My adventure began as I walked down into the mist, in search of the river Manifold. I haven't fished here for a few years and needless to say my last visit proved disappointing, but after being reliably informed things are beginning to improve, I decided to have a morning here before meeting friends on the Dove at lunchtime.
Wow! the picture above shows how beautiful this little river is first thing in the morning, truly stunning in my opinion, especially with the mist still holding as the warmth of the sun came through. Dryfly only i began fishing the 1st pool with my Larry's Pride which was engulfed by a brownie around a lb and after a tremendous fight the fish came off. I stood for a moment in disbelief while grieving at the loss of what could have been the perfect start and concluded if fish like that live here - happy days.
You could excuse yourself for believing that your the only man on the planet while fishing here and it helps with the stealthy approach needed to sneak up on these fish without causing a stir. Most of the river can be fished in thigh waders and with a little careful maneuvering I only climbed out a couple of times to re-enter further upstream. After missing a few lightening takes I decided to try a small Elk Hair to induce a more confident take therefore catching these speedy little boggers. My theory worked to some extent along with resting my rod tip 1 inch off the water in concentration, just to keep as connected to the fly as possible to speed up the strike to a maximum and set the hook. I immediately increased my success rate and manged 8 brownies with 6 small wildies and the 2 shockers above and below.
The Manifold experience was unbelievably exciting, providing a difficult challenge for any experienced angler along with tense and exhausting, however the rewards are uplifting and fulfilling so needless to say I'll be back again soon, especially with many other stretches of the Manifold I've never fished before - I can't wait.
Wolfscotedale
I met with 2 friends full of vigor after a brilliant morning and spent no time getting stuck in on Her Majesty(Dove) who wasn't giving anything away today. The river was at ordinary summer levels and clear but the cold wind blowing down the valley proved the kiss of death today. I began to realise my energy levels were low after a marathon fishing day and realising things were gonna be difficult this afternoon rapidly increased the feeling.
I managed a few trout on my LP with the best shown below with its huge tail and excellent condition fought like a Trojan. We worked our way back to the cars and thankfully the fast water produced the odd fish but it wasn't the most productive afternoon but enjoyed by all 3 of us.
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