Naseby Fly Tyers

I had a great night last night thanks to Paul Jervis inviting me to give a fly tying talk and demo at the Royal Oak in Naseby. He has been running a weekly fly tying session through the winter and also a bit of fishing for a group of around 10 locals. It's great to get a group together like this.

It was an informal session and I walked through a whole host of tying and fishing techniques based around a green pea, orange booby, hares ear, slate grey buzzer, elk hair sedge and a green daiwl bach.



As this was the first time I have done a talk - apart from a few Pitsford open days - I took Mike and Phil along for some moral support. With a good number of traditional ales on tap and a great spread laid on by Paul and family it was a great night that I thoroughly enjoyed - hopefully everyone else did too, but I am sure they did.

There had to be something go wrong and as i had just finished my hares ear it pinged out of the holder and couldn't be found - all that effort! Thank goodness I had another one in box I show. We did find it afterwards - just in case they have been turning the place upside down today! I have salvaged a few today and have loaded them up below.



UV Hares ear, fluorescent orange tying silk, hares ear tail, hares ear body and thorax, pheasant thorax cover, oval gold rib and flour Orange head.





Slate Grey Buzzer, slate grey tying silk body and thorax, fine pearl back, red holographic rib, pearl thorax cover and orange goose biot cheeks.





Elk hair sedge, ginger palmer hackle, gold rib, ginger front hackle and a pinch of natural deer hair for the wing.



Thank you all!

Read your -mails!!!

I should have done this before going fishing on Sunday as Mike managed to catch a 5lb 8oz Rainbow and Phil a 5lb 20z on Friday. They were a little closer the lodge and on a red daiwl back. I may have had more success and confidence at least.

Great fish Phil!

it's been a while

It has, it seems ages since i last went fishing!

I have been focusing on my Yorkshire 3 peaks challenge that I managed to complete in 10hrs 58mins. There's more detail at www.kevshillwalking.blogspot.com if your really interested.

It has been a nice week this week and I fancied that Ravensthorpe would be warming up for some small fly action. However when I woke up this morning to wet on the ground and grey skies I thought, typical!

I think everyone had the same idea as me as all the boats were taken and the cotton end lay by full of cars. In hind sight i should have perhaps gone off the dam but I only had a couple of hours and knew there were fish here. The platforms were taken so i found a gap in the trees just beforehand and started to tackle up.

It really felt like spring was here as the sun began to peak through, dandelions and daffodils adding colour, I could hear a chiffchaff in the tree next to me and there was a hatch on as the swallows, house martins and sand martins were swooping around infront of me. It was a pleasure to be out.

I started on a mains damsel and couple of buzzers on a floater and it was only second when all tightened up and I was into a nice 2pounder.

The mains damsel has been a great fly for me. We called it this after John Mains as far as I am aware originated it for competition fishing in hard early season conditions. It is a simple fly to tie consisting of an olive marabou tail, olive marabou body, pearl over the back and a silver wire rib.

It was a great start but not to be followed up unfortunately. I moved onto straight lining daiwl bach's and cruchers and drifting out a bung but nothing. There were a few fish further out and the hatch slowed down at midday.

When the couple of guys off the platforms left having only one apiece too on buzzers,I thought I would follow too. A nice ease back into it again though.

Bad luck comes in threes

It was the MNTFA Pitsford Bank competition and it didn't start too well when on only my second cast my rod snapped on the back cast - more about that later. At lunchtime I got on my bike and cycled round the water having a few chats when half way round I got a puncture - a great walk back to the car. Lastly as I was gutting my fish the knife sliced through my thumb - the same colour as my buzzers!

I managed to shake off all of that and still come 6th and have the best fish of the day prize for a 3lb 5oz rainbow - nice and overwintered!

I started off at the Pines with Don Moore and Phil, the wind was very light to start but got up as the day went on. Phil was on fire again and had the first fish on a bloodworm after we saw at least 3 fish rise in front of us. I also changed to bloodworm and buzzers and managed to catch two fish on a red buzzer including my best fish. It showed promise up to lunch but then went very quiet.

After i had walked back to my car and still nothing doing on the pines I made my way up to stone barn bay. I was greeted by Powie and Mick O'farrel waving to say they were packing up and I could have their spot. Very kind, Mick had actually had his limit by half past eleven. I started on the floater but nothing doing and thought i would copy so on went the di3 and a black and green booby.

