Broken my duck today

[terry]

Like many I guess but I have had a very poor start on my beloved Duchy waters, until today that is.😄
Had two nice fish on the dry fly at last. One 11" and one at 10". Nearly did'nt bother as the EA gauge at Dunnabridge was showing 1.6 metres yesterday but today had dropped a meter and cleared nicely. Several fish rising in the pools all afternoon. My season has started.
Terry

[JJO]

Hi Terry,

I'm heading down tomorrow with a Duchy newbie. I'm thinking West Dart and Cherry Brook? I've only fished the East Dart before. What do you reckon?

Best

Jon

[terry]

Hi Jon,
I've struggled on both the East & West so far but yesterday it was the West dart at Dunnabridge that produced the goods. River now down and crystal clear.
I've not seen so many Hawthorns for years and the trout were up and feeding well on them. Don't go without a few bibios.
Hope you have a good day, it's pretty boggy so take care.
Terry

[JJO]

Hi Terry,

Good to here you got into some nice fish.

I fished the West Dart upstream of Hexworthy bridge. Not a sausage. Moved on to the lower Cherrybrook and it was immediately obvious there were fish about. Only a handful of hawthorns spotted. Caught a couple of tiddlers on dries, lovely spot though.

Cheers

Jon

[johnesmithson]

Hi Terry

Your 10+ inchers were hiding when I went looking for them during the last couple of days! I had an afternoon session on Sunday on the Blackabrook which yielded 4 small fish, all to dries, then a full day yesterday on the East Dart below Bellever. There was a lot of fly hatching (mainly midge and a few olives) but the only rises I saw all day were to my flies (Hawthorn/Elk Hair Caddis/Klinkhamer/Para Adams). In the end I had 5 and lost a couple, but nothing bigger than 6 inches, and I also caught what must officially have been the smallest brown trout in Devon! As usual it was a hard yomp and wade, and I would have liked to have something put a decent bend in the rod... Great to be out on the Moor again though.

Cheers, Johnny