Despite the cold conditions I've still been catching, although often not very much from my local coarse brooks.
I was doing really well until the 2nd January when I suffered my first "drynet" on the streams this winter...I was getting a bit too confident It happened whilst showing a mate "how to", it would wouldn't it?
Here are a few reports of some of my more recent outings:

23.01.08 R Soar at Narborough.
I wasn't confident at this area as I'd only fished it twice before and never in winter but you have to try out of your comfort zone sometimes.
River was pretty clear but flowing well. I tried big tadpoles, hoping for a chub or perch, in the deeper holes and log-jams...nothing. I tried small nymphs in swims that looked right for some silver fish but nothing.
Two competent match anglers on the water were going walkabout, learning they'd not even had a bite between them on maggot, in 3 hours, got me fearing a blank! They knew what they were doing too. Ulp.
That got me moving in search of fish, about a mile upstream, to a swim where I knew I may at least see something, I'd not even seen a fish so far (v. unusual).
Here, at last, I spotted a couple of big chub in a narrow, gravel bottomed, slow glide. Hoping I'd not spooked them I crept into position upstream and cast a short line downstream into the near side of the 8ft wide brook. Within seconds the line twitched but I missed the take, despite a lightning quick strike. I worried that may have been my one chance of a fish but next cast, a foot further downstream, saw the line move away again. No mistake this time, not a chub though but a nice perch came fighting to the surface in the clear flow, followed for a few seconds by a big chub. In the net, no dry. Phew!

That was my saving grace for the session, I saw a couple more big chub but not soon enough as they'd seen me first!
26.12.08 R Biam-V Clear, v cold.
This session was interesting as I'd not yet tried to catch when the water was this clear, this winter.
I struggled, no takes from any of the swims that had produced recently and time was running out, short session starting at 2pm. The light was gone and I'd given up, residing to a blank...too clear was my excuse, but walking back I just couldn't help but try a swim which is usually full of big dace, despite the fact i'd fished it 20 mins earlier and not had a "twitch".
Fishing into the darkness I had 4 big dace and missed half a dozen more "easy" takes.
Usually I'd not even try when the light goes but maybe when it is clear that is the answer, well to save a dry anyway. Some of the fish came from the tail of the pool in 6" of water, i was really shocked at this, in winter.
The picture shows a street light "on" in the background.

More to follow.....
Dee

__________________
It's not flyfishing if you're throwing bait in....learn to do it properly

Was my birthday on New Years Eve so I got let out fishing on New Years day!
I decided to try a new venue, for winter tactics anyway...the r. Sence which is a brook! It's very tiny where I fished, 4ft wide in places, with a few 10-12 foot wide areas but nowhere above waist deep.
It was cold (again!) but really bright and still, great to be out, well for about 2 hours in the very middle of the day! The brook was clear but with a slight tinge, which would help.
I started on a team of 3 small nymphs, fishing them on the dangle in any likely looking runs.
This small dace on a PT and one missed take, from many swims tried, was all I could get.

Knowing the brook has a good head of small chub I decided to try a single big (#12) olive tadpole and fish more positively. First cast, into a swim I knew held fish, I had a solid take as the nymph swung across the brook below me.

Not huge but this winter that is a monster!
Another couple of small chub fell to the taddy by catapult casting it tight to far bank snags...

That was it 4 fish, not great but it was an absolute joy to be out, i'd have been happy with just one fish.
Sunset, the brook is hidden in the foreground...between the fence posts...

This swim produced a trout in the autumn...

Love rivers like this....

If you think this is overgrown try fishing it in summer!

Dee

__________________
It's not flyfishing if you're throwing bait in....learn to do it properly

Very nice photos Dave enjoyed that. The stream you are fishing is very similar to my local beck as we call them up here, same undergrowth, great most of the time, but sometimes when youv'e caught the same nettle three times it drives you mad.
Good thing about it is, a lot won't bother fishing it, so I have it all to myself.