1st cast out and I was hooked into a nice stockie, that's better! I managed to catch 5 in the next hour and lost a couple, it was great sport. It's surprising how easy it is when the fish are in front of you but it's bloody hard finding them. I sweated on the last 10 minutes to catch my last but the fish had moved off.

A couple of spots down though Seumas had bagged up and gave his spot to Graham Haywood who had another 3 to get. He managed to get his last fish on the last cast of the match and let out a great roar! It was the first limit he had caught and a major milestone especially having won the most ducks competition last year. Brilliant!

As you can see from the photo below he is staring at his bag of fish and can't quite believe how many there are.



The weigh in was surprising how many fish had been caught and it was obvious Phil and I had chosen the wrong spot to start. Graham was in Third Place and Mick in second but Ash cooper managed to win with a great bag of fish caught on a cats whisker from Sailing Club Bank. Well done!

Key controversy

There has been some interesting debate on Fly forums website around whether a day ticket fisherman should be able to have a key to the gates in the same way as a season ticket holder at Pitsford.

This only seems fair and would be the best solution. It must feel naff walking along the banks to a spot when a car beats you there. I guess there are more and more pensioners fishing these days and it is not always possible to walk the distances to get to the fish.

Fortunately most of the main hotspots on pitsford these days are easily walkable. In fact a mate of mine refuses a key and prefers the walk to keep fit.

The water has to cater for many users and there is a restriction on the number of cars that are allowed round. With many cyclists and walkers - including me - on the road we have to be responsible.

Not only this but Nathan has to control it. With notices in the lodge on how to use the locks correctly and regular reminders of the care to be taken we are an easy target and need to keep this to an absolute minimum. As a season ticket holder Nathan holds your address and phone number and can issue warnings. If needed there is always the threat of taking the season ticket away. He does not have this control over day ticket holders and while the majority would act responsibly if there is no deterrent then the minority would not.

Over the first few days the locks appear to have been abused by both day ticket holders and season ticket holders. The gates need to remain locked at all times and if a day ticket holder is let in you need to be very clear and take ownership on how they can get out.

I will discuss with Nathan if opening day next year can be an exception and everyone have the same access.

Phil bags up again

Yes it was the "Elinor Experts" opportunity to show me how to fish properly again and he has me almost converted to fishing bloodworms.



It was always going to be all or nothing for me but thought I would have a relaxing day and enjoy it any way. To help my feet I took my boat box with me and fitted in a dream with all the other old boys sitting down and fishing. They do feel better for not being in cold water all day!

It all started ominously when we hadn't hadn't had a pull I decided to go back to the car and while I was gone Phil had one on a buzzer. With nothing else doing we moved up to the top end and fished the bank next to the canal. There were a few catching but only in key positions on the point or in the bay.

Still fishless at 2pm I knew it was going to be one of those days so sod it! I went for a walk around Titchmarsh reserve to take my mind off it. When I returned though Phil had already banked another 3 on a bloodworm. I could say i didn't believe him but when the guys around started asking for me to leave again if he hadn't caught he must have paid them handsomely.

If the fish were here a different mindset was needed so I went positive and back to my Pitsford technique of a pea and blob. It wasn't too long and I could feel tap, tap, tap and as I left it static off it went. It wasn't big but it saves me from blanking and it was very grateful and soon un-hooked and swimming free again.



Phil managed another and by now the place was emptying - all going home for tea. I'm not if it was me wanting to catch more or Phil feeling sorry for me but we weren't going home yet! The two guys on the point were off and both of us jumped in for a last flurry. Phil had another and lost a few and that was it I had to concede and borrow a bloodworm. It was hardly on the line a couple of casts and I was into my second.

The fish seemed to move off so we decided to call it a night. With the pattern in my mind I'm going to be tying bloodworms later this week!

Fish all over

I don't seem to be quite in the groove at the moment. There are people bagging up but I'm not one of them. Having said that I am still only fishing 2 or 3 hours so really I'm doing fine.

Steve had given me a text to say he was on the Pines so I headed there at lunchtime today just as he popped in the spot that someone had bagged up earlier. I took up a spot on the point of the creek and table bay and started with the di5 and booby. It didn't feel right so I set up with what I was comfortable with - a green pea and orange blob on a floater. I counted it down and first two pulls and my first fish.



I thought this was going to be it but i struggled on and managed another couple before my feet were aching - must take my box next time! Well with fish off sailing club, the pines and bog bay the fish really are all over.

Steve persevered on without success but he won't be put off and I'm sure he will be back tomorrow. For me I fancy a change of scenery at Elinor tomorrow, either that or Phil wants to catch a bag full again!