What a long, hard, grinding winter it’s been. And hey…the nights start drawing in about 12 weeks from now – there’s a cheery thought for you all! Anyway, let’s see, what have I been up to since my last post…
Paid Beaverdyke a visit in February only to discover it was frozen over. There were a couple of pockets of water still fishable though, so I got out the lures and my intermediate line and trawled the bottom, v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y, hoping to wake a trout or two from their torpor. In actuality, all I managed to do was lose 3 flies. Still, nice to get out, it’s not about catching fish blah blah blah. I took a few pics using my phone, especially for you lot, the thousands upon thousands of dedicated followers of our blog
I did however speak to another angler who said he’d still been catching fish in these conditions using a weighted montana nymph on a floating line. I’ll be tying a few of those!
I also took a walk around Swinsty in February just for something to do. Brought back memories of my 1st forays into flyfishing there, always casting into the sodding wind and catching nowt. Nothing changes eh?!
March hasn’t been as bad, although my first couple of trips to Beaverdyke this month were once again fishless. Yesterday was much better though, 3 overwintered rainbows to the net. The first was on a weighted nymph and the others on a small, white, goldheaded marabou lure. All on my new floating line, a Rio Gold which I have to say I rather like! Spring definitely hasn’t sprung yet, but it can only be a week or 2 away now surely – lambing has begun, the crocuses are out and the biting cold has hopefully left us.
I stopped to chat to the sheep on my way home, but the conversation was a tad woolley and if I’m honest they didn’t seem too keema to hang around.
I also took a trip to the Scottish Borders this month, no fishing obviously but did pay a visit to a favourite loch whose name I shall not mention, just to see it in winter plumage.
This was as far as I dare walk out on the ice. Don’t try this, ever!
I’ve had a few emails over the closed season from people who regularly visit our site (including someone from the Netherlands!) and I really do appreciate people taking the time to let us know they enjoy this little labour of love of ours! Anyway, better go and tie some Montana nymphs….