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I had a cracking early morning session today.
Things started slowly and I struggled to find fish. First one was a mere 5in trout but that meant I wasn't going to blank today.
Followed by a nice size feisty trout that took a nymph at the head of a small pool, then dashed downstream to faster water, I managed to catch up with it and held it in the current but it broke me off before I could scoop it up. It was roughly 16".
I kept working my way upstream and caught a very distinctive grayling. It had a scar indentation on the back and 2 raw scars on either "cheek". I straight away recognised that fish. Took a couple of pics and released it. I've checked the photos on my phone and found that I caught that same fish 3 weeks ago (sorry grayling!). I can't remember exactly the spot but it was in that general area. I think the wounds are healing well compared to how they were.
First two pics are from 3 weeks ago, the other two from today.
First time ever that it happens to me and I find it quite incredible actually.
I continued fishing a few more hours and caught 2 good size trouts around 18".
Ended up with 6 graylings and 5 trouts all on nymphs. There were generally good size fish but some fry in the mix as well.
 

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I had a cracking early morning session today.
Things started slowly and I struggled to find fish. First one was a mere 5in trout but that meant I wasn't going to blank today.
Followed by a nice size feisty trout that took a nymph at the head of a small pool, then dashed downstream to faster water, I managed to catch up with it and held it in the current but it broke me off before I could scoop it up. It was roughly 16".
I kept working my way upstream and caught a very distinctive grayling. It had a scar indentation on the back and 2 raw scars on either "cheek". I straight away recognised that fish. Took a couple of pics and released it. I've checked the photos on my phone and found that I caught that same fish 3 weeks ago (sorry grayling!). I can't remember exactly the spot but it was in that general area. I think the wounds are healing well compared to how they were.
First two pics are from 3 weeks ago, the other two from today.
First time ever that it happens to me and I find it quite incredible actually.
I continued fishing a few more hours and caught 2 good size trouts around 18".
Ended up with 6 graylings and 5 trouts all on nymphs. There were generally good size fish but some fry in the mix as well.
Great day all round lad well done.. We're they Nymphs you tied yourself.?
 
Back on the top stretch if the river again yesterday afternoon, the bottom end of it this time, double nymphs and FL again, started slowly but picked up and like the other evening picked up fish from runs I'd not had a fish in since joining the club 6 years ago, getting on 12oz the best fish, a good size for this stretch, tried to snag me in the roots of this fallen tree
Water Plant Fluvial landforms of streams Natural landscape Spring

Vertebrate Fish Water Marine biology Ray-finned fish


Had this one later on of a similar size
Fish Ray-finned fish Marine biology Tail Salmon-like fish


Plenty of smaller ones also, most fish to a copper beaded ptn with an orange tag which was the point fly.

Steve
 
Last weekend I cut short a session, as the water temperature was over 20C. The rain we were promised this week didn't touch the sides but at least the cooler last couple of days had lowered the water temperature to a much better 16 to 17.
I was having a pleasant early morning session on the nymphs, with a few modest trout to the net, when I broke my rod tip on some woodwork. I was in two minds whether to call it a day but I managed to whip the tip ring back on to the shortened tip using some dental floss that I carry for just such scenarios. And I'm glad I did, as I had another couple of trout, then I was surprised all of a sudden to be into a different calibre of fish altogether - a real thumping head shaker which shot off 50 yards upstream in a flash. I knew weeds might be a problem here - sure enough, it headed straight into a ranunculus bed and I had that sinking feeling when everything locked up solid. I waded out fearing the worst but once I had freed the line from round a boulder and into the weeds, miraculously the fish was still on! Down past where we started this time and into the pool below that. I kept as much pressure on as I dared and eventually I could sense the fish tiring. Shortly after, I slipped the net under a belter of a 4 pounder.
Hanak competition jig hooks have been bulletproof for me and remained so today but I'm glad I landed the trout when I did as the hook was just starting to straighten. Cheers, Billy.
Water Fish Ray-finned fish Fishing Fisherman
Salmon-like fish Fish Fisherman Ray-finned fish Recreational fishing
Fish Salmon-like fish Ray-finned fish Marine biology Tail
Water Salmon-like fish Fish Brown trout Marine biology
Insect Arthropod Wood Pest Parasite
 
Well done nice fish and markings
you said they were caught using the duo method I know it’s a good method
But using nymphs is a method I don’t personally do due to lack of confidence in this method would you mind telling me your particular setup/method as I am sure i am not the only one who would be interested to know cheers.
 
