“Early morning starts make the most of Rutland’s beauty”

I really like getting up early to go fishing. In March, when the season opened, I resolved to have an early start at least once a week and get a couple of hours fishing in before work.

On the Sunday of opening weekend I was in Whitwell Creek at first light and enjoyed being the only one there… until a certain Iain Barr turned up and bagged the swim next to mine!

It turned out to be a good session with four nice Rainbows before breakfast beckoned. Well that worked for less than two weeks before the COVID-19 lockdown took place and we all had to find lots of DIY jobs at home to fill our weekends!

Since fishing re-started at Rutland I have been trying to keep to the same routine and 5am on a Sunday morning will usually find me on the peninsula bank trying to have a couple of hours on the water before the day starts.

While these early visits have been less than spectacular in terms of fishing results, somehow that has not mattered. The beauty of Rutland really shows up early in the morning. With only sheep and rabbits to keep me company, I have enjoyed the stunning views as the sun rises.

At a recent early visit to Carrot Creek a beautiful sunrise was the star of the show and somehow the tangled lines and my frustrating lack of casting ability did not seem to matter at all. Tim Lawson July 2020.