Weekly River & Hatches Update
Its May! The greatest month in the fly fishing calendar. The hawthorn is blossoming, the flies are hatching, the trout are rising, and the chaos of Mayfly is in full swing. This is the month when clouds of Mayfly drift through the skies like gunsmoke and trout big or small will throw caution to the wind in a race to slurp them up in their thousands during what can only be described as one of the great natural wonders of the world.
Weather:
With summer finally on the horizon, we leave behind a long dry spring. Last week, we finally broke the duck on rainfall, or rather a lack thereof... with just a smattering to wet the grass. This week average temperatures are 18 degrees, and conditions are overcast, breezy, and some light showers forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday. There are moderate and mild breezes from the southwest of 10-15mph. The turn of the month that is June marks the advent of the long-awaited evening rise. Yes! The sun officially sets after 9pm. Sunrise: 04:45 GMT. Sunset 21:15 GMT. UV: High, Pollution: Low. Pressure: 1020mb.
River Flows:
The river flows currently range between normal and below normal as rated by the Environment Agency. Whilst there has been limited rainfall in the last few weeks, the chalk stream aquifers are still full after a wet winter. Thankfully, the riverbanks are drying out (finally!), 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:
Excitingly, the Mayfly hatch is well an truly batting for six here on the Hampshire and Berkshire chalkstreams, with terrific hatches of Ephemera Danica, our common Mayfly, reported on the River Kennet in particular. Our Dorset and Wiltshire streams are expected to hit a Mayfly crescendo any minute now, while Danica hatches on the Avon may continue in their fleeting bursts long into June and July. Wherever you are, it is likely that will see anything from a few Mayfly to a full on hatch this week, but whether the trout have switched onto their favourite food, or are preferring to slurp up smaller morsels, is only something you will know when it happens. Whatever the weather, there are still regular, hatches of tiny olives and midges in their many hundreds of thousands, so come with flies aplenty.
Fly Patterns:
All the best mayfly patterns have been used to great effect in recent weeks, with Grey Wulff’s and the fishing guide’s favourite, the French Partridge, consistently raising the bar. You will surely want a 3 or 4x tippet to keep those large mayfly patterns turning over, especially in the blustery conditions this week, and when the fish are getting picky, let those patterns wet a little, so they sit a little lower in the surface film. I would hate to steal your guide’s thunder with this little-known gem, but if you cut flat the underside hackle of a Grey Wulff, it will sit on the surface a little truer to form, perfectly poised to trip up that inspecting trutta! Sometimes that can be the difference between a good day and a great one. Even when the Mayfly have been popping off in their thousands, there have been times this week when the humble classics; Blue Winged Olive (BWO), or Parachute Adams, have out-performed tenfold, so don’t ignore those smaller hatches while the trout shuffle through their bountiful menu.
Our Seasonal tips:
As a general rule, we would expect surface action timings to be determined by the weather on the day, generally warm and sunny with a little rain this coming week. The best fly fishers are more snipers than machine gunners and so waiting, watching, observing and picking your moment, is almost always the best approach. We have often noted a tendency in recent years for the hatch to come on late in the afternoon, so there in lies the excuse you need to have a lazy morning and an early lunch and enjoy the moment when it arrives!
News, events and catch reports:
