cressbrook & litton fly fishers’ club newsletter

CRESSBROOK & LITTON FLY FISHERS’ CLUB JULY 2013

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Another early season of low (ish) water and poor weather made for challenging fishing conditions. Those who braved the cold start found Olives hatching in good numbers, if somewhat delayed. The Mayfly was so-so, with hatches spread out after a late start. As last year, the best of the activity

seemed to be on Beats 1 to 4. Rod visits (including guests) were 1,018 compared to 953 for the same period last year and total fish caught 9,385 (2012 9,015) making an average of 9.21 (2012 9.46).

50th AnniversaryI’m pleased to report

that matters are progressing nicely with our planning for next year’s celebrations.

The main event will be a black tie dinner at the Hassop Hall Banqueting Suite on 4 October 2014. We will also be hosting a smaller dinner at the Flyfishers’ Club in London for members who are either already members of The Flyfishers, or who might be thinking of becoming a member.

We have commissioned an illustrated river map by renowned fishing artist Humphrey Stanley, prints of which will be made for all members. The original will be auctioned at the Dinner to defray the cost.

I hope you are enjoying a good season and I look forward to seeing you on the river.

-John Smith President C&LFFC

As time was too short to make it up to the Wye one May evening, Neil Cozens and Jim Daniel decided on a whim to spend a couple of hours on the DCFC trout lake at Willington. After a few rainbows had come to the net Neil had a gentle take to his size 14 buzzer within yards of the bank. The unseen fish set off into the middle of the lake, taking 40 yards of line on its first run. Hoping it might be a monster brownie, Neil

was only mildly disappointed to find that it was a double figure carp, probably a visitor from the Trent following recent flooding. Jim got the biggest laugh of the evening when he asked if it was a bream - only a world record bream could possibly pull that hard and fast! They have promised to return later in the summer to deliberately target these fish. Now where are those dog biscuits?

FISHING STATISTICS TO MID-SEASON

Carpe Diem!Cozens captures cra#y cyprinid

NEWSLETTER


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We enjoyed two excellent days recently in Stuart’s company, tying some of his killer patterns and learning some of his very useful techniques.

The thing about Stuart is that he never accepts anything as fact until he has proved it for himself. Consequently, you can be sure that all his patterns will have been well & truly tested and are utterly reliable. They are also relatively simple ties and tough as old boots!

All levels of skill were represented and Stuart spent some time with each of us in turn to make sure we’d “got it”. As always, we learned so much more than the tying techniques

and by the end of each session we knew what to look out for in respect of the behavioural

patterns of the insects being represented.

And of course it was just great to be shaking off the cabin fever with so many like-minded friends.

We will certainly be running more such days in the future and Oliver Edwards has agreed to host a fly tying Masterclass on 22 September 2013.

Use White Aero Dry Wing yarn as a sighter

The body is March Brown Wapsi Superfine dubbing and the thorax is mole fur

To mimic the swimming movement of the natural, draw it in steady pulls across the current

The hook is a size 20 Partridge SLD barbless

Extending at right angles from each side of the body are single strands of Veniard Pearl Micro Flash. These act as stabilizers, ensuring the fly always lands the right way up

This fly represents the emerging Agapetus caddis as it makes its way in the surface film towards the shaded bank of the river

Top: Stuart in fu$ flow Bottom: The Tan Dancer, one of Stuart’s signature patterns

STUART CROFTS’ FLY TYING DAYS

As a thank you to Cressbrook & Litton for supporting his caddis research project, Stuart will be hosting a late night bug hunt on the river for the benefit of members. He will be setting up his insect traps and demonstrating the wealth of fly life the river supports, unseen by the majority of members. This will take place, weather permitting, on 31 July from 10.00 p.m. onwards. All members are welcome and there will be no charge. Not to be missed!

STUART’S ACE (AGAPETUS CADDIS EMERGER)

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS HILARY LANGANI’m pleased to report that Vicky & Stuart Hooley of Fly Only have agreed to give C&L members a 10% discount on all purchases on presentation of your membership card. For online orders type clffc (in lower case) followed by your membership number in the voucher box. The Fly Only store is in the village of Shelley not far from J39 of the M1. Post code HD8 8LU. They have a casting lake nearby and a warm welcome is assured. Also worth a visit is a little cheese shop which makes Brie on site. More retailer benefits to follow later in the year.

Agapetus Fuscipes is incredibly prolific on the Wye and hatches in countless mil-lions from May to mid- summer. Its little domed cases encrust virtually every rock on the river bed, particularly in our up-per reaches. It is a day time emerger and the adults can often be found on bank side foliage


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TALES FROM THE HUT BARNEY FOR PRESIDENT

The old keeper had a distant and misty look in his eyes as he contemplated the final resting place of his faithful hound Barney, in Percival’s Copse close by the Hut in Duffers.

“That dog was fearless and saved my bacon, times many. One incident with a poacher in Presidents springs to mind.

“I’d accosted this chap, bold as brass, fishing a worm. He was in the company of his girlfriend, who immediately threw the bag of fish he’d caught back in the river. To be fair, he knew the game was up and was coming quietly, but this girlfriend had other ideas. The ugly cow started shouting and swearing, then began to lash out at me. Next thing, the poacher got stuck in and I thought I was done for. But old Barney realized I was in trouble and leapt straight into the melee. I’d got hold of the poacher by the lapels and, as I swung him

around, I glanced down to see Barney, teeth firmly clamped into the poacher’s gluteous maximus, g-forces swinging him horizontally as he hung on for dear life. This had the desired effect and they both calmed down once Barney had been persuaded to let go.

“Barney’s bravery was subsequently recognized by the Club, who made him Honorary Life President, although a line had to be drawn under his attendance at the dinners because of his unseemly table manners.”

DOES YOUR TROUT FLOSS? ANDY MIDDLETON

Flossing is of course one of those daily activities we dentists recommend to avoid a ticking off from the hygienist. However, it seems that flossing is not only about plaque control; it may have a piscatorial dark side and I fear that I may have inadvertently crossed over.

For a number of years now I have fished in Canada on the Harrison River, a sizeable tributary of the mighty Fraser River. Our guide Rod (good

name for a guide) has the happy knack of putting us where the fish are. He has strong feelings about fishing techniques, regarding some methods with deep suspicion. But his feelings of utter contempt are reserved for those known as “Flossers”.

These parentless fisher folk take advantage of a behavioural characteristic of the sockeye salmon, that swim upstream close to the bottom with their mouths wide open. Thus, a heavy weight, cast across the river with a couple of trebles attached, will inevitably result in the line getting into a salmon’s mouth like dental floss. Invariably, the line will be drawn through resulting in one of the trebles sticking into the outside of the gill plates. Such nefarious tactics are not illegal in Canada, although they quite ruin the chances of those fishing upstream as all the fish are spooked. Of course nothing like

this could occur on our Hallowed Waters .......

While fishing with a size 18 baetis nymph above the new and magnificent Locked Bridge a quite enormous fish rose to my indicator. By instinct I struck - but was aware that a great deal of line had moved off the water before I felt the hook go home. The fish was an absolute whopper and fighting fit. It dashed back and forth across the pool before finally fitting itself in the net by conveniently bending itself in the middle. As you will have guessed, the fish was indeed firmly hooked - in the outside of its jaw! A clear case of dastardly flossing. The fish measured 23 inches and I reckon it was at least 4 1/2 lbs. Taken legally it would have been my biggest Wye fish by a margin.

Should you come across this fish later this season, please pass on my professional complements on its flossing technique.


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A Founder Member, Trustee and Past President of the Club, Jim Hancock passed away peacefully on 29 May. He was 94.

Jim was a Chartered Accountant and ran a successful practice in Sheffield. His business acumen served the Club very well in its early days, when we were trying to acquire the fishing rights from Cressbrook Lake to Litton Mill. He was instrumental, along with the then President, Bernard Elliot, in turning the disaster of the 1966 pollution incident to our advantage, persuading the Mill owner to sell us the rights, which we paid for out of the damages we received from the polluter.

Somewhat craggy & forbidding of aspect, Jim would delight in discomfiting the Committee at the AGM by asking awkward questions about

the accounts. The Club was always close to his heart and he was delighted to receive Honorary Membership in 2004.

There is one story about Jim, possibly apocryphal, which has always made me smile. He had gone down to the river with his wife for an afternoon at Duffers. He hooked a large fish, only to discover that he had left his net at home. Undeterred, he sent Audrey back to Sheffield to fetch the net while he played the fish for the hour it took her to return. Needless to say, by the time the net was to hand, the fish was dead.

The President represented the Club at his funeral service at Christ Church, Dore on 6 June.

DJM

OBITUARY JAMES HARRISON HANCOCK 1918 - 2013

OBITUARY HANS WILHELM CLAUSSEN 1932 - 2013

We were also saddened to learn of the death of Hans Claussen, who passed away recently. Knowing that his days were short, Hans had decided not to re-new his membership this year. His good friend Stephen Fry writes:

“Hans Claussen passed away on 10th June after a long illness bravely borne. Sparring partner and much loved husband of Trisha, special father to

Stefan and my fishing companion. He will be sadly missed on the river by all who had the pleasure to angle with him (but not by the fish). His sense of humour was legendary, even if you didn’t quite know how to take it!”

Hans was born in Emden, northern Germany, close to the Dutch border. His father, a police officer, was imprisoned by the Nazis during the war. Drafted into the Hitler Youth at thirteen, he escaped and found refuge with a farmer who took him in and treated him like a son. After the war he managed to get an apprenticeship as a hairdresser in Cologne. He planned to leave Germany and travel the world, getting as far as Scotland where he was offered a job. He built up a successful hairdressing business, both as a manager and later for himself. It was here he learned to fish. Subsequently he met and mar-ried Trisha, his wife of 42 years, eventually set-tling down in the Midlands. It was here he met Steve Fry, who rekindled his interest in fishing and introduced him to the fly rod.


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Richard Horne passed away peacefully on 30 June at his home in Richmond, North Yorkshire with his family close by.

He served as President of the Club from 1998 to 2000 and was made an Honorary Member in 2006, an honour which gave him immense pleasure. He took great interest in the activities of Cressbrook & Litton and in his later years looked forward keenly to our Fishing Reports and Newsletters.

One of nature’s true gentlemen, his ability to be at ease with people from all walks of life attested to his wide and loyal circle of friends.

He married Cherry, his wife of 46 years in 1951, and they had three daughters and six grandchildren.

He spent two years in the Navy, on the improbably named H M S Venus, then went on to Oxford University.

His working life following university was spent with Boddy Industries, where he became a director. He was also non-executive Chairman of T B L Fibre Optics.

His life outside work was one of unstinting service to the community. From 1969 - 1996 he served as a Magistrate on the Sheffield Bench, becoming Chairman of the Probation Committee and in the mid Eighties he served as High Sheriff of South Yorkshire. He was Hon Sec of the Baslow Village Hall and a Church Warden at St Anne’s Church.

In addition to his love of fly fishing, Richard was also a keen shot, being a member of Gratton Shoot for many years and in his younger days he played rugby and cricket for local sides.

His last years were dogged with ill health, but, despite having endured no less than seven hip replacement operations, he remained in good spirits. He will be sadly missed.

OBITUARY RICHARD HORNE 1927-2013

There is to be a Memorial Service for Richard at St Anne’s Church Baslow on Monday 5th August at 2.00 p.m.

TACKLE SALEIf you have any items of tackle that are surplus to requirements, you can advertise them here. Phil Tidey has set the ball rolling with the following items:

Sage Light Line 586-3 This is a three piece 8ft 6in 5 weight rod in excellent condition with original bag and tube. £220

Orvis CFO 123 disc reel with Sage Quiet Taper 3 weight line. Made in England by Hardy Bros - a much superior reel to the current model which is made in the Far East. Very good condition with minor marks only. £150

Sage RPL 9ft 6in 5 weight two piece rod, in good condition with original bag and tube. £100

Patagonia Watermaster breathable chest waders. Unworn, would suit 34/36 inch (ish) waist and 30/34 inch inside leg. £125

Phone Phil on 07939 521556 or email him on [email protected].

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


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BOOK REVIEW

Fly Fishing Outside the Box,by Peter Hayes (Coch-y-Bonddu Books, 2013, £25; ISBN 978 904784 56 2

Those who review game angling books receive a constant stream of new titles. Most are adequate, or better than ‘adequate’, ‘how to do it’ books or reminiscences; too many are far less good. Just a few stop one in one’s tracks, are truly difficult to put down, explain compellingly the truth behind things we thought we knew but didn’t, and really make one think about one’s sport.

For me, Brian Clarke’s The Pursuit of Sti$water Trout (A&C Black 1975) is an obvious example of the latter. It changed completely the way in which I thought of and approached stillwater fly fishing. The same went for Vincent Marinaro’s In the Ring of the Rise (Lyons & Burford, 1976). There are just a few others including Peter Hayes’ new book, Fly Fishing Outside the Box. It is aptly named.

