Oughtibridge

A bleary eyed couple of hours spent fishing for grayling downstream from the bridge in Oughtibridge this morning - the forecast was was rain later, so I went out this morning straight from work. It was overcast but warm-ish, so I tackled up and headed down to the river. There were already a couple of guys fishing just below the bridge, I think a guide with his client. They were Czech nymphing for grayling, and I didn't hang around to see if they were successful.

I walked down river into beeley woods, until I couldn't be bothered to walk any more!

Using a Klinkhammer as an indicator with a copper john  underneath, I started searching out a likely looking glide.

The glide

After 20 minutes, I hooked a nice grayling, of about a pound or so I guess.

It took the copper john, which is my "go-to" nymph on the Don.

After an unproductive half hour I went back up to below the bridge at Oughtibridge, where there was another chap fishing, nymphing.

I had a quick 20 minutes with a sawyers nymph below an indicator here, hooking one nice fish but losing it, mainly because I didn't realise I'd hooked it - I was just about to re-cast after a drift and as I retrieved the line the fish had a quick struggle and splash and was gone!

Today was the busiest I've ever seen it on the Don!

Looking at the river here it looks like it will be fun to fish in the warmer months in trout season....

Two fat ladies

So a quick jaunt out for an hour of nymphing for grayling, just near the Wednesday stadium. The river was up, not unfishable but flowing enough that I didn't bother putting my waders on- I didn't fancy wading in the high water, and the fishing I was doing could be done from the bank quite satisfactorily.

I was using a sawyers killer nymph below a indicator, instead of my usual wulff or klinkhammer. After 5 minutes I was into a reasonable fat grayling, which after a quick struggle, came to the net. As is so often the case, as I lifted the net i noticed the fly had already dropped out!



Having only my phone on me, I took a quick snap and returned the fish to the water.

By this time a couple of lads fishing above the bridge came down to see what I was up to. Thy made it clear they wanted to fish where I was, especially after I landed another fat grayling!

With the peace disturbed, and a couple of grayling landed, I packed up and headed for home...

A good little session, a couple of pound + grayling, and my first fish of 2011.

The temperature today was 14 degrees! Spring looks like it's on the way, and the trout season is just around the corner.

- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Hillsborough

My local river

With fishing pretty much out of the question today due to high winds and recent high waters, I had a wander along my local stretch of "urban" river, to see what last years improvement work looked like.

The old paddling pools have been replaced by a landscaped rocky brook.




Not big enough to fish in (and no fishing allowed on this stretch) but probably a good place for juvenile fish to hide. The run exits just below a weir and some large boulders have been placed into the river here, further enhancing the habitat.




The river sheaf here is small, but does hold a decent head of wild brown trout, and if you wander along here on a quiet summers evening, trout can be seen rising throughout the river. Indeed, it was here on a quiet summer evening 2 years ago I caught my first trout on the fly.

The park is enjoyed by dog walkers, sports clubs and people out walking and enjoying the surroundings. This does mean you have to be sensitive to others when fishing here, but choose your time and place and you can enjoy fishing a small stream for some wiley brown trout.







- Posted from my iPhone

Location:Fraser Rd,,United Kingdom