Whilst we've had at least a couple of weeks of dry weather now, due to the ground being absolutely saturated everywhere, it's taken an age for the local rivers to fine down to fishable levels. Even as we speak the Trent and the Derwent have only just come back down to what I would call "normal" winter levels.
The Dove on the other hand looked to be perfectly fishable at the weekend, so early on Sunday morning I headed west on the A50 into Staffordshire. Let myself into an empty car park, quickly checking before I pulled off onto the grass that I wouldn't sink up to my axles. The sun was just coming up over Nestle's and with the lack of any wind it looked as if it was going to be a pleasant, but cold morning. Walked up to the first glide, flushing a kingfisher from his bankside perch as I did so, set up the rod and slid into the river.
Sent the float down after a handful of maggots and was surprised when it promptly disappeared halfway down the run. The water still had a hint of colour, so didn't see the fish straight away and thought I'd managed to snag a decent grayling on my first cast. However, changed my mind when it tried to dive headfirst into the nearest reedbed and after a bit of welly a small chub slid into the net. Didn't take long though before I had my target species as I had a small grayling just a few casts later. Thought I was in for a few fish, but subsequent bites were very slow in coming. Over the next hour I could only manage another small chub and a couple more grayling before deciding to move downstream towards the end of the glide.
In the new spot it was again a first cast fish, but this one put a bit of a bend in the Acolyte as it hung stubbornly out in the flow. Drawing it upstream and into the waiting net it turned out to be a nice fat hen fish of well over a pound. A couple more followed, but it seemed that either the fish weren't there in numbers or that they just weren't having it, so I upped sticks and headed up to another glide at the top of the section. There were hundreds of fieldfares hopping around in the pasture next to the river and as I walked upstream they flew in front of me cackling their alarm calls and showing me their grey backsides. First cast in a new spot yielded another small grayling again, but it was the same story with further bites hard to come by.
Did have a bit of excitement when I hit a fish that shot off downstream, forcing me to bully it back against the flow. However, when it got level with me it kept going and eventually went airborne showing off a spotty flank. Got him in the net and back in the river and carried on, but my heart wasn't really in it having fished hard for three hours. Called it a day after having nine grayling, two chub and that out of season brownie. Did think about dropping back into my first swim, but two chub anglers had plonked themselves down directly opposite. Carried on back to the car, spotting a mink slinking under a bush on the far bank. Had earlier dropped my Korum rod butt protector somewhere between the car park and the river and fully expected to find it in the grass, but it was nowhere to be seen.
Possibly picked up by one of the dog walkers that had passed me during the morning. Oh well, that's two odd sets that I can make a pair with now!
Well done for making the effort - I haven't.
ReplyDeleteI'd have been happy with a few fish like that on these conditions !!
ReplyDeleteLovely post
ReplyDelete