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Nicholas S

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Blog Entries posted by Nicholas S

  1. Nicholas S
    Couldn’t make my mind up where to fish so I decided to be lazy and fish the reservoir for the Rainbows. To be honest my heart wasn’t really in it and it didn’t come as a great surprise that I blanked.
  2. Nicholas S
    New stretch of the Bristol Avon fly fishing for Chub. Wasn’t a great session really. Despite the fact I could see lots of Chub the deluge which greeted me soon after I arrived seemed to put them down and they just weren’t interested. Eventually tempted a nice fish but stupidly tried to hand land it in the water. It spooked and the hook pulled! Oh well, lesson learnt
  3. Nicholas S
    A week’s holiday with family in the north of Scotland near Ullapool. Unsurprisingly I managed to fit in some fishing where I could! The scenery, wildlife and fishing were fantastic, the weather unfortunately less so but it didn’t really dampen spirits.
     
    On the long drive North I stopped off at Pitlochry to have a punt at fishing the Tummel, something I’ve been meaning to do for a while. The river is lovely but I was woefully unprepared with my small brook rod and no wading staff. The Tummel is extremely powerful, scarily so, and wading without a wading staff (and probably a life jacket) is plain stupid. In this instance I managed to fashion an impromptu one of a large stick I found on the bank but it wasn’t ideal. This was my first experience fly fishing such a large river for Trout and Grayling and apart from numerous Salmon Parr my few hours fishing was very unsuccessful. The water there seemed ideal for Czech Nymphing and on my next visit I will certainly be trying this with a much longer rod this time!
     
    During the week I managed to fit in a couple of fishing sessions, usually when the weather was poor and people didn’t fancy venturing out (except me!). The following pics were all take on the most spectacular walk into the Mountains on a day that started out with the most miserable weather. Thankfully the weather improved as the day wore on but everytime I tried to have a cast in the one of the myriad of Lochs on offer I was virtually eaten alive by midges and had to retreat! Blissfully a wind picked up and standing right in the face of it I was finally able to have a few casts and much to my surprise caught some beautiful hard fighting little wild brownies. It was fantastic fun and I could have stayed there all day but I cleverly managed to forget all my food and drink and by the time the evening had arrived I was famished! I should mention I spotted the most stunning Black Throated Diver on the Loch I was fishing, a very rare bird which I have always wanted to see, that really made my day.
     

     

     

     

     

     
    My second fishing trip was spent on the River Garvie; a small spate river which connects a large Loch to the sea. It used to be famous for its Sea Trout but sadly now (thanks to Salmon Farming) is better known for its Grilse but still has a moderate run of Sea Trout. I arrived on Wednesday evening in the most atrocious weather, driving rain and gusting wind didn’t make for enjoyable fishing conditions but I was pretty certain from the fishes perspective this was pretty good weather! I stayed out until about 11pm and was very pleased to catch two lovely small Sea Trout (of about a pound) with a couple more lost. They were only the second and third Sea Trout I had ever caught (first and second on the fly) and I was over the moon that I had managed to catch at all! I also lost a couple more – they were pretty adept at shedding the hook in the rushes! Returned early the next morning and managed one more Sea Trout of a similar size quite quickly but then struggled for bites right through until the afternoon whereupon my Dad arrived and promptly lost what we think was a small Grilse on his second cast! Much to my annoyance I also think I lost a small Grilse just before I was about to pack up, what an end to the day that would have been but sadly the wait for a Salmon goes on!
     
    On a separate day we all had a very enjoyable day on a boat visiting the Summer Isles with some boat fishing thrown in for good measure between islands – it was mainly Mackerel bashing but the odd Pollack also made an appearance.
     
