White Horses at Hillend

I have been up visiting my family over the weekend. I decided that I needed a fishing trip while there and went up to Hillend Reservoir on Sunday. I arrived there at about 11am and the weather was not good for the fishing. The wind was very strong as can be seen in the photo, with white horses. The rain was on and off most of the day. I decided retreat was the better option rather than trying to cast into 35/40 mph winds.

Weekly Round Up (Week Twenty)

The forecasted rain finally arrived Late Saturday and lasted most of Sunday. It is still raining now and it is quite heavy. The river is starting to rise and colour up. It will be a couple of days before the river is in peak condition for the salmon & sea trout run up river and the fishing then should be good. The tree lined banks are looking good now with plenty of leaf cover, with terrestrials being blown on to the water, there is also good hatches of large dark olives and black gnats. All being well I will be out on Thursday morning for a couple of hours before work.
The picture above was taken on Saturday before the rain came.

Evening Off

I managed to get an unexpected evening off yesterday. I decided to go up river to Staveley to a stretch of river that I have viewed in the past and wondered who owned the fishing rights. This section is run by WADAA and is a very inviting stretch of the river. I got tackled up and donned the waders, and was fishing by 7.30pm. There were many rising fish with the occasional leap from the energetic trout. I had a Klinkhammer on, and got quite a bit of interest almost immediately. I fished up the left bank for about ½ Mile and then crossed the river and fished back down the right. I did not manage to hook up with anything but the evening was still a success as I was out in the fresh air and enjoyed the experience. I will be out there again in the future with a bit more success hopefully.

Weekly Round Up (Week Nineteen)

The forecasted rain didn’t materialise until today and even that wasn’t as heavy as forecast. There is heavy rain forecast for most of next week so hopefully the river will get up enough for the Salmon and Sea trout to make the journey up river.
I have been out for walks along the river and there is plenty of activity from the Brown trout and Salmon parr. Not been able to get out fishing this week due to my latest eye operation. Recovery from the op going well and I should be out fishing either Monday or Tuesday this coming week before going back to work on Wednesday.

Cumbria Fishing Festival

The Cumbria Fishing Festival Starts on 14th May and runs to 22nd May. The festival is organised by Local anglers to show what Cumbria has to offer for the experienced angler and for those who have never tried fishing but would like to start. There are some great events over the week, including a day’s tuition on the River Eden with renowned angler and author Jeremy Lucas. There are also Family taster sessions at Bessy Beck, where you will get 1 hours free fly fishing instruction and you are guaranteed to catch a fish. The family taster sessions are free of charge, just turn up. All the equipment that you will need, including rod and reel is supplied. There are also Kayak fishing sessions, this is one of the fastest growing sports in the Lake District.
For anyone that is in the area during the week get yourself along to any one of the sessions. Full details can be found here http://www.cumbriafishingfestival.co.uk/ .

Weekly Round Up (Week Eighteen)

Eyesight getting back to normal this week. With my other eye being operated on next week I will hopefully be out fishing next weekend. I went for a walk along the river from Scroggs Wood to Hawes Bridge today after work. The walk is about 2 miles across farmland where you have to avoid stepping in cowpats. It was a pleasant evening stroll considering the thunder storms we have had for the last couple of nights. The sun was shining, but the forecast was for more thundery rain showers. So I had taken along the waterproofs just in case (they were not needed). The river is up a bit but not enough for the salmon and sea trout to make the run up river. This section is known to have good runs of salmon and sea trout in the spring when the river is at the correct level. With the forecast for more rain the river should be in perfect condition toward the end of next week.

1st of the Season

I went down to the river on the north shore at Scroggs wood today (4th). I walked to the river from the car park it takes about 5 minutes. I walked along the edge observing the water and looking for likely spots where the trout might be hiding. While walking I noticed that there was quite a few rises but I could not see any fly life. I assumed they were feeding on emergers as they were reaching the surface. I set up the rod with a small caddis emerger of my own design. First cast and there was interest from the trout. I continued walking up river having a couple of casts every couple of steps. There was plenty of interest from the fish. After about ½ hour I was into my first fish. I estimate this to be about 1 ½ pound as I never saw it before if got off to fight another day. I continued and within minutes I had hooked and landed my first brownie of the season. This was about 1lb in weight. After photographing this was safely returned to whence it came. I kept fishing, casting every couple of steps and was soon into more fish. This time they were salmon parr, about 5inches in length and weighing no more than 3 or 4 ounces. Unfortunately it was now time to pack up and collect my daughter from her after school science club.

Scroggs Wood

I managed to get out fishing today for a couple of hours this morning. I headed for an area of the river just through Scroggs Wood. This area had been recommended by my local tackle shop, as there had been reports of small brownies and small sea trout being caught. I got tackled up and donned the waders as there are a lot of branches close to the edge. I put a small spider on the dropper and a GRHE on the point to help get the fly down as there was not much fly life or any sign of fish moving. I fished up the south bank for about ½ mile and then made my way back down. Never managed to even raise a trout in the couple of hours I was there.
This evening after tea I went back out to the same area but on the north bank this time. There was a little breeze which when casting was coming from behind and this put a ripple on the water. There were huge hatches of small upwinged Olives and midges. The trout were rising freely and also the occasional leap from the more energetic. I fished this bank for about a 1 ½ hours with no success. I will be returning to this area as there is definitely plenty of fish. I just need to find the right fly to fool them.

Weekly Round Up (Week Seventeen)

Still recovering from my Cataract Op – so not been out fishing this past week. I went down to the river tonight and saw that the 'neds/chavs’ have been. In the pic above you can see that they have ripped a lifebelt from one of the fixed rescue points along the river. The actual lifebelt was missing and the case that it hang in is left lying around with some empty beer cans close by.
The river is very low at the moment as we have had glorious sunshine for the last couple of weeks. Having said that the wind over the last few days has been that strong that casting would be almost impossible. The winds are forecast to be much less tomorrow when I will be out giving the fishing a go. I have still not decided where I will fish yet but it will either be Kentmere Tarn or Ghyll Head. I will post a report on the fishing tomorrow night.