It’s that time of year when we’re looking back on the year and looking forward to the next! There are a few guys on here that post regularly that enjoy the fantastic rivers that we have around Staffordshire and Derbyshire. I thought it would be great over the next week or so to hear people’s stories and see the photos (if taken) of the most memorable fishing trip of the year just gone. Of course it’s the end of a decade to, the “noughties” are about to pass and we are about to enter a new decade.....although I’m not sure what the next decade is going to be called??
Most memorable fishing trip doesn’t necessarily mean the biggest fish.....but I’m sure in some cases it will be! It can be the most memorable for whatever reason makes it the most memorable to you. In fact the fish may not be the most memorable part of the fishing trip!
I can remember people posting on here or on their blogs with some great fishing stories and fish caught during the year. It can be any club water (in fact you don’t have to name it or the river/area), or a day ticket water but it must be in Staffs/Derbys and it must be running water.
I hope a few people put a post on here as it’s a great time of year to remember how blessed we are to have such great and diverse fishing across the two counties.
I’ll start off with mine, having done more than my fair share of fishing this year it was quite hard to choose. I’ve fished with lots of different people this year and explored much more than I normally get chance to. I picked this trip because of the sheer unexpectedness of this fish coming out of where it did. It was at the time that I was “in between jobs” around early August. I was planning on going over to Corwen for a couple of days for some serious dry-fly Grayling action. During the two days that I was planning to go to Wales a job interview came up on one of the days so I had to cancel the trip. Instead I headed to one of my local rivers. I was enjoying catching lots of small brownies on the good old Duo when I spotted some rising fish in a pool. I changed my Duo set up to a dry-fly set up. The rise formations differed, some were quite splashy and some very sippy. In order to make the most of my chances I went straight for a size 18 f-fly. After changing my set up I sat and ate my Cornish pasty lunch whilst watching the rises continue around the pool. Once the pasty had settled I had a go at the rising fish, about second or third cast I took a lovely Grayling of around 3/4lb. I was delighted as I thought how funny that I was going to go all the way to Wales to catch Grayling on the dry and here I was just up the road from home and doing the very same thing. Although the pool had been disturbed by the first fish I gave it another go. A tiny rise to the f-fly and I knew I had a sizeable fish on. When it eventually came towards the surface I got an immediate knee-trembling moment. It looked so big in the water at first I thought it was a chub!! A few minutes later and after some praying out loud along the lines of “Please God don’t let this come off” you can see below what I was seeing that August afternoon.
A few posts from some of you other guys out there would be appreciated.
Happy New Year to all of you and Tight Lines for 2010!

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The best things in life aren't things.

Just a brilliant day with two of the best guys you could meet.

Thank you again Fishcake and Arthur Wellesley.

Complete Fisher Forum :: View topic - Dovedale 22.09.09

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"A fish seen is a fish nearly caught"

Cracking fish Gary. As you know, my one and only visit was ruined by a savage horsefly which bit me just after I started fishing the Peacock water!

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/

My most memorable trip of last season for the fishing was an afternoon I spent on the Derwent in early June. The mayfly were in full swing and soon after I arrived the fish were really on. No clunkers, lunkers, haralunkers, or harry monkers just some great Derwent browns.





Yellow humpys or Grey Wulffs seemed to do the trick if I remember correctly.

My standard excuse though is there is more to fishing than catching fish and unfortunately I have had to use it a bit too often this year. However, evenings spent in great company will stick in the mind long after the fish have been forgotten and the occasion when the pop along posse christened Glen's Kelly Kettle at Ellastone is a great example.

I remember that photo from last year, when was it? Glen's kettle was looking new and shiny!

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The best things in life aren't things.

Gary, I think it was back end of June or early July. After fishing until we couldn't see another brew from the Kelly was had that took us past 11 o'clock and we were still on the bank.
Regards,
Dave.

Yes i remember it well, those evenings are special, feels a long time ago now, that was the first time i used the kelly and it took us a while to work it out!!!
Last light sedge evenings are wicked..

Dave
The Derwent is a great stretch and i need to 'find it out' a bit more next year, i must admit this section we have scares the sh!t out of me!! the wading is horrific, i will be wearing a life jacket there next year, the bottom bend by the railway track holds some clunkers but casting to them is a nightmare...

Gary
Have you done any fishing at this stretch? any Grayling

Nice one
Glen

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http://glenpointon.blogspot.com/

The true riches are to be found in an angler's soul, not his wallet.