    Final day was spent on a lovely Loch boat fishing. It was fantastic to be able to practise traditional ‘Loch Style’ but despite the Loch apparently being stuffed full of small brownies, I wasn’t that successful. I think between me and my Dad we managed around 9 beautifully marked brownies. It didn’t really matter that we didn’t catch much; just being in that environment is enjoyment enough. On the drive back to the house we saw two Golden Eagles (separately)! It was a lovely end to the day. I really can’t wait to return here, it really is an amazing place and a fisherman’s paradise.
  4. Nicholas S
    A weekend that I had been looking forward to for a while. I was fishing the Thames with Alan and his Dad Trevor from their punt. I was excitied for a number of reasons, firstly because I had heard lots of good stories about how well the river was fishing, second because it was my first Coarse fishing session of the season and lastly because we were boat fishing which I absolutely love.
     
    It turned out to be a terrific weekend. Left work early on Friday so that i could get home in time to fish the evening and night with Trevor. Despite Trevor’s claims that he had put me in the best spot it seemed the opposite was true as he seemed to be getting all the bites! Still, it didn’t bother me and I enjoyed seeing some lovely Barbel caught, largest probably around 6lb (all to Trevor – really annoyingly I lost two good Barbel).
     
    The following day was spent trotting from the boat and mainly catching Bleak! Despite doing everything we could to try to get through the hoards of them it just wasn’t working. It didn’t really matter however, trotting with a pin off the punt is so much fun and a special experience every single time, even if you can only catch Bleak! Spent that evening in the same spot after Barbel again and this time it seemed like I was the one getting all the bites! Frustratingly I lost another good Barbel but eventually managed to catch my first one of the season, a lovely small fish probably not more than 2lb. We both caught a few nice Chub but Trevor had the last laugh landing a gorgeous Barbel just shy of being a double. It was a terrific evenings fishing, exhilarating stuff holding the rod and waiting for the tip to wrench round!
     
    The final day was spent trotting maggots for the small fish and then trotting the silver down as a live bait hoping for a nice Perch. The tactic worked surprisingly well but mainly with the smaller Perch. I did manage to catch two lovely Pike, the largest around 7.5lb which fought really well on relatively light tackle.
     
    A great weekend and looking forward to the next time.
  5. Nicholas S

    LRA - 17-18/07/2010

    By Nicholas S,

    As luck would have it I was left with both Saturday and Sunday free to fish so I decided to allocate both days to the Little River Avon and fish some new sections.
     
    Saturday was spent further down from where I previously fished. Surprisingly here the river here is much faster with plenty of beds of Ranunculus. In fact it was a lovely stretch and after a quick recce I was looking forward to fishing it. Strangely it wasn't that productive and I only managed fish from a couple of deeper pools with large stretches in-between seemingly fishless. Being hot, sunny and windy it wasn’t ideal conditions so I put my lack of success down to that! At the top of the beat the river splits into two manmade tunnels beneath a large A-road. Whilst fishing just downstream of here I heard the most enormous splash from within one of the tunnels. I looked into the tunnel expecting to see a dog swimming around but all I could see where the rings from what was obviously a very large fish! Excitedly I ventured up the tunnel. It was quite surreal and a little scary fishing inside it but the lure of a large fish kept me going. After initially catching a small Trout I lost what felt like a good fish much to my disappointment. Still, I decided to rest the spot and have a break before fishing it again hoping the fish wasn’t spooked. The plan worked well and it didn’t take long before I was into what felt like a good size fish. Eventually netted a lovely Trout of around 12-14inches which I was very pleased with although I couldn’t help but think this fish I heard splash must have been significantly bigger!
     
    On Sunday I decided to explore the lowest stretch of the syndicate’s water. The river here is overgrown with reeds in places and looks good for Chub although difficult to fish. I spent a fair while in a very promising large pool which I had been informed held large Trout but disappointingly didn’t catch anything. After that I decided I would spend the afternoon and evening further upstream in the same stretch I fished with Alan on a previous visit.
     
