March on the river - spring sunshine and the chance to fly fish once again. Realistically, the fish are still recovering from spawning, and very little fly will be hatching this early in the year. The water is still cold, and we have been close to freezing overnight. However, who could not enjoy a day like this?
In the absence of a rising trout, David tries a nymph in a tempting little pool on the river Wolf.
A nymph of the stone-clinging variety, a heptagenid.
This stone was crawling with Simulium larvae. These little guys will soon pupate in their distinctive flat-sided conical cases, before emerging in swarms as Black Gnats.
A close-up of another heptagenid. The head and leg segments are all angled downwards like the spoilers on a racing car, to allow the nymph to cling onto stones even in a fast current.
The sight of a rising trout prompts a change to the dry fly. A dry Grannom Emerger - how could any trout resist this?
Here's one which couldn't!
The barbless hook held well, but came out easily.
Absolutely stunning colours of a wild river Wolf brown trout - the adidose fin is always bright red, but the spot on this one is quite unusual.
Winter is not really gone while the blackthorn blossoms.
An underrated flower, the blackthorn is so pretty at close quarters.
Alex really likes photographing nymphs!
Daffodils will very soon be over, but the riverbanks are a riot of them at present.
Meteorological spring is now officially upon us. Dog's Mercury and Purple Toothwort are in flower on the riverbank, and all thoughts are being concentrated on the season ahead. Some lovely and deadly flies are being tied in anticipation, quite how any fish could possibly resist them remains to be seen. The river trout season opens again on March 15th, and for some it cannot come soon enough.
