Here’s an entry from my diary and its a day I clearly recall some 14 years later not because of what I caught but because of a technique I was not aware of until I visited the US a few days later where I was shown how to fish the deep fast flowing sections of some of the western rivers.
I have no doubt that had I known this technique on this day I would have caught more fish in the Wharfe just below Barden Bridge where the river channel was quite deep and hugged the far bank. Approaching the channel was easy across a shallow section and it was possible to stand very close to the drop off into the channel … a perfect location for fishing weighted nymphs deep on short lines. I visited this spot in 2005 for the first time since this diary entry in 1992 … I didn’t fish that day but the river was as inviting as it was way back.
Tuesday 25th August 1992
Day started with sunny periods and quite windy and was characterised by wind blowing all day from an upstream direction making accurate casting very difficult at times. The stretch downstream from Barden Bridge to the viaduct looked classic fly fishing water with deep channel close to opposite bank and the channel was easily approached by wading.
I fished this section on the way back to Barden Bridge late in the afternoon and didn’t have a single rise. Three chaps from Lincolnshire started fishing just before me on this stretch with downstream net fly. When I met up with them for a short chat just before 4pm they had caught 2 fish between them.
I started fishing tail of rapid coming through the viaduct and eventually caught 6 fish there ( with another one in the afternoon on the way back). Of a total of 7 fish caught in this turbulent water 4 were on Adams, two were on Royal Wulff and one on Royal Trude. Rises were only obtained when drift was excellent and very close to rough water. The biggest fish so caught was actually taken out of the rough water. Takes were very confident and had to be struck immediately the rise to the fly was seen. The fish were all Brown and very beautiful and variable in pattern. Some had large numbers of red spots others had none. Size varied from 50 gms to 350 gm. An 8th fish (Royal Wulff) taken further downstream in the afternoon.
All fish from viaduct in the morning session were taken between 11 & 12 noon. I wasted quite a bit of time walking through Strid Wood and back again. Temperature was dropping quite quickly by 4.30 pm. Stopped fishing at 5.20 pm.
5 fish x Adams 50 - 350gm
2 fish x Royal Wulff 100gm
1 fish x Royal Trude 100gm
26/08/1992 - rained all day.
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