    The move was justified immediately after I managed to catch 5 Grayling including two beauties around a pound and quite a few lost all from my favourite pool. After working my way upstream I came to a bend that had produced a few Grayling previously. As I slowly crept up to get into a casting position a trout rose a couple of times on the far bank next to some roots. The spot was particularly tight and difficult to cast so I attempted a catapult cast. By some small miracle it landed perfectly, just upstream of the rises. The fly had barely touched down before the fish took it with gusto and although I could tell right away it was a good fish it was only when I shot past my feet and started stripping line from my reel that I realised I was into something special! I didn't have much choice but to follow the fish downstream where upon it promptly swam back upstream! The fight continued in this fashion for a number of heart stopping minutes before I eventually managed to slip it into the net. I couldn't believe the size of it, just under 2lb, by far the biggest wild Brown Trout I have ever caught and certainly one of the most memorable. Went on to catch a couple more Grayling but there was only one thing that was on my mind, still can’t quite believe it!
     

  6. Nicholas S
    Despite slightly cloudy weather and a drop in temperature I decided to have another go at the Bristol Avon with the fly rod but also with the aim of finding some good spots to coarse fish. The river had dropped since my last visit and looked like it could do with a significant amount of rainfall to breathe some life into it. However, the low water meant that fish spotting was a bit easier than usual and for the first time I spotted some Barbel which was very exciting! One shoal in particular were hidden beneath a snag but were visible with Polaroid’s. I just sat and watched them for ages, fascinating to observe their behaviour, not something I’ve seen before. The fishing was a little harder than usual; I think the conditions meant that the Chub were less willing to take a fly off the top. Still, I managed a couple which I was pleased with. Looking forward to my next visit when I will target those Barbel!
  7. Nicholas S
    Decided to fish the same stretch as last time but venture slightly further upstream. Not as exciting as the last time however as it was a hot Friday evening and they were a few too many fisherman and a number of local kids jumping in the river which didn’t help matters! Couple of Chub and Dace caught though.
     
  8. Nicholas S
    Another exploratory trip to the Bristol Avon this time heading upstream from where I started on my first visit. This stretch looked just as tempting, possibly more although it was also popular with the Barbel fisherman! Think I caught 3 Chub and a couple more Dace, another lovely evening. Saw a number of spots that were screaming to be trotted so I’m looking forward to returning with my pin. Perhaps most exciting of all was peering over a ledge and looking down at a shoal of large Chub with the most enormous Roach swimming beneath them! I have never seen Roach of that calibre and at a rough guess I would say it was around the 2lb mark, all the more reason to return!
  9. Nicholas S
    Well this was a weekend I was looking forward to as my fishing buddy Alan was coming up to stay and we had two days fly fishing planned. The first day was spent on the Little River Avon on a stretch that I hadn’t fished before but had heard good things about. The fishing wasn’t easy but it was a lovely stretch of river with plenty of potential. We both managed a couple of Trout and Grayling each, mine mostly to a nymph and Alan being stubborn and sticking with a dry fly for most of the day!
     

     
    The second day was a real treat for both of us, a day chalk-stream fishing on the River Wylye. This really was something special and we were both looking forward excitedly to the day. After quite a restless night’s sleep dreaming of all things fishy we set off quite early in a bid to make the most of the day. Initially we decided it was best to walk the whole stretch rather than jump in and start fishing right away! The river was glorious, gin clear with a lovely gravel bottom and plenty of Trout and Grayling in evidence! It was hard not to spook the fish, even when crouched behind cover on the bank so it was obvious that stealth and guile would be key to success on the day. We started off fishing a very promising weir pool but surprisingly couldn’t even buy a bite! After a while Alan decided to venture upstream whilst I tried a different method in the weir which I had a feeling might work. Success was almost instant after a Grayling took my nymph first cast! After that I was getting plucks virtually every cast and ended up with around 9 fish, mostly Grayling but a couple of very nice Trout...On one cast I hooked into something that I initially thought was a snag, only you know it, it started moving! Given the clear water i could see something very large swimming in front of me. I couldn’t believe the size of it to be honest and immediately called to Alan to give me a hand with the net. Alan seemed to falter on his way down and just stood staring at the fish that was putting a considerable bend into my rod! Alas, it wasn’t on for long as the hook pulled and I was left in a state of shock gutted that I had just lost the largest Wild Brown Trout I had ever hooked. However, justice wasn’t far away, I stuck at it catching a few more nice grayling to about 0.5lb before again hooking into something that felt larger! It was obviously another big Trout although not as big as the one I lost. This time everything worked to plan and Alan netted my largest Wild Brown Trout much to my relief and joy! The markings on the fish were truly incredible, it was a picture and probably the best looking fish I have ever caught. At a guess it probably weighed around 1.25lb. What a great start!
     
