Weather: 11.6° Fine. Light winds
River Flow: 28 Cumecs (m³/s)
Another morning began with a hard frost, with ice covering the ground and vehicle windscreens. While not quite as cold as the previous day, it was still chilly enough to make leaving the warmth of bed a challenge.
What we anticipated would be a busy start in the shop turned out to be a relatively quiet morning. This gave us the opportunity to tie up additional slushies and gel eggs to replenish stock before the expected flow of customers arrived later in the day.
By mid-morning, we began to see a steady stream of anglers stopping by to top up their fly boxes and grab a hot coffee before heading back onto the water. Reports from customers indicated there was a healthy amount of activity along the river, which was great to hear.
Based on feedback from the groups that visited throughout the day, fishing proved to be slightly more challenging than previous days, although most anglers were still managing to land at least a handful of fish. Egg patterns remained the most productive option through to mid-afternoon, before caddis patterns and the ever-reliable Hare & Copper began to produce better results as the day progressed.
This photo was sent through by a father-and-son duo who had been putting in plenty of effort on the water to find some success. We always enjoy seeing the photos and hearing the stories from anglers about their time on the river.
Looking ahead to tomorrow, we may get a helping hand from the weather, with cloud cover expected to increase and scattered showers forecast throughout the area. These conditions should be beneficial and may encourage more fish to move into the system.
I'll be heading out on the water myself on Monday with Rosie and my friend Luke, so hopefully I'll have a few stories and some success of my own to report back on Tuesday.
Tight lines, everyone!
~ Niamh (Bluey)