A rest for tired legs

Having been in the lakes for the last two days and yesterday having completed the "Hartsop Horseshoe" my legs and feet were feeling a little tired. As I looked up at the first hill it was 2000ft straight up the ridge from the valley and part way up I realised I hadn't done this for a while as I took a few breathers and viewed the stunning scenery. Once up though it was a great walk and very exhilarating. On the picture below I walked from the right peak to the highest on the left - Thornthwaite Crag at 2500ft, following the ridge around 4 high peaks.
Out to lunch would have been nice, but a boat on Ravensthorpe today was the ideal rest! Although I hadn't reckoned on Phil giving me "a hell of beating"!

We had the hot info from Mike Philpott on where to go and what to do, unknown at the time he had also given the same info to Mick Foster and yes you've guessed it when we arrived Mick and his boat partner Graham Hutchins were in P1 and catching.





The fish had been cruising 40yrds off shore from the lodge to willows bay so confidently we dropped the anchor next to them in P2 and had a quick chat and a bit of banter.

Phil set up with two black and green flies on a sinker. I say sinker because he had said earlier in the day it was a Di3 then changed his mind to a Di5 later - tactics at play i am sure!! He used it to great effect though as he jigged and twitched it back all day with similar flies and managed to land 9 fish all around the two pound mark. This is his best catch of the year and a great effort on the day. Here he is below concentrating on that elusive 10th. never mind - next time!


I however struggled. I switched around too much between flies and lines not being able to settle on anything in particular. I ended with 3 on a concert blob and a Montana all caught on a Di5. The fish seemed to be settled on the bottom between us and the lodge but a good number running along the shore. I definitely spent too long on the Di7 but casting into shallower water.

It was a nice day, overcast with a bit of sun and the wind variating between light ripple and a flat calm. Ravensthorpe as ever was timeless and as below the boathouse view wouldn't have changed much over the last century.



We had a great day and met up with Mick and Graham afterward who had caught 3 and 10 so we didn't do too bad from P2.

The cat got the turkey!

I fished the MNTFA fur and feather yesterday and took the first prize turkey and yes using a cats whisker.

The plan for the day was spot one from the dam, spot 2 from pensioners point or spot 3 fishing into the dam from the river side. It was the first time I had fished with a walk off and luck was with me as I drew number 4. There was a very light wind so spot one it was and i managed to be the first there fishing off the concrete slipway.

I set up with a ghost tip just to cut through the calm and about a 12ft leader of 6lb mono with just two flies. I had looked at flouro carbon in the water and it looked white so started on mono. The flies were a black daiwl back on the dropper and a gold head cats whisker on the point. The cat was nothing clever on a 10 short shank hook with a chenile body. There was a boat a bit close in but plenty of fish splashing infront of me, the scene was set.

The fish were at the end of my cast so I decided to slow it down to a figure of 8 and the first fish took the cat on the drop after 5 minutes, nice! They didn't come thick and fast but in the next half hour i was sitting on 4. It was at this time that my mind then started to think about the need for a decent fish and how I would get that, luck i suppose. Well i cast out and on the the first pull to straighten the line the water errupted in that type of noise that you know is more a thump and wallow rather than a splash, yes a decent fish! It kept heading for the weed but manged to side strain it back into open water a few times, negotiated a couple of testing runs, managed a test of strength as it twisted and turned in front of me and then it was in the net. It was my best of the year to a 6lbs 6oz rainbow. Yes it was a stockie but all the same it was a nice fish and one of the reasons you go to Elinor, and it didn't dissapoint.
It was then that I decided to catch and release and by 10.30 I had 8 fish while all around me there was very little being caught. A bit greedy!

Barry Jones had a couple in the corner and Richard Slater joined me but the fish seemed a little tightly shoaled and difficult to get too. it was then that the wind started to increase and the fish moved to the other corner of the dam. I dried up as tdid the boat infont but the float tubers and Roy McLester started.

I carried on flogging the water till almost 3 without success. It was one of those moments that made me think I wasn't going to keep my 6th. So I thought time for a move. I could see Phil off the pensioners point so thought i would pay him a visit.

I must have took some luck with me as he only had 2 but was into a fish when I arrived, a nice 3 and a half pounder that I netted. He had just moved on the point and was now casting across a windlane as the fish were running up, a perfect ambush! Over the next hour he manged to catch another 4 and it was his first limit in a competition, and 4th place, good angling!

I settled in just behind the point and manged a good number of takes but no fish. It was just before 4 and I still had one to catch but it was never in doubt as it locked up across the windlane and it may have been only one and have pounds but i was taking no chances and finished.

Powie had laid on soup at the lodge, a great touch! and as we weighed in it was obvious that it was going to be closer than I thought. Barry had bagged up and Roy had finished with returned a fish a total of 12 on a bead headed bloodworm. Powies mate from Ireland Mick o'flynn, came in with 5 fish including a 5 pounder and they were all a good size but as always Richard Slater had moved into the other corner of the dam and managed to bag up with his last fish coming at 4.28 along with a 5 pounder too, things were very close.

