Well another year of no travelling so my fishing has been all UK based, but that’s not to say I haven’t enjoyed and learnt a lot this year.
Its been a big year for the River Rib section I run as there has been the best flow since we took the river on in the mid 80’s, combined with covid lock downs its meant I have been able to spend much more time being a river keeper this past year. With the help of a couple of syndicate members, Glyn and Dennis we have transformed the section with initially planting huge amounts of ranunculus which has grown really well, loving the increased flow. This flow has come about by the huge amount of rain in December 2020 which refilled the virtually dry chalk aquifers that feed the chalk streams north of London ! but the cause of the problems still exist, the huge extraction licence given to the water companies for the huge amount of house building taking places all around the section and head waters of the Rib and Quin.
We have also been very lucky to have received help from the wild trout trust this autumn, its been a massive learning curve for the new technics used to create habitat. Our WTT mentor Rob, helped and showed us how to create flow and cover areas by hinging trees, so interesting and already making a huge difference.
We were also able to secure a small stocking of grayling par going in at about an 1″ and by November I caught one that was about 5″ long, a rapid growth rate. This grayling I think is possible the first grayling caught on the upper section of the Rib for at least 50 years if not ever on a fly something that I’m very proud of !!!
There was a great Mayfly hatch and caught many wild brownies both locally and on the Itchen.
There was a great Mayfly hatch and caught many wild brownies both locally and on the Itchen.
I was lucky to get to fish the Rivers Itchen and Anton in the autumn targeting Grayling and had a red letter day on the Itchen at the end of September with many grayling to 2lbs. Then in November fished the Anton with Gilly and Mat of Fly Odyssey, what a beautiful river and had a great day with one of about 2 1/4 lbs. Fishing tiny tungsten bead head flys on 7 and 8x has been a real learning curve for me over the past few years.
I decided to try and fish Rutland reservoir more this year as the reports from Grafham were not so good and shared a boat a few times with friend Jonathan. Rutland was a big learning curve as neither of us had fished it for some years, trying to get a measure as to where the fish were on this huge water was tricky but interesting.
I did manage my best reservoir brownie 6 1/4lb taken on a daddy, on another trip we did find rainbows and I had a good fish on a fry pattern that I and cast out and left while putting my flask away. As it turns out speaking with a bank angler on another trip, static fry patterns have been a good method this Autumn, also casting out and letting a minkie fry sink and takes are had on the drop, which is how I caught my last fish of the year, below.
As for 2022 I want to get back salmon fishing, starting with the river Dee in March and hopefully the River Moy from April onwards. I intend to fish Rutland more and have several more stretches for improvement on the River Rib.
Let’s hope international travel will be allowed more easily as well in 2022!!!
Tight lines for 2022!