Monthly Archives: May 2011

NORTH YORKSHIRE

28 Saturday May 2011

Posted by in North Yorkshire

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I have fished, successfully, the Wharfe and the Laver, and sometime before 2008, and unsuccessfully, the Lidd and the Swale, but I had written nothing about these visits, so felt I had to take on the challenge of North Yorkshire again. And in communicating and launching my blog on FlyForums  to fellow anglers, I was delighted to receive a response from the ‘nom de plume’ Grayson, who wrote – “What a lovely prospect- if you need any Yorkshire venues do email me- would be happy to offer you a day or two on some very good and very private river”. There followed an exchange, off Blog, and Grayson turned out to be, one John Aston,

and his notes promised – “I can offer you a day on the Rye.End of May is good – will need to be mid week as in mayfly time weekends are guest free. Very pretty- upper river throungh wooded valleys . lower is gentler but with ranunculus and very big wild fish. Upper river fish are smaller but more numerous and run to 1-8 +; lower river  browns are often 3+”

On the appointed day I left my hotel near Northallerton and drove to Helmsley via the lovely market town of Thirsk. [Note – does any other County have as many race courses as Yorkshire – Redcar, Ripon, York, Beverly, Wetherby, Thirsk, plus, plus…?], and then onto the North Yorkshire Moors National Park via Sutton Bank up a 25% incline, the A170, where advisories told all motorists and all drivers, not once, but many times via ugly illuminated digital signs which would not be out of place in Las Vegas, that 132 blockages have occurred in the past year, involving HGVs unable to cope with the steep slope, even presumably in lowest gear, in which state it was recommended that all vehicles were driven…all of which seems to me, to beg a rather obvious question of the Yorkshire Constabulary, n’est-ce pas, Mon Brave?  Notwithstanding all this, the views from near the top were truly splendid, and once prompted Wordsworth to proclaim them, “the best in England”

On driving into Helmsley, I was concerned to note the low level of the water in the river below the town bridge, easily viewed from my elevated seat in Tonka Too. And I met up with John who explained that flowing over limestone, his river disappeared into the windy pits (pot holes, to you and me!) in this location so much of it flows underground at this point.

May 2011 – the Rye

A super injunction has been taken out, and this prevents me from revealing where we fished. Neither does the description accorded to Lot 150 in this year’s WTT Auction, generously donated by John (as was Lot 213), reveal the ‘where’, and whilst it may be the same water, only the angler making the winning bid, and my goodself know where, but you, Dear Reader, will never know!

Let me describe the Rye.

Firstly, I had never heard or read about it.

In parts it has special protected status – SPA, SAC, SSSI, as it flows through the most glorious and varied countryside.

“The River Rye rises just south of the Cleveland Hills, east of Osmotherley, and flows through Hawnby, Rievaulx, Helmsley, Nunnington, West and East Ness, Butterwick, Brawby, and Ryton, before joining the River Derwent near Malton.”(Wikipedia)

And also – “At source the River Rye and its tributaries run over Corallian limestone which outcrops on the hills surrounding the Vale of Pickering. In places this major aquifer is exposed in the river bed and water from the river is lost through swallow hole” as explained by John.

Arriving at our first venue in the heart of the Dale, I was struck by the calm and only the sound of birds broke the silence. We stood by an ancient stone bridge and discussed tactics.

Recent days had been punctuated by strong westerly winds and in the absence of fly life and with no fish rising, yet, John’s preferred nymphing set up at the start of the morning is New Zealand style, or as he describes it, “klink and dink”, with a weighted nymph trailing a bushy klinkhammer. As he admitted, in the wind in which we were fishing, the tangles were likely to be horrendous, and there were one or two, but, Boy did this rig work! John encouraged me to cast across current and upstream between overhanging branches of an alder, into a fast-ish run. He estimated the water was no more than eighteen inches deep there, and the first fish to come out was a grayling of 12”, the second a small brown trout,


 

 

 

 

 

 

and the third, a grayling of 1 lb. plus –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…and whilst a couple more trout came to net that morning, it was the grayling which surprised. Ten or so came to net, and at least four of them were well over the 1 lb mark, the largest nearer 2lb. Staggering for a small stream, and averaging much larger than in the Avon. And all on his rig!

