Weekly River & Hatches Update
Welcome to the Easter week! April is here and while the trees start to show some leaf, the chalk streams are brimming and gin clear. The riverbanks are still drying out so you will be wise to wear a good pair of wellingtons and carry a long-handled net. Now that now the clocks have gone forward and with the days getting longer there is less urgency for an early start though it chills off late afternoon most days so do not anticipate staying late.
Weather:
We have enjoyed consistently mild, dry and sunny weather for the past three weeks with large parts of the country experiencing bright sunny mornings and daytime temperatures at highs of 17C+. The forecast for next week is overcast with occasional sunny spells and light to moderate breezes from the south/southwest. Sunrise: 05:58 GMT Sunset 20:12 GMT, UV: Med, Pollution: Low. Pressure: 1006mb. However, the only note of caution is morning frosts so it will sometimes take a little while for the chill to come off the day and the hatches begin.
River Flows:
The consistent dry spell of the past six week is finally having an impact with river flows currently ranging between normal and below normal as recorded by the Environment Agency. Whilst there has been little rainfall in the last week the chalk stream aquifers are still brimming after a wet winter, teeing up for beautifully clean gravels, but possibly some wet riverbanks. As noted above good footwear and a long-handled net will undoubtedly make coaxing your quarry to the river bank a little easier.
Hatches:
Large Dark Olive and Grannom will be the predominate hatches this week, as they will for much of April, with the brief, annual appearance of Hawthorn due any day now. You can expect the fly life to peak at the warmest parts of the day, mostly either side of lunch, when the sun is at its highest for longest. Those days where it remains cool, breezy and overcast, hatches will inevitably be much slower and if it is damp the Iron Blue is the go-to dry fly.
Fly Patterns:
If you strike gold and find some rising fish, they are most likely slurping at Large Dark Olives, best imitated by a JG Emerger or Kite’s Imperial, and Grannom, a small sedge pattern. Do have one or two Hawthorn in your box for when trout are on them they are really on them! If the sun hides behind the clouds and a cool breeze pushes them down, a green or pink Shrimp, Sawyer's Killer Bug, or indeed the ever-faithful Pheasant Tail Nymph might just perform where a dry cannot. Generally, we recommend a 9ft leader in the 5x range, but refinement can be critical to enticing a take, so try coming down to a 2lb tippet or lighter if required.
Our Seasonal tips:
As a general rule, we would expect surface action to be predominately on the days when it warms up around midday. On that basis you do not need to turn up early; if you are shivering in your jacket, you can imagine the insects will feel much the same and do not plan a long lunch away from the river.
News, events and catch reports:
