|
Post by Pete Tyjas on Sept 30, 2008 18:27:17 GMT
I guess there are a few more days before we are fully shut on the rivers now but for me the trout river season is over and its time to start thinking about the lady and pike on the fly. The season has been a disrupted affair but if you have timed it right and got to the water when it was the right height it has been pretty good fishing. I for one noticed that the dry fly fishing this year has been better than the last couple of years and found I have fished the dry pretty much exclusively rather than NZ dropper. Perhaps it has been the case that adverse weather has kept hatches backed up a bit and so we've seen heavier hatches when the window has been right? I caught more fish on mayflies this year than the last 5 or 6 and have even fished when the books have said no and been lucky enough to catch a few!
The highlights have been getting up into the Moors a bit more this year and seeing some nice fish come out, hitting the mother of all BWO hatches on the Wylye and trying to find our way back to the car in the dark, losing my rod tip on th Taw and my wife finding it the next day and my daughter asking me to take her fishing.
How has your season been and what have been the highlights?
Pete
|
|
|
Post by flyboxfan on Oct 1, 2008 8:15:17 GMT
My season has been intermittent. Started really well with a steady catch of reasonable brownies to a good size. Then it went down hill. When the weather broke so did the fishing and I never picked up a rod for several weeks. As I live 50 miles from where I fish I tend not to pop down to the river to see if it is a suitable height for fishing. The big storm converted the bridge to the fishing from a vehicle entry to a pedestrian one but this can be fixed by men and diggers. Had a really good end to the season with some good brownies and a couple of good grilse /salmon including my first double figure one. Which must, of course, be the highlight of the year.
Ambition for the winter Must try for pike with a fly rod.... as I used to catch them in my youth, I want to catch a grayling this year and tie more flies. But will settle for one or two of the above
|
|
|
Post by grumpy on Oct 2, 2008 10:42:18 GMT
Generally more lows than highs. My salmon jaunts "up North" have been met with record droughts and my chalkstream visits with gales! However, in between had some super days. Nevertheless being out fishing beats working any day irrespective of conditions
|
|
|
Post by troutbum on Oct 2, 2008 21:14:54 GMT
For me the 2008 season started with me drifting to the dark side and fishing the salt stuff for Bass. I'm not entirely evil though as it was fly only. As with most of my fishing I become totally fixated on a particular species or method for a while until I have had my fill. So it was with the Bass, and nothing it seemed could get me away from 4am starts on deserted beaches fishing the mouth of the Avon (South Hams) and the Erme.
Then because of the rain,rain and more rain I did more stillwater fishing than rivers for a while and tried to get afloat a little bit. Its an ill wind they say and so it was in the stillwaters as the low temps and overcast skies led to brilliant reservoir fishing this season.
However its impossible for me to resist the call of the river so when ever I could it was West Dart and then the Cherry for dessert.
I agree with Pete in that when conditions allowed hatches and dry fly fishing was better this season than for sometime. Bestist flies were para Greenwells and black Klinks. Might look at the Lady now with a bit more stillwater then catch up on some reading and that old promise to myself to do more tying this winter - ha ha. Hmmm Pike eh now that might get me fixated again to the detriment of the house/garden/decorating/ and just about everything else I should be doing but what the hell.
Next seasons resolutions are to fish the rivers a bit harder and to drain the salt water out of my veins.
Mark
|
|
|
Post by Pete Tyjas on Oct 4, 2008 9:49:49 GMT
Hi Mark,
interesting, to see you have found that the dry has worked so well for you too. Any one else feel the same...?
I see the klink has been a mainstay for you ( I'm sure lots of other people too!) I've been tying my klinks on Varivas 2200's and they are awesome. You can get them down to 22 but I found a 20 has been perfect for the Moors.
Was on a chalkstream y'day with guests and it was stunning. Low, clear water and stuffed with grayling. We even had a few sedges hatching to get the fish looking up!
How was your SWFF season?
I would suspect there have been some good salmon catches out there...how has everyone found this year?
|
|
|
Post by yeoman on Oct 6, 2008 12:44:02 GMT
I found the 2008 season very good although it seemed to get off to a slow start,nothing really showing until around mid april(on CFFC waters). I seldom fish nymphs as i find this much harder than dry fly and am not a great fan of NZ style(although it is undoubtably very effective). What worked for me in 2008 were Midge and Gnat patterns,Klinks(mainly black) and especially a pattern i've been tying for a couple of seasons which appears to be fairly deadly,fished either dry or tweaked just under the surface.They seem to take it whether they are rising or not. So all in all very enjoyable,problem is my house still needs painting,the allotment is full of weeds and my bank balance is not as it should be.That's fishing I suppose!!! ;D
|
|
|
Post by tobym on Oct 7, 2008 15:48:19 GMT
Well the 2008 season has been a great one for me.
A couple of first's this year which is cool.
I caught my first Salmon on a fly this year with the massive help of a forum member on here.
I caught my first Bass on the fly this year also again thanks to the help from a guy on a forum who knows loads of marks.
The rivers have been kind to me when i have been able to get on to them as the weather this summer has been crap to say the least.
Yet another year passes by but my thoughts now turn to My favourite freshwater fish the Lady of the stream and to Pike on the Somerset Levels and Chew.
Of course with the nights drawing in its also time to get tying all those flies that were lost over the season and believe me there are quite a few that need replacing.
T
|
|
|
Post by BarleBlanker on Oct 8, 2008 17:41:16 GMT
A season of three halves for me The first half up until the rains really got started was good for the trouts. I did more trout fishing than I have for some years and throughly enjoyed it, I even caught a few. Almost all of this was before this forum started. I also had a cracking week in April in the Western Isles The middle half was a bit of a washout and the salmon didn't want to show up on "my" bit. The last half was a bit better with some contact with the salmon and I even got the trout rod going on one day of lower water. Still a few days of the Exe season extension to go so still in with a chance of a kipper Andy
|
|