hurry and thank you Mr Wellersley for inviting me to spend the most Dee-lightful days fishing with you.

Look Inside

Today the Erewash was electrofished by the EA who kindly invited me along as part of the River Erewash Foundation to observe the process. Basically they choose a 100m section and wade upstream with staff on either shoulder netting all the stunned fish which are then placed into large barrels with oxygen supplied, at the end of the zone. This process is repeated 3 times up the same stretch to ensure all fish are caught before collecting any data. Below shows the net holding the fish at the top of the stretch ready to be placed into the barrels for inspection.

Once the net was emptied they speedily set about recording the measurements as well as taking a scale for testing on every fish they caught, keeping the stress of their captured fish to a bare minimum. Needless to say they all played there parts in the recording process before gently replacing the fish back in the Erewash to swim along their merry way. I found the whole experience fascinating and I was filled with envy struggling to believe this is their job, a dream one for me and they actually get paid for it. In reality their positions are far from glamorous and probably hard work at times, along with the years of studying of course, but who can blame a passionate angler for fantasizing about handling hundreds of beautiful fish everyday for a living.

The usual suspects all put in an appearance such as Chub, Barbel, Roach, Dace, Perch, Pike, Gudgeon etc but no trout or grayling but to be fair we weren't in the right stretch for them. Below is a picture of the measuring board with a nice sized chub laid out along with a Barbel and Roach shown below. Overall this was an excellent experience for me and shows yet again the EA's willingness to support and involve a local volunteers group such as the REF. There are no doubts that as the River Erewash Foundation goes from strength to strength, our partnership with the Environment Agency will grow stronger and we are grateful for what they have done to date.

Dovedale Duo

I took 2 river virgins out for their first fly flyfishing experience yesterday, they both had some stillwater experience but neither had ventured into the flow of a river. I decided they should learn some dry fly fishing 1st, and depending how they coped we could attempt small nymphs on the duo later in the day. Her Majesty was running low and looking very clear so the first lesson was gonna be stealth. Crossing the bridge from the car park we noticed some small rises and there was some LDO's coming off in numbers and being easy to spot I tried Jim and Tim with a few matching patterns, getting little success before the stones.

Reaching the nursery pool the usual suspects were rising enough for me to show off a little casting under the trees. I connected with a nice fish before pulling out of it although I think it was a trout. We quickly moved on and soon started connecting with a few fish and Jim wrestled with a nice grayling but played it a little hard for a fish of that size but you have too develop a feel for the fish in a river, as well as finding the boundaries of playing a fish. I decided to have alittle play myself but kept hitting little brownies, no surprises there as Dovedale isn't famous for holding huge numbers of ladies, just great big ones. Once both had caught and they they showed enough river craft to warrant a visit on their own in the future we starting considering lunch. We spotted a few needle flies, in fact they were all over our faces, so I suggested Tim trying my matching fly before tea break as i could see grayling rising upstream of him. I did suggest I would kiss Tim's butt if he doesn't get an offer which brought about a laugh before being quickly followed by a lovely grayling to both of their surprise, Tim's pictured below playing the fish, no doubt he was now well and truly hooked. Both were spurred on by the large lady and encouraged to fish a little further improving quickly while catching a few trout before we all sat on a log for lunch.

Deciding they had the basic idea of dry fly fishing I suggested fishing the duo for the afternoon, so we all set up before setting off upstream again. I decided to fish a little more myself and caught 2 grayling and 2 trout on the duo, all taken on the nymph as usual, confirming that the duo would be effective for both of them. Obviously both began loosing a few more flies but they picked up the idea and caught a few fish between them. Unfortunately I put Jim on a 2lb+ grayling which was happy to oblige us but too much for a newbie to handle and after all Rome wasn't built in a day.

I suspect to say both chaps were pleased would be an understatement especially as they did well first time out, gaining experience of trout and grayling while fishing 2 methods, in fact I'd bet money Tim's still smelling the ladies on his fingers today, reminiscing his fantastic trip to the Dove, after all, we anglers know you can't beat the smell of grayling on your hands first thing in the morning, something you never forget. In my experience of fly fishing when you make a friend its one for life, and a special bond for the long haul, I expect I'll be fishing with these 2 again before too long.

Loads of Ladies (Mayfield)

Massive olive hatch with loads of rising fish both ladies and trout feeding off the surface, her Majesty is running low and could do with a good dowsing. I had plenty of grayling 20+ like shown in the pic below - nuff said.

Manif "Old Majestick"

Well where do I start with such a fantastic day to finish the trout season on, blue skies above and the damn wind dropped. Well I can tell you that I experimented on different sections of the Manifold today in preparation for next year, the fish were rising all over to mainly sedge and a few olives and I caught plenty of trout and even some manifold ladies put on a show for me.