Fortunately I manage to pip Richard by half a pound and my first MNTFA win was in the bag.

Saving them for Sunday

Phil fancied a trip to Elinor this week in prep for the MNTFA fur and feather on Sunday and it was perfect timing for me with a few days off. I also invited another beginner Steve from the club. Steve has been catching a few from Pitsford but it has been difficult to find a spot. So I was hoping for a good bag of fish to keep everyone's confidence high.

Usually you are hoping for overcast conditions but the temperature had dropped and at this time of year a bit of sun can warm everything up. However it was a little nippy and cloudy all day but there were no shortage of fish around. It was a pleasant change to know there are fish infront of you but you just have to work at catching them. Normally we are always trying to find fish first. I always find Elinor either very easy or very difficult and there seems to be no in between. I am sure it is all around how your thought processes work! Today was going to be difficult.

I had a frustrating morning being just on the edge of range of rising fish and chucked all types of dries and nymphs at them without success. Phil was more productive and had one and a few takes on a green nymph but it was not a method. Phil's found another nice spot below.

When you looked around the boats there was a spot off the boat area that was very productive, in fact one boat manged to catch 40. We all changed spots to take advantage of this and initially it payed off. I had one on a daiwl bach and Phil had a lovely brownie that was returned on a lure which he passed to Steve who then had a lovely rainbow, that's better we all had fish. Unfortunately the day didn't get any better with no more fish and I spent the rest of the afternoon casting into the wind. It wasn't hard for everyone though as the guy next to me had his 6 including a 10 pounder and six pounder.

All in all it is a great fishery and we learned a lot so it wasn't all so bad.

We were just saving them for Sunday!!

A three course meal

I am enjoying some time off this week and mike philpott and I had a day at grafham on Tuesday. Mike was there last week and with some local info we were looking forward to some good sport.

It was an interesting day and a true fisherman's day with fish rising most of the time but challenging to catch. There were fish rising on a consistent basis and they were around all day.

We started on a floater and slow glass with a cats whisker, snail and buzzer patterns. The fish were not jumping on too frequently but we had sufficient takes and follows to keep our interest and I had manged to winkle a couple out on a small cats whisker. We were both convinced that when you had the right fly on they would be easy but it didn't seem to come true. We had had many theories in the boat around what they were feeding on and were not convinced around was it fry, snails or buzzers?

Well the first fish I had put pay to that and when I spooned it, it had snails for starters, a big fry for main and some big juicy buzzers for desert. A real three course meal!

We were keeping an eye on the boat next to us and one guy seemed to be on dry's, a klinkerhammer as it turned out, he had a few and must have been one of the best for the day. I managed to get a few rises to a ginger hopper but they were not really that keen. After another good think I put on the big black buzzers and off we went. Mike was more comfortable on the buzzers and with a cat on the point we were off and running. We fished most of the day to the left of the lodge and by the nature reserve and finished out the front of the fishing harbour.

With 7 fish between us we felt that we had done the best we could and with the fish feeding all day not only did they have a 3 course meal but they must of been at an eat as much as you like restaurant!

Teflon Minkie's

I'll have to check that last batch of black rabbitt to make sure it wasn't made of teflon!!

Yes it was one of those days when all around you were catching, not great, but i could still see the rods bending on a regular basis and yet for me it was just takes.

I had a single manned morning boat so geared up with a floating fry on a floater. Working my way down towards the dam nothing was doing so I set up my Di7 and a black and green minkie and headed for the other boats huddled off the tower. First drift through and I had a fish and thought I was going to be in for a good day.

However the next dozen takes all remained just that and i was left feeling quite frustrated. I changed flies and changed lines but kept coming back to the black minkie as the only thing I could get a take too. And they were only takes at that!

Everyone around me was pulling quick and with what I am convinced were not floaters. Half were drifting broadside and half point down but all consistently catching.

They keep saying black boobies on a floater in the lodge but it didn't work for me and I am sure a floater would have been too high in the water.

Graham Haywood was just heading out as I came in full of the same tactic. bet he bagged!

Never mind it was glorious day and a pleasure to be out as the sun shone and the wind had calmed from yesterday. There's always next time!

Barclays v Bank of Scotland

15 a side with a practice day including a few drinks and then a competition fishing with one of the opposition and a sit down meal/presentation and a few more drinks. What an excellent event this is!

I have just had two days fishing on Draycote and managed to catch 25 fish, C&R of course. Despite an algae bloom, bright sun and cold wind Draycote still fished magnificently.

