September and the end of another season in Eden

The seasons seem to fly over nowadays and the final month came around faster than I would have liked. But - despite changeable conditions - we finished 2018 on a high. The month saw a mix of newcomers and re-visits to Eden, our rivers provided most with some action, and I managed a Personal Best!

Colin is into a fish on a sunny day in Eden

The weather and river levels were quite settled during the first ten days of the month. Hatches were sparse and rising fish were at a premium, hunting with various sub-surface offerings produced action for most. Colin was hoping for some dry-fly sport on his day, but brilliant sunshine and no fly put paid to that! It was a good opportunity to learn some nymphing techniques though and he did manage to catch and lose a few on a variety of different weight and size of nymphs.

Nate was fly fishing the UK for the first time

Rain on the 10th brought our rivers up, but  - although still a touch coloured - they were fine for Nate and Sam's first experience of fly fishing in the UK. The newlyweds were over from Wyoming on their honeymoon. I was hoping that the river would perform and give them a day to remember. It didn't disappoint, we rang the changes throughout the day, fine-tuned some casting, and both managed to get their first (plus others) UK fish.

Sam with her first UK Brown Trout

A spell of rain and fluctuating levels, culminating in a big lift on the 21st - Eden was up approximately 2.5 metres -  meant that we lost a few days during the middle of the month. All was settling back nicely by the 23rd ( in some areas) and we managed to fish the final seven days of September. 

Some decent fish were about in September

The big lift on the 21st seemed to perk the fish up and hunting around produced a few nice specimens, including an Eden personal best (4lbs 13ozs) for me.

A PB from our great Eden system!

A beautiful Eden fish is about to be returned

Mike had an action packed week

Mike joined me for the final week of the season and he enjoyed some good sport. We moved around and fished somewhere different on each of his days. Employing a variety of techniques ensured some action on each day, with decent numbers caught, lost and missed. He managed a river PB at 2lbs 14ozs, had one more at 2lbs 3ozs and a few around 1lbs 8ozs - all good fish for the Eden system, so he enjoyed a very positive end to his 2018 trout season!

Mike shows off his final fish of 2018

I managed to end my season by fishing the final day. Conditions were challenging with strong winds and very heavy showers mixed with brilliant sunshine. Fish were keeping their heads down. I saw two oncers stick their nebs out all day, so it was sub-surface fishing to end my season. It didn't disappoint though and I managed so get some action - although it wouldn't have disappointed if I hadn't, any day on the river is a good day, whether I catch or not! I did manage to get hold of what I thought was going to be a final day leviathan - that was before I spotted it and saw that a not-so silver tourist (salmon) had taking a liking for my nymph.

A not-so-silver tourist

So that's another trout season over. It's been a challenging one to say the least. We seem to have had it all this year: water temperatures as low as 4.5°C and as high as 22°C; heavy rain and Eden up to 3.5m. These extremes are certainly not conducive to good fishing, so lets hope for better in 2019! But it's grayling time now, so hopefully we'll have a good winter as we pursue our 'Lady of the Stream'

Rain at last!

The long overdue rains arrived in August. River levels fluctuated during the second half of the month and we had some great fishing!
The water temperature was slow to drop, but the fresh water and tinge of colour certainly woke the fish up. They still had their moments when they refused to 'play ball' but, on the whole, they responded positively to most of our offerings - nymphs, spiders and dries.

A first Eden trout for Tony

The first decent flush of water came after heavy rain on the 15th and the river rose approximately 1.4 metres that evening. Two days later it was still carrying colour, but dropping back nicely for Tony and Sandy's first visit to the area. The fish were slow to adjust to the changes, but both managed a fair amount of action on their day.

A session on the dries before being washed off!

More rain on the 18th brought the river up again. The river was high, dirty and unfishable by mid-afternoon the following day. I was washed off, but not before I managed a very positive session. I was lucky to find fish sipping midge on the flats and they responded very well to my offerings before the water got too dirty and they switched off....

Chris is into his first of the day

The rivers were back to a good level for Chris. The remit was to explore different waters and look at different techniques for different situations , so we opted to split the day and fish two rivers. Alternating techniques ensured that Chris had action at both venues.

A beautiful Eden trout in August

My fishing has been severely curtailed during one of our hottest and driest summers on record, so I was determined to take advantage of the extra water. When I wasn't guiding, I was fishing! The levels continued to fluctuate, the river remained coloured - but it was good colour - and the fish, like me, took advantage of the conditions and  they seemed to be feeding hard. I had some very productive sessions with a few superb trout falling to my offerings. Fish midged the flats, fed on falls of  Fever flies and, when they weren't rising, responded positively to sub-surface offerings.

A midge sipper!

