SEVERAL brown trout of about 1lb 8oz have been caught on the Tees during the last few weeks, as the river continues to offer reasonable sport.
The improvement on last season is continuing, though trout numbers are still down compared to past decades, when many of the dale’s older anglers first cast a line.
My most recent session yielded 13 trout and three grayling, a pleasing tally, though not one of the trout was over about 6oz.
However that’s not a bad thing, for it shows that the trout are breeding, with a new generation of smaller fish coming along.
Reports have continued of some big rainbow trout to several pounds being caught. There has been speculation that rainbows are breeding successfully in the Tees.
It’s possible. I asked a friend, who is much more knowledgeable on the subject than I am, as he ran his own trout lake with stocked rainbows, reared as triploids and therefore unable to breed.
He said that rearing fish as triploids is not 100 percent effective, and some can breed. Therefore it is technically possible that a few escapees from the Teesdale reservoirs might be able to breed in the river.
However, it seems almost certain that the big rainbows which have shown up, are stocked fish, which have tumbled out of the reservoirs, and not Tees-born specimens.
As rainbows tend to shoal, it is likely that when one fish leaves the reservoirs, others will follow, which is probably why certain pools on the Tees hold a few of them.
Fishing the reservoirs is a good challenge, and one that I don’t take on as often as I perhaps should. However, I did have an enjoyable session on Hury in Baldersdale a few weeks ago.
Northumbrian Water stock their waters with some super rainbows, including many in the 3lb range. They are stocked in good numbers, so while a few find their way into the river, the vast majority don’t. Most are free rising, and can be caught on dry flies as well as wets and lures. Hooking them is a challenge and when you do you are guaranteed a rod bending battle.
Hury is a fly only reservoir, though Grassholme caters for bait, and fly rods. With miles of bank space, these reservoirs suit those who like to focus on one area, and those who prefer to keep on the move, looking for hot spots. Tickets can be booked on the Northumbrian Water website.
While we all have our favourite venues, there’s a lot to be said for a change of scene and a different challenge.
This year I have fished different waters in the Lake District, from the larger lakes, to tarns high up in the fells. The wild brown trout in these waters are mainly small, but with different markings from Tees trout, some with olive and yellow hues.
They are not easy to catch, and on my last couple of sessions I caught just one fish in each tarn. It is a huge effort to climb to these hidden away spots, but worth every step. You are virtually guaranteed to have the water to yourself, and to spend a day of solitude in such beautiful surroundings is rewarding in itself. To catch one of their wild fish caps a splendid day.
The same flies that work on the Tees will catch lake trout, though in a team of three flies, it’s worth trying a bushy fly on the top dropper, as the wake caused when retrieving often attracts a trout to follow and take. The drive back over the A66 and the view down Teesdale is a reminder of how lucky we are to live in such a stunning area, with so much good fishing.
