Last Weekend

After saying that we wouldn't get out last weekend - we did. By lunchtime on Sunday the temperature had risen to a balmy 3 degrees C so we decided to brave it.

The river was iced up in places but we managed to find our way in among the grue (ice) and wet a line.
Sport was slow though, the icy cold water had definitely taken effect. We managed to hit on one pod of fish which produced six grayling and that was it. We did the usual when it's slow and rang the changes, tried heavy flies then light ones, large bugs and small, short lining and indicators - all to no avail - the fish were having none of it.

It reminded me of when we used to get cold winters and the fish at this time of year usually shoaled up in the deeper holes and could be hard to find, especially on a big river like the Eden.

We've had the rain now and the thaw, and the rivers are up, so no fishing this weekend.

I need to make time to stock the boxes up for the coming season, and have Salmon flies to add to the list this year. I've just received an HMH tube fly tool from Pat Stevens at Flytek and it looks the biz so can't wait to have a go with it, so maybe it's time for my annual winter break for fly tying and the jobs at home that need doing before the Trout season starts - but then again, if the weather is okay next weekend ?