We managed to lift the TW Trophy again this year - which is a rare event in England- we caught 114 fish for 275lbs with the Scots catching 87 fish for 190lbs. remarkably for us we also managed to catch most of the larger fish too and the best fish of the day went to Steve Blundell who caught a magnificent rainbow weighing 12lbs 15ozs below

As you would expect Steve cleaned up on the prizes with the heaviest bag and best boat along with James Turner and their 16 fish weighed 44-8. Agnes Thomas took the best Scots bag with 8 fish for 20-3.

The other notable bags for Barclays were Ross Jordan with 8 for 22-14, Ralf painter with 8 for 19-12 and Martin Williams with 8 for 19-8. Neil O'shea also had a 4-12 rainbow. No less than 12 of the team bagged up with 8 fish and we were only 6 fish short of a maximum. Very impressive!

From the BOS side Mike Connet had 8 for 19-3, Kenny Wilson 8 for 18-10 and John Tullett 8 for 17-12. Dick Ness had a rainbow of 3-14 and Agnes one of 3-11.

Practice for me was with Mike Philpott and we managed to find a good number of fish in Toft, from G to H buoy and off Dunns bay. The algae was awful, I have taken a photo looking into water below and it was a case of on the downward shore of rainbow corner and the dam were unfishable and after being warned off never ventured over. Fortunately there were a good number of fish elsewhere.

We managed to take our early fish on either a Di3 and daiwl backs or a Di5 and sparklers in the morning and then I went mad in the afternoon on a fast glass with a sparkler booby and claret and black hoppers. Modesty forbids me to remember the numbers in the boat! Team talk was held without us, thanks! But as most people had caught fish the tactics and locations were not in question. Others had caught on a mix of lovely coloured lures but black and green and an orange blob maybe were the best. Pretty much all the stockies were in Toft but bigger fish out in the middle. Tactics were great and because people caught on different things we shared info but retained everyones confidence to choose what they thought was their best approach. Martin Williams was catching on the same as me as the action below shows. Well more like I was catching on the same as him after he passed the info over.

I was drawn with Kenny Wilson for the competition day and knew I would have a good day as he had similar fish to me on practice day and I had seen him ticking along a slow sink.

We started out from Biggin bay but after half an hour it was devoid of fish let alone any of the bigger ones that were there the day before. The usual jitters started to kick in! However a new drift starting from Lin Croft point out in the middle found us drifting on the edge of farnbourough shoal. I changed my line from the fast glass to a Di7 and the action started immediately and I put 4 fish in the boat in about the next 10 casts. Kenny was hot on my heels with a Di5 and managed a fish before the drift ended. We located the edge of the shoal perfectly and finished the morning session with 13 fish between us. Not quite as good as Agnes and Shane Tibbetts but I was more than happy. Kenny was set up with an orange blob on the top dropper and a black and green nomad on the point and at lunch it was clearly the team tactic.

Kenny caught a great fish on the blob as both of us saw it chase and come back around for a look a number of times. We both had time to comment on how best to catch it and with a last movement the fish turned and took -YES! Good angling!

I had a lively fish in the morning and tried to convince Kenny I should count it twice. I netted it quick and before I could take the fly out of it's mouth it had jumped out of the net and play it again before landing and releasing - surely that's 2?

After lunch the tactic was go back to the previous spot for Kenny to catch his 6th and then off to G and H buoy for some bigger fish. Well before I could get my line out he had one hooked and netted, very impressive.

With both on 6 in the boat we were allowed to C&R and the banter started from Kenny, its gone tough now, you'll never have time for two more, you better keep that small one, it'll be embarrassing going in with just 7, etc. etc. As 4pm approached Kenny kept his 7th a decent fish, I kept and I was mightily relieved my next one too, although Kenny was convinced it should have gone back! Spot on 4 Kenny had a another decent fish and started to pack up, it was as though he had planned it all along. I then decided that i would also would take my next fish as I couldn't seem to catch any decent fish and true to form it was about the same size as all my other small ones. All in a all a very pleasant and enjoyable day and a sun tan to boot!

Can't wait for the return trip to Scotland next year, Lake of Menteith, Carron Valley, Butterstone, any will do!!

Paul Eliot passes away

In Neil o'shea's words
"It is with great regret that I have to let you know that Paul passed away last Friday after losing his battle against cancer.Paul was a great fisherman who, for many years, represented the South West region. He also fished for Barclays against the Bank of Scotland, even to the extent of missing a golf tournament in the Mediterranean for which he'd qualified so he didn't lose his place in the Barclays team. He was a wonderful character who will be well remembered by all those who knew him. After retiring from the bank Paul set up fishing lodges on his property at Wainsford House on the Rivers Fowey and Warleggan. He then worked tirelessly for his remaining years to improve the fishing on these rivers. I will certainly miss him and thought you, his friends, would like to know. Would you please circulate this to anyone who knew Paul but is not on this circulation list. Thank you. "

Paul was a fantastic character, a great fisherman and a good friend. John wilson dedicated his Barclays national win to Paul this year and with the Barclays v BOS fishing match this week he will be in all our thoughts.