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Martin James award-winning fisherman consultant,broadcaster,writer





  

20/03/2020 - Spring Is In The Air

Hopefully a few trout like these on a dry fly in the next few weeks

Today I was on the river at around 0900 hrs, my first job was to put a notice on the cabin door stating locked until the virus disease is over, the river would have been ideal for coarse fishing if it had been possible, thankfully the game fishing season has started, also. I‘d been in the car park about fifteen minutes when one of the members turned up to try fly fishing for salmon. ten minutes later another member turned up to pay his membership then fish a weighted nymph upstream for trout. I asked everyone to keep ten feet away from me which they all agreed with, they immediately doing the same with each other, after chatting for a while, I got Jim the trout fisherman to leave his cheque on top of my car then walk away, I took the cheque then left his card, while I  moved away he collected the card. Some might say “I’m being too careful”, I’m on the at risk register, having just one kidney and MS, I can’t be too careful.

The two beats total approximately two miles, In a three hour walk I covered the top and bottom beats, noting several changes on the river from the big floods this past winter in my book. It was such a pleasure walking along in the warm sunshine, I spotted my first bumble bee, followed by a pair of oyster catchers going through their dazzling flying display, later 3 roe deer dashed from the wood then across the meadow, some minutes later I found a pair of hares together. In a couple of quiet pools an odd trout was occasionally rising. Further upstream a kingfisher flew low and fast upstream, during my time on the river I had six sightings of this beautiful bird.

At the top of the beat I walked across the meadow then through a small copse putting up a couple of cock pheasants, then hearing a mewing sound above, I looked skywards to see two buzzards working higher and higher on the thermals, it was great to be alive. Fifteen minutes later I am back on the river, another twenty minutes and I’m back at the car park. After a quick brew I headed off downstream, finding David fishing a well-known salmon pool. Later I found Jim fishing a stretch of water I suggested he should try, watching him from a distance he was fishing the Richard Walker beaded mayfly nymph as I suggested. Reaching the bottom boundary I then made my way back to the car park, usually I would now have a brew with a toasted cheese sandwich but not today with the cabin out of bounds. I just sat on the river bank enjoying the peace while watching the river flow by, my thoughts were on the new trout fishing season also looking forward to June 16th all it offers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dawn on the River Beult where I will be in June.

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Martin James Fishing
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