Dries only?

[Pete Tyjas]

I was recently away and was lucky enough to fish the Peacock club water on the Derbyshire Wye.

They have a dry fly only rule and they have to be flies that sit on or in the surface of the water.

There were a few grannom, the odd olive about but we fished the water as nothing was rising.

While it was challenging, it was great fun and I even managed to catch some fish too although I was fishing with the river keeper!

What I took was that being adaptable, flexible and stepping out of the box helped along with figuring out that we needed even paced water that was knee deep or so.

There was a time when I'd fish our streams with just a dry but moved on to a duo but the last 5 or 6 seasons I've waited till things warm up and the fish start rising.

Anyone like to stick with just a dry no matter the conditions?

[terry]

Pete, that was extra brave considering the state of most rivers at present.
I’ve yet to wet a line on the Dart although a couple of stalwarts have had fish. Could pretty much guarantee they weren’t on dry flies however.
The Derbyshire Wye, especially the peacock water, could well be on my bucket list. Maybe best to leave the streamers at home though.
Glad your season is up and running.

[treefella]

So I guess you wouldn't be running into this guy on the Derbyshire Wye

[Pete Tyjas]

Apr 8, 2024 15:04:31 GMT treefella said:

So I guess you wouldn't be running into this guy on the Derbyshire Wye

Terry, it was good to be able to cast a line as like many, my fishing has been snatched moments before the rain started again.

Trefella, I didn't see this guy this but think I know the spot as I've fished it in the past. There was a factory alongside the river that had some nice trout that I guess workers there must have fed during their lunchtimes.

[boisker]

I’ve had one short session on the Axe, fishing streamers😂. But, my first sessions on the Frome or Piddle will definitely be dry only, unless I spot a decent trout nymphing and can sight fish to it, which feels more in keeping.
I usually try to avoid just fishing the water with nymphs early season, as that just feels like carrying on from the winter grayling season… to be honest less of an issue this winter, I fished once in Jan and once in Dec for grayling…. The only times I’d found time and fishable river coincided😏

I’m off on holiday next week for 3 weeks, back early May… if the @@@@ing weather hasn’t sorted itself out by then I’ll be getting tetchy!

[johnesmithson]

Fished high on Dartmoor yesterday and the dry fly was working well: had a few up to 9ins on CDC emerger and Black Klink. Loads of sedge hatching (grannom I think) but nothing obviously rising to them. I wonder if they were taking the pupae or emergers rather than adults. A few olives and stoneflies also came off in the middle of the day when it was reasonably warm. It was good to be out again!

[terry]

Well done Johnny so glad you found a few fish especially to the dry fly. I’ve yet to wet a line, maybe we have at last turned a corner with the weather. ( that’s probably jinxed it)

[boisker]

Yeah, I rarely find that grannom adults are taken off the surface… I always have more success with an emerger, and often trail an unweighted ‘pupa/ nymph’ 18” behind the emerger, so that it’s fishing just below the surface.