    The rest of the day we explored the whole stretch wading upstream and trying to sight cast to any Grayling and Trout spotted. The fishing was harder here due to the lack of cover and clear, shallow water. However, we both managed to catch a number of fish including some more stunning large Trout on dry fly, doesn’t get much better!
     

     
    Possibly the highlight of the day was revisiting the weir and hooking into an enormous Grayling. The fight was as nerve wrecking as it was exhilarating as you could see every twist and turn the fish made. However, eventually the spectacular fish was netted and quickly weighed, 1lb09oz, my best Grayling ever on a fly by some distance! It was simply an awesome day surpassing all expectations and spent with great company, looking forward to returning!
     


  10. Nicholas S
    I decided that it was about time that I really started to explore the Bristol Avon, especially given how close it is and its reputation for good Barbel and Roach. Instead of walking a stretch I decided to take along my fly rod and target the many Chub that I had spotted here on a brief visit during the close season. Upon arrival I was really surprised to see how clear and full of life the river looked! Quite a contrast to Bath where it is quite slow and sluggish (although undoubtedly full of fish). Peering over a bridge I could see a lovely bed of Ranunculus and a very large shoal of Chub gently drifting in the current. Slightly cheekily I couldn’t resist a cast so creeping into the water I plopped my dry fly right in the middle of them and almost straight away a fish shot up and took it! Not expecting quite such an enthusiastic reponse I was a little slow to strike and missed it. Still, it wasn’t too hard to tempt a couple from the shoal after which I thought it was best to leave them in peace. Moving down the river I explored as much as I could getting into the water on occasion when I spotted a shoal of Chub. I was simply astounded by the number of fish, perhaps it was just that the water was clearer than on the stretches of the Kennet that I usually fish but it was so refreshing to be able to sight fish and see shoals of Dace, Bleak, Minnows, Roach, Chub and more happily swimming around my feet! Didn’t spot any Barbel but they are certainly there, probably holed up under cover during the daytime. I think I managed 3 Chub and a couple of small Dace in the end. It was a fantastic evenings fishing and a real eye opener in terms of the fishing potential from this delightful river. More so, fly fishing for Chub is a very underrated sport, it is GREAT fun and extremely effective, I will say no more!
  11. Nicholas S
    Well this was my first visit back to Lough Ree in 5 years and I was looking forward to it immensely. Unlike previous years I actually had some decent fishing equipment this time and also managed to borrow my friend’s echo sounder which I felt would prove to be invaluable given the size of the Lough. As this was a family holiday my fishing times were primarily restricted to the afternoons and early evenings although I did manage one early morning start as well. Surprisingly I was joined for the most part by my Sister and Girlfriend who actually seemed to quite enjoy themselves! It certainly helped that they were catching many more fish than me!
    Most of the fishing was done trolling behind the boat attempting to stay to a relatively even depth. The echo sounder really came into its own here allowing us to follow the depth contours around the many islands and the mainland as well as helping to build up a picture of the bathymetry of the Lough. We caught fish most days although nothing too spectacular: usually a number of small perch and the odd reasonable Pike (largest was probably around 7lb) although certainly not large in comparison to the monsters that undoubtedly lie in the Loughs mysterious depths. I was hoping to connect with some of the Loughs increasing trout population but sadly despite seeing a number of fish jumping clear out of the water we didn’t connect with any.
     