In the afternoon, we moved downstream some five miles. I always aim to buy my host lunch on days like this, but it was impossible this day because John had brought a picnic of Yorkshire Pasty and Ampleforth Abbey Cider which were graciously consumed, before viewing this lower beat. We could have been in another county…..on another river. For here the river meanders through arable flat land with grassy banks,

over gravelly bottom with curious grey slates in parts, with long flowing weed. The bends in the river have created deep pools but the glides are more Hampshire in character and I am sure there were more fish under the weed than were visible. The wind was gusting but the temperature rose in increasing sunshine and the odd May, along with some olives produced spasmodic rises, and eagerly I switched to a dry fly. Jim, the Keeper, confirmed that just the week before, anglers were catching fish with imitations as May duns went floating by…funny how it’s always ’last week’!

I caught up with John and Jim who were chatting upstream, and learned that John had netted a couple of good fish on mayfly imitation from below the far bank where they were standing. John had to leave at five, so I wandered back downstream to see whether the fish that were rising on my way up were still doing so, but no. And on arriving where John caught I noted a sipping rise across the stream so tied on a spent May, and hooked him with my second cast. He was a doughty fighter and headed into the weed and just as I thought he was lost, he slid through and into my net…about 1 ½ lbs.

Post script –

John….

My  thanks for a super day. You were most generous with your time, your knowledge, lunch, and your passion for angling, and the Yorkshire countryside is obvious. I have bought your book (‘A Dream of Jewelled Fishes’ published by Aurum), and I now understand your ‘Nom de Plume’!

ps 2…I have had many invitations to be LinkedIn, but have declined all of them. I do not ‘tweet’ and am not a ‘twit(terer)’, nor am I on Facebook. But….I connected with John on a Forum, so in one sense, I am a Social Networker, as must you be for reading me, I presume. Good for us…and for me at 63, there is hope….I think!

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SHROPSHIRE

20 Friday May 2011

Posted by in Shropshire

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I have introduced David Thompson already in my scribblings…

he, a fisher whose garb is a blue boiler suit and beret, is commercial and an intellect and, a Bon Viveur and with an impeccable cellar (the La Lagune 1982 was delicious at dinner….it needs drinking he insisted, so we did), and so much more. Mine is always the pleasure, for our conversation is always wide and flowing.

You will know that I am indebted to him for capturing Herefordshire in 2010, and in preparing for another attempt at Salop, he must be excited, and I hereby reveal his pledge by letter to me, to “fish twice as much this year as last”…Good Man!

It is mid May, and perfidious Albion has been bereft of rain. Until last week, that is, when the West Midlands was blessed with three inches of it. This is not enough though. Some crops are developing earlier than they should in the unusual heat, and most will be well down in quantity or volume, and prices will increase. The madness that is supermarket promotional strategy should contain prices in store, though, to an extent. The rain made me concerned for our fishing this weekend, but a sighting of the first stream en route to Shropshire suggested a tinge of colour, but nothing to worry about…but water levels were depressingly low. This rain merely dampened the soil and no benefits have been derived. We must have more soon.

My day started in London where the skies were clear, blue and the sun shone. The drive to the Midlands was the same, but by mid morning the winds were up, cloud cover increased, and there was rain in the air. A walk along the banks of the Onny at Onibury,

where the Midland Fly Fishers rent their fishing from the Magnus Alcroft Estate, revealed waters which I described as ‘sterile’. In other words, I saw not one rise, nor any fish move, and my sense of anxiety rose as I looked at another Shropshire ‘blank’. And nymphing the pockets produced no interest either, and David quickly decided that we should move to –

May 2011 – the Byne Brook

A picnic lunch of smoked salmon sandwich, prosciutto slices and Mareka’s most delicious puff pastry tart of cherry tomatoes and asparagus washed down with NZ Sauvignon Blanc calmed the morning nerves, whilst excitement grew, watching a couple small fish slurping (maybe that was me!) medium olives.

“You go upstream” David declared, “and I will go downstream”

“You can go up a long way…beyond where the river bifurcates”, he advised….I love words!

The wooded meters were shallow and whilst there may have been some fish lurking there, the odd, speculative cast of an Adams delivered nothing. I clambered over a fallen branch and spooked two small chaps and knew there was life, though.

A bend in the stream ahead had etched a deep pool just below

where fast waters rushed over gravelly shallows. In the sunshine, some duns were being eagerly snatched by at least two fish, and switching to a full white hackled ‘something’ which was as close as I could imitate what I saw….my Shropshire fish was taken ( ¾ lbs) as was another.

I fished upwards in serenity, the pressure off, and cast beautifully through the winds, to fish rising in the warm air, and caught another five on elk hair caddis.

