When we arrived the water was high and running a little coloured however not bad enough to stop us though. There was a great meadow with some easy fishing and then it headed into the woods where it was a little shallower and running a little faster. The snowdrops were out and provided some great early spring colour. Set in a steep sided wooded valley it was very picturesque and there was wildlife everywhere with the buzzard calling most of the day, siskins in the Alders and then a steak of blue over the river as the kingfisher flashed by.
We persevered all morning without success working our way along all of the water, searching out any shoals but the going was hard. Early afternoon and Phil managed to catch one just inside the trees and a gold head hares ear. After he had shown me the photo of a lovely half ponder I knew a bit of spot nicking was in order and we both walked up to the spot.
I got myself comfortable on the high bank between the trees by kneeling at first and then sitting down. There was a branch infront of me half submerged and I trotted my hares ear from just upstream and about 5ft out in between the faster current and the branch. Mending the line a few times allow a nice trot down to the next tree trunk in the water. There was a small back eddie which helped slow the fly down.
I had what i thought were a few takes and was feeling very upbeat but when it then snagged on the bottom that confidence subdued. After about 15 mins Phil said he was going for a walk and just as he started off the blimp went under and I was connected to a fish. It was a short fight but i could feel my heart beating. I then realised that we wouldn't be able to get a net in the water so just did what i had done with many roach before and I eased up the rod tip and swung the fish in slowely.
YES! YES! YES! it was only about 6oz but I had finally overcome that hurdle and very pleased to land my first grayling on a fly.
Phil had just landed his second and Vasy came walking along the road. We settled him in the same spot. The fish had gone quiet now but just before we left he came to the gate with a tiny little grayling where the fly almost looked bigger and he too had caught his first grayling.
The second day on Lypole and the water was running faster a little more coloured. We worked all day to find the fish without success even though their was a small dark olive hatch early afternoon but I never saw a fish rise.
The wildlife was even better here and made the day with owls, woodpeckers, Dippers, Nuthatch, siskins etc. etc. The highlight of the day for Phil and Vasy was when they arrived at the weir to see a mother and 2 cub otters playing on the island. Fantastic!
I'll definitely be going back again.