    Interestingly most of our fish came in quite deep water, around 15-20ft and thinking about it I would imagine that trolling the really deep water with deep diving lures would prove successful, possibly better for the larger fish. Surprisingly when I tried to cast from the boat when drifting I didn't manage to catch anything which was a shame as I prefer lure fishing like this. I feel sure that dead baiting would be far superior to trolling so that is definitely something I will be trying on the next visit. Still, it was a lovely relaxing week and I'm looking forward to returning and hopefully putting the knowledge learnt from this trip to good use!
  12. Nicholas S
    After spending so much time fishing rivers recently I decided for a change of scenery and another crack at Chew Magna Reservoir for its Rainbow Trout. The last time I had fished there had been spring before the first leaves had appeared on the trees. This time the place was positively bursting with life and looked magnificent on what was a lovely balmy evening. Despite the fact that there were fish rising in front of me straight away I struggled to catch. After three missed takes I eventually managed to get it right after switching to a single Buzzer and fishing it almost static. The fish put up a good fight but eventually came to the net and probably weighed about 1 3/4lb. I decided to call it a night after that pleased that I had managed to break my duck on the venue.
  13. Nicholas S
    After fishing the Little River Avon with Vince as my guest on Sunday he kindly invited me to fish on a stretch of the River Wellow that is owned by a syndicate he is a member of. The stretch is upstream of where I usually fish on the Wellow and quite different in character with more slow paced sections and a strange sort of moss that grew on the riverbed. Unsurprisingly the water clarity is just as clear and we were careful to make as little noise as possible when wading upstream. The fishing wasn’t easy, after losing a fish early on we were continually teased by rising fish that had probably long gone by the time we attempted to cover them with a fly. However, salvation was not far away as we eventually came across the sort of pool that dreams are made of. It was probably the most ‘fishy’ looking pool that I had seen on the Wellow, deep and moody with swirling currents and overhanging trees on the far bank which didn’t make for the easiest fishing but there were plenty of fish there as there were fishing rising regularly. I quickly hooked a small Trout on a nymph but decided that fishing with a dry would be far more enjoyable after watching a fish rise immediately after Vince cast out his Caddis. We went on to catch a couple each from the pool, nothing massive although there were undoubtedly bigger fish in the pool but it didn’t matter, it had been a great evening spent in enjoyable company.

     
  14. Nicholas S
    Slow evening on the Wellow Brook again with James. The drop in temperature and slightly changeable seems to have put the fish down and we only managed one small trout apiece despite fishing some of our previously productive pools. We were however treated to the special sight of the Barn Owl hunting again which was probably the best moment in the evening.
  15. Nicholas S
    A great day out spent on the Little River Avon in Gloustershire with friend and guest Vince. This was the first time either of us had fished the river and I had been looking forward to this day all week after hearing and reading plenty of good reports on the quality of game and coarse fishing on the river. We arrived at the upstream end of the syndicate’s stretch of river, supposedly the most productive but also the most popular. The river here flows through beautiful mature deciduous woodland is a mixture of fast shallows and riffles interspersed with some slow deep sections. I was surprised initially that the clarity wasn’t too great but have since found out that it tends to go tea coloured when it needs a good wash out. There were very few fish rising when we started so we decided to both fish nymphs. After making our way steadily upstream taking turns to cast I was the first to catch after switching to a Mayfly nymph. The culprit was a sprightly 5inch Brown Trout, a nice start. My luck continued as not long after I was into my first Grayling which was pleasing as I was looking forward to trotting the river for them in the Winter. There are apparently some very large specimens there which always adds to the excitement. This time however the Grayling was rather more Dace sized but still very welcome. We went on to catch a number of Grayling and only a couple more Trout, one of which I managed to somehow lasso around its fin! Strangely the majority of the Grayling came out of the deep sluggish sections, not what I would have thought of as typical Grayling water but something that I will bear in mind in the future when specifically targeting them. Unfortunately some rather unexpected heavy showers put an early end to the day and we didn’t stay to experience the anticipated evening rise. Still it was a great day out and I’m really looking forward to getting to know the river better soon hopefully.
  16. Nicholas S
    Decided to try out a new stretch of the Wellow Brook a few miles upstream of where I normally fish. The river here is delightful, smaller and more intimate than further downstream with large beds of Ranunculus and crystal clear. Stealth is the name of the game and I took great care when working my way upstream to keep a low profile, tread carefully and stay close to the high banks. I ended up with three Trout all on Mayfly nymph which I was pleased with seeing as I was fishing on a hot afternoon which is usually the hardest part of the day in my experience. The impending England game meant I had to pack up earlier than I usually would but I went home very upbeat after an enjoyable afternoon.

