Slow Finish to the Salmon Season on the Eden

Heading for the bank in coloured water

With salmon in attendance throughout the system, and a few being tempted to the fly in the final throws of the season, the pools in general have been relatively quiet for this time of year, especially as October is generally our prime time for salmon fishing on the Eden, and a time that we should have been seeing our biggest concentration of fish in the river so far. Also, the few fish that were showing themselves were of the coloured variety i.e. predominantly resident fish.

I am not entirely sure why this is, but there have been several suggestions, one of which refers to the heavy flooding we had four years ago which may have impacted on the Redd's and therefore we are now seeing the knock on effect from that event. However electrofishing projects following these events have shown positive results and therefore refutes this theory somewhat. My personal feeling is that the inordinately higher temperatures we have been experiencing (and still are) for this time of year is effecting the migratory instincts of these magnificent fish. After all they are not equipped with the Gregorian calenders that we are privy to, nor could they read them even if they were. They are simply driven by temperature and pressure changes that occur around the time that they should be arriving. This does happen from time to time and we then get a cyclical event which we have all experienced before over the years. It is as if this season has been totally turned on it's head, with a very cold start and a very warm finish, and we did see an upturn in the spring fishing this year too. "Who really knows with Salmon", but this is my theory anyway. Hopefully when temperatures begin to fall we will then see an influx of fish into the system and with no further pressure on them, due to the season being over, a good spawning outcome. Let's hope so!

One of several Sea Trout in June/July

On a brighter note though, the brown trout season has been phenomenal yet again and even during the spells of low water and warm conditions we had some good sport (when adopting the right techniques) and for those die hard's (including myself) who ventured out at night from mid June to mid July there was some very good sea trout fishing to be had, which also produced some hefty browns from time to time.

However, we are now turning our thoughts to the Grayling fishing, with a few nice fish beginning to show an interest in our offerings throughout the day and with temperatures remaining relatively mild for this time of year spider patterns are still working from time to time, but weighted bugs will often tempt a big fellow from his deep dub and when temperatures eventually do begin to fall rapidly (and they will) we should turn more to this type of approach.

One of the Demo's in Wales

I have spent the last few days down in Wales with many other like minded anglers whilst enjoying yet another of our biannual assessment events where this time 10 successful candidates (just over 50% success rate) either gained a further qualification or became AAPGAI instructors for the first time. This coupled with a great open day event where those wishing to know more about our association could come along and watch the demo's, as well as take part in the tailor made tuition sessions, made for another very enjoyable experience.

Back home now though, and as mentioned above my focus will now be on the Grayling fishing, a fantastic fish that has the added bonus of extending the game anglers fly fishing season, what's not to like about that. I will keep you all posted! 

From Iceland to Eden

My fishing partner Trev in Iceland

Well my trip to Iceland is now over, yes I know it doesn't seem that long ago that I mentioned in my last blog that I was looking forward to going. However I was definitely not disappointed this year as Iceland certainly lived up to the recent reports we were receiving for the 2013 season as our party managed to land exactly 100 salmon (on the fly) for 10 shared rods over a period of three days fishing, pretty good going, not to mention the multitude of fish lost during our time there. 

Rob plays an Eden trout on a clearing water

We had some fantastic sport on the Midfjardara river, all catch and release too, which has certainly proved itself to be one of the contributing factors to the excellent fishing experienced in this magnificent country. When you consider that conditions on the river were not ideal when we arrived, with rain swelling the river a bit too much, which also added some unwanted colour to the mix, not to mention driving winds and sleet on the final day and a half, dropping the river temperature to 1 degree at times, the results were not bad at all. Imagine the potential given the right conditions. That said, we were certainly not complaining. 

Nigel with a late season Brown

Since returning home I have certainly been kept busy on the river Eden with a range of people taking tuition and fishing for both trout and salmon, and during the short time I have been back we have been catching some good fish too. The trout fishing has continued in good form with temperatures remaining above average for September, this is a definite bonus at a time when colder conditions can often suppress much of the remaining insect life, and with water levels much more stable than last year, the trout are also more likely to oblige. That said, we have had a couple of good lifts in river levels too which certainly helps the salmon anglers during the latter part of the season.

A well formed fish for John

There are fewer salmon showing in the system than usual for this time of year, but there are definitely fish about as both Christian and David (regular visitors of mine to the Eden) discovered to their delight over this weekend as they landed two very good conditioned fish of around seven pounds and eight pounds respectively. Both fish were taken on a falling water following the most recent spate.

Christians fish came to a Cascade

Chris and David have been coming now for the past five years and incredibly they have always caught fish. "I need to bottle whatever it is they are transmitting". This time around they had one of each, a cock fish (on the right) and a hen fish, (seen above) both fish were promptly returned to the water after quick photographs. John also caught a couple of nice brown trout on the first day of his trip.

