~The San occasionally produces a hatch of tractors~

A good send off:

Despite bright conditions, our closing days on the San brought some memorable moments. Stephen Tinkler and Lyndsay Smith found a pod of decent grayling and managed to prise out a few notable fish. The cold weather prompted locals to gather firewood for the coming winter and tractors could be seen crossing the river in parts. Stephen (Shep) Webster certainly deserved a medal, as he spent a full day in the shade with temperatures struggling to just above freezing. What kept him captivated was a shoal of hefty grayling. I did warn him that these fish can consume you, and to his credit he connected with a couple of them. Paul Mercer opted to use his zero weight rod to enjoy entertaining sport on the tail of a long pool. So with reluctance, we bid farewell to the San for another season.

Paul~

~Stephen Tinkler targets risers on smooth water~

~Paul Mercer stretching to net a good grayling~

~Stephen Webster basking in glorious sunshine~

Phew.......

Following three days of harsh sunlight, things finally began to settle down. With fly hatching and fish rising we were back in business once more. Stephen Webster and I wrestled with a nasty downstream wind one morning to eventually connect with feeding fish, which were sat tight against the far bank. As evening drew close that niggling breeze dropped away, allowing us to target risers on smooth water at the tail of pools. Lyndsay Smith and Stephen Tinkler were frequently rewarded for the perseverance, these old-hands literally had to be dragged from the water, making us younger guys feel like positive lightweights.

Paul~

~Lyndsay Smith accurately covers a sipping rise~

~Bingo~

~A huge flock of Cranes heading south~

Easterly wind brings change:

Chilly easterly winds brought a massive change to the conditions during our second week in Poland. Common cranes flocking south were one of the main indicators and on the following day we awoke to a biting frost. The bright sun certainly took its toll on hatches as things began to slow up a little. Fingers crossed, both fish & fly should quickly acclimatize, hopefully giving us a final shot of some late season dry fly sport.

Paul~

~Grass snakes constantly crossed the San, probably their last swim before winter~

~Ace nympher-Kevin Moran surveys a likely pool~

~Liam Spencer about to net another San trout~

Hatch of a lifetime?

We were privileged to see the San produce what might be considered the hatch of a lifetime. Weather wise, nothing much had changed from previous days, but what we experience was beyond words. Nymphing aficionados Grant Breckell and Kevin Moran soon swapped their beadhead bugs for dry flies as BWO duns streamed off the water like no tomorrow, even the fish struggled to cope with such numbers of fly. Even Wojtek claimed, he'd only once witnessed a hatch nearing this. At the height of it, our tiny imitations appeared as the proverbial needle in a haystack. Our best chance came as the hatch subsided and once more, fish became catchable.

Paul~

~BWO duns littered the surface~

~The rewards of perseverance-a cracking 2lb grayling for Liam~

~Liam Spencer and Peter Marshall striking out on the San~

San smiles on us:

Despite a slow start, our week on the San has seen the fishing improve no end. Obviously, overcast conditions (perfect for upwinged hatches) have encouraged countless BWOs to emerge. Consequently, as each day passes, more and more fly appearred on the water. Be it a dry fly presented with care, or a brace of spiders drifted to nebbing fish, we're enjoyed some top drawer sport with San trout and grayling. Even some of the more elusive larger fish are being tempted up with quality trout taken by most of the group. During the evenings we're busy tying flies, fuelled by the occasional beer or two.........

Paul~

~A solid San brown trout taken on a #18 paradun~

~A setting sun concludes another eventful day on the San~

~The large tracks of Red Deer~

Rich and Varied Land:

The San river valley carves its way through ancient Polish forest that is home to a rich variety of flora and fauna. Each day, we are seeing wild deer and their tracks as they pass by the river. Beavers too seem to thrive along the San's banks. With the river too wide for the dam, they seek the many side streams to construct their homes.

Paul~

~Beaver dams could be found on most side streams~

~The teeth marks of beaver are clearly visible~