Hopefully somebody can help me

From mid-April to mid-June I fly fish a beautiful little river which is actually on a coarse fishing club book, but they allow you to fly fish for the trout from 1 April. I don't want to name it because I have it all to myself It's a windy, fast and often turbulent little river running over gravel, mostly 2-3' deep with deeper holes and pools, some riffles, lots of undergrowth and overhanging trees. There are plenty of trout up to about 2lb, but anything over 1lb is 'big'.

Later in the year when there are hatches of Alder, Sedge and Mayfly the little brownies are a bit of a doddle - you wander upstream very slowly watching for rises, and cover each one. I usually catch at least a couple of trout in this situation. They also get so preoccupied watching the surface that you can get very close to them, if you're quiet.

However, this time of year when it's cold, weedless and nothing's moving, I always blank. I'll be the first to admit that I'm hardly a brilliant fly angler, and there must be a few things I'm doing wrong. I went yesterday evening and tried fishing down and across with a little brown wet (March Brown?) and then a little green wet, and then tried upstream nymphing with a small weighted PTN, but this wasn't heavy enough to get down through the fast water so I changed to a goldhead hares ear. I did have one sharp pull to this, but I didn't know if it was a fish or the bottom.

I use an 8' rod with a #4 floating line. I also have a 6'6" #2 outfit which I use when I can because it's so much fun.

So, how would you approach this? What kind of flies would you use, and what technique? I would really love to crack this and be able to catch the trout when they're not rising.

All trout are returned safely by the way.

Thanks for any pointers

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Always a struggle this early stick with the Nymps PTNs And Hares ear are fine I tie up hares ears with a bit of extra flash in them wich gets them going also try nipping a dust shot or two six inches in frount of the Nymps and constatnty mend your line to keep good contact . any Time now the Hawthorn flys will show floating or sunk they are deadly also use the two wt rod and corresponding line lighter the better

If I may quote JK Best (friend of John Geirach - the best of American fishing writers)
"the difference between a good angler and a brilliant one is often just one split shot"

The rest of 5Bs advice is also good - Pheasant Tail and GRHE are excellent early season choices.

Early season, with little cover (no weed - bare trees and bushes - herbage not grown up yet, etc etc), it is even more important than usual to move stealthily and slowly.

For many years my father and I fished the Welsh borders and some times Northwales. As you say March and April can be tough. We found that trying to match the hatch in a hail storm was not very sucessful so we would use a leaded nymph on the point, grenwell, GRHE or PT with a mach brown and silver on the dropper. Forget rising fish as they tend to be small and few and far between. Fish either a floating or floating with sink tip with one small shot 10" above the top dropper. Seek out the deeper swims and let the main current pull the fly under and out. If there is deep water on the inside of your bank a slow lift will often be picked up on the last flick round of the fly. Don't waste time flogging the same hole walk the beat. Don't start too early fish 11am to dark.

Very useful stuff, thanks folks. I'll try adding some dust shot, I think that may do it. I don't think the flies were deep enough, the trout are clearly right on the bottom still. Still, at least my fly choice was right!

I'll try again and let you know how I get on. I think the easterlies areon the way out, so hopefully the fish will soon be a bit more responsive.

Well, thanks again for the excellent responses. I put them into practice yesterday and I think I've now - finally - cracked the upstream nymph. And that's without having to 'cheat' with a sight bob either

Again, despite the lovely warm weather, hardly anything was rising. So I had a dig about with my net in the gravel and mud and found a few tiny shrimps, some odd looking small, flat beetles (black on top and white underneath, perfectly round and flat), a couple of grumpy looking caddis larvae in their tubes, three bullheads (which I didn't know lived there!), and LOADS of big, juicy mayfly nymphs. With nothing else to go on, I decided to fish a medium sized mayfly nymph with two dust shot above the fly to help it get down through the fast water. I also used my tiny #2 outfit, which is kind of like fishing with a very bendy pencil.

It took a while to get the hang of it, but after a while I was enjoying it more than dry fly fishing - searching out all the likely spots, getting it to trundle down just right, giving it the odd little twitch, creeping upstream. With the sun on my back and no-one for miles it was bliss

I was fishing in quite fast water above a natural 'sill', where it tumbles into a deepish, swirly pool, letting the fly trundle along the near bank irises, when the end of the line stopped dead, so I struck and would you believe it, there was a fish on the other end! It immediately ploughed downstream into the little pool, and stayed very low. I was starting to wonder if it was one of the bigger trout in there (the little ones usually go airborne straight away) when it came up (tiny rod bent double!) and turned into a 3lb chub

Despite it being the wrong kind of fish, I was bouyed by actually catching something on a new method, and moved up to a very trouty bit of water, another 'sill' leading to a fast, gravelly, deep section. I managed to drop the fly right next to some overhanging trees on the far back, and saw the line stop - another strike and I brought in the tiniest brownie I've ever seen! About 4" long, a perfect little thing. I plopped him back, and tried again in the deeper water where the natural food would accumulate, and second cast not only did the line stop but the rod was wrenched round, there was no missing that one! This was a much better trout (about a pound, average for the river) and it started jumping all over the place, taking line and putting a fair old bend in the little rod. I eventually brought him in and carefully let him go.

I'm so pleased that I can now do this, it's opened up a whole load of opportunites. It's as exciting as dry fly fishing, which I didn't expect it to be. I'm sure the major thing to solve was getting the depth right. For some reason it never occurred to me to just add some shot

Next time I go I'll take a camera (kiss of death!) and take some pictures of these beautiful trout. Apart from the odd escapee they're all wild brownies. Why I always have the river to myself is a complete mystery.

This post has been edited by Anderoo: May 6 2008, 10:33 AM

A great report, and I am so pleased the advice on dust shot from 5Bs and myself was acted upon with success.

Thanks Vagabond I'll be back there at the weekend for a couple of hours, hopefully one will be willing to have their picture taken.

Now I've caught a couple I know what it 'feels' like when a fish has taken the fly, so that's the biggest mountain climbed.

It may be because I'm new to it, but in my opinion it makes dry fly fishing looka complete doddle!

Fun aint it!


Brilliant report

Latest trip report here if anyone is interested: http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/forums/wonderf...am-t184185.html