A quick fling before the freeze:

Apparently, a cold snap is imminent and worried that fly hatches will dry up as a result, I sneaked onto the Eden for a quick fling.  Already a brisk northerly made it’s presence felt, cold enough to form a dewdrop on my snout!  Fewer flies cared to hatch too when admittedly there was a fair bit of scratching around at first.  Yet, shortly after 2pm a sparse flurry of Blue-wings braved the chill.  Thankfully, grayling were onto to them like a shot, giving me a good hour or so of rising fish.

 

 

 

~Another grayling succumbs to a sider, this time though it’s a Black Magic fished as a sweeper on the top dropper that did the trick~

Leaf it out…

At this time of year tumbling leaves might well deposit all manner of goodies (terrestrials) on the surface for watchful grayling, but they’re a proper pain in the backside when you’re trundling a team of three spiders through a pool. It seems every other cast you’re snagging the damn things which have an uncanny habit of drawing your line tight like a taking fish.  Even so, all the cursing is worthwhile as every so often you tighten into something that pulls back.  You could be more sensible like my mate Richard who favoured a single dry fly to fish, which makes dealing with leaf matter that much easier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

~Richard Tong finds a quiet corner that’s pretty much devoid of leaf litter~

 

 

 

 

 

 

…Thankfully some of the leaves we encountered had a habit of pulling back…

A nest of spiders:

What with all the success North Country patterns have been brining me lately, a little time needed setting aside for “box filling” duties. Two dressings that really stand out are the Pearly Butt Bloa and a Black Magic variant sporting a red or silver wire rib. Fashioned on a size 16 Partridge Spider L3A/S the Bloa is perfect for covering hatches of Large darks or Blue-wings which we’re currently enjoying on the Eden. With a peacock herl thorax the Black Magic sits much better on a size 16-18 Mustad R50 to suggest any later season terrestrials.  These’ll get a dunk before that Arctic blast hits us this coming weekend!

Finally, decent weather…

Well the daily rags did reckon (or should that be threaten..?) we were going to eventually get some decent, settled weather. Naturally, it’s arrived about three months too late, but rather than complain, time to sniff out some grayling once more. With rivers fining down nicely on a warm, still autumnal afternoon flies were lifting off the Eden like clockwork. Mostly they were Large darks and Medium olives, but I suspect the odd late season Blue-winged was mixed in with them too. Not that the grayling minded they were simply tilting up to meet them. Whilst Richard made hay with a small F fly, I couldn’t go wrong using a team of North Country spiders with the Waterhen Bloa being the most popular.

~Although thin on the ground a few larger specimens came our way~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

~The ubiquitous Waterhen Bloa scores again~

Perfection personified-a newly emerged Autumn Dun put in a guest appearance. However, like their close cousin the Large Brook Dun, if the nymphs haul themselves onto boulders and stones before emerging, you’ve got to question their worth to fish?

Whore’s Drawers:

Our erratic weather continues, which in turn is causing river levels to behave like the proverbial whore’s drawers.  Shifting daily, website charts read like a range of mountain peaks.  Two days ago I was having a ball with hatching fly and rising grayling. Then heavy overnight rain lifted the Eden and surrounding rivers once more.  This morning it’s still way too high and with heavy showers forecast may even rise once more.  Forecaster are predicting a settled spell next week when hopefully at long last the rivers may finally stabilize. 

Wonderful Wharfe:

Following an eventful day on the Eden I dashed east to meet up with good mate Richard Tong for a spot of action at Ilkley.  Things might have got off to a slow start the following morning, yet come lunchtime a few olives emerged and stacks of female needle flies took to the air.  Yes, the first half dozen grayling might have come blind to a mix of spiders and nymphs, but by early afternoon we were pitching at risers.  A team of North Country flies (black magic, waterhen bloa and orange partridge) trundled down to dimpling fish worked a treat.  As for the new 10ft 3-weight Helios2, pure poetry when loaded with Barrio GT90 WF3 line.

 

 

Admittedly this feisty fish might have fallen to a nymph, but it’s always nice to get one or two under your belt before the main event…

 

 

~Clean, bright and sleek this Wharfe grayling is as fit as a fiddle~

Great weather for field testing:

Having managed to get my grubby mitts on the new Helios2 10ft 3-weight, my car was winging it up to middle Eden on what can only be described as perfect weather for chasing grayling.  If only we’d enjoyed such conditions a month ago…  Wafting a rod made up in your kitchen is one thing, but nothing beats a proper field test and I was eager to see what this light outfit could do.  Chilly mornings tend to push sport back an hour or two and as predicted it was after lunch before things got going.  Yes those late season willow and needle flies could be seen fluttering through the still, autumn air but of more interest (to the fish anyway) were heaps of beetles drifting down.  Not your regular shaped beetle either, these were long, slender beasties that despite their impressive size, sat extremely low in .  Thankfully, I had the good sense to check a snaking foam lane that betrayed them.  Just as well really, for grayling favoured them over the many needle flies and Blue-winged olives which were now drifting down. Odd, I know, but for once, fish turned their noses up at these pretty upwinged flies.  Granted my foam beetle might not have been an exact copy, yet it fooled enough fish to make for a memorable session.  Better still by late afternoon shoaling grayling eventually switched to the B-WOs, extended sport to well beyond 5pm.  As for the rod, further trials will be needed tomorrow…

 

 

~Not your conventional beetle profile, but these slender jobs sent the grayling daft~

 

 

 

 

Although that bit more portly than any naturals this foam imitation fooled the bulk of my catch during a day on the middle Eden

Tips and Hints at GAC wk’d:

Lashing rain might have battered much of the country over the weekend, but we were nice and cosy indoors at Glasgow Angling Centre.  Given the unsettled weather, many visitors spent much of their time picking up fly tying hints and tips on the Partridge stand.  Experts in their respective fields of classic salmon flies and pike/predator patterns, Paul Little (left) and Dougie Loughridge (right) were on hand to entertain the crowds.  Even Darryl Mooney (centre) managed to get in on the action.  Paul and I will be attending the Burton-on-Trent fly tying festival on Sunday 7th Oct, why not pop along and say hello.