Spring migrant banquet

I had a very pleasant half day boat at Ravensthorpe today and it was great to see so many flies hatching so early in the season. There were loads of small black midges and a few small green ones but the best was a massive dark green buzzer that were hatching in great numbers.


Some of the spring migrant birds have started to arrive now. I could hear chiffchaff, chiffchaff, chiff from the shrubs and Sand Martins were buzzing the surface feeding on the banquet of buzzers. A welcome treat after the log trip from Africa I assume.

I started off between the island and the causeway and stuck the pick down. The wind was off the trees and therefore fairly sheltered. I set up a green pea and a couple of buzzers on a floater, cast out and then put the rod down while i organised my kit. It was only a minute when I felt the rod move and with an instinctive reaction I picked up the rod and I was in to a very nice 3 and a half pound rainbow - great start!

the fish were feeding and there were the occasional rises but I seemed to struggle to find what they wanted. I did have another fish on a black buzzer but it wasn't a method. As the hatch gained in numbers, so did the numbers of fish rising. I chopped and changed flies and methods and while i felt they were on dry it wasn't working for me.

After lunch the boat next to me had a fish on a dry and i thought that's it, there must be some easier fish somewhere. I headed up to cotton end and when I arrived there were no fish rising but there was fly hatching, hopefully they are feeding on nymph rather than dry so i put on a damsel and a black buzzer and cast toward the wall.

It was only third cast and and all went tight - yes! I had found a few fish and for the next hour I couldn't go wrong catching and returning 7 fish. They took the buzzer to start and then switched to the damsel as the hatch wore off.

After 15 minutes without a fish (inpatient!) I thought i would head off home and save myself for another day.

Barclays National at Eyebrook

I had been holding out for Draycote to be confirmed as we were all looking forward to gathering back in Dunchurch this year but while it must be close to getting finalised it is too late for us now.

Therefore I have now booked Friday 13th May at Eyebrook and I am sure it will be lucky for one team.

Apologies if I had mis led over the date but unfortunately I couldn't get the one I wanted. I will get all the formal invites out next week but if you would like to join us and/or you were not on the e-mail list then e-mail me or comment on this and i will send you an invite.

MNTFA AGM

Last week was my first AGM as Chairman and all seemed to go well.

Thanks to Nathan Clayton the Pitsford fishery manager for taking questions on pitsford this year. They are going to be charging for parking this year at Holcot and Pitsford car parks. Your parking permit with your season ticket still allows you free parking. They are also going to be putting some bollards on the causeway so this doesn't get churned up and parked on. Additionally there will be a speed limit on the causeway of 40 miles an hour shortly, after a few accidents. It is not always the fast driver that causes the accident but with so many cars doing silly things the speed makes it worse.

We also voted to join the Angling Trust this year as they are the single voice of angling and excerting their authority with the england set up - the CEFF is no more.

I gave a short speech and have attached my slides here if you are interested.

If you want to know more you can visit us at www.mntfa.co.uk

Sunrise again

Today was another early start and it was great to see the sunrise over Kingsthorpe and bright skies but on the down side it did mean a frost and the car was showing minus 4 as i drove over to Pitsford.

Steve, Mike and Phil all joined the early start from the Pines this morning but the fish weren't feeding quite the same. There were a few rising but they were further out. I was casting out as far as I could and also slowed down the retrieve down to try and entice them on. Just after 7 it worked and my first rainbow was in the net. There seemed to be a shoal coming past but it seemed a little lethargic and not quite as big as it was.

I persevered and managed another 3 before 8am but it was then very quiet for me. Mike continued with his intermediate and orange booby and seemed to find the depth for a while and caught a nice few fish. I headed off for a cup of tea at my dads with all good intentions to return.

I sat on the causeway and the wind had changed and was coming of North farm shore and blowing into bog bay. With a load of cars off Stone barn I decided not to join the crowd and headed off for a lazy afternoon watching the cricket.

Fingers and thumbs

I was planning to go to Ravensthorpe today but the poor weather meant I didn't get going as early as I wanted too so I ended up with an hour before the beginners course at Pitsford so opted to try Bog Bay.

The wind was nice and was coming more off the bank than it was going right to left. I started on Stilton point but it was blowing down the reservoir and a bit coloured here. I worked my way into the bay without success so decided on a walk to the other side of the bay at the end of Duffers Reach. The black and green was not working too well so with about 10 minutes to go I put on the orange still on the Di3 and slowed it down with a slow figure of 8. I didn't take long for my fingers to be hurting and obviously needed to get some practice in and build them up again.

It was just what was needed though and the takes started, I thought they were bottom at first but then when a fish was on I realised differently. A nice 2 pounder was safely returned but unfortunately I had run out of time and headed back to the lodge.

While thinking about my fingers hurting my thumb is painful today as you can see.

I never thought yesterday but this is the damage one of the brownies did to my thumb as I was un hooking it. I did feel the needle sharp teeth and took a second look to see if it was a Ferrox but no just a mean predator getting it's own back!

A bagfull before breakfast

An early start this morning and i was at Pitsford for 6.30. It really paid off and i definitely made up for yesterday.

At this time the bird life was well awake before me with the robins and blackbirds giving their all for the dawn chorus. As I walked along the creek 2 great crested grebes were dancing beak to beak, green woodpeckers screeching from the car park and great spotted woodpeckers drumming in the trees. As I approached the pines I even disturbed a cormorant close in, there had to be fish here!

I was not the first to arrive and another guy was on the first point which was fine because I wanted the second. It was only my second cast when the line went tight and for a moment i was sure it was the top of the shelf but when it started pulling back realisation set in and my first of the season, a big shouldered 2lb stockie was very welcome.

I recon everyone said "I'll be out the house by 7" because at 10 past there were 6 cars rolling around the roads of sailing club and infront of the car park. That was it though and no one arrived before I left.

After a couple of fish I then started to hone the depth and retrieve and leading up to 8am had a great purple patch as the fish must have been shoaling in front of me. There did seem to be a hatch. There were good numbers of small midge with a few bigger ones. I also saw three uprights as well maybe a dark olive. There were a few fish feeding on top for 20 minutes but not many.

The method was a Black and Green booby on a Di3 with a 12ft leader. I would cast out, let the line settle, maybe a figure of 8 to keep in touch and then long slow pulls. The fish seemed to come off the shelves and I had some great pulls fairly close in. It went a little slow after 8.30 and I swapped to an orange booby and let it sink for longer and managed 3 further fish this way including 2 lovely brownies one at a pound and half and the other at two and a half.

Excellent sport and I headed off for a good breakfast and a gentle introduction to the Rugby this afternoon.

Opening day casting practice

It was pitsford opening day today and as I turned up on the Pines this morning hopes were running high. I worked my way from Rigby's point towards table bay and the wind was light as just pushing off the bank, it felt great. As I got closer to Table bay a few people had caught fish, 5 here 4 there and one guy with 6 so I settled in here.

We were using the usual stuff with black and green or orange boobies on a di 3 and medium retrieve. Unfortunately the wind started to pick up and the fish switched off, I persevered till around 11 and then gave up. After a drive along the gravels and North Farm Bay it was the same story as others had failed to catch. Hopefully they switched on in the afternoon.

I managed some good casting practice so decided to call it a day, bank the knowledge and come back tomorrow.