Winter is here

I am sitting here watching snow falling outside the window, its actually quite big flakes but I doubt that it will take hold, not today at least. So winter is here for definite.

If you watched the TV news this week you would be forgiven for thinking the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse had taken to their mounts. The gates of an icy hell have been opened. It snowed in England!

It is winter after all.

We had a bit snow early in the week, and some very low temperatures through the week down to about -8C overnight and in some ways the thought of heading out to the garage to pull together what were damp waders and boots when I hung them up last week was not compelling.

More injuries

But Radek asked me Friday night if I was heading out fishing. Had he asked me at half five as I finished work the answer would have been a clear and definite “yes”. But then I went my daily constitutional. And half way round my daily 3 mile route the leg problem I suffered last April returned. In the course of three steps I was walking normally then dealing with what felt like getting stabbed in the calf.

I recognised it as soon as it appeared and didn’t press on without trying to relax it and though I did manage to hobble my way round it was difficult and it got very sore later on, when I was being asked was I going fishing. I wasn’t sure I could.

It seems to be a symptom of my arthritic condition attaching the end of the tendon in the back of my leg. I am hammering the anti-inflammatories anyway just now due to my sore back, see my last post, so hoped they would help if I rested it overnight. I was a very cautious “yes” to Radek’s question.

Touch and …..just Go!

As morning came it was still feeling very tight and tender but I could walk on it a bit so decided to go. If I struggled I would stay close to the car, take a few photos, fly the drone for another section of my new Let’s Fly the Clyde video series for my River Clyde page, and treat it as a nice day out. Because nice it would be.

Red sky in morning….stunning

The sun rose with all the bright oranges and pinks of a clear start to the day and it continued to shine from horizon to horizon on the upper Clyde where we had opted to try. I was quite keen to try somewhere different like Hozier, Radek was ambivalent about that and I think might have went to the Annan or Nith but for me physically it was too big a gamble. It needs a very early start and is a long way to go to not be able to fish. We returned to the upper river, which to be fair I have not fished much in the last few years, finding the Clyde Valley more productive.

We met up at the Monument and after taking an obscenely long time to get tackled up ( my fault ) we wandered down to the river which was gin-clear and made a start in bright sunshine.

Slippy in places

This is the first time since I got my new Vibram soled wading boots that I have had issues with traction on the bottom. The stones up here were all covered in a film of slime and for the first time in 8 months, I wished I had felts on. However I will add this, walking on snowy banks is not good in felts, they just become big balls of frost and are equally treacherous. It was slippy in a couple of spots in the river but over the course of the day I was fine.

On balance, I still prefer having my rubber-soled boots as an “all round” proposition. Just think I need to get more studs fitted. I have my old felts and maybe need to remember and throw them in the car for occasions such as these. However it was odd, some sections were not slippy at all, I think maybe where the water has been consistently low this winter, it has allowed the slime to grow where it would not normall happen in winter. The water too is so clear up here.

Another go with Radeks rod

As far as the fishing went, we fished a couple of spots that seemed promising but never had so much as a touch. I had another , longer shot of Radek’s new rod. I have to say it is the first rod I have tried that I like better than my own, an awful lot better. I am now actively thinking, what can I sell to get one!

We plugged away for a couple of hours, to be fair Radek, plugged harder than me, and I retreated back to the car to fly the drone and get some river footage of this section, while the wind was still within limits, it id get windier for a while around lunchtime. After this, Radek said he had to go to prep some stuff at home and I decided to wander downstream and try some other sections.

While we were talking at the car we noticed some flies had made an appearance within the heat of the sun, though the air temp was still below zero. Making my way downstream I actually saw fish rising in some very shallow runs. And more flies coming off, just small midges.

Keep it for later

Rather than try now I decided to head to the furthest point I had planned fish there, and try these other bits on the way back as the sun was dropping, maybe around dusk the fish would be interested.
By the time I made it down to the pool at the Duneaton water junction it was actually warm in the sun and that wind had dropped again. I fished it here very thoroughly for a good hour or so without so much as a knock. I tried large heavy bugs and wee tiny ones, short line nymphing and using a bobber over the deep water. Nothing, and it was aquarium water clear too…I saw nothing either.

On the way back up I fished a few more sections including where I saw fish rise, in fact one rose even as the sun was setting behind the Lowther Hills.
Nothing. I admit to something of a tactical error on my approach to where I saw the riser. I waded in upstream without considering how slow the water was here sending big waves over the pool- duh!)r

But what a day to be out. Winter is here and if you make an effort on a cold clear winters day like this, even if the fish aren’t playing it really is a joy to be on the bank. Winter is here and I love it.