Pete Tyjas looks at summer fishing and how he has thought long and hard about it
We’ve had virtually no rain of late. It means my home river, The Taw, in Devon is on its bones. The pools I love to swing flies for salmon are just a trickle and the free-rising wild brown trout that we usually cast flies to during the day are hidden away waiting for cooler, more comfortable conditions.
As a fishing guide who makes their living from the river I have had to think about the current situation and make some decisions. Do we change our working hours to suit the conditions better or do we postpone days until we get some rain?
I recently cancelled a day with one of my regular guests. I know he likes to catch fish but I thought the conditions wouldn’t really suit him or the fish. During the conversations we had when we were deciding to go for it or not, I said to him that if we didn’t do the day that I would now have a day off but I wouldn’t be going fishing.
After having this conversation it made me think a lot about why I had said this and I came to a simple conclusion; I just didn’t think it was sporting or fair to the fish. I guess this might sound a little old fashioned but I do feel strongly about this.
To me, fishing simply isn’t a numbers game. Those that know me or have been guided by me know I’ll have to ask how many we had at the end of the day. I often have no idea. When I catch a fish I make sure I briefly admire the beauty of each one, no matter the size or if it is the first or 20th of the day. I still feel deeply humbled by such stunning creatures and if that feeling changes then I know it is time to walk away from the river.
I’ll often say to just myself or friends or clients that we have had enough fun in a particular pool and that we should leave it and move on to give the other fish a chance.
I don’t count a day as successful or not by the amount of trout I have caught and I suspect that if you are reading this you probably feel the same. In my work as a guide and as a fisherman who puts ESF together I have always tried to get newcomers to fishing and even those sending me an article to think about the bigger picture of why they fish and what happens on a day's fishing whether it be successful or not.
In the social media driven society that we have become over the last few years it seems as though a day's fishing is dominated by the “grip and grin” shot and not much else. I guess this will get more Likes but there is so much it doesn’t say.
Have you ever caught a nice fish and fumbled for the phone so you can get a shot and fire it out to the masses or have you admired the fish for a few brief seconds before you let it slide from your fingers back to where it came from, smile and sit back for a few minutes?
It is here that I have to hold my hands up and say that I do take “grip and grin” photos. I have to, as a fishing guide it allows me to show guests how well they did on the day and for anyone who might book with us it allows us to have a shop window to show that we have been out on the water on a regular basis and that we are getting people into fish. What I have noticed more recently though is how I compose those shots.
The fish is kept in the water in the net and I will then take time to explain to my guest how we’ll take the shot and how to hold a fish properly and then they lift the fish, I take the shot and the fish is quickly released. I’ve noticed in the warm spell we are having that I have just had people hold the fish in the water and try and get a quick shot that sometimes, not always, comes off. What is of major importance is the welfare of the fish and if I get the shot great but too bad if I don’t.
The bright, cloudless days have also made me think about the photo and where we place the fish when we take the picture. We all know that for a great picture we want the sun behind us. The problem on the really bright days is that the sun is shining right into the eyes of the fish. Try taking your sunglasses off and looking directly into the sunlight with your eyes open. The first thing we do is to try and shield our eyes with our hands or, we close our eyelids a little. Fish don’t have eyelids so I try my best to make sure they are not exposed to direct sunlight. I find it is worth bearing this in mind when fish are photographed beached over stones or worse still, dry grass.
I’ve also found that I have thought a little more about how I am fishing for trout. Part of my role as a fishing guide is to fish the appropriate method to find fish for my guests. I’ve noticed though that in my work and personal fishing that I have barely used Euro nymphing/ tight line nymphing techniques. This isn’t a snob or purist statement. I enjoy it when I do it and there is little doubting its potency but the mild autumns we have been experiencing have meant the dry fly fishing for grayling has been fantastic especially when they are on aphids. Interestingly though I found I stuck with fishing a duo or trio almost entirely through last winter even when temperatures were much cooler. I really enjoyed it and am a confirmed winter high sticker. It has probably cost me fish but you know what, I didn’t care one bit.
Coming back to the current conditions though, Euro nymphing techniques will find fish right now but I am reminded by a quote that I think was attributed to Lee Wulff that fish deserve the sanctity of deeper water. This resonated deeply with me and so the nymph rod has stayed in the back of my truck.
As anglers we know summer conditions can at times be difficult but I think we owe it to our quarry to remember that when it is like that it is difficult for them too.