Fly Fishing in the Derbyshire Peak District & South Yorkshire has been anything but predictable so far this season. Fly life seems to have been put back by about a month due to the cold and windy spring.
I didn’t see the Hawthorne fly until the very end of May and it usually puts in an appearance around the end of April. That’s how it got its other name the Saint Marks Fly – Saint Marks Day being the 25th of April.
The Mayfly is just starting to emerge but the Trout still seem a bit unsure about them, which is quite normal when they first appear. We now need a good Mayfly period to put things back on track.
I have just been on the river and had some excellent sport. The trees are starting to shed their old flower heads and with them some small caterpillars and green fly. Needless to say the trout are taking advantage of this & responding to suitable terrestrial fly patterns.
I am busy instructing & coaching on both still waters and the rivers at the moment and much of the action is still being had on nymph patterns. It would be nice to see more dry fly action but we have to do what the fly are doing. That’s why it’s called Fly fishing.
Some good patterns to have in your fly box at the moment would be:
Pheasant Tail Nymph/ Gold Ribbed Hares Ear Nymph/Dark Watchet Spider/ Grey Duster/ Parachute Olive/CDC Sedge/Klinkhammer/Double Badger/ Daddy Longlegs and a Mayfly or two.
Try to figure out what the fly are doing and present your fly accordingly. The fish should reward you with a few takes & that’s all it needs!
As always I wish you tight lines!