THE Tees was in good form on Wednesday when angling resumed.
Trout were rising to feed on olives which were hatching on and off for most of the day.
The flies, with their upright wings, were floating on the surface and being picked off by not only the trout but by mallards and their ducklings, as well as by swallows.
We have not been allowed to fish, but there were signs that other animals have been as active as ever.
The claws and shell of crayfish are strewn on riverside rocks – a sure sign that otters have been active, while herons have also been out and about.
So the trout will not have benefitted from a lack of anglers, as predators, cormorants included, have been targeting the fish.
Some of the pools and rapids in the Tees have been altered by winter floods.
Because it has been dry for so long, it’s easy to forget that last autumn and winter were very wet, and floods have displaced gravel, pebbles and even rocks and moved them downstream.
And with the warm, dry spring, and low water levels, thick slimy weed, not normally seen until summer, is attached to much of the smooth bed rock.
Anglers – who have not already been out – will be keen to make up for lost time, for there is no substitute for fishing.
Many Tees anglers have opted for riverside walks as their daily lockdown exercise, so will have studied the river in preparation to fish.
Fly-tying, preparing tackle, reading angling blogs, books and magazines and watching angling programmes helped fill the time.
Let’s hope the virus is kept in check, and we can enjoy this season without further interruptions.
Andrew Wilkinson
