~Spinners fill the air on a calm evening~

Evening Action:

All this warm weather has seen trout switch their attentions to evening feeding. Blue Winged Olives seem to be exciting trout and with spinner falls lasting until nearly midnight it's been a case of burning the candle at both ends. Those venturing out during the day faced low water conditions when trout were best described as shy, if not elusive! However, Sue and Andrew Gibson spent a day on the Wharfe with me recently at Bolton Abbey were we found trout stacked up in shallow riffles. Although many weren't rising they could be summons up by a large Klinkhamer drifted down the foam lanes. With no sight in end of this prolonged dry spell, our rivers have reached an all time, fingers crossed we'll get a spike of fresh water soon.

Paul~

~Sue Gibson leans into a decent Wharfe trout~

~Phew......safely in the net~

~A large red spinner found resting close to the river~

Spinners Galore:

Bosnian rivers are famed for their fly hatches and we were fortunate enough to experience these in their full glory. Mating spinners filled the air from early afternoon and come evening time, egg-laying females returned to the water. These were fairly impressive creatures, best imitated on size 10 hook. Obviously, I wasn't armed with such a pattern though ace fly tier and Bosnian International fly fisher Alex Djukic came well prepared with his vice and some unusally materials. Tying flies by the stream to suggest what you've just seen really encapsulates what fly fishing is all about. I'm happy to report, Alex's flies worked a treat as darkness fell.

Paul~

~Alex Djukic weaving his magic on the banks of the Pliva~

~As darkness descended trout could be found rising along the Pliva margins~

~Mark & Doug ready to fish the Ribnik in Bosnia~

Bosnia finally comes good:

Arriving in Bosnia, we were greeted by high water and unsettled weather. Our guide Alex Djukic mentioned spectacular spinner falls following dense hatches of large upwinged flies. Although warm afternoon sun encouraged flies onto the wing, our first evening was thwarted by persistent rain. Yet, despite this we managed to get our string pulled by modest Ribnik brown trout and a handful of grayling.

Paul~

~Spinners gather over the Ribnik before returning to egg lay~