Alan into an Eden Brownie 

Only one week left now until the end of the trout season on the Eden and three weeks until the end of the salmon season, but plenty of sessions left between now and then, so fingers crossed that things continue in this positive vein for those of you who still have your trips to come and that there are still plenty of successful days left between now and then. "Tight Lines".

Fresh Water Stirs Them Up

Phil & David

On Sunday 1st September I was out with two keen salmon anglers on the lower river, Phil and David. Phil has been out with me a couple of times before and was much improved in his casting techniques, and David was indulging in salmon fishing for the first time, although he was really getting to grips with it. There were plenty of salmon showing on the lower river, but with low water conditions hanging on they were reluctant to take the fly, and with only a couple of days to go before another of my regular groups arrived I was willing the rain to come.

Unfortunately the rain held off, and when Andy, Alan and Andrew arrived a few days later, the water was still very low, and although they can now cover the water very well with a variety of casts for differing wind directions, the fish still wouldn't oblige. Quite frustrating too, as there were plenty of salmon in attendance showing throughout the lower beats. We then spent a couple of days on the middle river with no success, but on day one the rain decided to come, putting the river up on day two and making conditions very difficult in the early stages as the colour thickened up throughout the system. High hopes for the following day though as we returned to the lower beats. The only down side was that they had to wait for a good part of the day for the colour to diffuse offering them a much better chance of a fish. 

Andy through the net

Mixed fortunes ensued as the water did begin to clear slightly and Andrew hooked into a very good salmon on the fly as we watched it crash about on the surface briefly before seemingly behaving itself for the next 5 minutes, but then came the twist as the fish parted company with Andy not far from the bank. If anyone deserved a fish it was one of these guys as they had covered the water relentlessly and very methodically too I might add. In all fairness, they only really had two half days when the water was good and they certainly made the most of that. "Don't worry guys your day will come".

I have since had reports from up and down the river that Andy's fish was not the only one hooked that day, and apparently as the water began to clear there were several other fish caught that day, and landed too, which included a couple of fish over 20lb, so hopefully things are now beginning to happen. It's surprising how a bit of fresh water can trigger these magnificent fish, but the difficult bit is being there just at the right time as water levels are dropping and clearing after a spate when these fish become agitated and much more aggressive, or is it anticipation?

Alan in full concentration

Unfortunately for me, if this recent fresh water has improved things, which it certainly seems to have done, then I am about to miss the results, as I am off to Iceland on Thursday to indulge in a bit of salmon fishing of my own, however with reports coming in of bumper catches in Iceland this year I may not miss out on too much after all. We'll soon see, I have been at this game long enough now to know not to count my chickens (or salmon) before the event, so I will let you all know how it went when I get back. "Here's hoping".

Trout & Grayling Strong, Salmon Won't be Long!

Our stall at the Galloway Show

As indicated in my last post I attended the Galloway Country Fair over the weekend of the 17th & 18th August representing both Borderlines and AAPGAI, along with my good friend and colleague Glyn Freeman as one of the demonstrators at the show. The weather was a bit kinder to us on the Sunday than it was on the Saturday, which helped to draw in the crowds on day two, and in addition to delivering eight demonstrations between us over the duration of the weekend, we also offered a casting clinic for those wishing to indulge in tuition sessions throughout each day. We shared the marquee with the Nith District Salmon Fishery Board and the Nith Catchment Fishery Trust. (See the Website: Here) as Jim Henderson of the NDSFB is one of the directors for Borderlines.

Fly Tying on the Stall

As expected, the Eden rose again throughout that weekend, which ensured that we did not miss out too much on the fishing front, however, reports of good runs of Grilse entering the system continued to reach me via my mobile, which I witnessed first hand upon my return. There has also been one or two Grilse caught over the last couple of weeks, along with some better fish too, but for the amount of fish we have seen passing through the lower beats, the numbers caught still remain quite low in comparison. 

Ralph & Uschi

Up to now most of the salmon anglers I have taken out on the river have been more interested in the casting tuition side of things in preparation for the latter part of the season, although during a tuition and fishing session with John Dunn on the lower river, whilst putting his much improved skills into practise, he did have two chances throughout the day, one of them offering him a really good draw to his fly, but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. That said, it is good to have further confirmation that they are definitely in attendance, especially as we are now rapidly approaching the most productive time of the year on the Eden for the salmon angler. "Watch this space".

Ralph with a small Brown Trout

Just over a week ago now, I had the good fortune to spend some time with a really nice couple from Germany, Ralph and Uschi, on their first trip to the lake district. Following a fly casting session, with the single handed rods, we spent the day on a local Stillwater fishing for Rainbow and blue trout, whilst the river was still a little too high for brown trout fishing, and in a joint effort, Ralph played and landed a nice Blue Trout (Rainbow Trout variant) for their tea. We did however manage to spend the last day on the river, and although conditions were still not ideal, Ralph managed to catch a couple of small trout on a weighted nymph.

