Tuesday, March 23, 2021

March Brown or Worm?

 While sitting at my PC yesterday at work I was day dreaming, as you do, and I got to thinking about the date, the 22nd March. 

I knew it rang a bell. 40 odd years ago, before I left school at 16, the 22nd March was one of my highlights of the year. It is the first day of the Brown Trout fishing season on our rivers. For weeks before, I would be gathering bits of cheap tackle from Woolworths and our local tackle shop, McDermott's. Size 14, 12 and 10 hooks, line, shot, small drilled bullets, perch bobber floats etc for bait fishing on the stretch of free water on the River Wansbeck in Morpeth. Some years I would even try a wet fly on the syndicate water down stream of the town, using a team of March Brown on point with Snipe and Purple, and Partridge and Orange on the droppers. There wasn't a great deal of finesse.

The day was like Christmas to me, I couldn't wait for it. The weather would be variable from sunny spring like days with bees on catkins to deep snow covering bank sides, to brown, milky tea coloured, spate. If a flood was running off, I'd stand a good chance by rolling a worm along with the current right into the bank sides. If there was low, clear water the flies might be better...

The sound of a Dipper singing, Butterbur flowers just beginning to pop up in the sandy gravel banks and overly excited Mallard in gangs causing a commotion all come flooding back. I didn't catch much. A big fish was 12 inches, mostly they were no more than 8 inches but it was the feel of the day that made it so good. Winter was over regardless of the weather.

I haven't fished a river now for years. Woolworth's is no more and bank sides are grown with willows or tidied up. Those years have gone in all but memory, but its nice to think back. Happy times...




4 comments:

Gavin Haig said...

A little gem of a post, Stewart! Precious memories...

And I just love David Carl Forbes' rendering of fish. 😊

Gordon Matthewson said...

I nearly returned to fishing last year after a childhood on the Aln but watched someone and decided I wouldn't like a hook in my mouth and be dragged up the street so bought new scope and camera lol.

Stewart said...

Gav - Cheers, yes DCF is great, his Rough River and Small Stream Fishing is a great little book, where this trout came from.

Gordon - I think its all about respecting and looking after fish. I don't believe a hook in the hard bony mouth hurts them. Fish eat many natural things as sharp as a hook like small snail shells, bullheads, small perch, sticklebacks, sea scorpions and sea urchins etc. All would cut your hand if you grabbed one. As long as you are careful and retrun them quickly and gently most are fine.

Gordon Matthewson said...

Yes, see your point, always fancied some old Hardys gear, Jobson the Saddlers was my fly supplier then, keep me away from ebay.