Now I have declined from giving my full post for the 1st time since I began blogging, this is my attempt to protect a small piece of heaven from poachers as you never know where they get their information from and have been out in force lately so I do hope you can respect my decision without giving me too much grief.

Today I got the shock of my fishing career when after catching plenty of fish, small, medium and a couple of lunkers, I got a savage pull from an old Derbyshire gladiator. Instantly I knew this wasn't within the usual realms of small stream fishing, well not mine anyway. In all honesty I nearly cacked my pants at the first run this trout made, shooting off upstream like a torpedo.

I began to strip line off my reel instantly knowing there was no holding this brute, not with my "Old Majestick" bamboo rod and 2lb line. If I was too win this battle today I knew I'd need to draw on all my skill, experience and then some. I gently turned the fish around and gingerly played the beast all over the river, then all of a sudden it took off again tugging down on my rod almost straightening the angle once again. Instinct began to kick in, and on every surge both up and downstream I ran a few steps towards the fish, trying to keep that angle in the rod.

I contended with huge boulders and tree's resting within the surface as he did his utmost to snag me anywhere he could, he'd obviously been around the block a few times but then so have I.

Obviously I began talking to myself like you do in total concentration, similar to praying, almost trying to talk the beast into the net. My arms began to ache and I steadily applied a little more pressure on the rod and tippet turning him around after every run only to be pulled downstream again by what felt like a large German Shepard on the other end. Eventually I knew as he tired that I had a solid hook up and he was mine - ah ah ah!

Jesus Christ! I had a job scooping this 22 inch long, with a 14 inch girth specimen into my pan net, boy the sense of fulfillment as the 20 min epic battle came to an end. I carefully lay the beefcake on the bank next to Old Majestick and quickly as possible fumbled for my camera.

I unhooked him and took a few shots, lowering him slowly back to the river for a much earned rest. I whispered my sweet nothings in his ear for a while before he slipped away ready to fulfill the next mans dream. The picture below shows his huge shoulders, a bit like George foreman.

The whole experience was surreal, as I staggered out of the river like I'd been in the ring for a few rounds. I plonked my big butt down and stared quietly at the river, suffering some unusual kind of shock or maybe savouring the moment while also thinking, how can that giant live in such a small stream. My attempt to describe today's experience was like arriving somewhere very special, and out of respect for the trout I cut the line, deciding I'd taken enough from this precious little stream for one day and walked slowly back to my car revelling in my satisfaction.

Today I shared an experience with many excellent Derbyshire anglers that have gone before me, such as Cotton and some still alive such as Richard Ward - Get in there my son!

Toton on the Dry

Today I experimented on the Toton stretch of the Erewash where the river Erewash foundation have carried out work/restoration and sticking with the dry fly only theme, God knows what I might catch. The Erewash was very low and in desperate need of rain so the fishing needed to be stealthy with such clear and shallow water, the fish would spook very easily. I started on my EHS and hooked into a fish under the first bush and no mistaking the big white lips breaking the surface, a nice chub. Unfortunately I bounced it off in my excitement but as I plodded upstream I soon began to tally up a good amount of fish.

It dawned on me compared to many rivers the Erewash has real potential in terms of easy wading, good gravels and lots of cover which to be honest did cost me a few flies, nothing new there. Once in the channel the fish became easy pickings and I managed to find a few larger chub that gave a brilliant scrap on my bamboo.

As time passed I filled in my Data sheet and realised I'd caught 12 chub, 2 Dace and 2 Rudd all on dry fly which was pretty impressive me thinks, especially considering the autumnal weather today and the river conditions. I didn't find any grayling or trout today but it detracted nothing from my satisfaction that this river is worth the effort and deserves the foundations effort to protect and nurture her.

The best thing about the fishing today was its free, and the pics show you can have plenty of success in October on the dry fly, fishing for coarse fish. Once the river fills up, its a good time for fish to move back upstream from the Trent, hopefully another sea trout would be nice this time of year, especially if I catch it.

One Step at a Time

We arrived at 10am and began to congregate in the car park next to the river at the Royal Avenue entrance to the Erewash. After a couple of phone calls to guide the stragglers into the car park, we all began getting ready for the job at hand. The forecast was good and the river low and clear, so perfect conditions to search the river bed for undesirable aliens that need removing.

The River Erewash Foundation soon got stuck into work on its 3rd section of river we've called the Long Eaton stretch. Although most usual suspects couldn't make it, we still had a good turn out and soon got cracking around the railway bridges where most debris had settled. We soon made an impact and began moving upstream chasing a few specimen pike and chub along the way.

