~Battling a tangle of mangroves gave you access to more remote places~

Mangrove Mayhem:

Mangroves constitute an important part of the eco system in Ascension Bay and whilst they might be cursed they hold many secret lagoons that teem in fish life. Battling your way through them is well worth the effort as what awaits you is often some of the most spectacular fishing imaginable. Obviously, you need to keep an eye for crocs and the likes, but even these can prove entertaining in their own way!

Paul~

~ On the other side, a welcome bonefish flat.......pure paradise~

~Tackling up for toothy creatures.........!~

Avoiding the cold!

Ascension Bay in the Gulf of Mexico is currently a lot warmer than our weather trends here in the UK. I've been lucky to spend the last 3 weeks down there in search of many saltwater species, unfortunately there was no Internet access in such a remote place, so I'm playing catch up here. Despite constant travel the first morning of any new trip is always an exciting time. Up with the sparrows, our rods and leaders were assembled long before breakfast. And following scrambled eggs (Mexican style), we chatted our plans through over a cup of strong coffee.

Paul~

~Inspiration can often be found in a coffee cup~

~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~

~Grant Breckell brings another fish to hand~

~San grayling are both handsome and plump at this time of year~

Water Fines Down:

Our second morning greeted us with much clearer water and fish were active on our arrival. Targeting fast water, Grant Breckell and Kevin Moran connected with some fine San trout using small nymphs. Liam Spencer and myself preferred to search out smooth, flat glides, looking for dimpling fish amidst the ribbons of foam. The first hour proved slow, but once a hatch got underway, fish were rising all around us. Size 18 dries were the winning formula though fickle as ever, grayling seemed harder to tempt than trout.

Paul~

~Lunch and a warm fire by the river are good for the soul~

~The Boys tackling up~

~Ready for battle~

Mucky Water:

Heavy overnight rain rendered the San a mucky brown for our first morning. To add further insult, a cold northerly breeze pegged back air temperatures. Nonetheless, there was plenty of excited chatter and banter as the Boys prepared for their first full day on the San. On arriving at the water, we were met with BWOs streaming off and the occasional caddis hatching. Our biggest problem was deciding on which method was going to be most profitable, as nymphs suited turbid water, yet emerging fly had encouraged a few fish to rise................

Paul~

~Sadly, this caddis didn't quite make it~

~The San has it's share of beavers, which are gradually gnawing through this tree!~