Fly fishing in the Derbyshire Peak District & South Yorkshire for River Trout is almost at an end for another season. It ends in South Yorkshire on the 30th September but the Peak District has the benefit of another week until the 7th October on most waters.
Still Water Fly fishing will continue for stocked trout on many fisheries so if the weather allows it then you can still get some Fly fishing in over the autumn and winter period. Hatches of flies will be less prolific but will still occur in the warmer parts of the day and the trout will respond. Terrestrial flies will fall victim to the colder weather and some will end up as trout food so a few Daddy Long Legs & Beetle patterns may be useful. Don’t forget Fry Patterns as the larger trout try to add a little weight in readiness for the cold months ahead.
River Fly fishing for trout will cease as the fish approach their breading season and that will be it until next April – where did that season go?
River Fly fishing for Grayling, however, offers the Fly fisher some excellent autumn & winter sport. The difficulty is that most fisheries do not offer Day Tickets in the winter & so it tends to be available only to club members. If you can get access to Grayling Fishing then you will need to ensure you have some Grayling Flies to hand. Double Badger, Red Tag, Klinkhammer, Treacle Parkin for the dries (I know Klinkhammer is an emerger – but lets not split hairs) and Czech Nymphs, Killer Bug, and Gold Ribbed Hares Ear for the sub surface offering are just some examples.
If you don’t intend to do any winter fishing then don’t just put the rod away and forget it. Remember those rising fish you couldn’t quite get a cast to last season? Well now is a good time to get some practice in. A piece of wool on the leader and a dinner plate on the lawn as a target, or casting the wool under a bench in the local park will all help make next season more successful. Every time you hear the words “Have you caught anything mate?” then count that as “take” and just see how many you can get while you are practicing. Chances are you’ll get more takes from passers by than from the fish!
If you are struggling then get some help with a casting lesson while you have plenty of time to practice how to do it right. Remember “practice makes permanent” not “perfect”, unless you are practicing the correct way of doing it of course!
As always I wish you “Tight Lines” – Peter