You will already be aware of the importance your blogger places on reconnaissance, especially towards the end of the close season.
It's great to see all your favourite places again. Here is the bridge to one of mine (and Henry's). You can see he is wondering why we aren't going over, after all we usually do...
We have a fortnight to go before All Fool's Day and the first festivities of the new season. This is the time to be out by the water making note of all the "new" features in your rivers and streams as well as looking over your old favourites. What has winter flooding brought you?
The massive weir at Black Barn has slighted over this winter. There have been some excellent periods of high water, each bringing amazing power to bear on the river bed.
The subsequent release of hundreds of tons of gravel pent up for more than a century has already been referred to this year. Now, as the water level begins to lower itself towards its summer height, (still some way to go of course) it is easier to see what bounty has been bestowed upon we lucky anglers.
Upstream, there are meandering and quite powerful flows, where the water used to be held back by the weir, tamed and almost featureless. These new, more boisterous habitats already have occupants taking advantage of them. In high summer on a searing hot day, this will be a fine place for
"Mad Dogs and Englishmen" to find those wild rainbow trout of the Derbyshire Wye, ready and willing to take a bushy fake of a terrestrial, such as a soldier beetle or cow dung fly, the real ones are regular casualties on this river...
That gravel bed some way below the weir is now almost ready for sitting on. Here, come July, will be a great place to sit cross-legged and enjoy the evening sport when the
sherry spinners return on their urgent mission to carry on the next generation.
Henry likes reconnaissance too. His haul was several balls and a squeezy dumbbell. In addition to some mental booty to be put to use later this year your blogger's haul included a splendid heron feather, perfect for the
Kite's Imperial (variant).
For those of you who ask "How do I get a heron feather for my
Kite's Imperials?" The answer? "Reconnaissance!"
Confession time, I did want to give you a snap of a rising fish but by the time I'd fiddled with the telephone to make the photograph I think I had scared the fish, if it wasn't me then it was Henry who just had to stick his nose over the bank with a "Look Dad! A Fi... Oh it's gone!"
Regular Rod
