Impatience

Yes i suffered with that today and couldn't stop pulling my flies. When i did stop i had 3 fish but it wasn't enough as those all around me bagged up. Pitsford was fishing it's head off with black and green buzzers hatching, daddies being blown onto the water and straight lining or a bung with buzzer imitations the method. James made hay while he could and this 3-11 rainbow fought like mad and as his first first on Pitsford for a long time welcomed him back from Holland in grand style.

He couldn't stop catching along with many others. From a fishing perspective it was a harsh lesson for me to learn but with great company it made me realise why we fished together so frequently and i look forward to many more on Rutland shortly.

Two big girls

Yes the fish and not me and mike! This weekend was the Barclays Nationals on Eyebrook and practice day with Ash Cooper was my first trip of the year - wow. We started at Sams Dyke and after interest as expected moved in to mucky bay. All the boats were anchored and quite tricky manouvering between them, I had decided to drift all the time so it was something i was going to have to get used too. As a few others were catching well it was hard going for us and were going to need a few more flies that could work. Mike and Martin had struggled too but when we arrived there seemed to be fish rising everywhere. After throwing dries, wets and nymphs at them without success it was Ash who provided the breakthrough and caught one on a Cormerant. This then accounted for 4 fish for me before we moved off. Mike and Martin returned to the same area later and took 4/5 on a slime and blob. That was it - tactics set!

Competition day and the wind had changed completely. Every boat headed for Sams Dyke and Mucky Bay, chucked out the anchor and sat back for the day. For us we tried the far bank but it was a bit calm and not too many fish about so we set on drifting into the bank along the cabin to the chestnut tree. We had 3 fish on a blob with martin on the Di5 and me on the fast glass, a patern set for the day. It was mid afternoon as we drifted into the bay next to the lodge. There was a line of clear water and orange coloured water and the fish seemed to be running this. Half way in a drift and bang i was in and i tightened up, it headed round the boat and out the back and kept going no matter how much pressure i put on. As it wallowed on top about 20 yards behing the boat i suddenly realized Woooo it was big! After a good number opf hairy moments around the drogue and martin had it in the net -god it was fat, and big - a 9 ponder and my biggest to date, magic. Just to make sure we didn't foget the day the drogue caught in a gust of wind and it was under the motor. Being close to the shore it was inevitable we were heading to beach. We managed to jump ashore and in the wind the boat was banging about and we needed to push it up the shore to secure it and as I thought about it Matin summoned up the effort and pushed like mad - it looked like he was walking on water! As he went to get the bailif I cut the rope, freed off the engine and unwound it from the prop. Back in business. We just kept persevering and ended with 10 fish between us which was impressive as we were the only boat on the drift. Mike and ash had remained on the far bank but fishing at anchor and had bagged 8 fish including an 8lb 1oz rainbow. Combined it was enough for 2nd place behind London Northern.

At the weighin can you beleive it but no best troph for me as ralph painter had a 10-14, what a cracking fish. A great start to the season!!

Opening Day Pitsford

Still a bit cold and muddy for me at the moment but there seemed to be a good number of people out today catching fish. The banks are restrictive for two main reasons. It would be good to get the bank erosion works out of the way and open up Brixworth bay and the Pines. Other than that it is only inside the bays themselves that are restricted due to the soft mud however the points of the bays are the most productive this time of year.

The Gravels and North farm shore seem to be the most productive.

Mike Martin Passes away

I was sorry to hear that Mike Martin passed away yesterday. I think recently he was a big force in the Northampton Branch of the fly dressers Guild who met at the Cardigan Arms in Moulton, but hadn't seen him for a while.

Mike worked for many years at Barclaycard and I remember a good number of fishing chats in the Greyfriars house office when he was working with the early PDQ terminals.

A number of years ago I fished quite often with Mike especially in the Barclaycard North team in the Barclays National. One that sticks in my mind was that we were fishing together at Pitsford and while he wouldn't stop fishing the dry fly he did have 4 fish up one end of the boat while i was fishing with a Black dog nobbler and had 7 at the other end. A strange combination but with us and the other boat we managed to win that year.

