Wednesday 21 July 2010

The Arrow

Just for a change Steve, Phil and i decided to have a day on the river. After scanning through the "Wye and Usk passport" there was some great fishing to be had and we settled on the River Arrow in the village of Erdisland near Leominster. It was a mile beat with of both banks of upstream fishing for wild brownies and grayling.

I am not sure what I was expecting but we walked to the start of the beat up to our chests in wet grasses and when there we still couldn't find an easy route through the trees into the river. I guess I was hoping for some open grassy banks but that's reservoir softies for you!

I wanted to fish the dry but hadn't seen any fish rising but Steve had and I took his word and started with the klink. 10 minutes in I walked up a gravel spit and a fish rose, I cast at it and it took but nothing there, i lifted off and put it perfect again and this time the splash it was on, it was going to be a good day!

Yes so it wasn't a whopper and looked like it had been held in my fingers too long but it was a very welcome salmon Parr.

There weren't many rising at all but I had decided to use as much stealth as I could so just settled back and watched. There was just one fish rising under the trees on the far bank but it was too far away. I had a number of casts but couldn't get close. I shifted my position so i could side cast down the river and with a full cast the fly just floated under the branch and bang it was on and off. This is fun and very rewarding!

Phil had settled into his nymph fishing on a bung and it wasn't long and he too was into a fish on a pheasant tail, his first on a river and just what we came for - brilliant!


It went quite quiet and I worked my way back to the car with my mind on other things. A kingfisher, banded demoiselles and mayflies were still around. Butterflies were everywhere and it was certainly a great natural environment.

Steve and I made it back and decided to fish the weir. I went in above the weir and Steve below. There were a couple of fish rising but I struggled to cover them and then out the corner of my eye another fish rose on the far bank and I put the size 16 klink right on its nose and splash it was on. This time it was heavy and fighting solid as I got it's head up it came in and was a chub. The first I had caught on a fly and it was great sport.

I moved up the mill race to another overflow and changed over to nymphs, the sport really started then and I managed another 5 fish on a pheasant tail and daiwl bach. I told Steve and he changed over and immediately he was into takes and then a fish but a few casts later he hooked into a better fish.

It was a grayling and and over half a pound gave a great fight.

Phil made his way back and had also had good sport with the best brownie of the day.


It had been a great trip with good fishing and nice surroundings - a pleasure!

Saturday 17 July 2010

Windy Ravensthorpe

I was out on Ravensthorpe with Phil today and in some rough winds thought it would be the best bet of the reservoirs.

When we arrived we were sharing the water with the British float tubers and they were all floating like brown swans in front of the dam. I commented to Graham that it much be fishing great infront of the lodge but they had all just launched. They were drifting gracefully but you know that they were paddling like fury underneath. It was great to see them around and they found there way into all the nooks and cranny's working there way tight to the banks i am sure they caught a good number.

It started a bit quiet for us as drifted around in some rough water squalls and had my first fish as we anchored of the willow bay point. After a while we decided to move up to cotton end and with only a short anchor rope managed to hold just off the causeway tunnel with a great view under the road.


There were a few fish rising here and I decided to keep my two green Diawl bachs on the droppers but put a dry on the point to keep everything up. For an hour I had great sport. I had one fish on the dry which was really nice and must have been two pound.
The other fish were a bit smaller and took the green daiwl bachs maybe a foot or two down as they were slowly sinking through the water. I was trying to fish the dry and keep everything up and static and the line just shot off. Phil cottoned on quick and changed over but only managed a couple of takes and fish that hit him really hard and snapped at the dropper.

We persevered as the sun came out but the fish must have moved off down the bank or gone deeper and quiet.

With about an hour to go we headed for the boils and a quick waft of the Di5 and blobs just to make it feel that we had been working hard. I managed another on the first drift on the tequila blob. It was a nicely taken fish as it followed me up to the surface I let the fly sink back and it turned and took, nice!

Our discussion had turned to talk of phils averages this year and that a blank would help at all. However confident to the end Phil manged to hook into one just before the boils on our last drift, you can see the relief in his face and it was a nice end to a pleasant day.

Saturday 10 July 2010

A rest for blistered feet

Just back from a few days in Barcelona sight seeing and I had made the mistake of wearing a new pair of shoes and the blisters were worse than when I did my three peak challenge earlier in the year. It's a hard life!

Nothing better than sitting around in a boat on Pitsford on a glorious day with the excuse of giving my feet a rest - magic!

I headed for the dam and found fish all the way along about 50 yards out and also just off the boils. It was a bit awkward keeping on the fish as there were a good number of boats and many anchored. I did a bit of anchoring and a bit of drifting really you just needed to be over a pod of fish.

There were two main techniques. I couldn't catch on the di7 and a minkie but a few others did. I managed 3 on a red daiwl bach on the midge tip. They were nice fish too all over a pound and half. The second one took at full stretch and ran and had to play him at distance on the reel for while.

I tried the pines and North Farm shore and while I saw fish on top I couldn't catch. I could only manage half a day on my own but it was nice too be out topping up the tan!

Sunday 4 July 2010

Just coming on as I leave

The football seems to have got in the way of the fishing recently and now England are out and it doesn't matter too much I seem to be enjoying it more!

It started very bright and windy this morning and as I was determined to go I thought Ravensthorpe would stand the best chance of a fish.

I expected all the boats to be taken but there were a few left when I arrived so quickly grabbed one. I'm not a great lover of single manned boats but happy for the peace and quiet. I started on the drift, di5 and blobs - no boobies on ravensthorpe. The water was a little coloured so thought if there sulking near the botton then this might be a chance, however it was very quiet and after 5/6 drifts I hadn't even had a pull so the anchor it was.

My choices went well and not long after I settled into the cotton end tunnel I had a fish on a damsel. The wind was squalling and the boat swinging around, it was difficult to keep in control but really more annoying. Unfortunately it didn't get any better and had a move to the end of the willows about 100 yards off the two platforms. This felt better but after half an hour I was itching to move. Having looked around all the boats were moving and no one was catching so I thought I would hold on where I was. It wasn't long before the cloud started to roll in and this made all the difference and I saw my first fish on top. There were a few green buzzers hatching now and I suppose the fish could start to look up without being blinded.

I kept my damsel on the point and added a green daiwl bach to my top dropper and that seemed to be the catalyst. A couple of casts later I was into another fish, they were not big, maybe 1lb 8oz or so but there wasn't anyone else catching so good enough for me. A bankie popped onto the platform and caught 2 in the next 15 minutes they must just be coming on! I managed one more and then my half day boat time was up just as they were coming on for the afternoon. Never mind no fish to gut as they were all returned so i'll go and settle in to see Nadal win!