davestocker

A new evening event has now been scheduled for our (not for profit) festival – a 'Gamefishers’ Evening' with guest speakers, along with two evening fly fishing competitions with prizes and cups at Bessy Beck Trout Fishery, Tebay. Wed 20th May – A ‘Gamefishers Evening’ in Penrith will involve presentations from Stuart Broadhurst (A Fly for All Seasons), Jeremy Lucas (Eden vs. the Best of Europe – does our local river cut it among Europe’s finest river fisheries?’) and Ally Gowans ‘A salmon fly fishers year’. Q&A session to follow. 7-9pm. Admission £3 on the door. And there's a bar! Venue - George Hotel - Penrith (in town centre) Devonshire St, Penrith. http://www.lakedistricthotels.net/georgehotel/directions.htm Monday 18th May evening dry fly only competition – Bessy Beck from 5.00pm-9.00pm Friday 22nd May open fly fishing competition – Bessy Beck from 5.00pm – 9.00pm. Places are limited, so booking essential. For bookings and details of competition rules, contact the fishery on 015396 23303 or enquiries@bessybecktrout.co.uk And don’t forget, there’s 10% off MRP of non-sale/special promotion goods at John Norris, Penrith during festival week. The festival website is at www.gofishinglakedistrict.co.uk

How true about access! The biggest problem with the Western lakes is parking, and if there were enough folk interested in float tubing or kayaking it might be possible to negotiate a bit of extra parking in the Crummock/Buttermere valleys. I know Crummock has pike, but in May I'm more of a trout fisher. How big have you had them from Crummock?

I would have liked to include an event in or Cumbrian festival of fishing that would be of interest to kayakers and float tubers. Are there any folk who might be interested in paddling with oar or feet in the Cumbria lakes in mid-May? It would be very interesting to see what Buttermere, Crummock Water and Loweswater might throw up to fly fishers, and pike fishers. I doubt they've ever been fished by tube, or kayak, tho I may be wrong.

and here's a film to help you

Yes Alan. Will call you later. Sorry, but Lee has changed his brownie hunting days to Thursday and Friday during festival week.

I like to think that I know a fair bit about the fishing in Cumbria but I was gobsmacked the other day to discover that there is a 200 acre lake on the sea-front near Millom, which is so rich in its feeding that it has been producing grown-on brown trout (from fingerlings) that have reached 8lbs. Even bigger are expected! Fishing on Hodbarrow Lagoon is controlled by Cumbrian instructor/guide Lee Cummings (AAPGAI) who has come up with another reason to visit Cumbria’s ‘Wild West’ – to catch a monster brownie on fly. But this won’t involve ‘fly fishing for trout’ as we usually know it. You’ll need an 8 weight rod capable of turning over large flies, and you will be fishing into the dark. Go to www.gofishinglakedistrict.co.uk click on Events for Wednesday and Thursday for Lee’s contact details, cost etc.

I’m delighted by a new addition to our programme. Cumbrian guide and instructor Lee Cummings AAPGAI will host two day-long events pursuing mullet on the fly on the Cumbrian coast. I would have thought this to very early in the year for these ‘british bonefish’, but no. Lee assures me that there will be fish around. Better still the average size is expected to be between 7and 8 lbs. There are only 5 places available on each day. Go to www.gofishinglakedistrict.co.uk click on Events for Monday and Tuesday for Lee’s contact details, cost etc.

I'm well thank you, Alan. And the better for getting this put together! How's yourself? Still down the road, as it were? If you've my old phone number give me a call sometime. I'll look for yours in the meantime.

At long last we’re ready to roll with this. Please check out the website at http://www.gofishinglakedistrict.co.uk and get yourselves up here! And should anyone doubt our claims about the wonderful fishing we have in Cumbria, they might like to watch this http://www.yearofadventure.tv/play.asp?Title=Fishing More in due course.

You aren't the first person to ask. The EA are fine about it. BUT I'm keen to encourage lure/fly fishing only at this time of year. Seems that the post-spawning feed-up creates some very hungry fish, and that deep hooking can readily occur if deadbaits are used. The water temperatures in mid-May will not be as high as in midsummer, when the fish can experience stress if played in water with a low-oxygen content.

