Lactic Acid

The regular Sunday jaunt was put off till Monday this week. Sunday was saved for a game of football (my first since a charity match on boxing day) as a ringer for a known Gresford watering hole.
I left the house at 8am, the intention to keep moving before the inevitable lactic acid build up in my legs hindered all suppleness. Caught in two minds over one of the R&G Alyn stretches or the lower river, I opted for the lower river stretch immediately below Rossett. I have only fished this stretch once before, to christen the 'T' in February. Compared to the leafless experience in February, this may as well be a virgin encounter with the now very green riverside.

I wasn't sure that my choice of venue was good idea. The banks on the lower river are much steeper and vegetated than that on R&G's water's and my already paining legs may make any departure from the river pretty tricky. Nevertheless I slid down the bank at the point pictured above, unwound the cast that was used in Worm's Wood last week and sneaked up to the pool formed under the small Willow.

The first pool

First cast upstream, allow the nymph to sink whilst watching the dry. Lift all line off the water to allow contact with the hinge. As the drift reaches a point opposite, give the hinge a little tweak...
At this point I saw and felt the 'hinge' pull down a fraction so I lifted and a good fish was on. I was given a dance up and down the pool by what turned out to be.....an out of season Grayling. Albeit a very good one, which I'd guess at the 35cm mark and a good start and more 'induced take' evidence.
Moving upstream, I picked up small Grayling and Trout from various pools and runs to the nymph in the main.
In one great looking pool I saw a big (Alyn big) Grayling move up to mid water and follow the nymph downstream before refusing. Two casts later and it followed again then flashed its flank as it turned with the nymph. Another great Tenkara battle ensued and the rewards were a fish I reckon may have been slightly larger than the days first fish.
Once again, as I moved quickly upstream through the various fishy looking areas I regularly picked up small Grayling and Trout. There didn't seem to be any real challenges as the fish were small, regular and monotonous. My legs weren't feeling any better either.

I haven't really mastered fishing dries on the Tenkara yet, so I tied on a small #18 pale olive paradun (there seemed to be a few small pale upwings coming off). I caught a few small browns on this pattern, but I'm still not particularly happy with dry fishing on the T yet. Even when using the 'light' level leaders I still seem to drag the dry when either (a)Trying to land the fly without any leader on the water, or (b)lifting the leader off the water. I still get the urge/'feel the need' to manipulate some mends, wiggles etc into the line, something I can't do with the T.

Without doubt, there are plenty of fish in these lower waters however, if there are any larger trout here I'm struggling to tempt them this season.

A moment of hilarity when I was attempting to climb out of the river behind the sub station. With the ever increasing lactic pain in my quads I couldn't lift my thighs to the horizontal, so I grabbed hold of some relatively new Willow growth shooting from a previously chopped stump and levered myself upwards. These new shoots just couldn't even support my light frame, so mid lift, point of no return and crack...back first I re-entered the Alyn almost horizontally. I was soaked and stuck. After some carefull negotiation of a deep pool I found a relatively low exit point further upstream. A hot bath then called me home...