7th June - my second visit

My second trip o the Dove, this time hopefully in the Mayfly season.  I’ve never managed a day on a river whilst the Mayfly were hatching so hopes were high.

I decided to fish the top half of the beat in the morning as I had not fished this stretch during my previous visit.  This part of the beat is lovey and quiet, no roads, no footpaths just the sounds of nature and of babbling water - glorious.

This is the view of the top part of the beat from the fisherman's car park




My first task was to try and determine what, if anything, was hatching.  On wading out to midstream all I could see were mayfly shucks floating downstream, but unfortunately nothing hatching - it was only mid-morning though.  Undeterred, I decided to tie a CdC Mayfly dun on my leader and try and generate a rise.




Moving upstream on small rivers is a taxing affair.  It’s all to easy to be looking ahead at a likely run, only to startle a fish at your feet which then dashes off upstream frightening all the other fish on the way, especially on the slower stretches.

Seeking out the faster water I ran my fly (the best I could) along the crease lines I managed to tempt a few fish to rise at my fly.  Hooking those fish that did rise to the fly was more difficult however.  I think in some cases the fish were trying to drown the fly rather than take it from the surface, and on some occasions although the fish took the fly It only stayed on the hook a few seconds.  All were not lost however and as I worked up the beat I managed 4 fish to my net.

The picture below shows the scene of the capture of my first fish on a Mayfly (only a small fish but a Wild Brown Trout all the same).






There were lots of other runs that I would have loved to have fished but the wind, extensive vegetation and my rather limited casting skills meant that I could not get the fly in the right place, it’s good fun trying though (if rather expensive in lost flies at times).  There were also very few mayflies hatching, probably due to the rather cold easterly breeze.

A brief stop for some lunch and I decided on a move to the bottom half of the beat for the remainder of the afternoon.

I managed to hook (and loose) a fish in the run just above Pike Pool (the Pike being a pillar of rock in this case, not a fish).  Unfortunately that was the last of the action as the afternoon (as on many rivers at this time of year) was extremely quiet.

One fish I spotted seemed to be feeding so I sat and tried to catch it for about 20-30 minutes.  It was across the other side in amongst the branches.  I could not tell what it was taking, certainly not Mayfly duns or spinners, but it refused a mayfly,  a ducks dun and a black gnat (when I could get it near to the fish), a tree won eventually.

Unfortunately, it was soon time to return home.  Other commitments preventing me from fishing the evening rise.

I later learnt that after 6pm the river came alive.
Mayflies hatching in profusion and fish rising all along the river.

Don’t you just love fishing!!