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Nicholas S

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Blog Entries posted by Nicholas S

  1. Nicholas S
    An enjoyable and hot day spent on Sutton Bingham reservoir in Somerset with my friend James and his Dad. It was my first time on this reservoir but I had heard good things from James who had fished it many times in the past. As it was the fishing started brilliantly with both of us catching good trout almost straight away! As the day wore on the fishing got almost too easy and we both had to try to use flies that we thought would reduce our chances of catching! In the end we got our bag limits and due to no catch and release (I hate that rule) we had to call it a day. Managed to up my trout pb to 4.75lb which I was very pleased about.
     
    The day was soured a bit at the end after I got in an argument with the Neanderthal who runs the place about his rules. Don’t think I will be revisiting in a hurry.
     
  2. 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.

  3. 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.
  4. Nicholas S
    My first time out on the famous Blagdon reservoir, the home of Stillwater fly fishing apparently. The reservoir itself is stunning, set in the Mendip hills with the lovely village of Blagdon overlooking it. It really is a picture and a real pleasure to fish. The day itself started brilliantly with James and I seemingly anchored up right over a shoal of Rainbow trout: we immediately started getting knocks whilst everyone else seemed to be struggling! By lunch time James had managed 5 compared to only 1 for myself! At that point James had to call it a day so we vacated our good spot and rowed back to the lodge to meet James’ Dad who was coming in the boat in his place.
     
    The afternoon was slightly frustrating. Another boat had anchored in the spot we were in that morning and were catching quite regularly. We, on the other hand were struggling. What made it infinitely more frustrating was the master-class being demonstrated by group of bank anglers who were catching trout with almost robotic regularity whilst we looked on in amazement! In the end I managed to pick up two more trout but that was nothing compared to the numbers that were being caught from the bank. In the end we called it a day but before rowing back I plucked up the courage to ask the bank anglers what fly was doing the damage to which I heard just one word: Damsel! Typically the one fly I didn’t try, oh well, food for thought for next time.
  5. Nicholas S
    My second visit to Blagdon reservoir with James. Despite good fishing conditions (overcast and a bit rainy) the fishing was very difficult for most of the day. James who only fished till the early afternoon caught a cracking Brown trout of about 2lb (released) but apart from that we struggled as did everyone else it seemed. However, in the evening I noticed a proliferation of boats in one area down the bottom end of the reservoir. I set off toward them hoping that this was a good sign. It was. As soon as I got there and started casting I had a pull. What followed was one of the most satisfying experiences I have had fishing. After not catching anything all day I managed to get 7 in the next 2 and half hours or so. I desperately wanted to get my limit (8) and even managed to hook the 8th fish in near darkness but alas it came off. Oh well, I couldn’t complain, it was my best result from a large reservoir and had turned out to be a fantastic finish to a hard day.
  6. Nicholas S
    The fair weather continued and I couldn’t resist two more evenings fishing after work. I had recently got my membership for a stretch of the Box Brook, a lovely limestone river not far from Bath which I was looking forward to fishing. The river was running low and clear and from the road bridge I could see a number of Trout and Grayling. The occasional splashy rise from a small Brown Trout added to the excitement and I couldn’t wait to start. The first evening was not hugely successful; I think I only managed one beautifully marked small Brown Trout but felt that I was beginning to get the hang of how to fish the type of river. It certainly helps to be as stealthy as possible as these fish are very spooky. The next evening I went back feeling more confident and it turned out to be a wonderful evening. I think I caught around 6 feisty small Brown Trout and one of season Grayling with another lost. A number of trout were caught on the dry fly providing exhilarating action, they were all small but they certainly fight hard! The river really is delightful and I couldn’t wait to go back.
  7. 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.
  8. Nicholas S
    A very hard day on Blagdon Reservoir. After my success on the previous trip here I felt confident that I would again be able to get a few but the wind made fishing a nightmare! It not only caused all manner of casting problems, but also meant that rowing for me was painfully hard work and most annoying of all, the blooming anchor kept on slipping! A few friends who I recognised eventually took pity on me and offered to tow me (they had an electric motor) up to the top end and into a quiet bay. This was a godsend as I was quite worried about how I would manage to row back to the lodge. After being dropped off and finally anchoring up properly (no slipping this time) I had a chance to fish properly, I should point out it was about 4pm at this point and I had caught nothing! I didn’t feel confident in the bay I was in but persevered fishing a few spots. After a while I noticed the wind dropping and decided to venture out of my calm bay into the maelstrom! Actually the wind had dropped enough to allow me to row and anchor reasonably comfortably so after trying a few spots with no luck I decided that enough was enough and I would row all the way down to where I had had my success from the last time. It turned out to be an inspired decision, I didn’t manage quite the same success but caught three whilst the bank anglers nearby didn’t seem to have a touch (this was quite gratifying after seeing them endlessly catch on my first visit!). Eventually as darkness fell I decided to call it a day and faced the long row back to the lodge. A hard day but in the end perseverance paid.
  9. 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!
  10. 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.
  11. Nicholas S
    Another short session back at Newton Park this time with my friend Jack who hadn’t really done any fishing before so I had promised him we might be able to catch a carp! Typically it was quite hard and the fish were being quite coy when rising and were not easy to hook. Jack pulled out of a good take early on and we had to wait to it was virtually dark to get another opportunity. Luckily this time it resulted it a nice carp of about 6.5lb which slurped up some crust from virtually under out feet. Pleased we managed to catch one in the end, for some reason whenever I take a friend along the fishing is always difficult!
  12. 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.
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