My method was to cast where I saw rises, and if successful, move on, expecting that the hooked fish would have upset others in the pool. Remember, this is a tiny stream. Most fish were taken at the head of each pool where the fast waters entering it,

were delivering a steady stream of duns to these greedy chaps.

Then, it rained…and it did, in spades.

But David revealed that the last stocking was done some ten years ago, so my catch of seven fish were wild.

We chatted to a farmer before leaving….he reported seeing otters downstream. This was the second occasion  in just a couple of weeks when the otter has featured in bankside discussions. They are indiginous to our streams, but a menace to our stock of wild fish. And my ‘mission’ seems to be revealing that wild fish are plentiful in the less accessible and smaller streams, and our heritage in this respect, must be protected.

RUTLAND

20 Friday May 2011

Posted by in Rutland

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Is Rutland a county?

Well, it was, then it wasn’t, and now it is!

That’s democracy for you and an “up yours” to Westminster (see Musings 10.5)

But it is a VERY small county….and with a trout stream?

In 2010, that I spotted that, one Andrew Flitcroft offered a day on his beat on his Rutland stream to the successful bidder for a lot in the WTT Annual Auction, that I realised there was such an opportunity, and probably the only one. My own bids came to nought that year, for I had then not heard of ‘sniping’!

But I wrote to Andrew, anyway, at his office in Peterborough and he kindly agreed to host my visit the following year, this one, and I had offered to send the WTT what I had bid, as a thank you, if he would be so kind to accommodate me.

May 2011 – the Gwash

The ‘OK Diner’ on the A1 just upstream (north) of Stamford was our meeting place.

And so we met. Don’t you find that on meeting, you know instantly that you will like someone, and that you will enjoy their company…and so it was at 10 am that day, and so it proved to be the case. I suppose I am motivated by enthusiasm and energy and commitment, and Andrew has these qualities in spades.

He has a long lease on a piece of water, in one place adjacent to, but in the main downstream of the Gwash Fishing Club’s water, and it is fed by pipes at the base of the dam at Rutland Water ensuring a steady flow of cold water which remains so, constantly through the year, delivering a consistency to his stream.

When Andrew first walked the mile or so of water he now has, what he saw  must have excited him as much as it daunted him. He was greeted by fallen timber, heavy overgrowth, little light, sparse vegetation, slow moving water, deep silted margins, un-protected banks where grazing sheep or cattle could add to the woes of this water…but he saw wild brown trout, too. And it could not have been fished for years, and he saw an opportunity to create something special. Over the winter months of the past few years, he and a small number of friends have begun the recreation of this place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The stream has distinct sections. The banks on the upper reaches are clearer, running as they do through meadow and space owned by a school for special needs children, but the fish are easily spooked. The lower beat is unworked and still unfishable, massive overgrowth, still to be cleared….but the middle section…!?

This is a meandering ‘wonderland’ of difference, because you never know what to expect around the next bend in this pretty stream.

It could be a long pool, a short run, a flourish through a groin, or a deflector, and surrounded by wild flowers, and enough cover for fish to be confident, and enough bank side foliage for the angler to have to concentrate.

The fish are wary though, and Andrew, reminding me of the need for stealth, often had me be casting from a way back, and the roll cast was often required, too, in the tighter lies. Weed growth is coming on, but to Andrew’s disappointment, lowish water has left some weed covered by algae, and the brightness of weed growth will not be revealed until rainfall flushes the algae away.

The fish are quick and several were missed by ‘yours truly’ but an optimist, by nature, Andrew assured me there many more to come, and so there were, and a couple came to net early on my new favourite fly, #22 Adams, along with a few more misses!

The work that Andrew’s small syndicate has undertaken uses the materials which have revealed the stream as it is today, so that except for the odd piece of angle iron anchoring a flow deflector,

what you see comes from the river side and looks completely natural rather than man made. Plenty of scouring runs have been created, but the silt remains in the margins and will, until washed, or blown away.

Then, his stream will look resplendent. However, what is there today is a minor miracle and has been achieved in only five years of dedication. It is a treasure……and is Rutland’s only trout stream.

SUFFOLK

12 Thursday May 2011

Posted by in Suffolk

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Google ‘trout rivers in Suffolk’….go on, do it!

Not much help from this search engine, eh?! Or most of the others, so patience and persistence was called for.

