Gusty Grafham

Tuesday, 3 April 2018 at 16:45

Hard work this morning in a gusty wind. Grafham was at its most unsettled and forbidding and a few hours before lunch saw only one offer - and one fish, a splendid rainbow which I estimated at around 3lb. Pitsford Pea on a DI-3. I packed up after a late (and still gusty) lunchtime, though by then the air was - would you believe it? - warmer and spring seemed to arrive as I watched. Still: I Must Try Harder.

Chrome

Sunday, 1 April 2018 at 15:59

1st April and a chap simply has to fish. To the rainbow lake, where I released a leash of very fit rainbows and one blue trout. Best two were 3-3½lb., with the rest running from 1½lb. upwards, so it was a prolific little session despite the chill. Several of the fish were so fit and silvery that they were chrome. There was no general rise to buzzers but that will come as soon as the water warms up a touch. Roll on, spring.

Mud, buzzers and bloodworms

Sunday, 1 April 2018 at 15:53

Cold water (7C), cold air; fish near the bottom, browsing on bloodworms.... I thought I had it all worked out. I didn't. Here are the flies I tried, all much-tested. In the event every fish bar one took the lime/white Nomad (bottom), which I fished as slowly as possible. One other (only) took the Blue Flash Damsel. Some rainbows took on the drop, others when the fly was havering over the bottom. I had other offers with which I signally failed to connect, so it was a few hours full of activity despie the fact that winter doesn't quite seem to have left us yet.

Tight lines, all

Friday, 23 March 2018 at 16:32

And so another trout season is underway. I wish tight lines to all - may we have the joy of it. I'd planned to take a boat today but the weather was so blustery that no single-manned boats were being allowed out on Grafham this morning. I pottered about along the dam instead. It was hard work in the wind but eventually I released a biggish brown (c.4lb., snapshot below) and a lovely overwintered rainbow (c.2.5lb.) for good measure. There was next to nothing moving - it's maybe a week or two early for any mass movement of fish to little black buzzers - so it was a question of fishing lures at different depths. I'd had enough by lunchtime.

I don't know quite why I carry so many lures, since I only use two or three - the Pitsford Pea, some Minkies or Suspender Minkies in the later part of the season, and some Boobies and FABs as attractors. Still, they look cheerful.

22 inches

Friday, 23 March 2018 at 16:27

Only had time to take a quick snapshot before release but....22.5 inches and a shock to the system. I estimated this fish at c.4lb. A 20-inch brown trout I caught years ago weighed 4lb. so I think I've been honest (and if anything, conservative in the estimate). Pitsford Pea, south end of Grafham dam.

Fish in the freezer

Saturday, 17 March 2018 at 09:53

Summary to date of March 2018 angling efforts: (i) planned to go to river. River mostly frozen, incl. estuary; (ii) planned to go to river again. River in flood with meltwater; (iii) planned to go to local beach. Beach washed away in easterly storms; (iv) planned to begin trout fishing. Cancelled because of snow, easterly storms and treacherous roads.

Looked at fly-tying bench. Looked at local angling reports. Looked at weather forecasts.

Gave up.

First songs of blackbirds

Friday, 9 March 2018 at 07:51

This morning at 0643 - just a few notes from a roof-top. Yet it was that authentic thing, the first phrases of the blackbird's spring song.