Out and about, not many trout, but a nice surprise

[johnesmithson]

Just had a couple of days on various Duchy streams; bruised and battered after yesterday's East Dart assault course. My wife says she is going to ban me from going because it's too dangerous (but that's why I do it!). Water levels still not down to the usual for this time of year, crystal clear and fast flowing. It all looked perfect except... nothing moving at all. Nada. Zero. Nul . Point. Occasional trickles of olives, midge and black gnats coming off. Maybe the hawthorns have already been and gone. It feels like the season up there is still way behind. The bracken has barely begun to grow back, and the foxgloves are only just starting to shoot. Altogether I had six rather tiny brownies on a mixture of emergers and nymphs (Duo style). Found another drowned sheep lodged in the Laughter Hole stepping stones. Blue ear tag. Consolation came in the form of some fantastic wildlife (close up views of a siskin, roe deer, orchids, small copper butterfly and pearl bordered fritillaries). Oh and I almost forgot, my first sea trout from the Moor in almost two decades: midnight on Sunday, shading 4lbs. Alexandra tube with single barbless hook, fished on a floating line. Shot off into the darkness after reviving in the net.

[terry]

Well done Johnie and thanks for the report. A 4lb sea trout that’s brilliant and on an Alex tube, the Dave Grove special. Good on you.

[bluegrizzle]

Well done indeed John S! Your dedication and confidence required to trek out on a night spell on the upper Dart in June on the chance of a spring peal is admirable. Great reward for your single-minded (bloody-minded?) go-to attitude. Keep that fly in the water! Regards, Grizzle.

[johnesmithson]

Ha ha thank you! My old diaries show that the 'spring peal' had usually started to turn up on the Moor by early June, so I reckoned that there must be a good chance after the high water that we had throughout May. The memory does play funny tricks though, and I hadn't quite remembered all the pot holes, boulders and assorted man-traps on the way to and from the river. Fortunately I had the sense to do a proper recce beforehand....