Another beautiful Eden Brown Trout

Peter with his first fly-caught Brown trout

Peter joined me for his first taste of fly fishing. We looked at the gear, casting etc. and then fished. The larger fish were not out to play, but Peter managed to have a very positive debut, with a number of smaller fish falling to his flies. I later heard from him to say that he'd been to our local shop, John Norris, to get kitted up. So hopefully he'll have many years of enjoyment from our great sport!

Video - 2lbs 5ozs, quick photo and released

Robert with a fish on his latest visit to Eden

My final client of August was Robert. It was great to see him again! The last time we met was in 2014. On that occasion Robert had what I often describe to clients as one of our 'red letter days' The fish fed hard throughout the session and Robert finished the day with a very high number of fish. On this occasion they didn't feed quite so hard, but Robert worked hard. We varied techniques throughout the session and he got a fair bit of action, with fish caught, lost and landed. Albeit nowhere near as much as on his first Eden experience. But, the conditions were completely different and, I guess, that's fishing! There's no guarantees....

A Dry July!

July turned out to be one of the driest and warmest on record - which was definitely not what we fisherman would have wished for!

The rivers were very low and water temperatures were high, so we had to choose our areas carefully. Areas where the water was cooler and more oxygenated, where fish would be less affected by the conditions. Our options were slightly limited. But it wasn't all doom and gloom, and fishing these 'correct' areas produced many positive reactions to our offerings.

Paul with his first of the day

July was mainly a month of firsts: most were either trying fly fishing for the first time or were making the step from stillwaters to rivers and looking at the correct approach and employing appropriate techniques.

Alan in into his first river trout

Julian gets some action on his river debut

Mike reaches for the net

The weather did become a touch more unsettled towards the end of the month. We didn't get a lot of rain, but it was enough to freshen things up slightly. Which was perfect timing for Mike's most recent visit to Eden.

Mike has become quite adept at employing the various river techniques during our times together and ringing the changes paid dividends in quite challenging and changeable conditions. The fish weren't exactly queuing up to take his offerings, but his hard work was rewarded with fish caught, lost and missed on each of his outings.

Mike caught fish on each of his days in Eden

Flaming June

Flaming June has certainly lived up to it's name, some areas have experienced the warmest and driest June on record!

The month actually started off with a couple of wet days: the Eden and it's main tributary, the Eamont, both rose slightly. The touch of fresh water perked things up during the first week of the month and I managed a few productive sessions.

Fish came to midge during one productive session

Mayfly, Yellow May Dun and Yellow Sally stoneflies hatched in good numbers on some days, but few fish showed much interest in anything at the surface - and those that did seemed more interested in the midge. Brilliant sunshine and a falling, warming river meant that fish were keeping their heads down and it was the nymph that produced most activity.

2lbs 7oz Brown to the nymph

I managed a break from fishing and guiding during the middle part of the month, before Mike arrived for a week in Cumbria. The glorious sunshine was with us for his visit and our rivers were beginning to suffer from the dry spell. Many areas are getting very low and slow. Weed is thriving and our options are getting limited.

Mike with his first fish of the day

Fish were keeping their heads down and Mike had to resort to a variety nymphing techniques during his days on the river. He put them to good use though and had fish each day.

One to the nymph for Mike

A few newcomers to Eden, and the great sport of fly-fishing joined me for days during June. Fred and family had their very first go at fly fishing. We spent the morning looking at gear for fly fishing, casting, rivercraft etc. and then we fished. All had chances of fish in the afternoon and Fred was soon into his first fly-caught fish! Hopefully all will now be tempted to take up our great sport.

Fred with a fish on his fly fishing debut

The last time that I remember us have such a long spell of sunny, dry weather was back in the mid 70's (1975 and 1976). Our rivers are getting very low and we're desperate for rain. So if anyone out there knows a rain dance....

Fly fishing in sunny May

May was a very dry, and sunny, month in Eden. Strong westerly winds blasted through the area at the start of the month, but Olive Uprights and Iron Blue Duns were still hatching in good numbers and some good sport was had on dry imitations.

This 3lbs 8ozs beauty was feasting on midge

Fish also fed on midge and one very good fish fell to a suitable imitation on an early May foray. A few had been on Olive Uprights and had fallen to emerger imitations, before all went quiet. I was just about to leave the water when, what was obviously a good fish, began to work the margins. With nothing obvious on the water I surmised that it had to be on midge and after quietly moving into position I managed to tempt the 3lbs 8oz beauty to a size 18 CDC midge imitation.

