Quack Quack

Second visit to the Coquet, second duck.

Wednesday after work I shot up to Pauperhaugh for my second (rushed) dip of the season. Parked at the bridge and walked downstream a ways to a likely looking pool with lots of overhanging branches and fishy riffles.

Over the past few days Ive been researching replacement rods as a birthday present to myself. So I took out the 7'6" Odyssey 4# as this is the closest to the size rod im considering (vision Cult).

Tied on a olive dry and began prospecting. Managed to catch some salad on a backcast and lost the first fly. Decided to try New Zealand style with a Klinkhamer and gold ribbed hares ear. Caught an overhanging branch after 10 minutes.

The bulls in the adjacent field began to congregate at the waters edge, probably getting a closer look to have a laugh, so decided it was time to move on.

Having lost all self respect I thought I would try a bit of nymphing near the bridge, there had to fish there? I even stooped so low as to try out a 'thingymabob' I know, I know, a kick in the pants from dangling a worm, but i was frustrated. Not a thing. Even managed to turn my tippet into a spring when i tangled around a bit of old fence in the water.

if fish lived in trees...

Back on with a dry and black spider on the dropper and up the river we go.

Next stretch saw fish rising.....fantastic, i can do this. Got a nibble then nowt more. Managed to tangle me tipped though. As i was bankside cutting off the mess a number of rises caught my attention. I was in such a rush to get at the fish I didnt measure out enough tippet and ended up with an adams 600mm from my leader. The sun was setting by now so I decided to try anyway. Of course no fish came near my sorry excuse for a cast which wasn't long enough  to turn over properly.

The end of the session turned into casting practice as it so often does (too late to find another spot, too stubbon to admit complete defeat). In my efforts to get a short leader to turn over I created the mother of all wind knots (too much force knot). This tangle was monumental, a knot of gordian proposions. The furled leader was dead. it was time to trudge back to the car and then home to wine.

A fishing trip best put down to experience. I will not be wasting any money on an expensive rod very soon. That would be folly. I may search out a fishing guide / ghillie though I think that may be money better spent.

The Coquet is a beautiful river though.

First of the 2012 season

Ok the title is a bit misleading. I caught nixy on my first fishing trip of the season this year.
dashed out of work yesterday and drove at breakneck speed to the Coquet just west of Rothbury (Ladys Bridge I presume, but when getting to know a new river I am never fully sure if I am where I think I am).

By the time I stood in the river it was 5:15 so only managed an hour before it began to get dark. I actually had to think twice about which way around to attach reel.....handle to right or left??? it really has been ages since my last fishing trip!

Didnt have a clue what fly to use so tied on a black bodied Klinkhamer as there were no visible rises but a few hatches of dark flies here and there. The Klink brought a couple of tentative nibbles from something on the inside bend just below the car park then nothing else. Persevered for a while moving up stream until just below the bridge to the golf course. Changed fly to a small adams to try an stimulate interest but nowt was either there or interested.

Not the best start to my season, but still it was super just being in the river watching the wildlife and enjoying the sun setting behind the hills. Clocks go forward this weekend so my next trip will at least be an hour longer.

almost there

Not long now. 21st March sees the trout season 2012 begin and lord it has been a loooooooong winter. I wont go into details but I am most pleased to see the first signs of spring and the promise of some blessed trout seeking.

This coming season I will be mostly fishing the Coquet, having just paid for a trout permit with the Northumbrian Anglers Federation. I will also be splashing around the Tyne around Bellingham for fun. Are there trout in that stretch of the Tyne? I will seek to discover.

The fever has returned as I find myself trying to find the next bit of vital tackle that I will need. New rod? always fancied a Hardy. New line? Different Weight? Try for Salmon?

I am OK for Flies for the immediate future, tied up a selection of Klinkhamers, Adams, Beaded Nymphs, and Spiders for 2012 chances are they will be useless on the Coquet. Finding out is the best bit.

So with gathering optimism I sign off till I can reflect upon my first dip in the Coquet.

TTFN

Ah well another blank............... BANG! holy guacamole

My first salmon, a photo by geordietrout@ymail.com on Flickr.

So, I was on/in the river yesterday trying to find some Grayling. I managed an out of season Brooney (oops. sorry bud) about 4" long. I was ready to give in when I heard an almighty splash behind me.... Big fish were jumping in a still pool at 5 minute intervals.

So on one last roll of the dice i retrieved my Greys 7# from the car and tied on an streamer which I had for some reason bought last year and forgotten about. The 7# normally only sees still waters and that is very infrequently.

Second cast...BANG! was that a whale?

After 5 mins fight my arm started to ache... I can remember chanting the eternal mantra of all fishermen " please don't snap, please don't snap"

My best fish yet. Phew.

Divint even think aboot it evil pollutoman.