  17. Nicholas S
    I returned to the Chew a few days later, slightly further upstream this time hoping that the water here would be faster and more suitable for fly fishing. The river looked more promising with more pace and shallow sections that looked promising. However, there didn’t seem to be so many fish rising here and I struggled a little only managing a few missed takes. The river apparently is very good for Coarse fishing too so I think I may return here with the pin when the season starts!
     
    Attached pic of the trout I caught on my last visit to the River Chew.

  18. Nicholas S
    Had a few hours spare on this Sunday and decided to try out the river Chew again but this time the middle reaches below Chew Valley Reservoir. The river here certainly looks healthier and more inviting than the upper reaches although I was surprised by the lack of clarity and the silty bottom. However, there were fish rising to the Mayfly and some of the rises looked like they came from quite decent fish. Part of the reason for fishing the Middle Chew is that it has the potential to produce specimen Brown Trout (and some very large Grayling too apparently!). I spent most of my time fishing a deep pool which had a good flow entering it making fly presentation a bit easier. However, fishing from the bank with a short rod made it difficult to present the fly without it dragging and I wasn’t having a great deal of success despite plenty of fish rising within the pool! Eventually I managed to tempt one on a Mayfly nymph and after a strong fight I netted what is probably my best wild Brown Trout. It wasn’t a monster but probably was around the 12oz+ mark which I was delighted with. Later a good trout tried to take my indicator much to my frustration!
  19. Nicholas S
    I decided to check out a new river (the Wellow Brook) with James after work. It would be our first time fishing the Wellow although I was reasonably familiar with the river as I had walked along it in the Winter. On arriving we found the river running crystal clear and looking very healthy with luxuriant growth of streamer weed and what I think is Ranunculus. It looked far more appealing than what I remembered from the Winter.
     
    We spent a while fish spotting and with Mayflies beginning to hatch there were a good number of Trout rising. After wading into the river as quietly as we could it was frustrating to see plenty of small Trout dashing for cover due to our presence. This theme continued for most of the evening and I lost count of the number of fish I saw swimming past me and even between my legs! It was obvious that a more subtle approach was called for. As darkness began to fall I clambered out of the rivers steep banks and found James who was very excited to have caught one small Brown Trout that by all accounts hung itself on his nymph as he didn’t even realise it was on until he went to cast! It wasn’t the most productive day but the river is delightful with a plethora of pools, riffles, deep bends and more providing really diverse and interesting fishing.
  20. Nicholas S
    Snuck out for another evening on the Box Brook. I was excited as I had just received a large order of flies that I was looking forward to testing on the river. Almost straight away I had a rather unexpected take but was so slow in striking the fish quickly came off. However, soon after I hooked a gorgeous out of season Grayling (quickly released) that must have been almost a pound in weight, very big for the river and not that common. Moreover, I had never managed to tempt a Grayling from the particular pool despite seeing many swimming around my feet! It was a good start.
     
