cold comfort

Wet wading in February is, I imagine, a bit like hard drinking. It only properly hurts when you stop. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now I'm not so sure. 

The river level is up, but not impossibly so - not flooded out like so many other rivers up and down the land. So I'm giving it a go this morning, but I'm finding the conditions far from easy. When the river is in flood there are reliable spots where the fish may shelter from the worst of the current. On the other hand, when the river is low the fish here become concentrated in the deeper holes and runs. But today, the river with its good winter flow is somewhere in the middle of these two extremes - it's within its 'normal range', and this means the fish are spread out along the river and not always to be found in their usual places. Added to this the water is cold. Very cold. And so am I. 

But there are benefits to wet wading. As I wade I can feel how the water temperature changes in different places along the river. While I hesitate to say that it's warmer, I can feel that the water is a tad less cold in the spot where I'm fishing right now. And this proves just enough of a lift to attract a small gaggle  of roach and chub in feeding mode. 

So I'm running a small bead head kebari down through the channel that empties the river out into the old mill pool. A carefully placed upstream flick and I'm tracking back and looking for any hesitation of the casting line. I'm using #3 Yamatoyo level line. Its yellow-green colour stands out well for me in most light conditions and looks weed-like enough. I've tied a simple figure of eight stop knot at the tippet end of the casting line and I've bent its a quarter inch tag to stand up at 90 degrees to the line. It's a great sighter. As is the figure of eight stop knot, which is a little bulkier than a simple overhand knot, and seems to transmit light like a little fibre optic. Ah.. these little details, what simple pleasures we find..

In truth neither of the above are always needed, and today the takes, when they come, are positive plucks and easy enough to connect with. A few little chub and roach come to hand - nothing big but today they are most welcome. I'm looking forward to my trout streams opening soon for the new season, but today I have stood in the river and I have caught some fish. And the river though cold, has worked some of its magic and small fraction of me is restored.