Nicholas S

I recently tried Daiwa Super Shinobi (think it's a copolymer) and it is excellent line which I would highly recommend. N

I haven't signed up myself but I am also thinking about it. It seems like very good value and they appear to be adding new shows quite regularly. Would also be interested to see what a subscribers views are on it. N

Thanks Chris, I've been devouring your blog and enjoying every minute! N

Thanks John! I've been enjoying your blog too, in fact it was one of the reasons I started one myself. N

Well this is the start of my fishing blog. I must admit I never saw myself writing one of these but after being inspired a bit by some of the other excellent blogs on AN I thought I would start one myself. Even if no one pays any interest to it (quite likely) it will be a good record of the trials and tribulations of my fishing escapades! Right seeing as the first entry in is the close season I got my fly fishing underway on Chew Valley Reservoir. It was my first time fishing there for the trout (I had a particularly unsuccessful but nonetheless enjoyable day there after the pike back in Feb 2010) and it is a particularly daunting and large water to start on. Anyway, after misreading the start of the fishing times in the fisheries magazine I turned up all eager and excited at 7am on a beautiful and unseasonably warm spring day only to find that boat fishing wasn't allowed until around 0930!! Initially I was pretty annoyed (I didn’t'[t get much sleep the night before) but decided to glean as much information as possible off the bank fisherman, get my tackle ready and just enjoy the delightful morning that I was lucky enough to be awake for. The next few hours passed very quickly and after enjoying a nice cup of tea in the cafe I paid for my boat, spent FAR too much in the tackle shop (not for the first time!) and got as much information as possible of the shop assistant. Soon I was out on the water and heading over to an area that had been recommended. It was sheer delight to be on what is really a stunning reservoir. You really can’t beat the sensation and excitement of boat fishing. I actually anchored up slightly North of the exact spot that was recommended partly because it was a beautifully tranquil and quiet area and I figured if I didn’t catch there I could always drift down the suggested area. I set up 2 small black lures on an intermediate line and after some initial rusty casts I was soon getting into the swing of things and starting to really enjoy myself. After approximately half an hour I hooked a good fish near to the boat, fish on! I was over the moon when I eventually managed to get the fish over the net (they do fight hard) and let out a little yelp of joy. I had told myself that morning that if I didn't blank I would consider it a good day. The fish was a lovely Rainbow just under 2lb I would guess and was duly dispatched for dinner that week. Incredibly about 10 minutes later I hooked a second fish which turned out to be a similar sized Rainbow. Now I really was over the moon, never in my wildest dreams did I expect this sort of start! At this point I had a good look around and suddenly noticed that a few boats had crept up on me possibly after noticing the success I was having! It seemed like no one else was catching which I must admit made me feel rather smug! This feeling was enhanced when another boat pulled up beside me and asked what fly I had been catching on. Seeing as I am usually the one asking this question I felt very pleased with myself. I still hadn't cast out since catching that second fish and with a few boats quite near to me I cast back out and started to slowly figure of eight the line back. Hold on, was that a knock, yes, another! This was getting ridiculous now, a third fish caught on the same fly and with everyone else watching with what seemed like a tinge of envy! I was delighted, three fish caught on the same fly in my first hour on chew, a perfect start. I stuck it out there for another hour at least but caught no more, neither did anyone else surprisingly. In the afternoon my friend James joined me and despite my initial luck it seemed like the fish just weren’t interested. However, after switching to a Booby I managed to tempt one more slightly smaller Rainbow and lose two more later in the evening. James was a bit unlucky and lost 2 fish including a lovely Brownie that shot up and took a Diawl Bach but threw the hook all too quickly. It had been a fantastic day, 4 trout caught (equalling most I've ever caught in a day from a large reservoir) and on my first time trying too. I went to bed that night a happy man reminiscing on what had been a perfect start to the fly season. N

I own a 10' 7wt X-Flite and it's a lovely rod for reservoir boat fishing which I would recommend. Nice middle to tip action and powerful enough to cast out into the wind. N

pm sent Matt. N

Hi Pleccy, Just wondering whether you still have the X-flite rod? I tied to send you a pm but it said that it was disabled or something on your profile. N

