Unsettled

No not the weather, me!

I thought it would be a nice evening, it had been a warm day but that wind was around. I agreed to meet Phil on Rigby's point and had been fishing for 15 mins when he arrived but it didn't seem right. The wind was coming in towards the point, there were no wind lanes and it felt uncomfortable. I thought I would make way for Phil and headed off to sailing club bay where I knew Chad, Grant and Roy had managed to catch a load last week on Daiwl Bachs. The wind would certainly be more comfortable there.

I started in Sailing club bay but with no fish moving it wasn't long before I had worked myself along the straight, into Brixworth Bay and back again. That was it i had had enough sat on the bank and waited for conditions to change.

By this time I was convinced that wind wasn't going to drop. There were a few sedges and buzzers about but not many on the water. It didn't seem the fish were feeding either. A guy turned up and fished next to me now so this got my motivation going again. I saw one fish rise and convinced myself that the fish were there but not feeding so as it started to get dark I put a green pea on the point and pulled a little faster and for my efforts a passing fish must have thought it looked tasty and I was into my only fish of the evening. It fought well and had saved a blank evening and just as I kept taking a photo in the net it livened up. Returned to the water he swam off to feed another day.

Just as I was leaving Phil gave me a call and he had had one on a dry but lost it and fish at the death had been rising around his feet. Sounds like he had a frustrating evening too but more lively at the end than me.

Boat 13. Unlucky this time

It was the odds and sods eliminators this weekend and I needed a real good day to go through.

Practice day was looking good, decent ripple and overcast. The fish were up and feeding in the top. My key learning's were Rectory Bay, Hedge end and G buoy were my key spots, Floater the top line and any flies with with a red head.

Mike Philpott was my practice partner and set me up as best he could finding the fish, the line and a good number of flies. After I started on the wrong gear I was playing catch up and with Mike bagging up by 2, I was only half hour behind him and catching up fast, after he had a few rests (It's the age you know). In fact I am sure one of these was actually mine as he had a double hook up without knowing it and after netting the first he was all tied up. So I gabbed the line from the net and played and landed the second. As you can see from the photo below he was highly delighted.

Hares ear, Charlie Chaplin, Daiwl Bach's and Crunchers were probably the best flies and it seemed strange that the fish must have been very deep and coming up for the flies as the intervening depths seemed devoid of fish. The fish were a decent standard and the 4lb 1oz rainbow below is my second best of the season

All in all a good day and I was ready.

Competition day and I was feeling confident. The wind had dropped and more sun than cloud but I was hoping that this would all be better for nymphing. My partner for the day was Paul Wild who is Treasurer for Rutland Fly Fishers and the FFMFA so was looking forward to something in common.

WE agreed on rectory Bay and as we stopped Paul flicked his flies out and had a fish, second cast the same and another. I wouldn't have minded but I was getting no interest. Another two fish for Paul in the next 40 minutes on Crunchers and I was left having no option but to change to the Slow intermediate with a booby and nymphs.

I had no luck what so ever, a couple of soft pulls but nothing of interest. At this point I was ruing my conversation with John Mees about boat 13 on two occasions and if I am honest my day was done at that time.

However the wind had picked up slightly and I decided to go with what I knew best and stick with it. The floater with a cormorant variant, Daiwl Bach, Cruncher and Charlie was put together and I stayed on it for most of the day and persevered. It was a good tactic and I started catching, not many but a fish, then another, then another and I was growing in confidence. It was a bit frustrating that they weren't coming quicker but it was amazing how the fish went off when the sun was out and then come on top with cloud. We were working around the clouds now and preparing, five, four, three two, one, yes there's a fish!! A cast across wind into its path, leave the line to settle and then a couple of long pulls and it all tightened and a fish was flapping about on the surface, hooked!

I do enjoy catching off the top and my only regret is that it wasn't faster.

While Paul had the fist 4, I had managed the next 6 so the luck was not with him either. We ended the day on 7 and 5 and thought we had done fairly well with no luck. However it is amazing what good company you are in when then were anglers all over sitting still - bagged up.

