Weekly River & Hatches Update
July is the month for the evening rise, probably the most regular mealtime the trout have. Even on apparently perfect fishing days flies may not hatch in the morning or afternoon, but there will usually be a rise of some sort in the evening. You will often be fishing tiny flies that are hard to see, so be prepared to work at following them on the water. The trout have got lazy so you need to be deadly accurate with your casting and unless you can precisely track your fly you won’t know whether it is covering the target fish.
Weather:
Phew, looks like temperatures are getting back to normal with highs of about 22, but again by Wednesday they are on the rise, looking a high of 29. Gentle breezes from the west/southwest , with sunny spells. The sun officially sets after 9pm. Sunrise: 04:58 GMT. Sunset 21:23 GMT. UV: Very High, Pollution: Low. Pressure: 1019mb.
River Flows:
The river flows currently range between normal and below normal as rated by the Environment Agency. Thankfully, the riverbanks are dry, so in most cases walking boots will suffice, though a pair of wellies or thigh waders might just help coax your quarry to the water’s edge.
Hatches:
My general rule again for July is to be eclectic in your fly choices and be prepared to change a lot, with everything from a size 10 French Partridge down to a size 18 Greenwell’s Glory with a variety of sedges and unwinged flies in between with no single fly predominating
Fly Patterns:
A palette of a dozen flies mentioned in reports from the past seven days with a majority of fish caught on dry rather than nymph. The most successful fly has been a Klinkhammer followed by an Adams, both standard and parachute. Productive others include Black Gnat, Blue Winged Olive, Daddy Long Legs, and unspecified sedges. Emergers in general have caught fish. Subsurface the Pheasant Tail Nymph is the standout choice, followed by Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear and olive nymphs.
Our Seasonal tips:
As a general rule, we would expect surface action timings to be determined by the weather on the day, again generally warm and sunny with no rain forecast this coming week. Think harder about lighter tippets, concealment and keeping the sun to your face. Shadows and line flash will give you away in a moment. Be prepared to change your fly often; if your target fish ignores a fly more than twice, change size or fly.
News, events and catch reports:
