Ed & John chose one of the hottest days of the year to take on one of the U.K.’s toughest rivers, the Derbyshire Wye.

The water was low and carrying a slightly mysterious tinge as there didn’t appear to have been any rain before our arrival. The bright sun and lack of flies kept all but a few fish locked to the bottom and those that come to the surface were very fussy.

 

Having recently enjoyed fantastic success on the river Dove at the tail-end of the Mayfly season, it’s fair to say that todays venue with its difficult access, tree lined banks and picky fish was bit of a culture shock for them both.

Eventually though, they began to adapt to the river and the environment and as the day progressed, so did their understanding of the techniques and presentation required on such a difficult day.

 

We caught some fantastic fish using the water to dictate the approach and method and fittingly, they both finished the day with exactly the same number of fish although their personal highlights were slightly different.

Ed’s persistence finally paid off with a monster Rainbow after he’d searched every inch of the pool with his preferred method on the day, a tiny size 16 bead head.

John stalked and fooled this and several other beautiful wild Brown Trout with the precise presentation of his emerging sedge pattern.

Outstanding flyfishing, gentlemen! I seriously doubt you’ll have many tougher days on the river.