A Pre-Season Look At The River

With the trout season a week away, I took a wander up the river near my house to see what (if anything) was going on.  

After a mild end to February which stripped most of the snow from the mountains, we've had a very cold start to March with fresh snow and temperatures hovering around freezing during the day so I wasn't really expecting much fish or insect activity.

A river with a snowy mountain in the background
The River Lochy with Ben Nevis in the background

Still, it was a fabulous day to be out for an early spring walk. The weather was clear and settled and there was virtually no wind.

As expected, I didn't see any fish rising but there were a few small midges hatching from shallow areas that got the sun.  

I spent a while turning over rocks to see what I could find underneath. 

A small white nymph with dark wing buds
Small nymph

A brown nymph
Larger Nymph, maybe a March Brown

There were quite a few little stone clingers like the ones in the pictures.  I have no idea what the smaller one is but (based on my pocket guide to matching the hatch) the larger one might be a March Brown Nymph.  

Please comment if you can help me out.

Further down the river, I was pleasantly surprised to see a few upwing flies on the water.  They were too far away to see properly but I'd guess they were March Browns or Large Olives.  

Trust me, there is a fly in there somewhere

Note to self - take binoculars next time.

All in all, it was a fun evening out but the temperature is forecast to stay low for at least another week so I can see the early season being especially tough this year.

A big flat stretch of a river with a bright blue sky
A fine spot for a bug hunt






Location: River Lochy, United Kingdom

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