Well just like that another trout season has been and gone here in Yorkshire with the season drawing to a close on the 30th September.

It’s been a funny season, with the cold start we had in April and super low river levels resulting in difficult conditions and sparse fly hatches it was a tough and challenging! The key to finding fish was hitting the river when there was a hatch, being in the right place at the right time and fishing nymphs to tempt them fish to take your flies!

I always remember the first day of the trout season. Things are always a little rusty after a long winter seeking out grayling but after a few sessions it all falls back into place.

I’ve spent much of this season fishing a small local river. Looking back, i think it’s really improved my fishing. Theres many pros to fishing small overgrown rivers and they are full of fly life and lovely wild brown trout!

• Accuracy

A small, over grown and narrow river means you might not be able to make normal over head casts, pin point bow and arrow casts & roll casts where possible will give you the best chance of fooling them wise wild brownies!

• When You’ve Caught A Fish

You’ve made the cast, the fly has been engulfed by a trout. Now what? There’s so many trees you need to make sure your fly rod and line doesn’t get tangled around. Before you even start fishing always observe you’re surroundings, plan ahead to where you’re going to play any fish you fool. It’s always worth carrying a smaller like an 8-9 ft rod to give you a little more room to work the rod.

Highlights of my season

There’s always highlights and days you look back on and don’t forget. This year for me mine has to be the simple fact of being able to be out on a river fishing with friends old and new.

Back in august I had the pleasure of showing Aime Battams around my local, The Calder. If you’re familiar with Amie on Instagram you’ll know she’s a brilliant new angler and very funny! We had a brilliant time fishing together and bumped into one of the River Calder’s bigger residents. I’m sure we will have more fishing trips in the future! Im certain she will always remember her trip up norf’ catching her first grayling!

My last outing for the trout ended on a road trip to Hampshire to fish on the River Test with the lovely Gilly & Beaky. It was one of them days where numbers didn’t matter. In actual fact we spent more time laughing and telling stories than fishing. We did, however, catch a hat trick of trout on my silver Sedge that they just couldn’t resist! Each fish requiring a tricky cast under an over hanging tree. Such good and exciting fun!

For now though. There’s lots to look forward too!! For me, my attentions turn to replenishing my fly box, tying up nymphs to target the grayling and standing in the middle of a river fishing for the grayling wishing it was summer again! In February theres the British Fly Fair which will be the first show many of us will have been too for a long while so I’ll certainly be looking forward to meeting up with friends there! A show not to be missed!

Here are a few of my favourite fish this year

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I hope you’ve all had a top trout season and it’ll be March before we know it! Tight lines for the winter months!