Edward and Brad had also struggled on the day but managed to go through to the National Final because of their Rutland placings. Richard Slater won the day with 8 fish for 23lb 6oz with time bonus and managed to finish 16th overall which should be enough to go through. Ash Cooper had a great day as well with 8 fish by 3pm. Stewart Thomson also had a good day finishing 3rd and 24th overall. Craig Barr came 4th and managed to take the overall top spot with just 7 points.

I managed another 27th place which was 24th overall without any luck. So next year i'll have to make my own luck and give it a go again.

Sedges, Sedges everywhere

I had just got in from work late and shattered, Julie was out and I was settling down with my tea and the lead up to South Africa vs New Zealand live on the telly ( Cricket was last week this was football!) and the phone goes. Phil's on Rigby's point and only been there 20 minutes and has two cracking fish on the bank - not your recent stockies this time. What a dilemma!!

Fortunately Julie came back earlier and could look after the kids, so decision made i headed off for the last couple of hours.

When i arrived Phil had just lost his sixth so I quickly pinched one of his hare's ear's ( blimey it was well tied - tail a bit long though!) and jumped in next to him in the bay next to Rigby's. With the wind blowing left to right there was a wind lane that started off the trees and headed into the narrows. There were fish rising all around but mostly the nymphers were in the wind lane. I managed to get a couple of pulls but they didn't stick and then one broke me at distance. Usual mistake as in a rush I was still using the leader from the dam at Ravensthorpe where it was bashed about.

Phil caught steadily on his cast of sedge pupa, hares ear and cruncher. He was nicely placed to be easily casting into the wind lane and with a new rod and borrowed line tray the distance was looking great.

I managed a few more takes and fish on a lite brite hares ear and as the sun went down it was feeling great.

As the nymph fishing got more difficult the sedges came alive and they were everywhere buzzing around. Once again there were a number of different species that was surprising but it must be just my observation getting better. The feeding fish I thought had switch to the dry so I put a couple of dry sedges on with the hares ear in the middle. After a few encouraging drownings I started short lining and got more interest fished as a bob fly and another fish chased and took my hares ear.

It was well passed 10 when we packed up and we reflected on Phil's success. He had caught and returned 8 which was his first limit of the bank and second highest catch. Excellent!

With the sedges still everywhere we headed off home.

Ravensthorpe stockies

Arrived at Ravensthorpe and it was a nice evening, the sun was out but a brisk wind blowing onto the dam. I fished all down the platforms with a nice left to right wind but no success and never even found a fish.

The sun was starting to set as the last boat came in with Pat Flynn and I thought I'd walk round and see what they had done and maybe head off. They had had fish but not too many but did make the comment that they had stocked today and should be fishing the Dam.

Worth a try I thought, why not!

The wind was blowing in so I changed the nymph set up to a single gold head damsel on the midge tip. After 10 mins of a slow figure of eight there was nothing but the minute I started to pull fast, bang I was into a fish.

Looking into a nice sunset in front it was a pleasure to be out. The fishing was not clever but it was great to be getting takes and fish. I manged to return 5 before the takes started to dry up and the owls started to hoot to each other from different areas of the lake.

As lovely as it is to be fishing Ravensthorpe on a pleasant evening with the sun going down, it's always better when there are 350 stockies in front of you!!!

Put it down to experience!

Sunday was the MNTFA Bruce Richardson Trophy and I was fishing with Phil Cross. Initial plan was to catch a few of the Pines while they are feeding, move onto the Dam and bag up, bear in mind that the narrows and small half might be fishing, make sure phil doesn't get a duck and keep dry. Well we failed all ends up!

It was raining when we arrived and continued solidly all morning with some heavy periods. Not great for Phil as he was still struggling with a cold, but when we didn't connect with any fish from Rigby's point it wasn't starting great.

As we pulled up at the dam there were people catching around us and we both had takes early on. However it turned out to be a real struggle and I managed just two on a Di3 and cats whisker. I had the same fly as Don Moore who managed to catch 15 on the day (Jammy Devil) but even though we persevered I never really seemed to be convinced about a method. Sometimes you need to change and then have a take to confirm your doing it right but I didn't seem to have any of that. I was in the right area, with the right flies at nearly the right depth and i was getting no interest all.

