Thanks for the PMs guys, I think I have replied to all, and hopefully lined up a few days fishing for the new season start! Here is a quick snippet from a session I had a couple of weeks ago:
With the weather changing dramatically after a very mild November, the river had lost much of its colour in the banks, and almost all of the aquatic flora had now died or been washed out in small floods. The river has usually started silting up by December, but the prolonged drought we have seen in Sussex for 2012 left water levels very low, and the river unusually clear. These rare clearer winter conditions allowed me to get a quick Christmas session in.
Double up thermal layers, I slipped my waders on and lowered myself down the bank into my own little paradise. Even in Winter, this river continues to draw me. There could be thick ice on the edges, but, weather permitting, you'll find me standing in the middle of it. Apologies for the rather poor phone pics, but it is all I had on this trip:
Even in Winter, the river is still very narrow, in parts only 1-2'. It probably averages no more than 4-5' across, other than when in spate. Being so overgrown, I opt for very simple tactics. Usually single or double fly, mainly upstream roll casting, stealthily moving up the edge of the river. There are grayling here, but they are not easy to find. At this time of year, the riverbed is rather muddy, but the eddies and debri damns create piles of leaves that provide good habitat for remaining macroinvertebrates. I tend to focus my casting efforts around the smaller deeper pools associated with these microhabitats.
Working up the river, I delicately roll cast my size 14 shrimp up into these hopeful looking pockets. About 3rd cast I connect with a fish almost as soon as the fly is in the water. Unfortunately, this pull is all to fleeting, as the hook fails to hold, and I am left to wonder if this was my first December grayling, a small OOS brownie or any of the other species that I often pick off on the fly here. I continue to move up through the next couple of pools, not able to elicit any responses to the presentation of my fly.
Eventually, working a small pool that runs off a shallow riffle, I connect with a fish that heads straight for the underhanging tree roots. A short sprightly fight results in a stunning condition brownie, who remains in the water whilst I unhook him. No energy spared, he bolts off through the shallow riffle, to resume his station upriver.
I give the next pool a miss, as my previous capture had just gone straight into it. This leads me straight onto a lovely deep bend in the river, a known holding spot that regularly rewards a well presented fly. I let the fly sink a little deeper than normal before slightly mending the line and letting it drift down to where I am standing. The first few casts, slightly moving further upriver each time result in nothing. The slightest of pulls causes me to reflexively strike, and I connect for the third time in an hour. This time, a larger than normal dorsal fin leaves me in no doubt as to the fish on the end of my line.
Young grayling are stunning fish, and this one was no exception. I released her to glide gracefully back into the current. The above picture is one from a different session, but the same stretch of the river. I haven't caught them above 8oz on the stretch I fish, though have heard they go to nearly 1lb if you can find them. Hopefully I will do in the next few weeks.
N
A quick photo blog of my local brook
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