    Despite the good start, after moving upstream the fishing wasn’t quite as productive and I only managed one more, a beautiful spotted small Brown Trout. Still, was another lovely evening, you can’t beat being in the water when fishing, it reveals so much more about your quarry and the environment it lives in.
  21. Nicholas S
    Typically the spring sun didn’t last for long and by the time James and I had arranged to return to Newton Park to catch a carp on the fly, the temperature had dropped and some ominous grey clouds were beginning to form. Still, we managed to get a few carp to feed off the top and seeing as I forgot my rod, James had the first attempt. Soon enough he had his first carp in the net, a sprightly 7lb (approx) Mirror, a good start. We had to move a few times before we had our next opportunity and this time it was my turn! A fish was confidently feeding virtually right in front of us so it didn’t require much of a cast to plop the bread fly on top of him. He greedily slurped it up and after initially thinking it was a small fish, I quickly realised from the bend in the rod that I was very much mistaken! An epic fight ensued which involved him endlessly weeding us up. Luckily James used my net to prompt him out and with the rod bent double we finally managed to slip him over the net. A couple of photographs later and he was returned. We didn’t bother to weigh him but I would guess he would have gone about 16-17lb, a really good fish and fantastic fun on light gear!
  22. Nicholas S
    Another baking hot day on this glorious weekend and despite the fact that I knew any sort of fishing would be difficult, James persuaded me that we should go on Blagdon for the afternoon and I couldn’t resist! Plus, he was bringing along a friend, Toby, who hadn’t fished before and although fishing was obviously going to be hard, at least we would enjoy some great weather afloat!
     
    As expected, the fishing was very hard. Most boats had given up by the time we arrived and it was obvious why as we didn’t have a touch until the evening when I lost what felt like quite a good fish. I had a suspicion that my magic spot might produce the goods once again and so I persuaded the other two that we should head down to the other end of the lake and finish the evening there. First cast out in the new spot and a fish took the fly on the drop much to our amazement! It was particularly satisfying after blanking the day before and showed Toby that fishing can be exciting. It wasn’t long before fish were beginning to rise sporadically although sadly a proper evening rise didn’t really materialise. ! James was letting Toby retrieve after he cast out and much to his surprise he had two good pulls although his inexperience meant that they didn’t result in a fish! We stuck at it and literally on my last cast I managed to connect with another. I handed the rod to Toby so that he could experience the fight and after some guidance he managed to steer the fish into the net. It had turned out to be a hard but very enjoyable and satisfying evening. I was shattered after two days out on the water but was still buzzing all the way home.
  23. Nicholas S
    My second visit to Chew Valley Reservoir, this time with my friend John who I had met at Blagdon Reservoir a number of times. The weather was baking hot, great for sunbathing but not conducive to fishing. Despite seeing some fish moving, including what I suspect was a very large Pike, that morning we didn’t get a touch in any of the spots we tried. There were many boats on the Reservoir, mostly practising for the competition the next day but despite the presence of plenty of highly skilled fisherman (not included myself in that!), we only saw one fish caught and heard of one other. It wasn’t until the sun was setting before we got wind of some fish finally being caught, right on the other side of the Reservoir! It wasn’t a hard decision to up anchor and motor over there as quickly as possible. It was immediately obvious that this was the place to be as there were fish beginning to rise all over. Although it was tremendously exciting, the fishing was surprisingly difficult. John did very well and managed to tempt two but it wasn’t to be for me and I ended the day on a blank. Chew can be magnificent when it’s fishing well but by god it’s hard when it’s not! Oh well, those hard days only serve to make you evaluate how to improve your fishing so I’m sure I will be back at some point to have another crack at Chew.
  24. Nicholas S
    Some nice weather prompted me to take up my promise to return to Newton Park and attempt to catch a carp on the fly. I brought along James this time as he had never even caught a carp. We only had a few hours to fish and although there were plenty of visible fish basking in the sun, it was hard work getting them to confidently feed. We only had one rod so I offered James the chance to get the first one. As it turned out, one missed take was all we got. However, we were set on returning and settling the score!
  25. Nicholas S
    I couldn’t resist another session on the Box Brook after work and headed down as quickly as possible straight after work. The river again looked perfect with the occasional trout rise providing clues as to their presence. Although I wasn’t quite as successful as last time I managed to tempt a few Brown Trout in what was another enjoyable evening on the BB.
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