I'll be honest, low water levels aren't good news for fishing (and companies that sell fishing flies) - the fish get spooky, the pools thin out (along with our orders) and you have to think harder about even venturing out to fish in the first place.
But, there's an upside that doesn't get talked about enough, and it's the reason I wanted to write to you today.
When the river drops right down, it hands you something you can't get at any other time of the year.
It reveals its secrets.
All the bits that are normally hidden under a few feet of water - the gravel bars, the deeper channels, the undercut banks where a decent trout might be holding - it's all there, laid bare, if you know where to look and take the time to look properly. And there's one particular feature that low water reveals which changes how you'll read that stretch every time you fish it afterwards - I'll come back to that in a moment.
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As you will have gathered from my intro, selling fishing flies when it's been this hot and dry is not easy! Which is why we are changing tack a little this week. I've created some great info - and a video - in this email, it would be great if you could support us by taking a look at our summer clothing, t-shirts etc, and see if anything takes your fancy.
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But first, I took my own advice and went for a walk beside my favourite river (the Yorkshire Derwent) and recorded it, to give you an idea of what to look for:
Please Note: This was my first attempt, if you have any comments (both good and bad) or you'd like to see more 'semi-live' river walk/watercraft videos, please reply to this email and let me know - it is 15 minutes long, so you might want to grab a brew before you start
It's the kind of walking-the-bank, notebook-in-pocket exercise that pays off for months. You're not casting, you're not fishing a fly, you're just watching the water.
Those seams where fast water meets slow, the pinch points where the current speeds up over gravel, the flat glides that look boring but often hold the biggest fish precisely because nobody bothers fishing them properly - low water shows you all of it clearly, without the guesswork.
That second feature I mentioned - the pinch points - are worth dwelling on, because they're the detail low water reveals best. When a river's running low, you can actually see where the bed narrows and speeds the flow, concentrating food and oxygen into a tight underwater seam. Those are the lies you want logged in your memory for when the water's back up and you can't see the bottom anymore.
Get out there this month while the levels allow it, and you'll fish that stretch with real knowledge next time, rather than hope.
While you're out there wandering the banks in this summer sun, you might as well look the part:
Our Brown Trout Flank Short Sleeve T-Shirt, in either a Latte (creamy white) or Espresso (black), carries Ryan Keene's brown trout artwork - our artist friend from over in the USA who sends through all our fish designs. The moment I saw this one land in my inbox, I knew it needed to go on a t-shirt. It's printed right here in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, by us on the best organic cotton t-shirts we could find.
These aren't the cheap t-shirts that look fine on arrival then lose their shape after a wash or two - you know the ones. This is 185gsm premium weight, 100% GOTS certified organic cotton from Earth Positive, with a fine gauge, tight knit and proper side seams, cut on grain so it keeps its shape wash after wash. Earth Positive's factory runs on wind and solar power with zero water discharge, which matters to us as much as it hopefully does to you - protecting the environment sits right alongside protecting the rivers we all fish.
For only £27.50 you get our Brown Trout Flank Short Sleeve T-Shirt in Latte or Espresso, designed and printed right here in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, featuring artist Ryan's brown trout artwork on the chest. Check the size guide (above) before ordering to get your fit exactly right.
If you're not a fan of the Brown Trout design, we also have Rainbow and (my favourite) Brook Trout designs:
or
Whether you end up fishing that low water this week or just fancy a decent t-shirt with a good design on it, I hope this one earns a place in your wardrobe for years, not just one season.
Tight lines,
P.S. Next time you're by a low river, don't just walk past the flat, boring-looking glides - stop and look at the river bed. Slower, featureless water often holds bigger fish exactly because most anglers ignore it in favour of obvious riffles and pools.
Look for pinch points where the channel narrows and the flow visibly speeds up over gravel. These concentrate food and oxygen and are worth remembering long after the water rises and you can't see the bottom anymore.
A notebook or a few photos on your phone of these features, taken while the water's low, will save you a lot of guesswork later in the season when everything's hidden again.
And if you do pick up one of our organic cotton T's like the ones above, wash it inside out on a cool cycle - it helps keep the print and the shape looking right for longer.
