Millsertime
Active member
I had the pleasure to fish the famous River Dove this past Tuesday, the 28th. Amazing fishery with great history. Humbling to fish the same beat as Walton and Cotton. I purchased a day pass from the Izaak Walton hotel in Ilam for 40 pounds. They have left bank rights for over 3 miles of the River Dove in the very scenic Dovedale National Nature Reserve.
As soon as I strung up my line, it started to drizzle which is always good for bugs and fishing. I spoke with 3 nice elderly Brits who decided to stop fishing for the day due to the rain. They gave me pointers on recent hatches and the best stretches. Great gentlemen. With their departure, I had the whole stretch to fish by myself! The further upstream I went the steeper the gradient and better fishing.
I'm guessing the drizzle and overcast helped me greatly because I caught a lot of browns and big browns. No grayling. Many types of bugs were out and trout could be seen lazily sipping them off the surface in almost every run. Dries, wets, and small streamers worked. I used an 8' 4 weight which worked perfect. I could go on and on about how amazing it was and talk about certain fish that I caught but I thought I'd post a few pictures for the time being. All the pictures of the bigger fish, which I'd estimate to be in the high teens, were very blurry due to the rainy weather.
I fished the River Wharfe last year at Bolton Abbey. It was good fishing and nice scenery but nothing compared to the number and quality of browns on the River Dove. I hope to be back again next year.
http://izaakwaltonhotel.com/fishing/
As soon as I strung up my line, it started to drizzle which is always good for bugs and fishing. I spoke with 3 nice elderly Brits who decided to stop fishing for the day due to the rain. They gave me pointers on recent hatches and the best stretches. Great gentlemen. With their departure, I had the whole stretch to fish by myself! The further upstream I went the steeper the gradient and better fishing.
I'm guessing the drizzle and overcast helped me greatly because I caught a lot of browns and big browns. No grayling. Many types of bugs were out and trout could be seen lazily sipping them off the surface in almost every run. Dries, wets, and small streamers worked. I used an 8' 4 weight which worked perfect. I could go on and on about how amazing it was and talk about certain fish that I caught but I thought I'd post a few pictures for the time being. All the pictures of the bigger fish, which I'd estimate to be in the high teens, were very blurry due to the rainy weather.
I fished the River Wharfe last year at Bolton Abbey. It was good fishing and nice scenery but nothing compared to the number and quality of browns on the River Dove. I hope to be back again next year.
http://izaakwaltonhotel.com/fishing/
