Gravels and an early night

It was a bit windier that I really wanted but had set my mind on fishing so to the hell with it i'll just sit on the bank and relax if it's no good.

I turned up on the gravels and allegedly it was fishing best off the point into North Farm bay but I spotted Martin Nelson off the New Gorse and thought I would start there. You can't tell it's Martin but he is nicely silhouetted against the sun.
I started on dries but quickly changed as there were no fish rising and put on the midge tip with a gold head damsel and a daiwl bach. The rod felt like casting a broom handle compared to the 5 weight but I soon got used to it and was pushing a decent line out.

I had my mind elsewhere, half on the sunset and half on what i had outstanding when I finished work and seemed to be on fishing auto pilot pulling back my gold head. A couple of light thumps and I lifted into what I thought was weed but no my lift was halted and a nice 2 pounder headed out to sea. I had one more fish on but it was soon off and I was left holding a slack line.

It wasn't a rewarding evening and after a couple of hours thought I would head home for an early night.

A circular storm

I had put off evening fishing last week because the wind didn't drop in the evening and I thought that would reduce the fly life. However I had decided to go last night whatever.

Fortunately it was looking good with some cloud and a little wind but not too much. As I arrived over Pitsford Causeway Nathan and Stuart were repairing the fence where it appeared that a car had gone through. Fortunately there was nothing in water so it must have done it's job and held the car back. I have looked at the fences around Pitsford on the causeway and they are starting to fall into dis-repair. Nathan has been doing his best to repair them but they don't look the same. Hopefully they will see them as a hazard now and give him the money to replace them. With the volume of people around the water now it would be great to see some quality new fencing in keeping with a great facility.

I headed on to the gravels as I had been hearing good reports. Phil had moved along a bit nearer the Holly Bush on Serman's bank. I didn't stay as I felt i needed to be nearer a bigger concentration. When I arrived there was about 8/10 people stretched along but still still room for a few more so I slotted in just off the end of the New Gorse. It showed promise as there were one or two fish topping although further out with the ripple and as the sun started to go down I felt confident.

I put up my 8ft 4 weight rod and fancied a bit of sport on Dries. I started with a red hopper on the top dropper and a claret one on the point and then changed the point to amber, orange then ginger. I managed to get two drownings, I can't call them takes as I didn't feel a thing but I definitely saw the fish come up for the fly.

It was all looking promising and then I looked up at the storm coming over. It wasn't a tornado or a twister but it was certainly a menacing circular shape. I felt the first drops of rain and gave in. I had a bit of a laugh as the guy next to me also engaged in synchronised reeling in and packing up. I jumped in the car, headed off and it then chucked it down, perfect timing!

Eyebrookitis

Many years ago now when we were fishing Eyebrook you would catch a fish and you were descended on by boats. Most of these would anchor as close as they could and if you were drifting then quite often in your drift. There were a good number of boats, fish would be localised and you could easily see anyone catching in at least half the water.

We named the phenomenon EYEBROOKITIS and after Sunday I can confirm that it is still as virulent today as it has always been and just as infectious as swine flu!

It was the MNTFA Eric Goodman Trophy and as it is judged by your two heaviest fish it was definitely a success with three fish over 5lb. Ash Cooper was 3rd, Karen Slater was second but with Eyebrook's biggest fish of the year a 14lb 15oz rainbow, Pete Daniels took it by storm.

We managed to get the threat of a duck out of the way for Phil after 10 minutes with a nice rainbow on a Carrot Fly dry but it didn't follow through on the promise it showed. I missed out on the fist drift as we started our drift half way towards Robbo's cabin but unfortunately because of the higher winds the fish seemed to have run up wind into the calmer water. Once back out of the wind I put on the orange hoppers and started to catch fish.

Three down and I said to Phil, orange is working great mate, I've got orange on but not as much interest as you, here have one of these. Very nice he said BUT THERE RED! Well there you go - the colour blindness working in my favour again, sorry!

We managed to catch 6 and 2 by about 12.30 but after that I got enough takes to keep me on dries but none of them were sticking. I felt the afternoon was a bit frustrating as I was getting enough interest to keep me on dries but the fish went off a bit. Also there were more people that decided if you can't beat them, then join them and there were more anchored boats sitting over fish that made the drift and the return trip very difficult.

In hind sight Ash Cooper and Colin Faulkner were catching on intermediates and Boobies and if I had changed then maybe I could have kept them going.

I was a bit too grumpy maybe but I must ask myself the question "I never catch big fish, why am I fishing in a big fish comp? never mind I must support where I can as Powie does a magic job of the organising!

Just waiting for the sunset

I was sitting at home watching the tennis and there's only so much wobbling the eyes can take. I looked out the window and the wind was dropping away, the skies bright so I though what a great night for some dry fly fishing as the sun sets.

As I arrived round on Rigby's point there was Phil in his usual position.

I set up it and the wind was calming off but there was not a rising fish in sight, I tried on both sides of the fence and then jumped in the car to the gravels and Stone barn bay. There were a good number of anglers there but after sitting and watching, again there were no fish rising and no one catching. Everyone it seemed was waiting for the sun to go down and the fish to come up. So I headed back to Phil.

The sun was going down great and the colours changing.

I fished, nymphs, damsels and dries but essentially it was only when the sun went down that we started to see a few fish rising. Unfortunately there didn't seem to be enough and as the ripple was out a good way the fished with it.

There were loads of flies in the sky and on the water. It was great to see a sedge land on the water and be chased and mobbed, skimming on the surface-a mating ritual I expect! I did see a couple of fish come up and take fly from within this.

I also realise now why chironomids are called buzzers as apart from some large green buzzers over my arms and legs there was a small swarm of smaller ones buzzing around my head and there was definitely a constant buzzing noise getting loader as more flies joined in. They look like stars in the sky but are really green "buzzing buzzers" caught in my flash!

As pleasant as it was to be out not only did we not catch but as the cloud came over no great sunset either -what a shame!