Weekly Round Up (Week Sixteen)

This past week I have not been out much due to a Cataract Operation. I have mainly been in the garden tidying out the shed etc. I managed to get out today on the bike for a ride along the river. The water is low at the moment due to the lack of rain. The river is normally about 12-18 inches higher at this time of year. The weather has been superb with lots of warm sunshine. There were plenty of people all along the river today enjoying the sunshine, and playing around in the water.

Lakeland Fly Dressers

I attended the latest meeting of the Lakeland Fly Dressers Guild last night (20-4-11) before my cataract operation today. The speaker on the evening was our own chairman and world renowned fly dresser Paul Little.
Paul was giving a talk and demo on tying classic salmon flies. The fly he was tying was the Aglia – one of the three goddesses. One of the techniques he was demonstrating was on how to marry the feathers from different feathers/birds. The feathers used were turkey and bustard, which were used for the wing.
I think you will agree the finished product is superb.

Weekly Round Up (Week Fourteen & Fifteen)

Didn’t get out last week to get an update due to not being well over the weekend. The river Kent is in good condition at the moment with some nice glides and pools through the town section.
I got out today for a couple of hours on the river Sprint, a tributary of the Kent. It was a little overcast but dry. I arrived at the river at about 10am and tackled up. I was using my #3/4 weight rod today. This section of the river is crystal clear with a gravelly bed.
There are a few nice runs on this stretch with a good amount of holding places for the trout. The trout in this area are usually in the 6oz – 8oz bracket, with the occasional larger fish to 1 lb. I didn’t manage to connect with any fish today, there was not many hatches and the hatches that were there were very short lived.

Alcock Tarn 8/4/11

I went for a walk up to Alcock Tarn today (Not Fishing) to scope out the potential for fishing for Brown Trout and for putting the info in to the guide that I am writing for the hotel where I work. I parked the car near Dove Cottage, which was the Home of William Wordsworth. The walk to the Tarn is about 1 ½ miles. It starts quite gently on stone covered track. This soon gives way to stony/rocky path which is step in parts. I found out today just how unfit I am. I was getting out of breath and sweating quite a bit by the time I stopped for a breather and drink, also a picture of Grasmere Lake. The path continues to climb steeply over rocky terrain until you reach a bend and then more gentle as you walk towards the Tarn.
On reaching the tarn I decided to have a seat on the grass to recover after the effort to reach the tarn. As I sat there looking at the Tarn the Trout were rising freely to the hatch of fly life. In the summer this is not as crowded as some of the more well-known lakes and tarns and is very much suitable for fly fishing as you will be able to see anyone approaching which will give you plenty of time to ensure you are not casting as they reach you. The fact that the fishing is free makes it all the more worthwhile taking the time and effort to get there.

Weekly Round Up (Week Thirteen)

I took my son with me for a bike ride today along the cycle path to Asda. The weather was nice and sunny, perfect for cycling as there was a little breeze. The river is up a bit due to the rain over the last couple of days. Didn’t manage to get out fishing today but I think taking the rod on the bike is a possibility and something I will look forward to.
It is good for the environment as well as helping me to lose the pounds and get fit again. It has been a few years since I was last on a bike but I feel this is the way to go to get fit as I don’t like going to a gym and running will not do my knees any good.