The Fisherman’s Diary: roach and perch on the fly at Bewl Water

The yearned-for rain has come for some, but it has been localised, and much of England, and elsewhere in northern Europe, remained comparatively dry until recently – a reminder of the changed weather we now live with. Throughout southern England, my friends and I have not fished for trout or grayling for several months and instead have travelled elsewhere or focused on non-salmonid species.

I had heard that Bewl Water was fishing well for roach and perch, so I visited this lovely reservoir recently. On arrival I found the surface temperature to be 23.6°C, so I knew that trout would be out of the question; but this temperature is fine for most other species. The lake is down to 50% capacity after the long drought. I chose to fish from a broad point, where past experience has yielded roach, bream and perch, and occasional pike.

Fishing the washing-line technique for roach

My standard approach when fishing from the shore at this time of year is to use a semi-buoyant fry pattern on the point, with a pair of Diawl Bach-style nymphs (which are reasonable fry imitations) on droppers – the so-called washing-line technique. I was delighted, and not surprised, to find it working right from the start, in that I had a take first cast. Thereafter, throughout the afternoon, I had a take almost every cast, managing to hook perhaps one in three. They were all roach, and they all took one or other of the Diawl Bachs, other than one half-pounder that swallowed the fry pattern!

The quality of these fish was outstanding; fin-perfect specimens, and the shoal must have been enormous. I marvelled at their numbers, wondering how they managed to survive, given the resident cormorant population. I suspect the cormorants preferentially feed on the stocked rainbow trout. In any case, the roach population is healthy.

Each take was a typical, repeated ‘tap-tap-tap’ during the slow figure-of-eight retrieve. It is pointless to strike, which nearly always results in missing the fish. It is best simply to continue the retrieve until the tapping stops and the weight of the fish is continuous. It is as if they ‘grow on the end of the line’.

A big perch in the shallows

Every so often there was a commotion right up against the shoreline, and a scatter of fry, as perch hunted in the shallows. In mid-afternoon, towards the end of a retrieve, I had a sudden take, quite unlike those of the roach, but missed it. A few casts later I had another, and hooked a big fish. I saw it briefly as it whirled near the surface, seeing clearly the spined dorsal fin and blood-red tail. It fought with that characteristic jagged dash of perch, before slipping the hook, and leaving me shaken from the experience.

I continued fishing and the roach kept coming, but I had no further contact with perch.

I reflect now on that day, and many of my days fishing for non-salmonid species, and find them as satisfying and fulfilling as any other with a fly-rod. While I regret the demise of salmonid species in these times of pollution, abstraction and extended drought, I am happy, at least, that there are alternatives within our sport.

Grayling trips on the Ure and the San

As I write, rain has finally arrived to herald the start of autumn. We can now increasingly turn our attention towards trout and grayling, both of which will now feed voraciously in the cooler, fresher waters before the onset of winter. I have at least two grayling trips planned this month with friends. The first is on the Ure in North Yorkshire, on the wonderful Tanfield Angling Club waters. My friend, Robert, is the river keeper here and he tells me that the levels have already largely recovered and that there is a decent flow rate. My travelling companions, Luke and Malcolm, will probably focus on nymph fishing, though I am hopeful of blue-winged olive hatches and opportunity for dry-fly.

Then we have two weeks on the San, in Poland, undoubtedly one of the premier grayling rivers in Europe. There, we can expect consistent hatches of various upwing species and are therefore gearing up for ‘total’ dry-fly; a period of fishing during which I can be completely relaxed, focused entirely on the surface and fishing CDC Plume Tips. I will report back in next month’s column.

Jeremy Lucas is a lifelong fly-fisher, multiple England Team member and author of the landmark Presentation Fly-Fishing. Now he focuses on the conservation aspects of the sport and dry-fly.