I'll just have to put it down to experience, some days it goes for you and others it doesn't. I kept working hard to find that consistant method and place but at the end of the day that's why we go fishing. If it is always easy, i'd get bored.

There were a few good bags on the day all from around the boils/creek with Richard Slater having 8 on the drift and pip jeffs and partner 8 each at anchor on the mouth of the creek as the fish ran round. Richard managed to catch the bigger fish with a great weight of 8 fish for 22lb 7oz and the trophy below. Don just in second with 8 for 21lb 9oz. With 114 fish caught on the day there were quite a few people that had a better day than me.

Oliver's first trout

I have heard of beginners luck but this worked perfectly.



Hot on my success on Wednesday I headed back to Rigby's Point with my Nephew, Oliver, aged 5 who was staying for the weekend. When we arrived there was a boat in really close but after a quick chat we slotted in and they stayed where they were, cosy. For the second time on the trot I flicked out my line and pulled off some more to cast and saw a flash again. "Hold this Oliver" I said, "Lift the rod" and yes as the picture shows below he was into a fish, Brilliant!


A small fight but unfortunately slack line and it was off. So I cast out, handed him the rod and said pull back slowly and wow! we were in again. This time it was well hooked in the scissors on a size 14 hares ear and was not getting off. We played it for a good while just to be on the safe side and as below we had a proud Oliver with his first trout a 2lb 20z rainbow. Hooked!! With interest waning a little I got my 8ft river rod out and he had a bit of casting practice. I managed to catch one more and we took it in turns to play. Oliver was in charge of the net this time and landed it perfectly. "The fish in the net is very heavy" said Oliver.

It's not always this easy!!

Credit Cruncher

I finished work earlier on Wednesday, the family were over Silverstone doing the race for life and as the wind was a little less and a few clouds in the sky I really fancied an evening boat and headed to Pitsford lodge. When I arrived I had forgot that because AWA expected less anglers this year due to the credit crunch they had reduced the boats in time to 8.30 on Monday and Wednesdays. The bailiff seemed to feel sorry for me and suggested I head to the Pines.

All my favourite spots were taken but determined to at least unwind I muscled in. I had only flicked my fly in as I pulled off more line and thought i saw something flash and lifted straight into what I am sure was my biggest fish from Pitsford this season. It fought like mad as though it was never hooked. When I returned it, with no camera or scales to hand it was at least 4-8. Majic!

I then landed another three all to cruncher, hares ear and daiwl bach. After an hour of almost a take a cast it went dead, I think it must have been just the fish moving off but it did coincide with Panc coning in next to me perhaps cutting off the fish.

Martin Nelson turned up next and we had a good chat about his massive fish at Ravensthorpe and how he is catching too many fish for his ticket so he has upgraded - how good is that!

8pm on the dot and someone flicked the switch back again and the takes started. After a few misses I had a very soft take lent into the fish and it felt like I had hit bottom. It then started moving so I knew it was a fish but it was still a deeper slow fight and thought it was a brownie. However without a great fight it came in and was a Pike around 8 lb that had taken my hares ear. Fortunately the small fly was in between the teeth and couldn't be cut. After a tricky operation I had my fly and returned the fish.

The wind calmed and the place was alive with flies. A buzzer hatch, Caenis and loads of sedges. Grouse wing cinnamon and even a few great red sedges. The two mallards I recon would have had neck ache the following day as all night they were snapping at the sedges. I couldn't see how many they were catching but they looked expert.

Panc was catching well and had a rainbow of 4-12 that gave a great fight.

I ended the evening with 7 and had really enjoyed it. My main fly was a variant cruncher I had just tied up, maybe I'll call it the Credit Cruncher!!

Best Ravensthorpe Rainbow of 2009

It seems like ages since I've been fishing but as most of the fish have been away from the bank in cooler water I don't think I have missed too much. However another batch coming up.

I just wanted to say congratulations to Martin Nelson who last week caught the largest Rainbow from Ravensthorpe for the last few years a massive 14lbs 8oz on a damsel from the dam.

He only began a few years ago and spent the winter before last tying flies at the Pioneer with us. I hope it was on your own tying Martin, well done!