I retired on 1 July and have spent the last 10 days in Derbyshire and Yorkshire fishing....beats work!
Started with a day on the Peacock water on the Wye on 4 June. A disaster really. Stared at 8.30 then got bitten on the wrist by a horsefly at 8.35! It started to swell up so I went to get something to sort it out, anti histamine cream from Boots in Bakewell. Put some on but didn't fish again until the evening. It was Bakewell carnival which didn't help. Stood on Sheepwash Bridge and looked at the river for 10 minutes or so. Maybe I looked suicidal because I noticed a group of lads looking at me....."Orright mate?" asked one. I explained what i was doing "You want to watch out mate 'cos this is the putting 'em back bit. You need a telesopic rod too so you can hide it quick if the bailiff comes. Wot you gonna use, a spinner?" I explained I was legal which came as a bit of a shock to them and they took some time to grasp the concept. They went to the carnival leaving this strange bloke behind. No fish moved at all so I moved below Bakewell. I fished for an hour or so but struggled as the wrist started to swell again and I called it a day. Had the pleasure of bumping into Fishcake and KDH who were having a far better day than me! Well done guys.
On Sunday the arm was twice its normal size but by Monday it was a lot better and I spent a day with John Tyzak. As soon as we started, the heavens opened and we have a series of heavy (and scary) thunderstorms with hail thrown in. It got better in the afternoon and we ended with 19 of which 6 were grayling with a roach and a perch for good measure. Fishing the duo, the nymph got stuck on a rock. The dry was 3" out of the water as we attempted to free the nymph and a brownie leapt out and grabbed the dry!!
A very instructive day, thanks John. Some photos:
I had planned to fish the Derbyshire Derwent on the Wednesday but a domestic crisis (m-in-l slipped a disc, chased around finding an osteopath all day!) put paid to that.
On Thursday I fished the Nidderdale water near Pateley Bridge on the River Nidd. Very low and in need of some rain. Had 10 on heavy nymphs in the fast deep water and my guest had 10 fishing the duo, with 5 each to the dry and the nymph.
On Friday I had a day with Dave Southall on the upper Yorkshire Derwent. This is a tiny river and I fished it further down as a boy many years ago. Again in desperate need of rain but I had 16 wild brownies all on dries. Dave insisted on a minimum 12 foot leader with my 7 foot rod which was a challenge to one of my limited casting ability. I was very pleased to manage reasonably well and had several very good casts when I hit the subsequent take....when i do a very good cast I usually admire it so much I then miss the take so maybe I'm getting better!! This is a picture of the river
Then finally a few hours on Scalby Beck near Scarborough courtesy of our very own Coasty - thank mate. I last fished this in 1971 (illegally) so i was keen to see how it fished. I had a fun morning, couple of wildies on dries, missed a couple, got a wader full of water wading too deeply then got the other full when i stumbled. Wonderful!
Then back to Newbury on Saturday afternoon, exhausted.
Regards
peter
A trip north
Only needed a chub and a barbel and you'd have the entire set 
Linear Mode
