River Edw, a typical slow pool
River Edw hard fighting brownie
River Edw, Hergest Beat.
May 7th
The Edw was low and clear and I thought the fishing might be tricky. The pools were flat calm and so the approach to a feeding fish was critical. However the gods smiled on me and the fish came to hand as I worked slowly up to the falls.
There was little fly life to note, but fish did rise in the tails of the pools. . These are hard fish to approach, as they are skittish being in open shallow water; and they can easily spot a clumsy move and flee. The best fish though were at the heads and they were more interested in nymphs. The fish in these small tributaries are simply gorgeous. They have great colouration, big red spots and they fight so strongly for their size. A 12 inch trout on a 3 weight 7 foot rod is great sport.
I was joined briefly by a female Sparrow hawk. She landed 10 metres away and drank from the stream, then sensing my presence she flew into a nearby tree and looked about intently. In the end I had to move and she flew off, ending a moment of pure magic.
River Edw, a typical slow pool
River Edw hard fighting brownie