wozzamozza

I know, I dont think I've ever seen so many on a water before.

I went up to Walthamstow on Sunday and from the reports no one had been catching for the last few weeks. There were plenty of fish around but nothing taking. I tried different depths, different retrieves, lures and buzzers. I ended up with 2 trout that fell to a tiny gold head pheasant-tail fished in the weeds and lost 3. it really was a case of, after trying different approaches out in front, observing the fish feeding close in on tiny insects, and going for them. Marvellous. It’s great when it comes together. wozzamozza

Hello fishy friends, I have a little question. I’ve been flyfishing for a few years now and over the last 8 months or so have really started to fine down my fly choice, the smaller the better, buzzer, hares ear, pheasant tail etc. I haven’t thought about putting a cats whisker or humungus on for ages!!! It started when I was fishing Walthamstow fishery just before Christmas. It was cold and the rod rings were freezing up. Everyone was fishing sinking line and booby and catching the odd fish. I refused to give in to the booby and persisted with small flys on a floating line and long leader, but nothing. Maybe I’m stubborn. Is this usual, I don’t want to turn into a purist and find myself only fishing for wild brownies, but rather be comfortable with all aspects of the sport. Maybe there is a time and a place, for every method of attack and I’m still learning. I really have enjoyed fishing light and as delicate as possible. Anyone else been through this????? Marvellous. wozzamozza

same here i thouht it was my account for a while. wozzamozza

brilliant. i'll hopefully try to get up there agian soon. i'll keep an eye for the chap with the advice. wozzamozza

I live in london and would love to know where this little gem is hidden! wozzamozza

exactly. my casting isn't perfect but everytime i go out fishing, i enjoy the friendly chat from others, learn and develop more and more confidence. keep at it and enjoy every minute and when it all comes together, it's magical. wozzamozza

Hi Ian, I've only realy been seriously fly fishing for just over 2 years so not quite 40 years, but I have always used a 9ft 5/6 weight. I recently upgraded to a greys GRX which has been a good investment. I've found this length and weight very comfortable and a pleasure to cast out a good line with lighter patterns in most conditions. There is more concentration needed if you put on heavier flies, which is when a step up to a slightly heavier weight comes into play. I have used a friends 10ft 8 weight, which to be honest, I found a little clumbsy, but that is probably down to my own preference. I hope this helps. Cheers, wozzamozza

Hi Dabbler, free flies, how can i say no as for advice, it's good that the pictures of the flies are increased in size when you click on them although i woyld lighter coulerd stones in the back ground to bring out the colours in the flies. the milder colours like brown and grey seem to get lost. i would also suggest keeping to one font through out the website and only increase the font size for a title or heading. cheers wozzamozza

Thanks for the help although i've just had a look and it appears to be a course fishing mainly carp i've had a browse around and found a place called Willington Lake Trout Fishery, which looks very nice and is open all year. i'll send a report in of how i get on. if anyone has been there, i'd appreciate any tips cheers wozzamozza

I have been out of the loop on the forum for a little while, but as I have received some great advice in the past and started quite a heated discussion about fishing in stocked lakes compared to wild trout on rivers, (which was unintentional) I new that this was the place to come. I was planning to go up to fish Colwick lake in Nottingham at the end of February, until I realized that it was closed for the winter. Can anyone recommend an alternative lake, maybe a smaller fishery with scenic appeal that is not too far from Nottingham? Any advice, tactics etc would be very appreciated. Cheers wozzamozza

Dear Sewinman, I am quite new to fly fishing, as I have only seriously been going out devoted this year and a half. I have been fly fishing on a tributary of the river Cam and caught ‘wild’ brown trout as well as chub and small pike. I am now at a stage where I am confident with my fly fishing approach and am very keen to learn and develop my skills. My fishing partners that I go with are also new to the sport and we are all learning together. It’s great to go to a new fishery and spend a little time chatting to the locals on their tactics and to learn from the more experienced. The anglers that have taken the time to talk to us and pass on their knowledge, have come in all sorts. Some might be fortunate to have top of the range equipment or clothing, others like myself, make do and are comfortable and happy with this and bear no grudge or prejudice. I really enjoy my fishing and trying new techniques and new environments. I’m sure that I will experience and develop my river fishing in the future, but for now I an happy with the challenges the lakes have to offer. And yes I did say challenges. There have been times when I have blanked, as have others around me when the fishing is hard or my approach has been slightly wrong, but that’s all in the learning process. Thank you for the advice on local rivers. I joined this forum to learn from others. wozzamozza

The birds are still there, although I didn't find them as off putting as the planes. It might have been because I had my cap, woolly hat and then my hood over my head stopping my ears from freezing, so I didn’t really hear them. Is this the only fishery that has such a collection of ‘exotic wildlife’? Cheers wozzmozza

I tried Vale end last month and the fish were the same high standard. Yellow and black seemed to be working well then. For picturesque settings Vale end wins hands down. The planes flying into Heathrow over Syon park took a bit of time to get used to.

hi Chuby, After getting on the wrong train at waterloo at 7.50am, which headed to Portsmouth we finally arrived at Syon park at 10.30!! when we got there, the fly that everyone was on was the cats whisker. My fishing partner and I both went for a floating line and gold head cats. Reuben caught almost straight away. After he had 4 and me 0, I noticed that my fly was riding higher in the water, probably only 3 feet down. I changed to a sinking line and got right down and had immediate contact. We finished off with 8 rainbows to 2 ¾ before heading to the pub at 3pm. All on cats apart from one off mine which fell to a yellow and black nomad. Even though these were not the biggest fish in there, they really put up a god fight. wozzamozza