Think this topic has been covered many times but my advice would be to get yourself an Okuma, I own a Sheffield and it is superb. It was the first pin I got and since then I have bought 2 more but the Okuma is still my favourite. I don't own one but Anglers Net do a centre pin which I think is a similar price to the Okuma Sheffield and is also excellent. N

Shimano have just brought out their new purist range of rods and this one caught my eye: http://www.harrissportsmail.com/Models.asp...p;ModelID=17563 Seems extremely versatile and whilst it may be a little be undergunned for big Barbel can pretty much do everything else. I haven't used the rod so can't give any first hand experience but it would certainly be a very useful river rod. Usually I'm a little wary of rods that claim to do everything but this one does look impressive. N

I think that Frensham is a club water and don't do day tickets so it may work out a bit pricey if you're only going to fish it a few times in the year. Would also highly recommed the Catching the Impossible book, I think I may have enjoyed it a bit more that the actual series! N

I know that this is a slight diversion but I just purchased some powerpro (8lb - 0.13mm) to use on my pin. Has anyone had any experience of using Powerpro on a pin? I know that many people vouch for Fireline but personally I think it's awful stuff which ends up fraying very quickly hence the choice to go with Power pro (which I use for lure fishing and couldn't rate more highly). p.s still very confused about the difference in line ratings, I'm just going on the line dimaters quoted by Worms! N

Can't say I've noticed any discernable drop in kingfisher or heron sightings when I've been out. In fact I see a kingfisher basically at least once every time I go fishing which is lovely. I actually think they are more common than people think. I wouldn't read too much into the doom and gloom nonsense that the media perpetuate! N

Hi Worms, Am I right in thinking that the 0.10mm 5lb Power Pro is the 5kg one quoted on their website? That's an outrageous difference! N

Is polaris float sensitive enough to register bites from silver fish as well as bream/carp etc? Just wondering whether it could be used as a more sensitive substitute to fishing the tip on slow moving rivers like the Thames. N

Completely agree with weirwolf, those humbling encounters are half the reason I go fishing. I was lucky enough to see 2 Barn Owls on Sunday, one at dawn and one at dusk!

Both Saturday and and Sunday spent at two lovely venues on the Kennet. Had a fantastic day on Saturday with Steve (JV44) and Robbie (doggy companion). No records were broken but we had a very exciting day which certainly wetted our appetite for the venue. Think it's fair to say that we will be back to make up for some good fish that we lost, witnessesd and heard plenty of stories about! Sunday spent at Barton Court, surprisingly it was a relatively hard day (at least compared to when I was last there) but managed to catch a good mixed bag including some really nice dace which I was very pleased about. All in all a great last weekend of the season except two 5 30am starts meant I was practically half asleep at work today!! N

I think they are about 1 hrs drive, ideally looking for venues a but closer though. I've heard the fishing there is good though!

Does anyone have any advice on good Tench venues around Bath (i.e less than one hours drive)? I've heard the tench fishing at Cheddar reservoir can be very good but it sounds like quite a daunting venue. Does anyone have any experience of the fishing there? Thinking about giving it a go during the close season. Any advice on good methods or tactics would be much appreciated. Cheers Nick

Ok cheers Budgie, will do

Yes that is an awesome Roach, would have loved one like that! PM sent

I've heard the tench fishing at Cheddar can be very good but it sounds like quite a daunting venue. Does anyone have any experience of the tench fishing there? Thinking about giving it a go during the close season. Any advice on good methods or tactics would be much appreciated. Cheers

I know it's not on your list but I use a Shimano Speed Master AX Match 14ft Fast Action rod and it is fantastic. Can't stop extolling it's virtues. So light and easy to use I would recommend it to anyone.

As far as i'm aware it's got a very good reputation for Tench with good numbers and some big ones too. However as you've probably gathered it's a very big lake and finding them can be another problem!

Great fishing. An amazing Grayling and an awesome catch of Chub. I was roach fishing on the Bristol Avon and Malmesbury but wasn't too successful. Did manage a nice Chub as it was getting dark though, saved the day!