Got the Droppers so Where are the Trout?

There's not a drop of wind and the lake looks stunning. Two other people there but they are on a boat so I can't interrogate them. I take the small agile boat and head out to the far side of the lake.

I'm testing my new droppers. (a dropper in an extra fly or two or three added to your like)  I've been watching Hywel Morgan on Sky ( Hywel Morgan ) he seems to fish with droppers all the time. So on his advice I create just 1 dropper to start, 8 inches long and 50cm up from the end fly. I'm concerned that I will struggle to cast this without tangles and I prove myself correct, I'm starting to think I need a lesson. No fish with that so I switch to my normal set-up.

There are fish around but they are not taking from me! I use buzzers, dry flies, damsel nymphs and many more - its frustrating and I feel like my casting is very poor today - again I think I need a lesson. This is what happens when you watch a pro like Hywel, I feel like a total amateur.

Eventually a get a take on a nymph looking thing, pulling it below the surface. I'm really pleased and feel that my day has been retrieved.

I row around the corner and there is one of the other people. He says to me that he has caught 3 trout already and they are going mad for his dry Damoiselle fly. 'Just cast it in and they are gorging themselves - go on give it a try'. So I throw out the anchor and put on a dry Damoiselle. These have not worked for me in the past and this didn't work for me today. In the 20 minutes that I was there he pulled out another 3 fish! All on the same fly - what am I doing wrong? I need to know!

Trout Flies have arrived - I'm out to Conquer but am Humbled

Monday morning. I'll go out for a few hours as the weather is supposed to be bad for the rest of the week. So maybe I only fish on Saturday.. grrrrrr

Graham is back, obviously he's been there since 6am and is effing and blinding having no luck at all. The other chap always there early has had one on a black and cream lure.

I put on the smallest fly I've ever used. Its hook is unbelievably small and I wonder if it will work. First tactic, Strip it through the water just below the surface. Instantly a fish is hooked, I'm so excited and all in view of the other two fisherman. I arrogantly call out to Graham that I have one and promptly lose it!! I could cry, serves me right, I need humility!! I'm sure it must be to do with the size of the hook how can that really work to bring in a big fish - I clearly didn't hook it correctly, it was on the line for 2 minutes and then shook itself free and the fly was fine.

Ok, now to try my new Blue Holo Shuttlecock Buzzer from Ebay. Gavin the guy I bought it from hand makes them and has been very helpful with tips for fishing buzzers. These things are so small its hard to believe the a fish will take it. It has a tuft of feathers on the top to make it float on the surface. In it goes and in 10 seconds I have a trout. I must keep this one on the line, I must! I land a beautiful 2.4lb trout! Phew I'm relieved. Again it goes,  I hook another and its lost!! The fly is wrecked, its wont float and I must move to another.



Now the fish are taking Damoiselle flies - I also have a new Damoiselle fly from Ebay - all my others have never worked... I throw it in and lands beautifully on the surface, take, strike, I have another fish.. I'm so happy. Then I lose it! What's happening to me? Why now, I've never lost a fish before, what's going on? Is it because I am using these tiny little hooks?

So I go home with one... I'm satisfied but it could have been THREE!!!!

Trout Fishing is Getting Tougher - But I Caught Anyway

Thursday 30th June

I havn't caught anything for 10 days.... I need my fishing fix. I've been busy doing lots of research and buying new flies. I met a couple last week, they caught 6, I caught 0 - both in 2 hours! You can imagine how I pounced on them as they came back from the boat. They had caught all on a Blue Holo Shuttlecock Buzzer - new to me, I'd never heard of that before, and magic floatant powder so it floats on the surface. Ebay.

Anyway, I'm fishing like a blog suggested. A small furry thing, just below the surface, pulled in short, fast tugs. I have a trout, the blog was right! people are so clever. Few other fisherman around, no Graham he's away, but they're all not catching anything at all.

Everyone wants to know what I'm using, I tell them its a furry brown thing. Two hours later I have another, this time on a similar fly to the first both one of my new purchases! Very pleased indeed.

The day was good and the fishing very different - need more blog tips...

Just before I leave I had a strong attack on the fly below, also pulled fast through the water. This is so exciting as the takes are very powerful..

Trout Belated Birthday Party

Today is the only day this week that will be decent weather I'm told, so I'm off to beat the lady of the lake!

Its a day off for me today and I'm going to correct the tragedy that happened last week, when I caught no fish and even worse NOTHING on my birthday. I know that catching is not everything, in theory, but I find it very difficult to be satisfied with just the view, gorgeous as it is.

When I arrive at 9am all the boats are being used and there are more people there than I've ever seen before. It was crowded! Maybe 5 people in total, where the hell did they come from?

