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It’s been a funny kind of year for flies: almost no hawthorne, and straight into the mayfly hatch. Despite a stiff breeze, the mayfly started hatching about lunchtime on Tuesday, and trout took immediate notice. After a morning with limited surface activity (mainly grass snakes on the move), the clients and I packed it in and headed to the Peat Spade Inn for beer and sympathy.
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Changing the morning’s Klinkhammers for Grey Wulf and French Partridge to better mimic the rise, we tackled up and strode out to face the challenge. The experienced rod of the pair was quite quickly into a string of nice fish, catching 3 brownies in rapid succession. Just when the chalkstream novice was ready to blow retreat and head back to lakes and ponds, the fish obligingly took his fly. Needless to say, four brown trout later (including the 4lb plus fish of the day), he is off to invest in his first river rod.
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With the weather set to change at week’s end, it will be interesting to see whether the mayfly are still around in number, or if the hatch slows.
2 Comments
Mayfly have gone to virtually nothing on the middle Test this weekend and you’re right not a hawthorn in sight. A keeper told me it was due to the poor conditions at breeding time last year, not sure if this is just a story or is based in fact. Seems unlikely as this would mean the end of hawthorn and I’m sure there must have been bad years before. Any ideas
Mayfly man
I guess it’s a possibility but as you say seems unlikely. I would love to give you a definite answer but as I said I don’t know.
Hope the hatch improves for you soon