Sam's First Fish

I was also out with Sam Rickett, who came along with his wife to be, to learn how to cast a fly for the first time, and at the end of the session I put on one of my favourite dry flies, the Klinkhammer, and following two near misses his new found skills came to fruition as he managed to hook and land his first ever fish which turned out to be a cracking grayling of around one and a half pounds. "Nice one Sam"!!!

As water levels recede, the trout and grayling fishing is also improving, but due to a distinct lack of any prolonged surface activity, despite the heavy fall of black gnats on the water we have seen over the past few days, the majority of the fish are still coming to sub surface offerings, and only yesterday we had some great results whilst adopting this approach.

Another to the nymph

Although we continue to fish for trout throughout September and grayling throughout the winter months, over the next few weeks I have some serious salmon anglers coming out with me for some prime time fishing, so water permitting, we should hopefully have an interesting tale or two to tell over this period, and if it is anything like last year when we had salmon up to 25lb (22lb and 25lb to the same rod) it could be very interesting. "Here's hoping".

From Warm & Low to all Systems Go!

Harry making a Circle Spey cast

Since my last post conditions continued to take a downward spiral with the low warm water trends persisting, often making it very difficult to produce good results, in fact with very little insect life in attendance during the day, and following a couple of youth days with Borderlines, including the annual Carlisle youth Angling event for the C.A.A. I actually took a few days away from the river to take advantage of the warm weather. If you can't beat it join it!

One of a few to the dry fly

Upon my return though, at the beginning of August, we had a rise in water, making the fishing difficult once again, but for very different reasons this time, (i.e. water colour) as the river was then carrying a lot of sediment, which unfortunately did not suit the needs of the guys I had out for Salmon at that time, as Tim, Gaetan and Harry, only really had one days good water from the three days they were with me, however this did give them plenty of time to take a look at the mechanics of their casting and therefore get a good rhythm going for when conditions do improve, but despite the difficult conditions they all agreed that they enjoyed their trip to the river Eden.

Miloud with a very good Grayling

Following this rise in water and therefore subsequently cooler temperatures leading up to the pending Lowther Show, where AAPGAI were asked once again to run the demonstrations and the fly casting clinics on 10th & 11th August, the trout fishing exploded again for a spell, with fish mainly coming to the nymph as water conditions settled, but more importantly cooled down somewhat, although a few did come to the dry fly like the nice specimen shown above right. The guys that were out with me during this period, and just after, had some great sport as you can see from the pictures, and whilst out with Sean Henney on the middle river, following a slow start in the morning, he hooked into five very good hard fighting browns and several smaller fish too. The Grayling fishing also improved with several good fish coming to the net like the one caught by Miloud above left. Well done guys!

Sean playing a good Brownie

I have also been keeping an eye on the salmon fishing, given the fresh water we had recently, and whilst out on the lower river with John Dunn, (who has been for a few sessions with me in the past, which included some very successful spider and nymph fishing sessions for trout and Grayling) the water began to fall away nicely and John's improving skills almost bagged him a fish when his line drew away, as one of the many fish we saw that day decided to take his fly, but almost immediately parted company with it again. John then managed to get a second take later in the day, but the fish won yet again. It's just a matter of time John!

Another Brown for Sean

It's now good to see plenty of Grilse beginning to show (almost every day) on the lower river, (all fresh too) and it is just a matter of time now before these new fish join the others throughout the system, increasing the numbers in all the beats along the river and offering anglers the opportunity of some exceptional sport as we are now rapidly approaching the prime salmon fishing period on the Eden. However, whilst the order of the day, when salmon fishing, (especially on larger waters with cooler temperatures) often warrants the use of sink tips and medium to large flies, (e.g. large doubles and large tubes at times) it is definitely worth considering down sizeing to 10's and 12's (or even smaller) whilst these Grilse are in attendance, and it is also worth considering a floating line too, as these running fish are more often than not in the upper columns of the water. Give it a try!

Some good Grayling appearing

I am off to the Galloway Country Fair tomorrow for the duration of the weekend where I will be delivering some of the fly casting demonstrations in the main arena. The timing of this show could not have been better as the river Eden has just risen yet again following the latest downpour, so fingers crossed, as the river should hopefully be coming back into good order again for Monday, which is when I return. "Tight Lines".

Bring On The Rain

One of the better fish

With River levels continuing to fall and water temperatures warm enough to take a bath in, you can imagine how difficult it has been lately to tempt some of the better fish to take the fly. Plenty of small fish at the moment, but in these conditions, to connect with some proper Eden Browns, you need to be targeting these fish very late in the evening, as the light fades into darkness, which at the present time is a very small window of opportunity. However, as any angler will tell you, because we are dealing with wild creatures, you can never say never, and from time to time, even in these difficult conditions, we have managed to tempt one or two decent fish to the net, as you can see from the picture above, taken on the lower river.