From my ‘where to’ sites, I chanced upon UKFishersOnline, and made a speculative call to the telephone number given for a ‘trout stretch’ on a river near Bury St Edmunds. I was delighted to talk to John Anderson who listened interestedly as I described my ‘mission’ and he volunteered to help me. I was to call him nearer the time of my planned visit.

As it happened I called him from Amsterdam whilst visiting Son and D-i-L #2, and, GS 1&4.

A lady answered – “Oh, you’re the fisherman!”  she commented….. I liked that!

Everything was quickly arranged after talking to John, and he mailed me a map to show outside which Red Lion pub, we should meet, and from which map I determined that I was to fish the water of the Lark Angling & Preservation Society.

I had found their website, but this informed me that no trout water memberships were available, nor day tickets, so my ‘fortune favours the bold’ approach to John was lucky, and his response was generous (a word which features in this blog several times!)

The site informed me that  –

“The River Lark rises south of Bury St. Edmunds and flows north-west across Suffolk and into Cambridgeshire, where it joins the Great Ouse near Prickwillow.  In its upper and middle reaches the Lark is a lowland chalk stream….”

and

“The Society also has some 6 miles of Fly Fishing water available on the River Lark between Bury St Edmunds & Mildenhall Suffolk

This is a great Fly Fishing experience with Wild Brown Trout in excess of 4lbs and stocked Brown Trout up to 6lbs in Weight”

May 2011 – the Lark

I travelled to Bury from North Norfolk and enjoyed a lovely drive on a beautiful Spring morning with the sun streaming through the coniferous woodlands south of Swafham and the hard wood area of Thetford. The Forestry Commission do a marvellous job in Thetford and the Stag at Lynford is rather special.

John is a retired GP,

so it was unlikely that I would be able to read the content of his hand written joining instructions to me, but  I did and we met at the prescribed time!

A short run to the river and an interesting chat about LAPS followed,

including the comment that ‘not many fish had been taken so far this season’. But, John kindly walked the bank and indicated some likely ‘where’s’, but on a sunny but windy morning, not only was casting difficult into runs between reeds which were already narrowing the flow, inside quite heavily silted bank sides, but there seemed to be little fly life, too. John noted that on a gravel pit nearby, there were six cormorants!

We saw no fish move that morning, (except, for maybe one chub) and I concluded, that in the bright light, fish were in the reedy margins, and my visit’ highlights were confined to good conversation with John, and his kind invitation to return, later in the season.

Eager to see more of the LAPS water, I ventured upstream, and on the road bridge just shy of Lackford, I spooked a small fish, which motivates and means I must return!

Until September, John….

NORFOLK

10 Tuesday May 2011

Posted by in Norfolk

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I was perusing some books locked away unseen in my storage unit, and I found a copy of ‘Trout in Norfolk’ by E. C. Keith, which was published in 1936. It is in great condition, and has the pristine look of a ‘first edition’. I know not when I procured it, or how, but maybe I was given it. It does not have my personal library stamp in it, either, so who knows? It talks extensively about the Wensum, Yare, Nar, Bure, Wissey, Whitewater, and, of course, the Ouse. It discusses through a series of anecdotes, the fishing quality of 75 years ago, and does so with an honesty which belies the myths of some who believe it was always better, then, in the past! It talks as fondly of roach, as it does of trout.

I loved the question posed on p154 – “Why is it that fishermen are so easily tempted by a tackle maker’s shop?” Life does not change! I can never exit a store without purchasing some leader, or some flies, or a book…in fact I think it would be unacceptable, and rather rude, not to.

Norfolk has a seam of chalk running through it,

and I was intrigued to read, also, excerpts from the Rangeley-Wilson compendium, ‘Chalkstream…Fishing the Perfect River’., which offers ideas about where, as well.

Separately, I would add that his is a really good book, (also anecdotal in content) published by Medlar (who also publish ‘Waterlog’) and whilst expert and knowledgeable, Charles is also President of the WTT and he cares, but he writes convincingly and worryingly in its Introduction, of the true extent of just how much river qualities have changed through man’s interventions in the latter years of the last century. It is a thought provoking read and salutary in its warnings.

In the event, my search for Norfolk opportunity was conducted via the typical ‘where to’ websites, and both ‘fishandfly’ and ‘flyfishingvenues’ referred to Bintry Mill, a fishery visited by John Wilson (can someone stop him laughing?) and John Bailey, too, in those much repeated series on ‘Discovery Shed’. So I already have a picture of the possible.