Robert shows off his biggest fish of the day

By the middle of the month, conditions were more akin to mid-summer than mid-May. Brilliant sunshine welcomed  Austrian anglers; Robert, Tony and Wolfgang to Eden. We moved around and I introduced them to different stretches of the Rivers Eden and Eamont during their week in the area. All three fished very well - despite challenging conditions - and managed to get action at every venue.

One on the nymph for Wolfgang

Robert brings another fish to the net

The third week of the month saw the yearly hatch of our true Mayfly (Ephermera Danica). Our largest upwing appear to be showing up in greater numbers on our local rivers and fish are taking a liking to them and suitable imitations.

A Mayfly with crumpled wing

Alder were hatching in force on some days

Willie with his first British Brown Trout

Willie and friends were on their first fishing trip to the UK during the third week of the month and they too were greeted by brilliant sunshine and a low river. But the conditions did nothing to dampen their enthusiasm and hard work, with appropriate techniques, ensured that they got some reward for their efforts. The modern angler has so many different techniques at their disposal and there is normally something that will suit most conditions..... 

Rising in a shaded area on a sunny day

The final week of the month saw me with a few days off from guiding and tuition, so I was determined to make the best of it. Daytime hatches were virtually non-existent in the bright conditions, but fish still fed . You can always rely on a few midge to hatch and keeping an eye out for fish taking advantage of any shade paid dividends. So did searching likely areas with the nymph. I even managed to tempt my largest fish of the season so far. A 4lbs 3oz nymph feeder was my only fish in very bright conditions, but I certainly wasn't complaining!

Best of the season so far at 4lbs 3ozs

Tony was visiting from the U.S. and joined me on the penultimate day of the month for his first taste of fly-fishing the U.K. . Fish were rising as soon as we hit the water, so we were straight at them with the dry fly. They were midging and hard to tempt initially, but a few changes of fly soon hit the mark and Tony was soon into his first UK brown trout. Other fish were caught, lost and missed to the midge before all went quiet. Ringing the changes throughout the day ensured that Tony had more action and a positive UK fly-fishing debut. 

Anthony caught his first British brown Trout on a midge imitation

With the jet stream far to the North it looks like we could be set for a long spell of hot weather and low rivers. So June fishing could be challenging, but certainly not impossible!

April in Eden

We had a wet start to April and our rivers were out for most of the first week. They were dropping back and fishable by the 7th. The water temperature was still pretty low; it was down at 6°C but that didn't stop the Large Dark Olives from hatching in force. A few fish were drawn to the surface and I managed to catch my best fish of the season so far. It was picking off the emerging Olives and was tempted with a suitable imitation.

An LDO emerger fooled this 3lb 1oz beauty

Water temperatures were beginning to rise by the 10th - they were up to 9°C. Large Dark Olives continued to hatch in decent numbers and a few March Browns were starting to make an appearance. We still weren't see large numbers of rising fish - despite good hatches - but some very good fish were on the feed at times.

Another nice fish taken during a Large Dark Olive hatch

March Browns were hatching with more regularity

We were seeing trickles of March Browns on most days from the 10th of the month and a few fish were on them when Chris joined me for his first taste of fly fishing. The fish weren't feeding hard, but there was enough activity for Chris to tempt his first trout on the fly.

Chris is into his first fly-caught fish

The middle of the month brought strong Easterly winds and challenging fishing for Mike. The wind seemed to deter the fly from hatching in force, but ringing the changes between spiders and dries - when we did spot the occasional riser - produced some action.

Mike nets his first Eden trout of 2018

Tim tempted a fish to his spiders

The easterlies had abated by the 18th, the sun came out and we saw our first trickle of Grannom. It lifts my spirits when the Grannom appear - I always think that the massive hatches of our daytime sedge are the first big feed of the year for our trout and it often kick-starts our season. The Grannom made an appearance on most days following the 18th, but not in the numbers expected - we had to wait until the 28th for the first proper hatch.

Mike is into another fish

David plays a fish on a challenging day

Colin joined me on the 28th and fish were rising as soon as we hit the river - the Grannom were hatching in massive numbers and fish were on them! Targeting rising fish with dries and emergers produced an exciting few hours with fish risen, caught and missed....

An excellent hatch of Grannom

Colin with a fish during a Grannom hatch

Colin is into a fish on his day in the lakes

We hit the lakes at the end of the month and Colin joined me for a day on Ullswater. The lake - like our rivers - is still very cold for the time of year. But we persevered, hit many of my favourite drifts, and got some action! Colin moved, missed and caught a few fish and even managed a double, when two fish came to his top and middle dropper.

