Here we go again....

Here we go again, it's a new season and I'm already getting behind with my blog updates. It's the same old problem - if I'm not working, I'm fishing and even though I have to try harder, it's not easy to spend time at the keyboard when I could have a rod in my hand.
We're into our second day of rain in Eden today (7/4/14), it's pouring outside and the rivers are rising, so I thought I'd do a quick update before making plans for some lake fishing this week....

As long as your not a 'dry fly only' man, the fishing has been quite good as far as late March, early April fishing goes. Large Dark Olives have been coming off on most days - although the hatches have been quite sparse and short-lived on occasions -  and we've seen a few flurries of March Browns recently. It may be different elsewhere on the system but the fish have been very slow to respond to the surface fly in the areas that I've fished: I can probably count on about four fingers how many rising fish I've encountered and they've only been oncers. The fish do seem to be feeding well though, sub-surface offerings are producing a good response on almost all outings and most encountered have been in decent condition for the time of year.

 

John (above) had his first visit to Eden in the second week of the season and after an introduction to 'North Country Spiders', a number of fish obliged.

 

I managed to get out for myself at the end of week two. I got to the river late and the conditions weren't ideal, I never like it bright and sunny for early season fishing. Our spring flies don't seem to like the sunshine and there was no sign of life when I hit the river. So, I turned to what is possibly my favourite method ' The upstream Nymph' and a few speculative casts in the first pool I fished produced my best trout of the season so far.

Mike and Jason arrived in Eden at the beginning of week three for their first visit of the new season. On day one we had a good, albeit short, hatch of Large Dark Olives and March Browns. Hatches at this time can be quite localised, but we were in the right place at the right time, resulting in quite a few offers to a team of spiders during the three quarters of an hour that the hatch lasted. With one or two offers and fish coming before and after the the early afternoon hatch, it turned out to be a fairly decent late March session.

The boy's good timing continued into day two and their hard work was rewarded with fish coming to Mikes flies in the morning before a change of tactics for the afternoon produced fish to both rods right up until finishing time.

 

Sam, another first time visitor to Eden, was up from the South at the end of the week and after an introduction to some of our Northern tactics, he managed to get his string pulled.

And that's me up to date. I'm off to get flies sorted, then check the tyres and grease the wheel hubs on the boat trailer in preparation for a spot of lake fishing....