AN Fish- in River Test

[Steve Walker]

If anyone is struggling to find it, this is the Google maps link

 

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=e...&iwloc=addr

[Steve Walker]

Ready to go, just collected my bait from the shed. It's cold, wet, and horrible out. Bed is warm. This is not the choice of a sane man. Time to go, hope the grayling are feeding!

[Leon Roskilly]

Just spoke to Tony.

 

Not so cold down on the Test, Tony said 'quite mild' (it's 'orrible here in Kent).

 

Rain clearing and blue sky showing to the NW (where the weather is coming from).

 

Sue's had a couple of perch from the pool at the head of the slow carrier, and Tony a couple of 1/2lb roach.

 

Andrew has had a trout on the fly, and Sue was shocked to see Budgie wearing shorts!

 

A few grayling have come out, and Tony intends to atttempt firing up the Kelly Kettle later.

 

[Rog Hill]

Tony & Sue,

 

Many thanks for organising an excellent event. Apologies for not staying for the bacon rolls but unfortunately I didn't leave my mobile at home and work managed to get hold of me and call me in, just what I wanted after a day's fishing!

 

Great to meet you all, it's nice seeing so many trotting a float. The fishing was also good with the trout strong enough to make your arm ache, and as always the grayling one of the best looking fish around. Shame one of the big roach didn't show.

 

Here's to the next one, I'm definately hooked.

 

All the best,

 

Rog

 

PS Mike T - if you fancy a bash on the Avon give us a shout.

[Stretpegger]

Home at last wet bedraggled and a thumping headache but content with a goods days fishing in pleasant surroundings and good company.Snow when i stepped out the front door this morning had me initially worried but this had turned to light drizzle by the time i made it to the fishery, and by late morning the rain had moved on to be replaced with intermittant sunshine and a blustery wind.

 

Fish wise a pound rainbow and two small grayling was my lot from the river all three coming from near the downstream boundary.Moving onto the slow carrier at midday to escape the wind i sat it out on the quivertip for the rest of the day adding two perch and a gudgeon to my tally.No more fish came my way but i was more than happy just to be on the bank after not being able to get out at all these past few weeks.

 

On a more personal note it was nice to put some faces to names at long last after being a AN member for just under a year.Sorry i did not get to say hello to everyone and apologies for shooting off early but my head was really thumping.Sorry also for not helping out clearing up the bacon rolls but the offer of a carrot roll was tempting! cheers Budgie.

 

Last many thanks to Tony and Sue for organising the fish-in...cheers guys.

[Steve Walker]

Back now, warm and dry. I had a great day. I started fishing the fast carrier on maggot, and lost count of how many grayling I had. None over about a foot long, but on several occasions I was getting a fish every run down. I think I must have had twenty or thirty all told. Most of them were from the turbulent swim below the upstream foot bridge and the bend below it, but I had several from up and downstream of there too.

 

More importantly, after I'd caught a few I had a go with the fly rod, and managed to bag a grayling on that. Very satisfying!

 

I also had lots of little brownies, a rainbow of a couple of pounds, a couple of brownies of similar size, and this lump, which was 4lb-ish and charged around the swim like a mad thing:

 

 

I had a brief go on the main river, but nothing much seemed to be happening, so I wandered back onto the fast carrier and caught a few more grayling, then retired early to the hut for food and coffee.

 

Anyway, brilliant day, and more thanks from me to all for organisation and catering!

 

A few more photos:

 

 

 

 

 

[Dunk Fairley]

Here, you don't think Bigfoot is really a Grayling angler in a Camo suit do you? That'd explain why he's so flippin large and you can't make him out in dense undergrowth!

Looks like you all had a good day, hope you didn't gett too cold.

[MikeT]

A big thank you to Tony and all those who helped organise the Fish-In. It was great to visit Timsbury for the first time- it’s an excellent fishing venue. I had a lovely day strolling around fishing and meeting people from AN, and even managed to catch a few grayling and a rather splendid dace from the main river!

[Anderoo]

I found it fairly tough going this year, I think when I did my wandering I was dropping into freshly emptied swims! I did manage a little brownie on the fly and a few bigger trout and a grayling trotting, but then sat it out in a roachy glide with Chris until after dark hoping for roach, but unfortunately they beat us again. The weather was better than I expected (depite it snowing half the way there!) and I enjoyed myself. It was good to meet new people and catch up with those I knew - where were you all at the end though?! We wandered back at dusk to find the car park empty except for Tony and Sue. Part-timers, I don't know

 

Conditions weren't right for the roach (again) but listening to all the tales of recent monsters has already got me fired up for a return trip. Biggest this year so far is 3lb 6oz with several 2s reported...

 

Oh, and there was a big crash on the A34 coming home, so we sat stationary for 2 hours while they sorted that out. The same thing happened to us last year. It's like Timsbury is trying to tell us something...

[Rusty]

I'd like to echo others comments and say a big thanks to Tony U for organising the event. Lots of firsts for me, a good look at Witcher, Carter and AN centrepins, filling a left wellie when I misjudged the fast carrier depth and discovering that my 20 year old ski jacket is no longer waterproof.

 

I roamed all day and managed to fish most stretches but was forced to the carriers when the wind got up. Catches included brown and rainbow trout, tiny salmon par, dace, roach and a pleasing perch (photo to follow).

 

It was nice to meet you all and I hope to meet some of the more local forum members again soon. My journey home was reasonable but the A34 was very busy in foul weather conditions so I'm not surprised there was an incident.

 

All the best.