Two fish at once for Colin

So, the cold and slow start to the season continued into April. But I don't want to sound too negative as we had fish on all outings - they just weren't feeding as hard as we'd expect for April. The hatches of Large Dark Olive and March Brown have been excellent at times. The Grannom have started and a few Olive Uprights and Iron Blue Duns have began to appear. 
The optimist in me says all is looking positive for May and I'll finish April's blog in a similar fashion to the way I finished March's. The Grannom have been slightly late and there should be more to come in May. A few Large Dark Olives should continue to trickle off into the early part of the new month. We can expect hatches of Olive Uprights, Iron Blue Duns and Large Brook Duns. Depending on the weather, we should see our first Medium Olive and Yellow May Dun of the year and, if we're lucky, we may see a fall of Black Gnats. Oh, and the Mayfly should be making an appearance. So there's plenty to look forward to! 

The Beast from the East

The 'Beast from the East' has certainly taken it's toll in the first two weeks of the new trout season. Apparently this weather system with it's ominous nickname was driven in by winds from Siberia, bringing bitterly cold weather and snow to much of the country.

Most of the snow at lower levels had disappeared for the new season, but it remained at higher levels and the subsequent bouts of snow-melt have kept our water temperatures down. Water temperatures recorded so far on my local rivers and lakes have ranged between 4°C and 6.5°C.

But it's not all bad news; we've had some very good hatches of Large Dark Olives with the occasional showing from the March Browns and some very good fish have been caught - they just haven't been feeding very hard in the low water temperatures.

We've had good hatches of Large Dark Olives on occasions

The first time I read anything about the effect of water temperatures on the fish and their diet was in a book borrowed from a friend many years ago (probably about 35 years ago). That book was 'A Trout and Salmon fisherman for Seventy-five years' (1948) by Edward Ringwood Hewitt.
From what I remember; Hewitt was talking about fishing Yellowstone Park and the effect of extreme high and low temperatures on the fish. Temperature levels that we rarely - if ever - experience over here, and how the fishes digestive system would shut down at these temperatures and they would cease to feed.

Even after reading Hewitt's book, I still don't really remember thinking much about water temperatures and their effect on the fish and fishing. In those days - when we had proper winters - the fishing was always tough in the opening weeks of the season, the fish were usually thin and in poor condition. I guess that I just accepted that that was the way it was - we just went fishing, and you had good days and you had bad days. That changed when I acquired little paperback called  'The Trout' by Frost and Brown.

There is a section in the book that talks about the Maintenance requirements of the fish. Their explanation of these requirements fits with what we are experiencing at the moment. There's too much information to cover here, but basically: the lower the temperature, the less energy the fish extends, therefore the less food it requires to maintain it's existence; the higher the temperature - within reason - the more active it is, so it uses more energy and requires more food. Based on their the research, the greatest increase in maintenance requirement - and the one that will be of greatest interest to us fisherman - is between 8°C and 15°C.
So with our rivers and lakes ranging in temperature from 4°C to 6.5°C during the first two weeks of the season: I guess it's understandable that the fish may have been be a bit lethargic, as their maintenance requirement is going to be relatively low. And it may explain why most of the fish that have been encountered by the few stalwarts that have braved the elements have been good fish. As Frost and Brown say 'the larger the animal, the larger will be its total maintenance requirement'.

An early lake trout

The early days of the season are when I like to get out to recce different areas, to see if there's any changes after the winter. After a couple of river outings I decided to brave the elements and risk a day in the lakes. Conditions were perfect for lake fishing, but with the water temperature down at 4°C there was a good chance that it was going to be a bit of a dour affair - and so it proved. There was a time when I would never have ventured onto the lake in March and this year's cold start reminded me of those days. But it wasn't fruitless and - despite many unproductive drifts - my efforts were rewarded....

Thorsten's first fish fell to a 'March Brown Emerger'

Conditions improved slightly for 1°C Thorsten's visit. It showed that it doesn't take much; on two of his days we had a  lift in water temperatures (to 6.5°C) and fish responded to the surface fly. They didn't feed hard, but it was great to see fish at the surface and a few responded to Thorsten's offerings. On day one a hatch of Large Dark Olives brought them up and although they couldn't be tempted with the dries, they did respond to a well presented Spider. On day two we had a mixed hatch of Large Dark Olives and March Browns, and fish were tempted with dry/emerger imitations of each species.

Tempted by a 'Large Dark Olive Emerger'

On the penultimate day of the month the water temperature dropped by 1°C and fishing slowed again. I only saw two rising fish - despite an excellent hatch of Large Dark Olive - and only one rose regularly enough to tempt with an Olive emerger.

April is here now though, so the weather should start to improve, water temperatures should increase and we have some excellent hatches to look forward to. With the best of the March Browns still to come and Grannom, Iron Blue Dun and Olive Uprights to look forward to, April can be a great month for dry fly sport. So there is a lot to be optimistic about.....