Pip Russell below kept a Sharp eye on the debris piles being left by us and was definitely on her best behaviour as she'd have sooner been ratting for sure. After admiring some of the graffiti and the effort it must of took, we moved away from the huge industrial train bridges, lasting signs of days gone bye, and waded into the more slow quiet tree lined stretches away from mankind.

Nobody actually took a dip today although there were a few stumbles along some of the man made sections, especially with the large boulders scattered along the bank side, not ideal for wading but like Del boy always says "he who dares wins, Rodney" well he did yesterday. Some inquisitive locals came for a chat, dog walkers, cyclists and a few youngsters who were following us around with some interest.

These wild roses along the riverbank were truly stunning, especially as we got closer and I'm sure you'll agree worthy of a photo in all there glory. I can honestly say I don't think I've ever seen anything as beautiful growing along a riverbank albeit alien or not. We began to slow down and decided we'd done enough so we headed back to the cars for refreshments while setting up the fishing tackle for a couple of hours trotting.

This pic below was the finishing point for the REF working party today and I hope you too see the potential in this little river, with habitat improvements and a few dedicated organisations and partnerships, and most of all, guardians buy the dozen, in the shape of the River Erewash Foundation.

We all began fishing and caught loads of species in numbers such as dace, chub, roach, perch, gudgeon and millions of fat minnows, no wonder we have kingfishers darting about everywhere.

Sadly we didn't encounter any trout or small grayling that we stocked last year but there's plenty of time for one or two special appearances yet - watch this space. We have REF data sheets now to get records of anglers catches along the river and should you not wish to be a member, the REF would appreciate any anglers being prepared to record there catches on the Erewash. Contact me through blog for data sheets and you can post if you wish to remain anonymous for whatever reason or google rivererewashfoundation.

Manifold - Ludburn to Longnor

Today I went to explore more of the Manifold starting at Ludburn where Derby County Angling Club have donated a section to the Peak Passport Scheme. I walked downstream staying well clear from the bank as with a river this size you could lose this battle before it starts if you begin hanging your nose over the bank on the way downstream before fishing back up - resist the temptation.

I chose my starting point and sneaked into the river shown below with a good stretch of juvenile habitat lined up one side to reclaim the bank, I cast next to the brash and got walloped instantly.

This restoration work had definitely done the business providing a safe environment for young trout as this pool was alive with them, providing me with 6 perfect little trout like the one below with an elk hair in his mouth, amazingly beautiful little things.

I quickly became engrossed with the river and once in top gear, I began connecting with most takes resulting in lots of browns and they were getting bigger. I had all my success on elk hair and Larrys Pride but I should mention once your under the canopy you cant help but loose 1 or 2 flies to the tree gods.

The sport was nothing short of fantastic dry fly action and I intend to congratulate Andy from Trent Rivers Trust and Ron Trevis from DCAC for their successful work to date, and the future of the Manifold looks very promising if this passport section is anything to go by and this stretch will be excellent value day ticket water, for our fly fishing visitors to go wild - Ninja Style.
This big stockie came crashing out from under some roots and with the hard battle he gave me he could be forgiven for his stockie status, and after all 1 in 20 ain't bad.

This picture below shows another section running under the canopy and the atmosphere was so intense, creeping along holding your breath, watching the surface like a hawk, waiting for the next rise in the distance to home in on. If you like challenging wild fishing with a 6-7 ft rod and want to get away from everything, this is paradise - you may as well be fishing on the moon and with quality of fish like this one below - you couldn't be disappointed.

Just to finish the day off nicely I noticed otter tracks as i walked back downstream and I was being stalked me thinks.

Top Notch Mayfield

An early start again and what a beautiful morning it was, blue sky all the way to Ashbourne and although the Dove looked low from the bridge there were 1 or 2 rises upstream. Starting at the weir I could see a shoal of Grayling and decided on a small olive which on my 3rd cast got supped by this gorgeous lady pictured below. To be honest I could have gone home happy right then but I hoped the day had a little more in store for me.

I slowly waded down to the bridge catching a few ladies and 2 brownies, just to keep me interested and after a resting at the bridge for a drink, many rises began upstream maybe after the disturbance/food I'd caused coming downstream. These were splashing/crashing rises and definitely trout so i switched to my Elk hair and instantly had success with lots of trout all the way back up to the weir. Fantastic dry fly action and the sun on my back, very hard to believe autumn is almost upon us and 2 weeks until the end of another trout season.

On reflection Church Mayfield has been my best venue this year, always producing the goods both silver and brown and I've thoroughly enjoyed every visit throughout the season. I feel the quality of grayling here could bring me a few surprises this winter so watch this space.