It is a weighty tome, 272 pages long, and not one of them wasted. In it, Peter, an outstanding flyfisher, C&L member and an unduly modest entomologist, has re-examined

and challenged a multitude of the ‘givens’ that have been handed down from generation to generation within fly fishing. Regrettably, there is not room here to catalogue so great a variety of subjects captured

within 21 separate chapters. But just wonder about the indifference of trout to up-winged duns and their strong preference for emergers; why you reduce your chance of catching fish if you allow your leader to sink; why a wavy tippet is so much more effective than a straight one; and consider what we could do to ensure we had more wild fish, fly life and

fishable water. To some of these we know some of the answers; some are essential truths we have overlooked; others may signify less. (For all Peter’s efforts, I have yet to be convinced that trout and grayling give a damn

which way a nymph is facing - upstream or down - as it rises through the water to hatch.) What is certain though, is that you will ponder what he has to say about such things and, more importantly, begin to think some of them through for yourself.Coch-y-Bonndu Books have a long and honourable track record as book sellers but only began publishing relatively recently, and what a cracking job they are making of it. They have established an enviable reputation for the production of their books - well designed and illustrated, printed on high quality paper, nicely bound and presented, and sensibly priced. And

where fishing is concerned, their proprietor, Paul Morgan, also has an excellent eye for a book that really is worth publishing and which will sell - like this one. In my view, Fly Fishing Outside the Box could well prove to be the most worthwhile £25 any flyfisher could spend.

Peter Lapsley


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DO TROUT BECOME EDU-CATED?

By Don StazickerYes!My own experience of trout

education took an interesting turn two seasons ago. Suffering from acute cabin fever after a winter with little fly fishing, I was at Duffers’ Pool at dawn on Opening Day. There were many good trout in the clear water of the pool. I cast a size 14 gold head Fox Squirrel Shrimp upstream of the better fish. The

response was immediate. Alerted by the plop of the fly, at least ten fish sped towards it and success seemed inevitable. No so. The fish stopped dead about a foot from the fly and after a very brief examination, returned to their lies. Apparently the plop on entry and the appearance of the fly at a distance were attractive but on close examination, the fly was not. Having encountered this behaviour before, I changed the fly for an identical pattern but with a black bead rather than gold. The next cast to the same group of fish took an 18 inch rainbow; a second fish took on the next cast, then nothing. The fly passed close to visible fish without producing any reaction. I changed to a similar pattern with an olive body. This fly took three fish then failed to elicit any further response.

So what might we deduce from this behaviour?

The gold head fly produced refusals from over ten fish that were initially attracted to it, despite not having seen a gold head fly for five months. Two of those fish took a fly that was identical apart from having a black rather than a gold head. That fly then ceased to be effective after

catching two fish. A change to a black bead head with a different coloured body caught three more fish, after which it also ceased to be effective. The hook shape and size were identical, the beads were the same diameter and density and the tying methods the same. So,• Trout can obviously see colour as

the only changes in the fly were the changes in the colour of the bead and the body.

• Trout are capable of remembering flies on which they have been caught or pricked if the fly has some easily identifiable character-istic such as a gold bead head.

• Trout can remember such occur-rences for at least five months.

• Trout in a group may refuse a fly after it has caught fish from that group.

• The colour of the fly may not al-ways be important but in this case it was critical to success.

If trout learn to refuse flies on which they have been caught or

pricked, why do they continue to take artificial flies at all?

The answer may be that while trout learn to avoid a fly with obvious unnatural attractor components such as gold heads or garish fluorescent materials, they may not avoid flies that appear more like the natural insects. If they did, they might have to avoid eating natural insects as well - not a recipe for good nutrition and survival!

Many aspects of imitation and presentation that initially attract trout may become repulsive once fish associate them with having been caught or pricked. In an attempt to induce trout to take our fly, many of us will have used what the biologist Nikolaas Tinbergen called a superstimulus. Tingbergen found

that male sticklebacks would attack a model male fish in preference to a natural male if the body of the model was redder than the natural. The males also preferred a model female with an exaggeratedly swollen belly (superstimulus indicating fertility) to the real thing.

The angler’s version of a superstimulus tends to produce a fly that is bigger, brighter, has a gold head or incorporates the sort of material that normally appears in Barbie’s dress!

The problem with this approach is that the artificial fly stands out from the crowd. This leads to initial

success as the superstimulus results in a take. However, on catch and release waters, fish caught on these flies with exaggerated appearances may learn to avoid them.

If you do not think this is likely, then consider in lab tests, when trout were presented with a red button to dispense a food pellet they learned to press the button in a very short time, about 30 minutes. When presented with a blue button that delivered a mild electric shock, they learned equally rapidly not to touch it. If both buttons were present the fish dispensed food and avoided shocks perfectly.

