Post by grhe on Aug 13, 2012 16:21:00 GMT
Grabbed a couple of days in Devon last weekend on CFFC waters. On Saturday I fished the Yeo upstream from Dunscombe bridge. I had only been on that stretch once before and I remembered why; upstream from the bridge, the river is a wide, shallow fishless ditch for quite a way. Where it narrowed, there was a promising pool and I had 2 takes on the nymph but both fish got off.
On Sunday I headed to Taw bridge and went downstream. It took me a while to find an entry point through the undergrowth to the river but once in, it was a picturesque setting and the tree canopy was not as extensive as it is upstream of the bridge, making casting a bit easier. I had my usual 7' #4 rod and was trying out a shorter leader of 7' 6" instead of the usual 9' to see if it was any easier to control. Instead of tying the nymph to the hook of the dry fly in the usual NZ style, I had tied the dry fly to a short dropper and this set-up cast well with no tangles. After about only a dozen or so casts, I hooked an 8" brown on the nymph (it's always the bloody nymph
). Apart from another take, that was the only fish of the weekend.
Disappointingly, I saw hardly any rises all weekend and the only fly life appeared to be a few damsels. I suppose all the rain we've had is responsible. I often wonder whether dry fly fishing has a future, given the decline in insect population. Anyway, a nice couple of days with good weather, plenty of water in the rivers and, staggeringly, no lost flies.
On Sunday I headed to Taw bridge and went downstream. It took me a while to find an entry point through the undergrowth to the river but once in, it was a picturesque setting and the tree canopy was not as extensive as it is upstream of the bridge, making casting a bit easier. I had my usual 7' #4 rod and was trying out a shorter leader of 7' 6" instead of the usual 9' to see if it was any easier to control. Instead of tying the nymph to the hook of the dry fly in the usual NZ style, I had tied the dry fly to a short dropper and this set-up cast well with no tangles. After about only a dozen or so casts, I hooked an 8" brown on the nymph (it's always the bloody nymph
). Apart from another take, that was the only fish of the weekend.Disappointingly, I saw hardly any rises all weekend and the only fly life appeared to be a few damsels. I suppose all the rain we've had is responsible. I often wonder whether dry fly fishing has a future, given the decline in insect population. Anyway, a nice couple of days with good weather, plenty of water in the rivers and, staggeringly, no lost flies.