Well i have some cracking sessions this year and fishing has been good to me but i have worked very hard at it and it did reward me very well, there is quite a few that stick in my mind like two weeks ago on the Wye where i stumbled across a huge olive hatch that erupted the river into 6 rises at the same time!! I caught endless Grayling out of a run to the dry and it was better than any summer dry sport i have had..
But as for the most memorable i must go for the huge Wye brown i caught which was just sweet and to catch a fish this size on my LTD Sedge made it even more special....
Here is the write up off my blog of the night of dreams!!

Well i have joined the Peacock Fly Fishers for the grayling fishing through the winter period, Jenny the Manager at the Peacock had let me fish for the trout as much as liked in the last five days of the season due to late joining...
I went to work today and took my tackle ready to get off early on the last day of the trout season, i had no flys left in my box so took my tying gear and tyed some olives up in the van with the clamp attached to my steering wheel, I knocked up some LTD sedges and some JT olives..
I rang the excellent river keep jan to find out what the river was like after the much needed rain, he gave me the good new that the fish were 'on it'...
I arrived around 3.00 and decided to fish the top end of the stretch into Scott's Garden, I met the river to see a handful of fish rising just under the surface to emergers, i selected a skinny size 20 olive i had tied and after 4 casts i was into a angry Rainbow, these fight so hard its untrue, around 2 pound and you have got your hands full, my drag singing on 20 yard runs...After a good two minute scrap i landed the best looking rainbow yet..
I turned around to see Jan who as always with a smile on his face, he inspected my fly and we took a stroll around the river pointing out good spots, i like the company of Jan, he is layed back and always there to help out..
Jan got off and i made my way around different runs taking fish to a size 20 olive, some of the fish are very hard to get a take, they will rise constantly and totally ignore your fly if something is not quite right, i also find that your first cast is the most important to a rising fish, get it right and your chances are high, if you get drag ect you might as well move on or change to another fly...
I took a stroll down to the cricket club section, this is where the big gun are and i always like a go at them, i just cant believe that these huge fish will rise to spinners and sedges etc, the big fish don't seem to rise in any order, they just show every now and again..
I saw a huge brown come clean out the water, i selected the LTD and the first cast produced a enormous dive at the fly, quite mad considering the size of the fish, i struck down hard and low and felt that amazing feeling of the rod loading up as the hook sets, the fish did the usual brown with a massive boil and a strong run for the nearest snag, i had my 2lb tippet on and knew i was in for some heart stopping moments, the fish was hugging low and deep and was basically doing
what it wanted!! I eventually got the fish to move towards me and it plodded around just in front of me, the line went around a rock and i thought that was it so opted to jump in the river and land it to hand, luckily the line came free and the fish was holding current 5 yards in front of me, the fish rolled and that when i realized how big she was, the last time i saw anything near this was Mick Martins brown earlier in the year, i came behind the fish and cradled her with both arms like a big carp, she was so calm and i had never really given the fish any stick. I got some bystanders to take a picture of me and unhooked her and held her in the the river for five minutes... i held her upstream for longer than normal as the fish would of been tired.. i held her and admired the condition and sheer size of the fish, i let go and she just sat by me for a few minutes and just drifted off as though nothing had happened..Come on!! i shouted...
I sat down on the grass, and got the Kelly out, i had no water so filled it up with the Wye water, i did not care, i had caught the fish of a lifetime and also tasted the pigeon **** marque **** water last time i was here with the lads!! I lit a fag, supped my Wye tea, lay back and had thought 'Fu"k me, i am living the dream'!!!

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http://glenpointon.blogspot.com/

The true riches are to be found in an angler's soul, not his wallet.

Without doubt my most memorable session of 2009 was my first ever Mayfly session with the Trout bang on them up at Dovedale.

Perfect weather, splendid company & fantastic fishing. Post below.


Leek and District Rivers

Spent a couple of hours up at Ellastone today before I had to scarper through fear of getting snowed in. Managed one small Grayling and an out of season brownie. Dove was high but running cold and clear.

I've very much enjoyed my first year at LADFFA, had some great fishing and met some great people. Looking forward to many more years like it.

Happy New Year all.

Roger

Here's mine

Bentley Brook all the way.

Fishing Journal: BB Saturday 15th August

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"The quarry is not the point of the chase, but merely its pretext, and the chase, purportedly a means to an end, is actually the end itself."Pascal 1961