Anglers from around the UK are invited to visit and sample the fishing that Cumbria has to offer, for a week in mid-May next year. Cumbria Tourism, the Environment Agency, the county’s biggest angling club (Windermere, Ambleside and District AA), and myself, have been exploring what we could do to flag up the county’s angling resource and get people up here to sample it. In mid-May trout fishing should be approaching its peak, but we’ve also got a lot of pike that will be piling on weight after spawning, so flyfishers for trout (and pike) and lure anglers after pike will be our main target audience. We’ll be putting on a programme of masterclasses, workshops, beginners events, fishery tours and so on. What this won’t be is a country fair, in one fixed location – we want folk to put themselves about and see just what fabulous waters we have up here and fish them. With an economic downturn here, a predominantly rural economy that depends on tourism, like Cumbria has, can do with all the help it can get. A festival of this kind will provide an opportunity for members of forums like this to get together and participate, and it would be great to see lots of you guys come up here. Date is the week commencing 16th May 2009. We’ve not yet got a website up, but any indications of early interest should be sent to gofishinglakedistrict@googlemail.com. We’ll email back and make further posts as things start moving.

Here's a thought; I bet otters love to eat crayfish, and I bet otters are thriving in a system like the Eden. Has the EA considered that the re-introduction of this predator might just end up with them predating on the remaining white-clawed crayfish stocks?

North-West Fly Fishing Festival, Stocks Reservoir, Lancashire. Sunday, August 17th. Free entry, from 10am. Ben Dobson and his team at Stocks Reservoir in Lancashire are to host the second North-West Fly Fishing Festival on Sunday 17th August, from 10am onwards. As well as offering a chance to meet some of the top names of the sport, there will be casting and fishing demonstrations to watch, competitions to take part in, and new tackle to try out. It should also provide an opportunity for a bit of a get-together for those of us who no longer meet up at Chatsworth, or the John Norris event, both of which have now gone. There will be a BBQ lunch and refreshments will be available. You can also fish on the day, but you’ll have to buy a day ticket. Ben’s awaiting confirmation from some of the movers-and-shakers of the sport who he’s hoping will be there. I’ll post again when these attendees confirm. In the meantime you can keep an eye on how things are developing at this dedicated page on the Stocks Reservoir website http://www.northwestflyfishingfestival.co.uk/ For those who don’t know the fishery it’s a 350 acre reservoir, fed by the headwaters of the River Hodder, a major Ribble tributary. Ben has run the fishery for more than 10 years, and stocks generously with Rainbows, Browns and Blues . It’s situated just outside Slaidburn, in the beautiful Forest of Bowland, not far from Clitheroe.

Lancashire ‘Festival of Fly Fishing’ to be held at Stocks Reservoir Tues 8th May, 10am-4pm Stocks Reservoir Fly Fishery is to host a one-day ‘Festival of Fly Fishing’ between 10am and 4pm on Tuesday 8th May 2007. The free-to-enter event at Lancashire’s largest stillwater trout fishery (near Slaidburn, Lancashire) is to feature two world class fly fishing acts from the USA who will be visiting the UK. Jerry Siem the US casting expert responsible for developing and designing some of the world’s most sought-after rods for fly fishing, for the american Sage brand, will be demonstrating casting techniques, along with Simon Gawesworth, another fly fishing ‘master caster’, who left the UK to work for Rio fly lines in the USA. The event has been created to appeal to experienced anglers, newcomers to the sport and people who might like to give the sport a try. It should also appeal to Stocks regulars, and those who’ve never visited the fishery before. For experienced fly fishers there will be; * Demonstrations of casting techniques from the experts from the USA * Casting competitions for all-comers, testing distance and accuracy * Fly tying demonstrations from local experts * A presentation by Stocks expert Nick Halstead on technical tips to help you catch more fish * Boat tours around the fishery describing seasonal ‘hot spots’ under the guidance of Stocks expert and resident fishing guide Paul Bebb. * The opportunity to have your casting analysed by APGAI-qualified instructors * An opportunity to try out Sage and Redington fly rods and Rio fly lines, along with other tackle from Greys, Fulling Mill, Scierra, Vision, Cortland, Snowbee, Baleno and Fishpond. For beginners there will be an opportunity to try your hand at basic fly casting under the guidance of the UK’s most highly qualified fishing instructors Stocks Fly Fishery is equipped with an excellent clubhouse, and a well-stocked fishing tackle shop. There are toilets for men and women. Non-fishing participants are very welcome to attend, with opportunities for walking and birdspotting, as well as fishing. There will be a barbeque between 12 noon and 2pm And there will be a free raffle for all who attend who try out Sage and Redington rods, with a tackle outfit for a prize. Stocks Fly Fishery website includes details of the festival, and directions to the fishery, is at http://www.stocksreservoir.com and anglers are asked to keep an eye on the site for any additional developments. For any further information, in the first instance please contact the proprietor of the fishery, Ben Dobson on 07896 000939. Alternatively contact the fishery on 01200 446602.