So, this Sunday just past was always going to be my last day fishing for brownies this year. It's been a great season, and I was hoping for a good final day. Well, it exceeded my expectations.

I landed 8 in the morning, and another 9 in the afternoon. All returned. All taken on dry fly. The best of the bunch were this brownie, measuring just over 13".....



...and (to my delight), this 15" Grayling....



What a way to sign off the season! Had I landed the monster that I played for a while then broke me, that would have been perfection!!!

Going to spend the winter tying up a good stock of this year's most succesful flies.

Cheers
Stuart

With fish like that I'd have thought the odd grayling trip would be well worth while! Nice river the Wharfe, though I didn't get to fish it this season, must make the effort on my next trip.

Regards
Peter

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Life is what happens to you when you're busy making other plans
John Lennon

http://walksandfishes.blogspot.com/

Whereabouts on the Wharfe were you - I was at Bolton Abbey and couldnt get a thing on the dry until mid afternoon?

Peter, it's a great river. Let me know when you are coming up and I can give you some pointers to where/how I've managed to catch this season.

TT, I too was at Bolton Abbey fishing in front of, then a bit upstream of, the Abbey. The fish came mostly to my version of the JT Olive (ie a badly tied version!!) and klinkhammers. To be honest that JT Olive has caught 80% of my (and friend Andrew's) fish this season. The grayling actually took a yellowhammer.

Friend Andrew was also fishing with me in the morning, and he got 4 on dry fly in the morning, taking his on my Olive, a couple on big sedge-like CDC's, and a daddy long legs.

Cheers
Stuart

Just goes to show how much I still have to learn!! Interesting that your mate caught on large dries, I was using size 18's - what size is your Olive? Sounds like I'll have to have a go at tying some up for next year!

TT, I normally tie the Olives on a size 19 (Tiemco BL103) per John Tyzack's recipe, and that's what I'd had most success on this year. However, interestingly, friend Andrew had asked me if it was possible to tie up the same fly but on a larger hook, so I had tied up a couple for us each on size 17 as well. And the larger one took one of Andrew's fish, and 2 of mine (before the CDC was so knacker*d I couldn't fish with them any more!). So I will definitely tie up some of those next year, and it ties in with the CDC Olives that Stuart Minnikin uses, as he uses a size 17 BL103. So a collection of both sizes for next year!

John Tyzack shows you how to tie his JT Olive on his DVD 'Early Season Trout Fishing'. It's also a really good DVD!

Cheers
Stuart

Just goes to show 'what a difference a day makes'.

I fished the Wharf at BA the day before on the Saturday and it was terrible. Managed to hook 3 fish, landing 2 of them. But I struggled in the cold wind and the river was still up on what it had been all summer, carrying a little colour but nothing to cause too many problems. I tried a variety of methods but ended up catching on the snipe and purple in the surface film. There were a few Willow/ needle flys flitting about the bank and I always find a snipe and purple useful when these are on the water. It was difficult fishing though, I put it down to the chill wind. No one about much as I fished up the Strand.

Well done on catching on the dry. Later in the day on Sunday it seemed to get warmer - but alas not much good for me I elected to go for a walk instead, after an unproductive day before

Good on you Stuart. I've never fished anywhere in the UK, but I can report that the JT Olive was lethal for me over here aswell in the southern province of Ireland.

Interestingly, another contributor has pointed out on here that there was an American identical pattern in existence before Johns fly, so i tend to call it the "JT" Olive.

Either way its a great pattern and cheers to John for bringing it to our attention.

I will be tying lots of them once the winter closes in, in both size 19 and 17 ( Grip hooks are worth a look too. Very very similar. Lathkill do them - great service there ) .

Funnily enough, one of my most memorable moments this season was when a lovely brown came up, slowly inspected it in the sunlit water and calmly wolfed it down.

I was so pleased that i let him take too much line and he got away - hope he can spit that hook .....

By the way, if you havent tried it, tie the CDC and Elk, another lovely fly, especially for sedges.

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Irish by birth, Munster by the grace of God.

Pritts> Yes, it was clear from the debris line that the water had recently been much higher. That bend just above the abbey is good on windy days because it's pretty sheltered, so the wind doesn't bother you as much.

Spider> I know, I've been astonished by that fly. There have been a couple of other posts on here about it too. There are also a number of very similar pattern (someone on here posted something very similar as their 'bread and butter' pattern) so I don't think it's anything revolutionary. But I do love it. Phil at Spidersplus (Also on this forum) pointed me in the direction of the grip hooks. They are good too. I get my Timeco's from Lathkill also, and agree, Chris at Lathkill gives outstanding service. Will have a look at the CDC and Elk for next season.....

Cheers
Stuart

Spider,

I supply Chris at Lathkill with Grip hooks!

They are made in the same factory that TMC buy their hooks from - but are more attractively priced.

Kind regards

__________________
Phil Holding
www.flytyingboutique.com
Airedale, North Yorkshire