In between Spey Casting tuition I have actually had the chance to do some Brown Trout fishing of my own and what a time to get the opportunity to do so as these fish have really switched on especially on the lower river. I was fishing with a friend and we lost count of the amount of good quality fish we caught. I did intend to keep a couple for the pot but found myself caught up in the moment. We also had a few plump little herling which we returned to fight again and following this I had two amazing encounters with a couple of big Sea Trout on light tackle around the 3 and 4lb mark, the 
second of which proceeded to strip the whole fly line and a bit of the backing from my reel before parting company with my 3lb point.Following a Spey Casting session higher up the river with Tony who has been preparing for his Provisional AAPGAI casting qualification over this last year, we both took turns with the trout rod whilst the other watched the water for movement and although we had a few Brown Trout they were not as good in quality as the fish in the lower river, which is not uncommon at this time of year, but this certainly did not make it any less enjoyable.
Although it has still not fully warmed up yet with snow still clearly visible on the pennines, the fly hatches are still building up and along with those we have already identified, additional species are now beginning to appear and on Saturday I saw the odd Large Brook Dun being devoured by a trout or two as well as witnessing a few hawthorns yesterday with their distinctive dangling legs.There are also a few Salmon sneaking into the lower beats on this low water and if we can get some fresh water in the near future there may be one or two caught,
although the low water will not prevent the Sea Trout negotiating the faster runs through the twilight hours and into dark and if we can get some overcast (moonless) warmer nights then this could be the time to target them as they are most definitely in the system.
