The closed season passed very quickly this year with nothing really blog-worthy to mention. Plans to fish the local canal and a club stillwater for zander and eels respectively never came too fruition, mainly due to apathy on my part.
Had a couple of early bass sessions down in Pembrokeshire in April, but the weather was absolutely vile and I was fishing more in hope than expectation and blanked accordingly. In contrast, when I met up with Joel Squires at a new estuary mark in North Devon in May conditions couldn't have been much better. Unfortunately, despite fishing the dropping tide hard for five hours, we could only manage a couple of tiny schoolies between us. Next time! As well as trips to Wales and Devon, it was a busy time with trips abroad to Vilnius, Lithuania, to see the laddo and to Wroclaw, Poland, with friends and there was plenty of walking, sight-seeing and consumption of great food and beer on both occasions.
Come the start of the new season I was therefore quite keen to wet a line, so having popped over to Stapleford Angling for a pint of maggots earlier in the week, I finished work early and headed for the River Derwent near Church Wilne. Was extremely surprised to pull into an empty car park, although it had been baking hot all day which may have put people off. Got togged up an then walked up towards the top of the section to find a spot in the shade and out of the stiff breeze, the long grass either side of the path alive with banded demoiselles. By the time I got to the first spot I was beginning to doubt how "breathable" my new waders were and it was a relief to drop into the relative cool of the gin clear river.
Found that I could easily wade out to mid-channel and send the float straight down the bubble line. Second trot down the float disappeared and I was into my first fish of the season - a little dace. Soon became apparent that the minnows were going to be a pain in the ass - the float dithering and bobbing about as it travelled down the run and the maggot coming back looking like it had been tortured on a tiny rack! However, every so often a "proper" fish took the bait and I added several more small dace, like peas in a pod, along with some bleak and chublets. Despite it being the middle of June, there were still a few, fat mayfly duns emerging from the river although, having laboured off the surface of the water, they were swiftly nailed by the grey wagtails darting out from the bank. Short life indeed!
Carried on for about an hour and a half, but got itchy feet and decided to walk back downstream and try a couple of different spots. Dropped in just upstream of the pipe bridge but had nothing but bleak. Was on the point of moving again when two lads appeared at the top of the bank, one of whom grunted an unintelligible greeting and then proceeded to cast a spinner straight over the line I was trotting down. I really don't understand people sometimes, although I suppose they should be at least commended for actually being out in the fresh air. Whether they were actually members was not something I chose to pursue! Whilst there hadn't been a cloud in the sky when I arrived it had now fully clouded over and it had gone quite gloomy, exacerbated by the fact that I'd stupidly only got my prescription subglasses with me.
The wind had also switched around and was now blowing straight downstream and putting a ripple on the water, so it was getting tricky following the float. Therefore headed to a usually reliable spot downstream of the island, making note of a couple of decent chub lazing about out of reach on the shallows in the process. Fished for another half an hour during which it was a small dace a chuck, with just a single, summer grayling to break their monopoly. In the end it was my stomach, not my eyesight, that got the better of me and I headed back to the car after having had a pleasant three hours getting a bend back in the rod. Will have to see if I can squeeze in another short session before it gets too hot next week.
