The Dutch Connection

Yesterday I agreed to assist Fishcake off the fly forum in helping out 2 dutch gentlemen both father and son who had no previous experience on Her Majesty (Dove). After a chaotic morning I arrived in Ashbourne needing a fisherman's breakfast and to buy a few bits for the day on the river, the only problem was I only had 25 mins to do it all.

Big shout out for Busy Bees Cafe in the bus station car park, off King Edward Street next to the Police Station. On walking in the cafe I asked how long a full breakfast would take and explained my predicament. This fantastic lady said " you sit down for breakfast and while your eating it, I'll run to Sainsbury's and get your stuff" well I was totally gobsmacked as she wrote a list and trundled off shopping, but not before laying a wonderful breakfast in front of me, "you get on with that" she said.

Just as I finished breakfast Florence Nightingale returned with my bag and explained to me " Sainsbury's had no pork pies so I nipped to Smiths (delicatessen) of Ashbourne, they do lovely ones" I couldn't believe this genuinely nice lady who put herself out for a stranger - needless to say I'll be back and I'm sure you'll agree, well deserving of a big shout out for Busy Bees Cafe.

Down to Fishing

I arrived at Dovedale on time and we were quickly joined by our new Dutch friends Rick and Sander who spoke better English than me and Gary, obviously. After a quick introduction and some jiggery pokery we began fishing upstream towards the steps, me and Gary quickly realising they were both accomplished bothers of the wangle, thank God.

After a while I decided to show the way (Old bighead)and this 17 year old responded instantly, not surprisingly as he told me later he was a qualified coach at 17, Hollands youngest at the time and he is hoping to become Hollands youngest European Fly Fishing Coach - EFC or something similar, anyway I'm sure somebody will correct me, hopefully Rick or Sander.

The boy done good and was happy with one of the prettiest little brown trout in the world laying across his hand, mission accomplished before we'd reached the stepping stones. Rick was struggling to come to terms with such a small stream and its fare to say I think they were used to much larger and deeper rivers. Moving past the nursery pool Rick did begin to catch and practised his long distance release before bringing a fish to his boots.

The Dutch Duo definitely enjoyed their day at Dovedale and I like to think me and Gary did our utmost to help them enjoy this wonderful Derbyshire experience. We eventually made our way back to meet the wife and daughter at the car park to re-unite this lovely Dutch family.

Milldale

I decided to have a bash at Milldale for a few hours and I got Fishcake to drop me off at the riverside and we said our farewells. Shit! I'd left my lunch/drinks bag in Fishcakes boot and with no phone signal couldn't do much about it. After waiting and praying for a few minutes I made a start and began fishing, feeling hungry and very thirsty, son of a bitch. I Was quickly rewarded with a few trout and grayling which went some way to restoring my energy, well took my mind of things anyway.

After a couple of hours I heard "ticket please" and turned to see Fishcake had returned, bag and all. Needless to say how pleased i was he'd come back with my goodies, especially all the way from Leek, bless him. We both had a brew of Ringtons Tea which I'm trying to educate Fishcake about, and had a good chinwag before we parted for the second time today. I carried on catching plenty of trout and noticed Tim Walton from the forum walking towards me. Tim came across a real gent and we spent some time chatting until he left me to fill my boots. I had my final fling with this lady below who was completely camera shy and simply refused to be photographed for anything, below is my best effort. After bidding her farewell I made my way to the car knackered and satisfied at the end of a very busy day.

Reflecting on the days fishing while driving home I came to this conclusion that although quite a few rods had gone through this stretch today, the fish didn't seem to mind much, however I believe a checking station would have huge benefits for LADFFA members offering them a chance to make an informed decision of how many rods your following from each end. Also methods and flies to use, as well as considering the health and safety benefits plus a few others like catch returns complete, lost items and information for the bailiff etc.