Perfect Day......nearly

Tied some flies and packed the car the night before. Planned the route and even the general tactics. I made the detour to Fraser's angling shop in Gateshead on the way home from work and picked up a day ticket for the upper Derwent. 

Music, Wine, and Fishing

I had the full day to fish, well until 3.00pm anyway (you can guess where I had to be at that time on a Saturday in September??). I left the house at 7.30 and arrived at Allensford at 8.00. Fantastic, only 30mins travel. Geared up, and sussed out a spot and was wetting my line at 8:30...fish were rising to flies! The plan was to fish a beaded hares ear nymph on point and a parachute adams on the dropper. Started next to the caravan park on a very trouty looking run of water. I had misjudged the depth of water and the beaded nymph caught on the bottom, a branch as it turned out. Walked up to where the snag was to see if it would free itself from a different angle and BANG the tip of the rod snapped. This is the third snap in three weeks. The last two happened during a holiday in the lakes and the fantastic people at John Norris replaced them both. We shall see if they replace the third. Luckily I had a spare rod.

A Trouty Run

 Decided to fish nearer the A68 bridge where there is a bit of a wear, again with a GRHE and Adams duo. hooked and lost then caught my first. These little wild Derwent brownies fight hard for their size

Yes. you little dancer!

 The river here has a lot of variety, fast stoney runs, slow fairly deep pools. I decided to change tactics after a bit, I was getting nothing with the GRHE, so I put a spider pattern wet fly on the point. Nowt with the spider so off it came and on went a Copper John......Nowt. The fish were only interested in my Adams so I removed the dropper and fished a straightforward Dry fly. WALLOP! hello my little beauty.

a wild brown number 2 ????

This is much more enjoyable fishing for me as I don't have the worry of tangles and twists and snags as much. I crossed over the A68 to head upstream but couldn't find the path. I tried the other bank but ended up walking through someones back garden / horse paddock. The owner of the paddock came out with her dog (Lexy) and pointed out my error. Lexy wanted to eat me. After helping a driver who had lost her exhaust pipe  I worked my way up river to a smashing little spot just past a waterfall and small stone footbridge.

I spied a very trouty looking spot under an overhanging tree that had to hold a fish. So I crept up and cast sideways under the branches and BANG fishy fight number three, and what a struggle.

yoo hoo! I know you're in there

Time had caught up with me so this was to be my last trout of the 2011 season. A fitting way to sign off for another year. 

You Little Belter! see you later.

 Prior to this trip I had planned to join Northumberland Angling Federation to fish the Coquet next year. Not now. I will be found on the upper stretches of the Derwent in 2012. With a big smile on my face. Best fishing around!