A Short Clip of one we Returned

Sea Trout are still in attendance on the river too, although they have slowed down a little since my last post, but if you are prepared to go out in what has been very pleasant night time conditions, as temperatures do cool down somewhat following the heat of the day, there is still a very good chance of a fish or two. Unlike Salmon, Sea Trout are very active at night and will often move upstream (and take!) in very low water.

However, Salmon anglers continue their frustration, as the present conditions have made it almost impossible to tempt these powerful fish to take, and we are all waiting patiently for the rain we have been promised over the next few days, to both freshen up the water, and to lower temperatures to a more comfortable level, thus encouraging fish to run the river and hopefully take our offerings. This fresh water (if we get it!) will also improve the trout and Grayling fishing too. "Bring it on".

Tuition at the West Cumbria Game Fair

I attended the West Cumbria Game Fair again this year on the weekend of the 13th & 14th of July as part of the AAPGAI team delivering the demonstrations down on the water in the fishing area, and this year I was also given a slot in the main arena on both days. The very hot conditions continued throughout the weekend which certainly made it much more suitable for demonstrating than it did for fishing.

A good fish in difficult conditions.

I have been out with people on the river again over the past few days, with limited success, although whilst employing some of the low water techniques we have managed to prove that it does still work to a degree, (as you can see from the picture on the right) but results are still very slow. Yes it's nice weather to be out on the river, but it is also nice to have the opportunity of catching a few fish too, and to help with this we desperately need some water, "so here's hoping".

Low Flows and Shows

With low flows set to continue on the river for at least another two weeks or so, the BFFI (British Fly Fair International) was a welcome distraction, as AAPGAI members once again took on the task of delivering the fly casting demonstrations at the Staffordshire show ground over the weekend of 22nd - 23rd June. The show was well received again and hopefully we will continue to do our bit in the future.

David to the rescue

It was nice to get back to the Eden valley though, where life is one paced, "and quite rightly so", but, with the persistent low flows on the rivers, the focus turned to a spot of Stillwater fishing on a local lake whilst introducing nine newcomers to the therapy that is fly fishing. Well in all fairness that's not entirely true, as one of the guys (David Pinner) was a previous client of mine who has now really got to grips with the art of fly fishing and left to his own devices he caught a couple of nice rainbows. That left eight total beginners to introduce to the mechanics of casting and some of the fishing techniques required to ultimately catch a fish or two. I shared this job with fellow AAPGAI instructor and good friend Geoff Johnston, and although conditions weren't ideal, the outcome was a good one with a couple of fish caught by the group and a few missed opportunities to boot.

One of several good Browns

Back on the river, conditions have been difficult at times as the low flows continue, despite the odd heavy showers we have had, however there are methods we can adopt that will often winkle out a trout or two in these difficult situations, and if all else fails, then early morning and late evening can often be the key, especially if during the day we have experienced periods of bright sunshine and high temperatures, which has recently been the case. Despite these far from ideal conditions, when we have put these tactics to good use, we have enjoyed some fantastic sport with some exceptional Brown Trout, with some evenings producing several good fish up to 2 1/2 lb.

Ken Whelan & Illtyd Griffiths

No sooner was I back home in Cumbria, delivering tuition and fishing sessions to a variety of people on the river, than I was off on my travels yet again, but this time to Northern Ireland for the Killyleagh Irish International Fly Fair. This is another event attended annually by AAPGAI, working closely with APGAI Ireland to deliver the casting demonstrations and individual tuition sessions at the show. The casting takes place in the castle grounds in the village of Killyleagh, a beautiful venue, overlooking Strangford Lough at the other end of the village. This is an excellent social event with fly dressers and demonstrators attending from around the world with all proceeds going direct to the Dibney River Conservation Trust. "A Great Show".

Whilst in Ireland I got talking to my good friend and recent AAPGAI colleague Professor Ken Whelan, (AST’s Director of Research) about all things Sea Trout, the conversation was inspired by one of Ken's many excellent presentations on this enigmatic fish. Add to that a conversation with our Chairman Illtyd Griffiths who has lived his life around Sea Trout fishing on the Welsh rivers, to discuss my pending trip to the Dovey, well you can imagine, boy did those dialogues put me in the mood for some nocturnal fishing on my return to the river Eden, and I was not disappointed either, as over the last

An Eden Sea Trout

couple of trips out I have managed to hook into four very good fish, landing only two of them I'm afraid, "must try harder". Although there are not many Sea Trout showing on the Eden at the moment, they are definitely in attendance and whilst searching the water for these fantastic fish there have been some cracking Browns coming to the net too. "Off out again tonight".