Pilgrimage

A trip to Dartmoor and it's myriad network of sublime streams I feel is set to become an annual pilgrimage for me, my own piece of Nirvana revitalizing the soul. Even the deluge which ensued over the two and a half days there did nothing to detract from the areas captivating beauty.
Langstone Manor Campsite was as welcoming as always and it was great to catch up with the staff and hear about and see all the improvements to the site made over the winter months. Saturday saw torrential downpours which scuppered fishing plans, however a walk to the atmospheric Wistman's Wood was a great albeit very wet outing.

Sunday dawned bright and partly cloudy resulting in a hasty move to Bellever Forest and the East Dart via Princetown for a permit.

Unsurprisingly the Dart was flowing strongly in comparison to this time last year, thigh deep waters in places where only ankles were covered. Clear waters flowed however, tainted with a brown hue caused by wash off from the surrounding moorland. The tell tale sign of a fish rising assuaged fears that the rain and high waters had put paid to any dry fly action. To my surprise a hatch of small olive upwings kicked off - on went a #20 olive paradun and several small browns came to hand.

A solid four hours of fishing ensued before the weather once more closed in. Twenty minutes saw me at the car and heading back toward the campsite during which time the weather lifted. Driving past the Upper Cherrybrook at 14h30 was too much to bear - waders back on and a fly tied onto the line followed by a few more precious hours on a Dartmoor classic.

All good things must come to an end as the saying goes and the move back to the campsite was made, avoiding any other potential fishing distractions - not without one final stop however - there's only one way to finish off a day like today :

A few from the weekend

Another outing resulting in more surprises - I love this stream ...

 Bank Holiday weekend coming up - destination ... Dartmoor.

And Further Downstream...

In true adventurous spirit and break in the weather, exploration continued this last weekend further downstream the stretch of water recently discovered (see earlier post 01 July 2012 "Something Old, Something New") - and it just keeps on getting better.

And there's still more to come - watch this space ...

Forest of Dean

The Roving Voucher Scheme as run by the Wye & Usk Foundation has been extended to include three new beats nestled in the heart of the Forest of Dean. As with the other roving voucher beats on offer through the Foundation they did not dissapoint and I spent three days of quality fishing under crystal blue skies which have been at such a premium lately - food for the soul.

Of the three beats I fished the Bideford Brook (R61) twice - the first attempt occurred on one of those days when things just weren't happening. Of the four hook ups I only managed to land a single small trout which had somehow managed to foul hook itself - real dissapointment. I had to get back onto this stretch of water - the second attempt delivered what I'd hoped.

The second beat The Blackpool Brook (R60) is small stream fishing in it's purest sense - narrow enough in places to jump across without getting your feet wet comprised of small pools each of which containing a resident trout or more. Stealth is key here - a lesson I learnt early on as small shadows dart for cover the minute you approach a likely run.

The Cannop Brook (R62) is all that remains for me to fish in the Forest of Dean - more than reason enough to get back across there.

Anticipation...

Usually by this stage the family summer holiday is booked and paid for - this year however we've decided to err on the side of caution due to the interminable weather we've been experiencing. Tactics have been altered and will be executed as follows:

1. Monitor every meteorological piece of information until Thursday this week.
2. Throw in a few pounds of salt.
3. Divide the result by 6 for good measure.
4. Depending on the result choose a destination and duration of stay (or not).
5. The only caveat is that there is an abundance of trout filled streams (crucial to avoid a sulking husband for the duration of the holiday).
6. Pack a shower cap and leave sun up Saturday morning.

In anticipation of the above the flybox is in desperate need of replenishment - a few pictures depicting progress so far:

#22 Olive Paraduns; #26 Midges and #24 Chironomid Emergers

Variation on a theme - #22 Olive Paradun and the same pattern using #26 with grizzly hackle.

#22 Reverse Parachute Emerger

Here's hoping ...

Something Old, Something New ...

Summer 2012 hasn't really happened so far this year - drought and hose-pipe bans have made way for torrential downpours reminiscent of Kwa-Zulu Natal during Cyclone Domoinia in 1984 (OK maybe not quite but it sure feels like it...). Finally a break in the weather has allowed our local swollen rivers to drop to a more navigable, fishable level. The bid to discover new stretches of local trout inhabited waters not controlled by fishing clubs demanding their members reside on the Queen's honours list and dress appropriately, produced a stretch of the River Wey offering a small yet feisty trout population. A frantic two and a half hour session after work on Friday night revealed all we'd hoped for.

Watching the weather forecast for the week ahead foretold the, what seems normal now, arrival of yet more meteorological misery in the way of rain and the like. Not to miss an opportunity saw an early morning Sunday start back down to our old favourite stretch of water, however this time to explore an area further upstream that we'd only looked at but not fished. The pictures below say it all - Matt landing one of the biggest fish we've seen come out of the river ...

Why is it that time dissapears so quickly on days like this - last casts were made with the usual anticipation and a path beat through the nettles out of the river. A quick look upstream before heading back to the car made it clear there is still much more to discover here - now if only this rain would stop ...