Off to Canada

I didn't get as much fishing in as I hoped to before my trip to Canada.
I was going to try and get out today but it would be too much of a rush as I have washing to do bags to pack-that sort of thing.
Also off course, make sure I have everything-passport money etc.
So its off to Canada via Dublin to pick my daughters mum up-hope everything goes well-fingers crossed.
Im hoping to take my grandson out fishing on the banks of the Belle River,so all success or lack of it will be on my next post.
See you in a couple of weeks.

Mid April.

We had a bit of a flush out last week which gave the river a well needed refreshment.
The trout have been very active with hatches of large dark olives and march browns ( been reading up on fly life--very interesting)  around 1-00 to 3-00pm.
Plenty of rising fish but sometimes hard to tempt on the dry fly.
I had a couple the other day-no problem-hooked well in the mouth but yesterday out of the dozen or so I managed to fool into taking my fly, I only hooked one and that caught outside the mouth.
Getting more fish on the nymphs but losing a lot of them-some good ones at that.
 Still, its nice to be active with the river fishing well,I thoroughly enjoy it.
I don't seem to get very far from the bridge,its not down to laziness,I just seem to find the action there and the time soon goes by.
At the start of the season I vowed that I would get a move on up/down the river--try different spots but it never works out that way--what the hell I enjoy it.
Talking about bridges-Wolfclyde--my watercolour is ready to pick up.so I must get it framed and hang it pride of place on my living room wall. When I am too old to get out fishing I can sit back, look at it, and dream.
I am away next week to Canada via Waterford and Dublin. I have to pick up an old acquaintance and  take her over to see our daughter. I hope all goes well.
I will probably have another two or three days fishing, then get ready packing etc.
No fishy pics on this post,but a nice painting of a bridge.

                           Wolfclyde Bridge on a Spring day painted by Andrew Lyon

Last week of March

Well the good weather has continued,we still have blue skies and light winds,unusual for Scotland at this time of the year (any time of the year up here) I am making the best of it while it lasts.
However, the river levels are getting a bit low so some rain is needed to give it a good flush out.
So for the final week of March I ventured out twice and had mixed fortunes. The first day I failed to catch--well I did hook two good fish,one was a grayling  and the other a trout,but they slipped the hook before I could bring them to hand ( catch and release at a distance,they call it)
Both were in shallow fast water,a place that I wouldn't normally cast a line, but thinking about it now the reason why they were there could have been because there is more oxygen in the faster water--
I was saying that the river was running low.
I then missed a day and went out again, this time with better results.
I thought that I would do an afternoon session so arrived at the river about 3pm thinking that there may be some fly life on the water with rising trout here and there, but no-not a thing-the river looked a bit  dead.
Walked up and downstream but couldn't see any rises to cast my dry fly to so opted to fish nymphs again.
Tried the fast water bit again and soon hooked a nice brown trout of about 11", a couple more jabs but nothing else.
After an hour or so I could see the odd fish rising so I quickly changed to the dry and had a take first cast,but no hook up resulted.
Tried chucking the dry fly at other rising fish but that was it,no more offers.
Back on the nymphs and soon had a very nice trout of about 1lb and a bit.
It gave me a good fight for its size-I don't think the photo does it justice-it was far chubbier and more beautifully coloured, not really shown on the picture below.

  The end of an enjoyable afternoon at Wolfclyde Bridge on the last week of March
  2 nice brown trout--I am happy with that.