I uncovered the name of Terry Lawton, and wrote to him describing my mission, and asked for his advice, as I knew that the Wensum has trout, but had discovered on the Salmon & Trout Association website that members could access water on the Bure at the National Trust’s Bickling Hall property, but I wondered where a ‘local’ would suggest I try.

I did not know until he responded that he is Secretary to Bintry Mill Trout Fishery, and he (“you have set yourself an interesting challenge”) kindly invited me to be his guest on his water.

May 2011 – the Wensum (the “Test of Norfolk”)

Meandering through Norfolk’s country lanes from my overnight in Dereham, I discovered that whilst SatNav helps, to those of us from a pre-techno era, instinct normally suffices, and did. And besides which, technology makes us lazy. Just one glimpse of a corner of the roof of the Mill, and from a quarter of a mile away, and I knew I was there

…not that I thought I would never find it…but satellite pictures from Google do not necessarily resemble the grounded reality!

Parking Tonka Too, I was approached by a friendly chap, whose opening was – “you didn’t get that tan in this country”…too true, but being outdoors in this remarkable April makes it difficult to remain pastel, no matter what you do. He was Paul Seaman, whose family has owned the Mill and its environs since 1906. His space is SSSI and SPA designated…and is truly special. Knowing who I was to meet, he gave me a short and proud tour and history lesson which confirmed that this reach of the Wensum flowed over the northernmost seam of chalk which lies diagonally across Anglia, and cuts, by him, into the hillside by his farm to expose more nesting opportunities, reveal crustacean remains in the chalk which were plain to see. His stretch of the river is leased to the 50 members of the Bintry Mill Fishing Club, and has the steepest gradient on the Wensum producing flows which make it an ideal trout habitat. Below the mill race the river twists and turns through woodland

and meadow, over tractor track and around fallen branches, has riffle and gravelly runs, pockets and glides, and contains wild and stocked fish. And the Club also has a beat lower down at Yarrow Farm, which is more Wylye like.

Terry was an inspirational host. Passionate about his fishery, determined that it is managed carefully, alert to the wildlife within it, and protective of his head of wild fish .It is always interesting to fish with an angler who readily identifies fly life, as he does, and he has put this keen eye to good use in writings, and I notice that his latest book, “The Upstream Wet Fly” is reviewed in the June edition of Trout & Salmon.

His observant nature prompted some interesting conversation. Steering me toward a rising fish, soon after our mid-morning arrival, I cast an Adams which prompted a splashing take. “Sometimes”, he declared,” we endow fish with human characteristics…and the noise (of the splash) probably frightens them, which is why they don’t rise again for a while”…umm!

“And why expend so much energy and not take the fly?” I responded. Maybe they know instinctively that the Mays are coming and their annual banquet bonanza is imminent!!

Some fish moved when the winds abated and the air temperature rose. And they stopped as the winds returned, but not before I tempted a lovely eight inch wild fish

on a #22 Adams, then a fry, too small to know better, and a stocked fish of a couple of pounds,

to be able to ‘net’ Norfolk.

We fished the lower beat in the afternoon and I lost a larger (stocked?) fish, and Terry caught a small wild fish from no more than twelve feet away from where I was casting, no doubt belying another myth!

A memorable day….thank you, Terry.

…….Afterwards, I drove to Brancaster, to the country home of Tim and Liz How, for the June meeting of the Reed Dining Club. It was a splendid evening, and in their letter of thanks to Tim and Liz, from two members there were the following paragraphs, which might amuse!

Post script 1 – (WLP)…. “It was a great shame to have missed Antonio Mair this morning as he left so early to do his extraordinary (fishing)  journey from Brancaster Staithe to Bury St. Edmunds to Stamford Lincs.  I did hear one of the girls say that it was a frightening sight at 7.30 a.m. seeing “The Great Permatan with the Grey Mullet” in a state of undress, floundering from bedroom to bathroom.  And just a little cod-piece covering his tiny prawn  (or is it a tadpole ?) and his wide bream …….   Even worse I had fixed it with Liz that he would have some kippers for breakfast…… and I was perched nearby with a camera to record the moment when Battersea and Brancaster were as one, but he skated off early, carping under his breath as he dabbed at the make up around his eyes ….

Well that’s enough of all that old pollocks !”