Fondly remembered!

Only 2 weeks to the start

I don't think I am going to be ready this year for the start of the fishing season especially after seeing Pitsford and Ravensthorpe this morning. Only 2 weeks to Ravensthorpes opening day and i couldn't even find the holes in the ice where they have stocked the fish!!

Ravensthorpe above is completely iced over today. Add this late winter weather to how low the water level is and i am sure this will change the behaviour of the fish. For a few seasons now Cotton End has fished well but i wouldn't be surprised if the Dam is going to be more productive.

In addition Pitsford above was also mostly frozen. I guess they are going to have an extra week and should be different. I think it will be the low levels that affect Pitsford more. The Erosion works are very welcome and look to be coming to a conclusion but i am sure there is no point raising the levels until that is complete. When the levels come up then there may not be too much food close in. in the meantime it is going to be a muddy affair getting to the waters edge. If it's still still frozen it will make the mud easy to walk out on!

2012 opening days

You may have received your letter from Anglian Water like me today but they have confirmed the opening days as:
Ravensthorpe Sat 3rd March
Pitsford Fri 9th March
Grafham Fri 16th March
Rutland Sat 31st march

The season ticket prices are out as well with a Gold setting you back £785, silver £610, Blue £479, Green £510, Economy £385 and starter £230.

There is also an open day at Pitsford on satuerday 25th Feb if you want to have a chat with the wardens and seems they have a few tackle demos etc.

The water level is massively down at pitsford at the moment and they are still shoring up the the banks to stop the erosian. Hopefully this will all change by the start of the season, if not we might be fishing for mud crabs!

Hardly a Toil

With not too much holiday left for this year i didn't think i would have another trip to the River Arrow but after working flat out in October i decided to take a TOIL day (Time Off In Lieu).

A few conference calls and e-mails from the banks of the river couldn't stop me relaxing and enjoying a lovely day on the Court of Noke beat of the River Arrow.

When we arrived it was a cloudy but still quite warm. The river was running well not at all coloured but as autumn has been late this year there were a lot of leaves in the water that had not rotted down yet. We walked down to the start of the beat and dissapointly didn't see a fish rise but we did pick out loads of pools and likely fishing spots.

As we started fishing the farmer turned up and had a good chat to Phil giving us some good tips to handle the electric fence and good spot to try. I tackled up with a gold head hares ear and a black buzzer under a site indicator and trotted down the edges on both the near and far bank with good optimism.

I had a conference call at 11 and just as i was sat on the bank listening, Phil shouted out that he was in so i walked over hoping to christen my new net. Wow what a fish! Phil was stillplaying it when i got there and as it came up to the surface and turned over it was cracking. Precariosly balanced part way down a steep bank with Phil talking me through it in one ear and the team discussing key activities in the other I could just imagine a slip and i would be swimming. However the fish just managed to tip into the net and it was on the bank.
It was the largest grayling i had seen and at the time we were sure it must be close to 2lb. It was taken just in the spot the farmer had pointed out on a pink goldhead trotted up the inside line.

We continued upstream but the fishing didn't really pick up. Phil saw only 2 fish rise but i didn't see any and it felt that with no food and the leaves hiding the food on the bottom the fish had just gone to sleep for a while.

With my interest waning a little i went for a wander to see what wildlife was about. A sparrowhawk came down the tree line and wizzed through the trees, a great spotted woodpecker perched on a dead tree, a kingfisher sped up the river at low level and as i was crossing the river a dipper came down stream and at the site of me stopped in mid air, turned and headed back upstream almost in slow motion, magic!

Phil managed to pick some field mushrooms and at that point i could wait for my tea - Mushroom sandwiches.

we managed to mark the fish on the rod and Phil confrmed it was 42cm in length and just over two pounds confirmed. good enough to make a nice day out.