After a good day in perfect conditions on the swale yesterday I was hoping to go out today with Chandra for some fishing. It would be Chandra’s first chance to get out for the year, so we were both looking forward to it.
Unfortunately the weather seemed to have other ideas, with heavy rain forecast all day, starting early in the morning. Sure enough it started raining about 08:00 and we spent most of the day indoors doing chores, whilst watching the rain come down outside increasingly heavily.
The rain was due to stop in the late afternoon, so I hoped we’d at least get out for a walk and sure enough, about 16:00 the weather was quite pleasant. I was surprised to see the river had still not come up. In fact it was in perfect condition. Maybe we could still get out and get a short session on the river.
The question was when it would rise and whether it would be safe. The Swale is often said to be the fastest rising river in England. It can rise 3 feet in as many minutes. I know as I’ve been in the river when it’s happened. It’s a dangerous situation.
However, if I pick my place and keep an eye out I can fish in safety. If the river rises we’ll just have to be content with a riverside walk carrying our gear. Though Chandra decides not to fish as she’s still a bit nervous.
I quickly get my waders on and collect a ready rigged rod and some basic gear. We are out on the river in a matter of minutes. But even then I’m expecting the river to have risen and be unfishable. However I’m pleased to see it’s perfect.
I start at the head of good pool where I’d had 5 in half an hour yesterday. There were a lot of fly on the water. Mostly grannom ovipositioning in the head and a few OUs. I was surprised to see so many Grannom as its quite late for them, but then everything is so late this year. There was even a fish rising. As I’d got a nymph set up and it didn’t rise again in spite of an abundance of fly I stuck with the nymph. Second cast I got a sharp hard pull on the rod Not surprisingly I didn’t get a hook up. Nothing after that. Still worth a try.
Then we walked up the river through some shallower areas to a long pool below a bend. Here there were several fish rising spasmodically to fluttering Grannom. I was wishing I was set up to fish dry fly, but decided to persevere with the nymph rig. But I replaced the top dropper with a dry fly (F fly) in the hopes of getting the best of both worlds. With the dark water I was confident I could get close to the fish without disturbing them.
I got into position about 20 feet below a fish I’d seen rising a few feet off the bank on the edge of the seam between a backwater and the current edge. Presentation was straightforward, but a few drifts produce no results. I also hadn’t seen the fish rise again. There were plenty grannom skittering about, but in the cold water and late in the day the fish were likely just not very active.
However a fish had been rising regularly in the tail of the pool, about twenty feet below me, as my wife had been insistently pointing out. After getting no response from the fish above me I flicked the presentation around with a figure eight movement, taking care not to get caught in the overhead trees, and flicked the flies out downstream to this fish. It drifted down without response and then I let it gently swing across the current then as it reached the limit of the swing without response raised the rod ready to recast. The fish grabbed a fly just as I raised the rod. Hooking these fish can be tricky, but I avoided snatching and the rod tip cushioned the take and it was hooked. After a short but spirited fight the fish came to hand. Not a big fish. At about 12” it was a typical fish for the river. Beautifully marked after examining it for a few moments I slipped it back. It had taken a small beadhead, so persevering with the nymph seemed reasonable.
There was still no sign of the original fish, and as there were a couple of fish showing in the upper part of the pool I headed up there. I didn’t want to waste time on a stubborn fish when there were easier fish around and fishing may be terminated at any time by rising water.
At the head of the pool there were a lot of Grannom activity, with flies fluttering about ovipositing in the faster water along with a few hatching OUs. The fish were rising in the stiller water I cast the nymphs up to the lowermost fish, but had no response and it never rose again.
I moved up to another good pool that was accessible and had an easy exit in case of a rapid rise of water. This has been a very productive pool in the past, but there was no sign of fish even though there was a lot of insect activity.The first few casts toward the tail of the faster water produced nothing, but as a cast swung round into the slower water I felt a gentle weight on the line and lifted gently to find a fish attached.
I was hopeful of more fish from this pool, but in spite of covering the pool carefully, including casting to the slack at the far side I had nothing else.This pool is very accessible and perhaps has been impacted by poaching during the flood of visitors to this area during the recent COVID lockdown.
Time to head up stream and there are a couple of fish rising on a corner. These fish a rising far more regularly than any other we’ve come across they are taking abundant grannom on the surface coming down from the pool head. It seemed like It was best to change to a dry fly. One of the nice things about the set up I was using is the ease of changing to dry fly in this situation. I trimmed off all but the last 2 feet of the tippet butt and added to last 3 feet of the tip. And tied on the same dry fly as I’d had on the dropper. The rest of the leader was wound up and placed in a pocket.
These fish were rising regularly, but weren’t going to be easy. They were under a steep bank on my side that restricted access. Whilst below the corner was scoured deep and overhung by bushes. I dropped lower down where it was not as deep, but it was a longish cast. With the butt of a 25’ Hends tapered leader in the rod tip I was casting to the fish at about 40’.The first cast was perfect and a gentle rise engulfed my fly and I lifted into fish which jumped and shed the hook.
Next fish was further up and had to wade to edge of deep water. But a straightforward presentation. Once I was in position it was an easy cast. Again the fly was engulfed, and again the fish jumped. But this time it stayed attached and though it jumped repeatedly it was soon in the net. A better fish.
There was no more activity. Time to head home for dinner. 3 fish in less than an hour is about par for the river. But after expecting the day to be a write off it was a good day. It’s been a long hard winter of exceptionally cold weather.
It is always satisfying when one catches on a variety of methods; swapping to new methods. The flexibility of this approach is one of its great strengths. It’s nice to get fish on the swing as requires a good touch.
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