Orange Tag Saturday

After all the stormy, wet weather for the last three weeks, it was with some trepidation that I headed last Saturday morning to the River Itchen. On the one hand, I was confident that good fishing could be had, but there would be - as Cilla Black might say - "a lorra lorra" water to contend with.

I would be fishing with Nicholas Steedman, with whom I'd enjoyed two sessions on the Itchen and one on the Test towards the end of the 2012-3 season. We had been due to fish together the Saturday before Christmas, but the weather had intervened and we agreed to postpone. This was the rearranged fixture.

I arrived slightly before Nicholas, and he found me on the bridge gazing into the water when he pulled up not two minutes later. We chatted about the conditions and I gave Nicholas an update on how the fishing had been recently on this beat. We also fell into conversation about the last time we had fished together, in the  2012-13 season, on a tough but nonetheless enjoyable visit to the Test at Timsbury. This lead onto the topic of my return to the same venue a couple of weeks later, where I'd been fortunate to meet with some welcome success. We spent a few minutes talking about this, and I sensed that Nicholas was keen to know what I'd done differently, albeit the weather and water conditions had been the same.

The river was higher than I'd previously seen it, and a considerable flow of water was steaming through the beat at a rate of knots. Deeper, faster water than previously encountered, but still with some welcome clarity. As the forecast was for a dry day, I assured Nicholas that - on past experience - the conditions would improve significantly as the day wore on.

As well as the prospect of a day's fishing, I was looking forward to using my new camera, a Panasonic Lumix FT5, for the first time. This is the newest model of what is a well-reviewed waterproof/ shockproof camera, with a good reputation for ease of use and producing quality pictures. A slip of the tongue at Christmas meant I had described it to my sister-in-law (much to our joint amusement) as a camera I could use for "underwear shots" when what I meant to say was "underwater".......anyway, see what you think of the pictures!

A lovely morning after so many recent vile ones

Nicholas was keen to get started, so we tackled up and he kicked off whilst I finished gathering my thoughts and equipment ready to move up the beat. I didn't have long to wait before he presented me with an opportunity to see how the new camera would handle action shots.

Not hanging about.....

 On his third or fourth cast, this happened...

Showing off, now....but I got to try my zoom...

After this, we moved up the beat to the hatch pool. Nicholas was fishing an Orange Tag on the point with a smaller, pink bug on the dropper.

Orange Tag does the trick!

We took it in turns to fish through the hatch pool. I was using a heavy, pink, tungsten-beaded bug on the point and a Tups Wool Bug on the dropper. Not a sniff, even after lengthening my tippet to allow for the deeper than usual water. Whereas Nicholas did brisk business with his Orange Tag....the above was his best fish in this part of the day. Contrast this with a picture of Peter Anderson in the same place on my previous visit - quite a difference in water level (not to mention age/ height/ looks etc. of the flyfisher...)

Quite a contrast!

As the day wore on, the Orange Tag continued to get results. Combined with the approach of induced takes, it was - at times - deadly. I gave into the inevitable, and changed my point fly to an Orange Tag. It wasn't quite the exact same pattern as Nicholas' - but it was the closest I had.

Lunchtime came. A flask of very hot soup, some of my wife's excellent and truly delicious Christmas Cake and a couple of restorative Whisky Macs were consumed. Whilst eating and chatting, we noticed rising fish and discussed the possibility of a hatch being under way. This development gave us the impetus to finish eating and start fishing again.

Nicholas continued on his prolific way, albeit he remarked later that the period immediately following lunch saw most business being done on the dropper- rather than the point fly. Downstream presentations were employed, with the hard-to-detect subtle takes coming as the flies began to swing up the water column.

For me, the change in flies and a lengthier tippet started to bring results. At one point mid-afternoon I connected with a very good grayling. This presented quite a challenge - what I estimated as a two-pounder in water this high with a much stronger-than-usual flow was proving difficult to subdue. I lowered the rod tip to apply side-strain, with the fish downstream of me. I realised I would have to wade towards it and reel in, and was just about to do so when everything went slack. Schoolboy error time. Damn!

The flow really was considerable. Earlier in the afternoon, at one point I'd really had to brace myself as a brief, sudden and unexpected surge of some sort hit me - it took an effort to stay upright. At other times, it really was hard work to wade upstream - even short distances.

Time passed, and the day was drawing to a close. I was walking back from the top of the beat thinking about packing up when I decided to have one last "chalkstream paddle" for the day. This was just upstream of four trees on my side of the river. Before slipping into the water I thought I'd just have a cast or two, to see whether there was anything where I'd be wading - and I was in, first cast, to a good fish.

A surprise?

I soon found myself with a feisty grayling attached some way downstream of me, with the strong flow of all the extra water meaning it was difficult to progress to a coming together. I realised - once again - that I would need to go to the fish. Ah - hang on. Problem - trees in the way. How was I going to get round this first, substantial trunk? It was too broad for me to pass the rod around and very little in the way of bank "riverside" of it.....Solution - a bit of tree hugging and careful stepping around with the river to my back, trying to remember if I'd brought a change of clothes with me just in case.

Nice dorsal!

Anyhow, I managed to get downstream of the first tree having reeled tight and kept reeling as I walked down and netted the fish. A couple of pictures, a quick release and my last cast of the day had been the most entertaining and productive. This was the best fish of the day for me, and I was delighted to have a couple of nice shots in the can. I can't blame the camera any longer - it's all about the composition.

I suppose the main takeaway from the day for me was - once again - that methods and tactics need to fit the conditions. I'd begun fishing with a shorter-than-normal tippet but that meant my flies weren't deep enough. That was easily cured, and then it was a case of the "right" fly for the day. For some reason, the Orange Tag was far more successful than other patterns to begin with, then with a hatch was in progress the fish were taking higher in the water column. I really enjoy fishing with anglers more proficient and experienced than myself, as it often makes for educational and thought-provoking days. This was certainly the case last Saturday, and I'm looking forward to a return trip in the next couple of weeks. Determined to be more dynamic and adapt to the conditions on the day......