Mayfly Reflection

There hasn't been much time for fishing recently - my degree has taken priority over the last year and subsequently hobbies have taken a back seat. I did however find a few spare days over the 'Mayfly' period a few weeks back and fished the Derbyshire Derwent and Dove over a three day spell.

The fishing was unusually tough going, especially on the Dove which would normally be a banker. Most fish were taken on terrestrial patterns with only seldom fish rising to the Drake. Not that the river was lacking in fly life! On arrival at the Dove on day two, the bank side vegetation was found to be absolutely littered with what I'm assuming were spinners from the previous day?? When they returned to the water in the early evening (after dancing in the air for a short while), none were seen to be eaten by the trout!

 

I still enjoyed my time away from revision and university placement, deciding on the final day to explore the lower end of our beat on the Dove. The undergrowth was difficult to 'wade' through and getting stung in the face was unavoidable, but the rewards were worthwhile.

The final fish (below) was worth more than any I have caught this year owing to the number of times it has deceived me and the difficulty of the cast. There has always been a fish in this holding spot over the last few years, and judging by the size of this one, it's probably not been the same fish! All the same, to finally get a fly correctly presented over a truly difficult fish will be more memorable than all the others pictured today.

In one weeks time (assuming I pass my final placement!!) I will have finally completed my degree in Physiotherapy. Whilst time will still be an issue, I hope to celebrate with a day on the Derbyshire Wye with my old man and hopefully begin to pick up the number of posts on here again.