It promised to be hard going today - our hands were freezing just setting up - we thawed out over the warm air vents in the car before venturing into the water and giving it a go.
With the water so cold the fish were likely to be deep so the method for the day was short nymphing and a team of bugs, wet line travelling through the rings was kept to a minimum as it just resulted in ice ups - I once read somewhere that vaseline on the rings prevents this but I've yet to try it.
With the water so cold the fish were likely to be deep so the method for the day was short nymphing and a team of bugs, wet line travelling through the rings was kept to a minimum as it just resulted in ice ups - I once read somewhere that vaseline on the rings prevents this but I've yet to try it.
It can sometimes be like looking for a needle in a haystack trying to locate fish on a large river at this time of year but we were fortunate today and hit on them straight away - we couldn't have asked for a better end to the year with consistent sport throughout the day, most fish came to the bugs on the hang, in fact after a while it became a case of hang and hold, the takes were very gentle and you had to watch for any movement of the line as it swung downstream and came to a stop below - the activity helped us to withstand the freezing water but I still had to get out regularly for warm-ups and a wander to get the blood circulating.
That's another year over, - where's it gone ? it's quite frightening how quickly they seem to pass nowadays - I didn't manage as many outings as previous years, what with my wife breaking her ankle and not working, and driving for four and a half months, and we moved house - hopefully I'll make up for it in 2009.
Best wishes and a prosperous new year to all (and of course - Many tight lines!)