We all have a place like the one Johannes tells us about: a river or stream that is a place where we go and fish and is a lot more than that too.
There is a river that flows close to where I grew up. It is not a large river, it does not hold huge trout nor is it set amidst magnificent mountain scenery. Most people will see just a river. Farmers look at it as feature that carries away the flood water or a family might admire it briefly while enjoying a picnic by its banks. To me it is much more than “just a river”; it is a place I can go to and find my peace of mind, a place where time is measured by the movement of the sun and I place where I am truly happy.
This little river has endured a lot, the continuous dredging has left its banks high and its channel virtually featureless, only where there is underlying bedrock does the river retain its wonderful natural character. In these parts it bubbles along happily over rocky ledges and crashes gleefully down into wonderful boulder strewn pools. Whenever I am visiting home, I will try to find time to fish this river. The trout that inhabit it are shy and wary. The water is usually crystal clear. I know that if I want trout from here I will have to work for every one of them; the river will not give them up to a careless angler. If you stay low, cast carefully and have chosen your fly correctly then you may just be rewarded.
I will always fish some of the low lying sections that flow through farmland that have been mutilated by drainage schemes. It is my way of saying to the river; “No matter what they have done to you, I still see your beauty and know what treasures you hold beneath your surface”. After all no one gets through life without some scars, neither has this river. Here, fishing is a matter of creeping along, searching for a feeding trout or casting into likely looking runs hoping that a trout can be enticed to rise up out of the weed beds and snatch the fly off the surface. This is where I usually catch my first fish of the season on the dry fly; it is always a most satisfying occasion.
The wildlife around a river always makes me happy, in the lowlands there are Mallard, Pheasant, Heron and Mink along the rivers banks. There are many others but those were the ones I saw recently when I was out. While crossing the river I came upon a ball of lamprey in the middle of the river, something I don’t remember seeing before.
Further upstream the river is wild and untouched. There is no club that controls or looks after it. I have never met another angler on this river! The water is fast and the banks are overgrown, fishing is a matter of flicking a wet fly or nymph in underneath overhanging branches on a very short line and leader while kneeling in the river. The trout take very aggressively and always surprise me with their speed.
Down further the trout are much paler in colour, beautiful of course and necessary to blend in with the sandy bottom and pale marl that line the bottom. Here however the trout display stunning deep colours of red and gold. The fins are tipped with white and the tail is almost crimson.
The wildlife is made up of Dippers, Yellow Wagtails and a streak of neon blue as a Kingfisher darts downstream. The woods surrounding the river are full of flowers, Bluebells, Buttercup and Wood Anemone. Whilst fishing I tend to notice things that I usually would not take the time to observe. Being out in nature slows everything right down and gives time for the little things (such as a flower) to make an impression upon you.
Late spring and early summer is a fantastic time to be out by a river. All of nature seems to have finally shed the last shrouds of winter and is rejoicing in the long evenings and warmth of the sun. The trout of course are in fine condition too having enjoyed the first hatch or two of insects and the rustiness of my casting is gradually easing as the season progresses. Catching fish might begin to seem like a trivial matter in comparison to just being out and enjoying nature by the river, but don’t be fooled! There is a very good reason that I enjoy nature specifically beside a river (or loch), it’s because I love to catch fish and that is ultimately what brings me out time and time again. The feeling of satisfaction and completion when that gold and crimson trout slides over the rim of the net, having sipped down your fly, well that is beyond words.
Take a look at Johannes excellent blog Road to Water to keep up to date with his fly fishing adventures