Tuesday 7 April 2015

Spring update


Alex and David found the Spring sunshine irresistible yesterday, and combined a final tidy-up of Beat 15 on the Ottery with a spot of fishing.In spite of the warm sunshine, the water was still quite cold, indeed there had been a slight frost overnight. Only a few flies were seen hatching, and with the river still fining down from the last spate, we started with nymphs.



David working upstream on a likely run at the bottom of Beat 15.


The first fish of the day, a lean but feisty ten-inch brownie.


The stunning colours of the true wild brown trout. Note the cream edge to the anal fin.


Tracks on the stones show where browsing nymphs have disturbed the silt as they fed on algal growth overnight.

A Stonefly nymph


An Olive nymph


Another Olive nymph


An Olive nymph next to Simulium larvae


The tracheal gills are visible on this Olive nymph


A sea trout smolt, which took a dry Grannom pattern, showing the distinctive black edge to the caudal fin. We await his return as a three-quarter-pound school peal in late July.

0 comments: