The Trout go Cuckoo.

The Lugg fished well on on a warm and bright Saturday afternoon/evening.
There was the odd Mayfly about, but not enough on the water to get the Trout interested.
In fact i only saw one or two fish rising as i walked to the very bottom of the stretch.



I had only fished this lower part once before and that was in February so it would be interesting to gauge the Trout population.
As there were not many fish rising on went the duo of emerger and nymph, starting with an Olive dry and a size 14 Tungsten Hares-ear nymph underneath. However i soon changed to a Grey Emerger as it was difficult to see the Olive in the dappled sunlight. The dry fly was on a short dropper, with the nymph suspended about 2.5 feet below, i tend to lose more fish when tying the dropper directly to the hook.



The NZ method is a great way of searching the river as both riffles and slower glides can be fished , but presentation is very important, always trying to get that perfect drift.
As i said the river fished well with 34 fish being caught, 23 Trout and 11 Grayling. The biggest Trout at 12", which seems a good fish from the Lugg, the biggest Grayling at 15".
The Grayling were in good condition having watched them spawning back in February, they have recovered well.



Although a lot of fish took the dry fly most were taken on the nymph, especially in the riffles.
The Lugg contains a good mix of Trout and Grayling with Trout being the more active at this time of the year, but it will be a different story later on.
During the evening masses of spinners were dancing over the river producing quite a spectacle against the setting Sun.



I fished to the accompanying calls of a Cuckoo, a bird which has declined in numbers over recent years, and to the repetitive drumming of a Great Spotted Woodpecker.
In the riverside meadows i noticed Comfrey, an important source of nectar for bees.