Onwards to the Hills
I opened the season in Glen Maye. The River continues to to Glen Rushen before disappearing into the hills. I really do like the stretch of river below the Rushen mines for Tenkara fishing. The fish are rarely big but the do present a challenge.
The fly of the day proved to be a brown peacock herl body in a carrot shape with a copper rib and black hen hackle. Quite large on a size 12 standard hook. They didn't seem to be interested in the nymphs and jigs but would dart across the pools to grab this fly.
Even the very smallest of fish seemed to want to have a crack at it. I parked up in front of the old quarry. I'd not recommend taking a car down there as it's very tight with a steep drop. Tackled up and flicked the fly into the flow right in front of me. The reward was a fish. I missed another in the run above but by then I had a smile. Finishing off putting on my sling pack and locking the car I headed into the river gorge. Once you're in, it's not so easy to escape so be sure to bring everything with you.
My new Esoteric Tackle Triple Zoom Strooan Tenkara rod does well in these conditions and I was really pleased with how well the Sunline BMS Azayaka line was standing out.
The fish might not be big and every one of them was on the thin side. Summer is coming and I'm sure they'll plump up soon. Look at the size of the tail on this little chap! It's not an optical illusion, some really did have massive tails compared to their body size.
The water was absolutely crystal clear so stealth was your best option, especially when you have a long glass like glide. Any hint you're there and the fish disappeared. This was certainly a time for the fly first casting, which was proving slightly tricky when the occasional, downstream gust interfered.
These fish are perfectly adapted to their environment. The water can really hammer through when it rains. Quite pale coloured at this level, but when you get into the moorlands where the acidic peat plays a role then they turn much blacker. I stopped before I got to the water extraction weir but by then I'd had over a dozen fish up to 7 inches. I was very pleased with my afternoon which brought fish to the net at regular intervals. Long may this season continue!
Glen Rushen was a mining area. If you are fishing up here then I do recommend you take a little time to have a look round some of the old mine buildings. Venturing into the adit's is not recommended, even to get a cracking picture. They are deep in mud and you can't see where a shaft has been covered over by the mud. Still, there is a lot of industrial history to get into on your way up river.
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