My third trip of 2021 to the river today, only because I had a rare week day off. Weekend overcrowding and a nasty “political” situation I want no part of, is keeping me away.

Imagining that the fish may have been peppered with tungsten all weekend, I started on a #21 parachute to 7X Rio. The river was low and felt dead and cold, with a lot more foam than usual and little surface activity. One bumped offer in 2 hours persuaded me to start working my way through a variety of my smallest nymphs. Eventually RabMax’s green honey bug recipe got me off the mark with a 4 ouncer.

Only a couple more to a #20 klink had me wondering where all the fish were, despite stoneflies, odd caddis and occasional pale upwings, risers were few. I think nymphing would’ve been more successful, but I think this stretch is getting hammered and so is too technical for my limited nymph skills.

One thing that bothered me was new extensive patches of stinking deep silt covered in green algae, where has that come from?

All in all not the best day, cut short when I got a panicky phone call because my daughter’s dog had been stung on the tongue by a wasp. 4mg of piriton sorted that, with the added bonus of making him really sleepy all evening......

In better news, since my previous multiple falling down debacles, I made a wading staff from seasoned hazel. It might look a bit Gandalf, but no falling down or algae dances. And my birthday Loop Opti dry fly box is just the job.....
 
Well done nice fish and markings
you said they were caught using the duo method I know it's a good method
But using nymphs is a method I don't personally do due to lack of confidence in this method would you mind telling me your particular setup/method as I am sure i am not the only one who would be interested to know cheers.
I usually fish the duo in water 1 to 3 feet deep and reasonably flowing, it's no good in slow canal like water. I use a klinkhamer tied with a fair pinch of aero wing in pink/white/black depending on visibility. I tie the Klinks on barbed hooks but crush the barb and tie the nymph tippet to the bend of the hook, it gives more direct contact with the nymph and no delay in take detection, dry dropper is good when there are a few fish rising but take detection is slightly delayed. Size 16 jig hooks with 2.5 to 2.8mm tungsten beads, pheasant tails and hares ears are a good place to start. It's an easy method once you figure it out, the skill lies in finding fish.
 
I usually fish the duo in water 1 to 3 feet deep and reasonably flowing, it's no good in slow canal like water. I use a klinkhamer tied with a fair pinch of aero wing in pink/white/black depending on visibility. I tie the Klinks on barbed hooks but crush the barb and tie the nymph tippet to the bend of the hook, it gives more direct contact with the nymph and no delay in take detection, dry dropper is good when there are a few fish rising but take detection is slightly delayed. Size 16 jig hooks with 2.5 to 2.8mm tungsten beads, pheasant tails and hairs ears are a good place to start. It's an easy method once you figure it out, the skill lies in finding fish.
cheers for that I'm fishing narrow rivers/streams with tree cover so I assume I'd be casting slightly up and across rod length is generally 7 1/2 or 8 foot
 
cheers for that I'm fishing narrow rivers/streams with tree cover so I assume I'd be casting slightly up and across rod length is generally 7 1/2 or 8 foot
I use a 9 foot 4 weight for the duo, a medium action sage launch. Yes upstream for drag free drifts. The river I fish most is narrow but the 9 foot rod allows you to high stick the nymphs better than a short rod if you need to, sometimes there no room to put fly line on the water. I use an 8ft tapered leader and a couple of feet of 0.12 tippet to the dry then around 2/3 feet of 0.10 tippet to the nymph.
 
On the water of leith again but this time further up river. Rain came on about 3ish and sped the flow up again so went with the trio and a wee bit of short leader euro. Had quite a lot of fish today, around 20 and lost a few too, they were feisty today especially the ones caught under the dry. Anyway here's a few pics
Water Body of water Fishing rod Fish Fisherman
Water Body of water Fish Fisherman Watercourse
Water Water resources Body of water Watercourse Fish
Water Fish Salmon-like fish Recreation Fisherman
Water Fish Fishing Salmon-like fish Ray-finned fish
 

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A few from Sunday. Much warmer than forecast but the water was only 18Ëš. The pattern this season has been very few fish showing, but prospecting a dry has brought some up. Same again this session. At 7pm there was some surface activity for about half an hour and them all quiet again. Beautiful evening to be on the river.
Salmon-like fish Fish Brown trout Coastal cutthroat trout Marine biology
Vertebrate Fish Salmon-like fish Brown trout Ray-finned fish
Water Salmon-like fish Fish Brown trout Oncorhynchus
 
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