Just a quick update on the progress towards a cleaner Ouseburn....
With an rush of self-righteous vigour I wrote to Nick Brown MP about the amount of pollutant allowed to flow into the Ouseburn etc etc....
here is the reply I have just received;

Dear Lyle Nicholson,

Thank you for your recent email to Nick Brown MP highlighting your concerns about the large amount of foam in the Ouseburn River recently. I am replying as Nick’s constituency assistant.

You are right that this is a dangerous pollutant in the river and seems to have come from drainage upstream which finds its way into the Ouseburn (which has historically been used for drainage purposes). I hope you will be pleased to hear that Nick has written to the Chief Executive of Newcastle City Council highlighting the matter and enquiring as to what the Council intends to do about it. Please find a copy of this letter attached to this email. I shall of course keep you in touch with any reply we receive.

For info, see below two links showing the coverage the BBC gave the incident, as well as the Environment Agency’s notice appealing for information from the public, if you have yet to come across these.

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/news/133689.aspx?month=9&year=2011

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-15136332

Thank you for taking the time to contact Nick about this matter and I hope to get back to you soon with a response from the Council.

With best wishes,

Yours sincerely,

David Hickling

Senior Caseworker

On behalf of Rt. Hon. Nick Brown MP

WALLOP! take that.

here is the letter that was sent to Newcastle City Council.....

THWACK! they dont like it up em mr Mannerwring.

oh my god! in steps the BBC......

BOSH! feel my power!

Holy macaroni, here comes the Environment Agency....

Something might just happen.

TBC

Geordie Trout - Eco Warrior

What a strange week it has been. No fishing done though. I've been SAVING THE PLANET. well trying to save the Ouseburn river in Jesmond Dene from pollution.

I did have an ulterior motive though. I wanted the river clean enough so it could be stocked with brown trout for me to cast flies at. I had contacted an organisation called Trout in the Town and exchanged a few emails with a bod called Paul Gaskell. One of his emails suggested I gather interested people to help with the work so this I did via the mighty Fly Fishing Forums (see link to the right there). I posted a new thread (calling all North Eastern Flyfishers) on the Sunday, by the Monday I had arranged to meet Jon a flyfishing scientist from Newcastle Uni. We were to meet in the Dene on Wednesday evening and he would take some water samples to check the river for pollution and oxygen levels etc. I was up early on Wednesday morning to walk the Boo Boo (pet dug) as I am want to do. Say hello Boo Boo...

woof

 I noticed some white foam in the Ouseburn just below the house.....

some white foam in a northern stream.

 Then further downstream I noticed some more.....

a bit more white foam in a northern stream.

Under the bridge at Castle Farm Road there was even more of the stuff. 

more of the flipping stuff

 In fact a whole lot more of the stuff. It was all over the river, frothing up and blowing around. I rang the Environment Agency and reported the pollution. Feeling offended by this stuff invading 'my stream' I rang the BBC local news desk and sent them some of the pictures you can see above. I was building up a righteous head of steam by now.

next to the Fishermans Lodge.

 By the time I got to work an Environmental Agency investigation was taking place and an item was added to BBC radio Newcastle news.

the waterfall at the mill.

That evening I met with Jon and he took some samples. Surprisingly the levels of saturated oxygen were good but unsurprisingly the water was full of nitrates, phosphates and other words I don't understand. He didn't seem to think there was much chance of getting trout into the Ouseburn, and I could tell he was thinking I was a bit of a nutter.

Anyways, not one for 'letting it lie' I started a Facebook page (we love jesmond dene. stop polluting the ouseburn) I sent various emails to lots of people (local politicians, national politicians, commander in chief of the western armies) and generally became a pushy resident.

On Friday I spoke with a nice man at the Environment Agency who explained he had traced the source of the pollution to an outlet pipe in the killingworth area and the detergent (as this is what it turned out to be) was no stranger to the Ouseburn. The EA put out a press release to try and get Joe Public to nitch on the polluter.

Who knows? eventually the Ouseburn may be clean enough to support fishyness. If it is remember....You heard it hear first.

It is a crime that pollution is finding its way into the ouseburn. Over 6 million squids have just been spent on rebuilding cafes, paths, and bridges in Jesmond Dene. At least some of it should have been spent on cleaning up the Stream without which the Dene would not exist. This poem sums up the loveliness of the Dene. Ta Ta.

Sweet Jesmond Dene

O, Jesmond Dene! sweet Jesmond Dene!
Fair art thou in thy dress of green!
Thy flowery banks and walks between
Are sylvan beauties, Jesmond Dene
Thy brook that runs with murmuring sound,
Thy leafy glen so peaceful found, Thy wells, thy ruin, Jesumound,
Win heart to thee, sweet Jesmond Dene,
The bridges that throw o'er thy stream
Their span of rustic arch and beam,
Recall to mind some fairy dream,
It must be thine, sweet Jesmond Dene.

T.J. Warby c.1890

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!