Good sport and a decent season on the Tees... so far

THE trees are starting to show their autumn colours early this year, a result of the dry Spring.

Although there has been more midsummer rain than usual, the dry weather early in the year has left trees under stress from the dry land, and this is shown by leaves starting to turn red and yellow a little earlier than usual.

Fallen leaves in the river are an irritation to fly anglers, who have to keep retrieving hooks to remove unwanted leaves. A problem which peaks during October salmon fishing is already evident with weeks of the trout fishing season still ahead.

On the plus side the early arrival of autumn fruits is a welcome distraction. The walk to favoured stretches of the Tees has taken longer than usual because of frequent stops to consume or collect blackberries.

In our house, the first apple and blackberry crumbles of the season have already been baked and consumed.

Yet it is still summer. The weather has been warm, if not always dry, and even the inevitable leaks in the seams of aging waders has not caused much discomfort as the water is still warm – the neoprene waders may just about see this season out.

And they will get plenty of wear, for the remaining weeks could well be the best of the season. The trout are feeding well as they fatten up for the winter, while the salmon and sea trout are on the move.

A few brown trout were rising in the smooth glides of the Tees on a recent outing, though the first fish fell to a weighted nymph – and what a cracking trout it was. About 14 inches long and probably weighing over a pound and a half, it was returned to the water.

In the past such a fish would have been kept for the table, but these day most anglers return their brown trout, keeping only an occasional fish.

We are more conservation minded than in the past, and have more of an eye on the future. Trout returned now can breed and ensure that there are fish to catch in future seasons.

These days there’s another reason for returning the larger fish; a reason that didn’t used to exist – they eat the invasive American crayfish.

I saw a big trout – or rather the tail of one – as it rooted about in the stones on a shallow section of the river. It may have been targeting small fish, possibly bullheads, but was more likely chasing crayfish.

It’s not unusual to see the disturbance in the water of trout racing after small fish, but seeing the spade like tails above the surface is rare, and probably a sign that crayfish are the chosen quarry as trout nose the stones where the crayfish hide.

However back to the rising trout. After releasing the big one, I covered fish to no avail. They were not having the nymph or the two wet flies that accompanied it on the three fly leader.

A switch to a small black dry fly brought instant reward, with smaller but stocky trout sucking down the dry fly.

Further downstream more rising fish showed no interest in the same artificial, even though they appeared to be taking small dark insects.

A change to a dark olive dry worked wonders as the fish homed straight in on it – for a short spell until they ignored it, though still rising to take natural flies.

It was good sport while it lasted, but constantly drying the fly to ensure it floats proudly on the surface becomes tedious if fish aren’t taking it. So a switch was made back to the three wet flies for the rest of the session.

They attracted the occasional trout and grayling, bringing to an end a varied and entertaining day. And a few more blackberries were eaten on the way back to the car.

It’s not been a bad season on the Tees, though it was a struggle in the early months because of the low water.

A friend, who also fishes the Yorkshire rivers, especially the Swale, was bemoaning the lack of fish. He said some of his mates had given up on the rivers and headed for the coast where feathers cast from the piers and rocks had brought some prolific rod bending mackerel action.

Yet it’s not so many years ago, that sea anglers were complaining about the lack of mackerel.

Fish numbers fluctuate for various reasons, and unless there’s a long-term decline, there’s no cause for concern.

Though I’ll be less philosophical if the salmon don’t show in October!

THERE’S no lack of rainbow trout in the Teesdale reservoirs – though it’s easier to maintain numbers when they are all stock fish.

Even so, credit goes to Northumbrian Water for providing such fine fisheries as Grassholme and Hury.

Stillwater anglers can use Daddy Longlegs with confidence over the coming weeks. Trout love the leggy craneflies, and well tied artificials are sure to attract the attention of hungry trout, especially when fished through a good ripple.

The rod average at Grassholme is over three, with 175 anglers catching 547 trout in the week. Fly anglers have used Daddies, Dawson’s Olive and small back dries, with bait anglers catching on spinners, float-fished worm and PowerBait. 200 more fish have been stocked.

The same patterns are working on fly-only Hury, where 45 anglers have caught 92 trout. 200 more have been stocked. The Hury Classic Flyfishing Competition takes place on September 24. Register at 9am. There’s £350 of cash prizes up for grabs.