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"A glint of sun has warmed the air,The flies will soon hatch out, To lure and tempt from their deep lair, The bonnie speckled trout." SKB tackle supporter. I love Furled Leaders.

Session I had yesterday as it's past midnight now, today really!
Soar Brook, near Sharnford where it is really small. I used to fish this area as a teenager, so know it pretty well and the swims have hardly changed in the last 30 years!?
I'd only ever flyfished it twice before though and that was in summer, I was far from confident...one fish would be a result.
I didn't get there until gone 1pm due to a running a 6 mile road race in the morning, even at this time the grass & banks were frozen solid. My rod rings kept icing up all day, this would be hard on bait, let alone fly!
I started on tadpoles for chub/perch on an area downstream that is wider and deeper but only spooked a couple of pike from the log-jams.
I crossed over and headed upstream hoping to see some fish in the shallows as it was crystal clear and looooow. Three big chub spooked out of a far side bush before I saw them. Next I spooked a shoal of dace ( or gudgeon?) from a swim that you wouldn't have expected to contain anything...no features, no cover & shallow? Then I didn't see a fish for about 1/2 a mile, they were hiding somewhere? The water here was only 6/7 foot wide and mostly under 12" deep. I searched every bit of cover where a chub may have been hiding but the taddy failed to get so much as a solitary take.
Eventually I spooked a shoal of silver fish from a deeper long steady glide. Carrying on upstream revealed absolutely nothing so I snuck back to where the fish had spooked 10 mins earlier.
The taddy came off and on went a #16 gold head with a pink shrimp and a spider at 24" intervals below it. I'd chosen right as the gold head was just, and only just, which can be vital, touching the bottom when held on the dangle, in the two foot deep channel. I settled in keeping very low and still so as not to spook anything and flicked a few feet downstream, dangling the nymphs into the near bank. This resulted in my first takes of the session...at last! I managed to miss the first 5 though but then hooked up...no blank, again! Turned out to be a nice little roach on the GHHE...

That fish ended the takes so I re-located a few feet downstream and added a dace to the shrimp...tiny but welcome...

The light was fading, rod rings freezing so I started back, stopping to fish a tree lined bend which had a couple of feet of water tight under the branches. Here I had to catapult cast to get position (tricky with 3 flies on!) and kneel in the water to reload my rod for the next "pult" because of overhead branches. I added 2 more bigger dace to the shrimp, lost another, lost a better fish (chub?) and had another 4/5 good takes, as the other day fishing and catching right into darkness. Very interesting...well to me anyway
I'm loving fishing these brooks this winter, they are wild, free (mostly) and almost never fished by anyone else. No huge fish but it feels like fishing tiny streams for mini browns...appreciate them all.
Dee

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It's not flyfishing if you're throwing bait in....learn to do it properly

Niceone you done it again :P

Craig

Well done Dee, nice fish. It's always a pleasure reading your reports, keep them coming.

Cheers, Dave.

Well done Dee, nice fish at this time of the year. Good to see that you are still catching keep up the good work!

Hey Paul you may recognize the rod in some of those pics? I got myself one of the 5/6 wt 9ft Trions I got for you, since you said it was so nice!
I've been using it recently because I wanted a little extra reach and as I've been throwing a fast sinker a bit too...any lighter rod wouldn't cope.
I found with a 5wt floater on it even dace still give it a good bend, def not too stiff for silver fish, which I asumed a 5/6 would be.
Get out and give yours an airing...bit quiet on here except for pike
Dee

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It's not flyfishing if you're throwing bait in....learn to do it properly

Yeah Dee you are right those trion 5/6 wts are an excelent rod they are a true all rounder, I am well pleased with mine. Glad you got one great with small nymphs lots of sensitivity, yet they happily throw out a lure for bigger fish into a wind!
Been doing a bit of fly fishing for pike just lately, snatching a few hours here and there on the local river and been doing ok.
Would like to give the roach a crack but all the best swims are full with bait anglers, also the river carrying lots of extra water making it hard to get small nymphs down. Hopefully conditions may change and I will be out with the trion again!