Post script 2 – (MP)…. “Good luck Tony on your fishing challenge …you seem to be moving on from plaice to plaice with a real sense of porpoise”

CAMBRIDGESHIRE

08 Sunday May 2011

Posted by in Cambridgeshire

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Tim Jacklin is a stalwart of the Wild Trout Trust, he is on the Executive Council, is Projects Coordinator, a Conservation Officer, and Editor of ‘Salmo Trutta’…..and, the WTT   website….that’s all!  A complete enthusiast, and a man I would like to meet, both Rob Hartley (see ‘Staffordshire’) and Mark Owen (see ‘Leicestershire’) suggested I contact him for thoughts on ‘where’, in those counties not known for their trout streams…

So I did, and he replied –

“I had heard of your quest from Mark Owen – quite an odyssey you are   undertaking!”

and with ideas for several such counties, but as far as Cambridge is concerned, he put me in touch with Rob Mungovan, a conservationist and another ‘stalwart’ of the WTT, whose work has been written up in Salmo Trutta (2010)…

 “there’s more of them (trout) than people think (in Cambs)”, Rob wrote.

…how enticing is that?

My day with Rob was exciting, instructive, rewarding, relaxed, warm, and so much more.

He is a cracking chap. Brought up in this county, he returned after graduating, and is now an Ecology Officer with South Cambridgeshire District Council, and has therefore managed to combine his career and his passion, and for that he is grateful to his Grandad who introduced him to the gentle art when a fourteen year old. He is a ‘giver’……a rarity today.

And he told me of secret places, and so they must remain!

Our day together started with a walk along the banks of the Shep, a glorious but tiny chalkstream (rarely more than ten feet wide)

which is faring better thanks to the efforts of the ‘Friends of the River Shep’ who have used conventional techniques to promote spawning grounds, encourage weed anchorage, ensure security from predators (at least from most…there are an alarming number of American Signal crayfish here)

and a habitat for the population of wild fish to flourish. And we saw several fish, but they were so alert that our bush craft approach was insufficient to stop them skidaddling, even when we were downstream and fifteen meters away, they saw us.

Then we drove to the headwaters of the Shep which are contained within the RSPB’s Fowlmere Nature Preserve, and with juvenile trout, well used to bird watching walkers (humanoids), it was lovely to spot the most beautiful of small wild fish, fearlessly holding station, and occasionally, coming up to feed off the surface –

This was/is so special….the Friends of the River Shep should feel truly proud of what they are achieving, in the name of restoration, and their clearance program has produced much weed growth and we identified water crowfoot, starwort, burweed, fool’s water cress, water cress, mint, and lesser water parsnip…and there is probably more!

This river may never be a fishery…but it is testament to all Rob believes in making these ancient streams become again, an essential part of the rural scene for the enjoyment and appreciation by all, of our glorious countryside.

Then we went to fish-

May 2011 – the Cam

The disturbing fact about this river, which rises near Linton in Essex, is that flowing through arable land, in this year of an April of the highest temperatures ever recorded, it is being overly abstracted (raped) of its flows. The potato fields are being sprayed by the eccentric arcs of plumes of river water for hours on end which means that river levels are now unusually low and fish stock is vulnerable to cormorants et al. Weed has not grown to give trout the cover and security they need, and aquatic fly form is insufficient in volume to provide them with the food they need, although I did see my first Mays of the year which are at least two weeks earlier than is normal. We watched two good sized trout which were agitated and not by our presence, and it was the arrival of a large pike which reminded us that these trout have more to worry about than aerial predation.

Not too much fly on the beat we fished near Whittlesford,

but when we spotted some movement, and  nymphing using a copper headed bug, tied by Rob, produced my Cantab trout. And shortly afterward, and at about 3 pm., when a hatch got them coming up, another of Rob’s creations, a mosquito yellow klinkhamer, produced another.

It was not easy fishing, though, and accessing the water required slipping down nettle laden banks, which put my felt soled wading boots to test. So much so, that my next purchase will be rubber soled boots, which will, in any case, be needed in July when Fraser and I fish Montana. I predict that felt will disappear (just as have metal studs on golf shoes, albeit, for totally different reasons)

I had to leave Rob for a dinner date in North Norfolk (of which more), but was happy to receive a note from him later that evening, confirming that the fish which eluded us, had been netted by him –

“I went back to “my beat” of the Cam at 8pm. A few fish were rising to hatching sedge by 8:30.   I picked up that larger one near the over hanging willow on a grh.ear cdc emerger which about 11inches.   Then I manged 2 more at about 8inches in an pale deer hare sedge in the faster run where you were waiting for a rise.”

Thanks, Rob, for an inspiring day….and I hope your trip to New York the next day, was as exciting an experience, as you hoped.