Wye I'm Singing in the Rain

Yesterday I met Colmans, Woody and Glen Pointon for breakfast in Bakewell before we ventured out fishing on the Wye for the day. We parked at the fishermen's car park and spent some time on the lower section getting results with plenty of little wild rainbows on generally small flies like olives, black nat and my newest little creation - Tangerine Dream.

We slowly made our way upstream and took shelter under a large tent at the showground, where somebody had kindly left a table and chairs for soggy fishermen. We took a welcome break while Glen provided the entertainment by filling his Kelly Kettle with rain water pouring off the roof. I decided to be snobby and decline his offer of tasting his bird shit filtered rainwater tea while he then proceeded in giving his in depth talk on food and hygiene. Finally accepting this rain was in for the day, we left our shelter and fished our way into town where I started hitting the Brownies at last.

We decided on a Chinese take away and ate it under some trees at the riverside, before moving through town to Scots Garden refreshed with full bellies. I decided it was sedge time and on went the Larry's Pride which proved devastating yet again. Me and Dave stayed near town and got loads of action as a result, both rainbows and brownies. The place was alive with fish and although I was soaked through I'd have carried on naked rather than pack up. With spirits still flying high we fished back through town where some nice fish were caught including a fine Wye grayling.

Unfortunately, the night was coming to an end but my Larry's Pride had 1 piece of magic left as it swung in the current, Wallop! I was into a good fish and quickly let Glen know it. The 1st run took me upstream and was a case of me hanging on gingerly to protect my 3.2lb tippet and I remember thinking I'm glad I chose the Sage TCR as the old bamboo might have struggled a little with this lunker. After 10 minutes of runs up, down and across the river, Glen eventually scooped up the gladiator in my large net. I'll never forget the way Glen looked at me after opening that landing net to see this most beautiful and amazing specimen "Its bloody massive" he shouted. This truly was my most memorable fish with a kype to die for, in fact its teeth drew blood as I retrieved my hook from its mouth. I'd imagine you could travel the world fly fishing for a lifetime and fail to hold such a fantastic wild fish in your hands - a truly breathtaking experience.

Many anglers spend a fortune chasing dreams all around the world and I have news for all of them, all your dreams can be fulfilled right here on the Derbyshire Wye. Although I'm sure we could have stared open mouthed at this beauty all night long without a word being said, I desperately wanted this warrior back in the river as quickly as possible to hopefully fulfill another brothers dream. I looked down to thank this fish for the time shared before it kicked away and I could breath a sigh of relief. This specimen is a credit to all staff who care, protect and nurture this special little river so a big thankyou to you all, and although I adore Her Majesty (Dove), an affinity with the Derbyshire Wye has been born and who could blame me, today I'm left wondering if there could possibly be a finer river anywhere.