So next time the fish refuse a fly that used to work so well, consider changing to a similar pattern without the exaggerated features.

When you have caught fish and the takes dry up, consider changing the colour (or size, Ed.) of the fly. In the words of Phil White, when asked by an angler what fly to use on the Wye, “Use anything they haven’t seen yet”.

Tight lines,Don


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PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMITTEEYour committee met on Tuesday 4 June at the

Locked Bridge Hut and all members were present.

Among matters discussed were the 50th Anniversary celebrations. The main event would be the Black Tie Dinner to be held at the Banqueting Suite of Hassop Hall on 4 October 2014. The cost had been agreed with Hassop Hall although the eventual price of the tickets would have to take into account the cost of guests meals. The question of an appropriate after dinner speaker was discussed. Several names were mentioned and the President agreed to make enquiries. The arrangements regarding the Commemorative Illustrated River Map were discussed. (Subsequently the committee decided to instruct artist Humphrey Stanley and he has now visited the river during the recent glorious weather to make his initial notes and sketches).

Members will have noticed that our website has been out of action for several weeks. The new site has been built and will offer online booking for the Day Ticket Water. Its implementation has been delayed due to the absence of several key individuals who have been on holiday.

The Cressbrook Mill Hydro Scheme is still an issue but we are just keeping a watching brief at the moment. The mill owners have made us an inadequate offer for the weir, which has been rejected. Our basic position is that we are opposed to the proposal. Although the mill owners maintain that they can still operate the scheme without the weir, we are sceptical about this.

Membership benefits. The Hon Sec has been working hard on several suppliers. Fly Only have agreed a 10% discount (mentioned elsewhere in this Newsletter). A similar arrangement has been agreed with Steve Cooper of Cookshill on orders over £25.

The River Conservancy Officer announced that stocking was taking place on the same basis as last year. It was noted that the quality of fish was excellent. There was a brief discussion on whether to cease stocking with rainbow trout but it was decided to maintain the status quo.

Nestle, who operate the Buxton Water Plant at Water Swallows, are installing a second bore

hole. This is purely a reserve and does not mean that any more water will be extracted from the aquifer. However, the RCO will keep an eye on their operations and members must on no account drink Buxton Water!

Events. The Rivercraft Day was fully booked. Stuart Crofts will be hosting a Midnight Bug Hunt on 31 July at Locked Bridge. The third annual Tenkara Day has been arranged for 8 September and the Oliver Edwards’ Fly Tying Masterclass will take place at Ashford Memorial Hall on 22 September.

Head Keeper’s Report. New Sewage Works at Cressbrook village. A new plant is being built which will separate the “solids”, leaving the treated liquid to be pumped underground. The solids will be removed by tanker.

Pig slurry incident. Despite promises by the EA we have not had sight of the report on the matter. Stephen was asked to make contact with the officials concerned.

Magpie Sough. There are moves afoot to look at the feasibility of blocking off Magpie Sough in order to return the water to the Lathkill. No prizes for guessing who might be behind this! It is thought that this would be unlikely to happen, firstly because of budgetary restrictions and secondly because the Sough has been blocked in the past by rockfalls. The weight of the water building up inside eventually resulted in the hillside collapsing. Stephen would continue to monitor this issue.

Poaching. There have been more incidents this year but none have been caught. More effort must be put into countering this threat. John Whittle had been in discussions with a resident of Litton Mill who thought it might be possible to install cameras overlooking Duffers. Stephen was to look into this further.

John Whittle had also been approached by a local resident about the possibility of installing a floating platform for the swans that nest on the spit of land in Cressbrook Lake. Apparently recent clutches had been lost due to flooding. The committee was minded to agree to this from the point of view that it fostered good relations with the locals.


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LAST CAST

The President delivers the fly ....

He sets the hook ....

Battle is joined ...

... oh bugger!

ContributorsDON STAZICKER

Sometime dental surgeon, film maker and fly fishing guide,

Don’s ability to extract trout from the Wye is legendary.ANDY MIDDLETON

Another dental surgeon whose enthusiasm

for the Wye knows no bounds.DAVID MARRIOTT

Calendar31 July 2013

Crofty’s Midnight Bug Hunt

8 September 2013

Tenkara Day with Dr Ishigaki

22 September 2013

Oliver Edwards’ Fly-tying Masterclass

7 October 2013

Trout season ends

12 November 2013

End of season dinner

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