Fishing and tweeting

Started using twitter a lot more these days,  not for shameless self promotion, more to try and get engaged in the UK and worldwide fly fishing and general angling community. After a year and a half in the north I thought it may be useful to try and connect with more like minded fly fishers, and twitter seems like a decent place considering the about of people/tweeters I've found!

So, if you want to hear about my fly fishing experiences in less than 150 characters, follow me here and I'll follow you back.

Anyway, back to the real reason for this post. Had my best day all season so far last weekend with nine fish in the net including this beaut below

A little too big for my 11" net and I reckon it was around 12-14", this picture doesn't do it justice. Yeh, yeh, yeh I hear you say but honestly it doesn't! Its kinda wrapped around my hand, didn't want to mess around too long trying to take pictures so its a one shot attempt with my phone. Fell to a nymph pattern I tied using V-rib tubing in olive tied around the hook shank, with hares ear and a black tungsten head. Took me by surprise at he was right close to a gap in the bank, thought I was hooked into the bank until he started thrashing! Just middle left of this photo below is where he was sitting, about 3 metres in front of the large bubbles.

Had some interesting action on the dry fly, got one on a CDC emerger. There was no surface action so I guess they were taking either very small terrestrials or nymphs close to the surface. Also managed one on a sherry spinner without a spinner in sight!

Doesn't look like I'll be out for a couple of weeks though, got a day at the cricket then olympic tickets so optimistically I'm thinking the 12th August.

Tight lines to all, and look me up on twitter if you're bored!

Tenkara flies

So, tenkara is getting pretty big over in the UK right now and I had the chance to try it out about two months ago. Its different, but fun, and if you get the chance I'd definitely recommend at least giving it a try.

As everyone knows, the weather has been god awful for fishing, I haven't been out for at least three weeks for various reasons, so my fly box is absolutely rammed. Tonight I thought I'd try something new and tie up some tenkara flies as I needed a change. The resulting flies below are my first four tenkara flies, very quick and relatively easy to tie, now I just need to save up for that new tenkara rod...

Hmmmm don't think I'll be fishing this weekend! Leeds and the surrounding areas have been hit with some serious rain this morning, I reckon if there was anywhere to fish this weekend and you're feeling brave, head to the hills Sunday for some small stream action in the upper reaches. You would have to be brave mind...

 These were taken outside my flat this morning.

One of those days...

Looking at the weather forecast thursday morning it seemed that thursday itself was the only day I would fish all weekend, so I headed up to my favourite spot.

It was nice conditions considering the recent weather and within hald an hour I had a decent fish on, taking a GRHE deep in a pool. If I am honest I was not expecting a fish at all, what I have learnt over the last 2 years fly fishing was completely ignored, and with my fly line dragging ALOT, and my fly in an odd place, I was just retrieving line to cast again and BOOM, fish on. Maybe this is why after 2 minutes he shook me off, just as I was about to get him in the net..."oh well" I thought, decent start and things can only get better (deep breath as I recall my misplaced optimism).

Next pool, saw a few fish rising so tried a Royal Wulff to try and get them excited, which worked pretty well, although after hooking three and losing them all I started questioning everything. No answers came to mind, so I just carried on.

Moved on to a tried and tested long straight reasonably deep run and FINALLY landed a half pounder after losing another two, which made the day. Well I say made the day, I would've been perfectly content fishing with hardly any interest from fish, it is pretty relaxing (most of the time)...

Anyways, here are some pictures from the day, with a nice picture of the fly I used from my phone camera, which decided, for once, to actually focus on something. I need a decent camera quick...