I have to fish off the bank and I'm kind of pleased to hear that they have not caught anything since 6am. Graham is cursing, its a good sign that he hasn't caught either.

Next minute I here him shouting from the boat - 'I'm on!' Apparently that's fishing code for 'I've got one you fuckers!'. I shout over the lake from the bank (bad etiquette I know but I've got to know what fly he's using). He says its a little brown thing. Then the lady in the boat nearest me has one too!!! Its like they're spitting in my face ;-). Buy now I'm changing fly madly - dry fly, wet fly, lure, fuzzy coloured thing, pink thing, Fantastic Green Monster - still nothing.

Graham gets another!! Lady in boat gets another! Oh god, what's happening. Graham finishes and comes over for a chat. He asks for a cast on my rod and says he really likes it. (£21 on Ebay - I love it). He kindly gives me the fly he's been using - a tiny little brown dry fly that almost looks like a moth. Straight away I get action on the line but no takes, its amazing how much difference the fly makes.

Now its 2pm! Sunburned, hungry, thirsty, I decide to pack it in and pick on last fly to try. I've used this one before and has some success. Instantly a trout is on it!

I strike and have a 2lb fish on my hands. I'm happy now, I can leave and feel that my day has not been wasted. I throw the line out again and again, its fish number two!! How can this be happening to me? Again I throw the same fly in, another! I have three juicy trout in 20 minutes! 2.11lb and 2.2lb. Why that fly? What does it think it is? There were millions of damsel flies around again and this doesn't look anything like a damsel.

So I get home and while gutting the fish decide to open up its stomach and see what's inside. I could not believe what I was seeing. Hundreds of damsel flies and also maybe one third of the contents was a white or cream looking damsel like creature, this is what the fish thought my fly was. Have I stumbled onto the secret of June fishing on this lake? I hope so. You can clearly see them in the last image below. Now all I need is a decent imitation of the damsel - none of the ones I've got so far have worked.

Birthday Fishing with Tennis Elbow

Saturday the 18th, its my birthday and I'm determined to fish no matter what. The weather is shit and wind is howling but at 8.30 I'm on the boat.

Back to lots of fish swimming straight past my fly, I'm changing fly every few minutes and there is no way they are taking my offering!

Cut to 5 hours later, I'm done. For the entire time I was alone on the lake, not a soul to be seen anywhere and it felt like just me and mother nature - and she was winning!

I get home and find I have the aching in the left wrist back again. Luckily we have Clare and Alba staying the night, Clare is an osteopath. She explains that I have the beginning of tennis elbow due to my retrieval technique... I have to develop more style in my casting and retrieving.

As for the trout, they eluded me today and the whole of last week - I ask myself - how can a fish outwit me? What does that say about me!

On Saturdays I Do It Twice

6am I'm awake, may as well fish.

Coffee, shit, car, lake - my needs are simple. Graham is there already, he's caught nothing since dawn. I have to catch, he's a pro and I want to impress. Boat to the nearest buoy, having learned my lesson I put on Fantastic Green Thing - everyone at the moment is insisting that dry flies are the only thing working. I know better!

In ten minutes I have a fish! ! I'm a god! Right in front of his nose, I even shouted over ' look graham, I've got one' - I'm such a bitch!

By ten I'm done, give Graham the 2.4lb monster and go home.

2.30pm Laura watching tennis, I think I'll fish. Now Mr friend/enemy is there - whenever I arrive, he's there with his son and ALWAYS got a fish on the line. (actually he's always nice and friendly, the enemy bit is I my head! ). He's on the bank by the clubhouse, I'm on a boat on the orange buoy. On goes Fantastic Green Thing, in 5 minutes I've got a fish, again right in front of him! I love it, so happy, happy, happy. God, I'm a child!

One interesting thing, on my way out chatted to mr bmw 5 series, he's been catching on a dry fly daddy long legs the last 2 times and caught 2 each time. Shows me the fly on his rod so I know he's not bullshitting me. Must try next time.

PS. Graham shouted over to me this morning, ' you have the most beautiful casting style Grant' - made my day, I'm slowly learning..

Bring Home The Bacon Trout

Thursday.. Friend coming from london for dinner. Trout would be nice! But can I cope with the performance pressure?

Today I'm fishing from the bank. Dry flies. As usual with me, the trout are swarming in my area, looking up at my offering and then pissing off! They were all in the far corner by the gate feeding on damn damsel flies.

3 hours later, I'm sun burned, arm is paralyzed, no fish. I give myself 5 mins, one more fly, and I have to admit defeat and go back to Laura and Carm empty handed. I move to the bank by the straw barrage, put on old friend, The Fantastic Green Thing, instantly I have a fucking fish! ! Joy joy joy..