After a majority of February days proving challenging due to high or rising water the first Tyne fish to my knowledge was landed at Bywell on Saturday 21st February. The fish was a beautiful specimen, very fresh and weighing in at around 12lbs. The lucky captor was Sean Parker who was ably assisted in landing the fish by Bywell ghillie Steven Keeney. The fish was caught in the Broomhaugh pool on a Mirage bodied willie Gunn fly and carefully released back to the river.
Sean's fish was followed on Wednesday 25th by another stunning fish landed at Styford from the fish pass pool, that fish reported as 16lbs.
Water temperature remains low which should slow any Spring fish and concentrate them in the main river from Hexham down over for now. The Fishpal beats of Bywell, Styford and Dilston should offer the best chance over the next few weeks and the Federation beats below Bywell might also see a fish or two.
At this time of year and with the water bing so cold getting the fly down a bit and importantly slowing it down can be productive. Sometimes a bit of movement just as the fly covers the lie can make all the difference too but we tend to think of fresh Spring fish as good takers so finding them is often the biggest challenge.
Most anglers will fish tubes in various sizes and colours at this time of year including Willie Gunns, Ghillies and Cascades.
Please report any fish landed or indeed any stories from the riverbank you'd like to share to [email protected] and make this a better read for all throughout the season.
Speycasting tuition and guided fishing with an AAPGAI Master instructor can be booked through me at www.tyneflyfishing.co.uk.
Tight lines,
Neil Lobban
