Another good flood hit the Blackwater on Saturday after very heavy rain on Friday, this time getting well above the meter mark which has encouraged good numbers of fish into the river.
While Saturday was a non runner fishing wise, I decided to give it a go yesterday despite the water still being quite high and with clarity at no more than 12 inches. It was a glorious day weather wise, into the mid twenties and I wanted to try some high water flyfishing tactics.
After Heading up to the WoodStream beat ( Blackwater Lodge), I found myself greeted by this view of the wheat field in full flow of the Summer breeze.
The pathway through the Wheatfield down to the beat.
Arriving at the river I found it still to be still very high and with the clarity bordering on spinning/worming territory at best.
However I decided to give it a go with a 13'7 10/11 GuideLine LeCie couple with I/2/4 line and a 12cm Flaming TempleDog.
After fishing through the usual spots a couple of times I was happy enough with the depth I was getting.
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12 cm Flaming TD
Having seen a few fish traveling through with no interest in the fly, I decided to go down one size as I couldn't really get any bigger. Keeping to the same pattern though now fishing an 8cm version I fished though the run again and right at the bottom I had the a lond draw followed by the weight of a good fish on the line. Unfortunately after playing the fish for a couple of minutes we parted ways, but at least I had hooked a fish on the fly in conditions most anglers would only have spun or wormed.
Would I have caught fish had I been spinning or worming ? Yes probably a couple of fish. Though personally I 'd rather have hooked and lost the one on the fly than banked two on the spinner.
Still it shows that with modern sinking shooting heads and the right flies flyfishing can be productive even in flood conditions.
All that being said by Tuesday levels and clarity should be in cracking order for the fly, so hopefully I 'll have another update by then.
While Saturday was a non runner fishing wise, I decided to give it a go yesterday despite the water still being quite high and with clarity at no more than 12 inches. It was a glorious day weather wise, into the mid twenties and I wanted to try some high water flyfishing tactics.
After Heading up to the WoodStream beat ( Blackwater Lodge), I found myself greeted by this view of the wheat field in full flow of the Summer breeze.
The pathway through the Wheatfield down to the beat.
Arriving at the river I found it still to be still very high and with the clarity bordering on spinning/worming territory at best.
However I decided to give it a go with a 13'7 10/11 GuideLine LeCie couple with I/2/4 line and a 12cm Flaming TempleDog.
After fishing through the usual spots a couple of times I was happy enough with the depth I was getting.
Having seen a few fish traveling through with no interest in the fly, I decided to go down one size as I couldn't really get any bigger. Keeping to the same pattern though now fishing an 8cm version I fished though the run again and right at the bottom I had the a lond draw followed by the weight of a good fish on the line. Unfortunately after playing the fish for a couple of minutes we parted ways, but at least I had hooked a fish on the fly in conditions most anglers would only have spun or wormed.
Would I have caught fish had I been spinning or worming ? Yes probably a couple of fish. Though personally I 'd rather have hooked and lost the one on the fly than banked two on the spinner.
Still it shows that with modern sinking shooting heads and the right flies flyfishing can be productive even in flood conditions.
All that being said by Tuesday levels and clarity should be in cracking order for the fly, so hopefully I 'll have another update by then.
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