Wishful Thinking - Opening Weekend 2019

Somehow it's Christmas Day. Without the input of my wife Christmas would have almost passed me by. It's been a difficult year for fishing, with house renovations taking over! We've been that busy renovating the house I've barely managed to get out onto the bank. For those occasions I have, flooding has been a constant companion. I've had little time for writing, so we're once again playing catch-up to get onto the front foot for the new year!

My season began on the opening weekend; and like every other river angler in the UK, one eye was on the weather forecast and another on the levels. For many of us, the opening weekend was a complete washout. I know some found success despite conditions, whilst others gave up completely. For my part I decided to give it a go. I'd originally planned to head for the Wye, but these hopes were quickly dashed by the levels. Plan B was the Teme, which was even worse. Plan C, the Avon was not much better and also completely unfamiliar to me. Plan D, The Severn was just about as high as I can ever recall. Plan E then... the Salwarpe. 

This little fished River has always intrigued me. Confluencing with the Severn, it's known to throw up occasional barbel, particularly in flood. The river record is less than 8lb, or at least it was, which certainly feels achievable with floodwater conditions pushing lower-Severn fish into it's sheltered backwaters.

Somewhere over there...

On arriving at Hawford Bridge, the Salwarpe was outside of it's banks and half way across the field. A walk along the towpath quickly confirmed I was getting nowhere near fishable water. The usual river channel was beyond a tree line... beyond a field... beyond a gate... beyond a fence... beyond a footpath (you get the idea).

Plan F (or back to Plan D, if you're keeping up). The Severn at Holt Heath. The weir was clearly going to be a no-go, but the water upstream is dead slow and fishable with a 3 oz feeder even in flood conditions. It also had the bonus of being just down the road...  

No through road... 

... Unfortunately that road ran out before I got anywhere near access to the lock island. Plan G. Northwood.

Northwood has always been kind to me, and I know it like the back of my hand. I'd never found it unfishable and there was slack water right against the near bank. Access is from a long way uphill, so at least I'd be able to get to the river. 

After a 30 minute drive I arrived in the car park, not unsurprised to see it empty. Unloading my gear, I made it down the slippery slope without incident and found the river towpath visible. The field had already started to flood but a short walk around got me to the river. 

Made it to the river - but still a long way to the swim!

It was a 10 m cast, just to where I'd normally sit. Perhaps double that to a riffle. Well I was here now and it was at least worth a cast. Needing accuracy, I set up with as light a lead as I felt I could get away with (3oz). Given low odds of landing anything I hooked I set up with a barbless hook and used a double uni knot to tie a 8lb rotten bottom in my hooklength. Casting in, I hit the target and felt the lead down to a clean landing.

I gave it fifteen minutes. Long enough to decide I had little chance of finding a fish, even less chance of landing one and somewhat concerned that the river had begun to creep round behind me into the dip in the field. Not wanting to be marooned, I moved to try another couple of swims that felt fishable upstream. In both I quickly lost tackle on two rods.

A nice looking slack - hiding a couple of metres of near bank snags!

Sometimes you just have to admit when enough is enough, when no amount of optimism and perseverance will make it happen; and so I called it a day. On my route back to the car I disturbed a fish within the flooded section of the field, an ominous sign. I wondered how many other fish would be stranded by the time the waters receded. It's fair to say it hadn't been the glorious 16th I was hoping for. Still, there was plenty of season ahead to aim at!

June 22nd - Revisiting Northwood

As levels began to fall back, I headed back to Northwood for a short evening session. The banks were treacherous and slippery, but infinitely more accessible. The river looked perhaps a little more colored than I would have liked, but I felt more confident.

That's better... 

The fish didn't come on until dusk, but I managed to a couple of chub and a small barbel as soon as the colour started to fade from the trees. It was nice to be off the mark early in the season! You'll have to excuse the quality of the pictures, the state of the banks didn't allow anything other than a quick photo in the net by the waters edge!

Evening Sport on the Fly

Having barely had a time to fish of late, let alone write I find myself playing catch-up on the blog front, starting with a session in mid-May. With the rivers still closed, I continued to explore a little sport on the fly and found a small stillwater to target on a couple of evenings after work. 

Brockhill Trout fishery is tucked away barely a stones throw from Redditch and comprises two small pools a short walk across the fields from the car park. The upper pool is the larger of the two pools, with a small island at one end, with noticeably deeper water to the far side, access is good all the way round, with plenty of space for back-casting. 

Brockhill - Upper Pool

The lower pool is the smaller of the pools, with less-defined pegs and a large island. A large oak tree on the right-hand bank appears to be a favored peg judging by the worn and compacted earth around it's base. 

Brockhill - Lower Pool

Session One     Having not fished the venue before, the first hour was spent walking the banks and watching for any feeding fish. Without a single rise in that time it was clear I would need to fish wet flies and tried buzzers, olive nymph and gold-ribbed hares ear on the lower pool with no success.

Moving on to the upper pool and still without a rising trout in sight I started by exploring the margins in either corner. Without a tug I moved to the centre of the pool and cast toward the far island. A few slow retrieves eventually resulted in the first tug on the fly... trapping the line in hand and raising the rod resulted in the first fish of the evening. The hard-fighting rainbow leapt from the water on three separate occasions as it gave a spirited account of itself and so was given plenty of time to rest before being released.

Within a further hour I had taken a second fish and lost two others, with all takes coming to an olive nymph pattern. An evening rise started at around 8pm with dozens of fish rising to take flies at the surface or buzzers just below. To my frustration I found these fish remarkably difficult to tempt. Having tried a range of dry flies, buzzers and suspender buzzers I failed to imitate the natural bounty and couldn't tempt so much as a tug. With the last of the light fading I reverted back to a hothead olive nymph and attempted to cast immediately into the path of rising fish, fast-stripping the fly the moment it landed to try to induce a take. Within a few moments I had provoked a response and fish number-three closed events for the evening. 

Three fish, and two lost... a very productive evening

Sunset and the end of the evening's fishing

Session Two     A week on I revisited Brockhill, with the hope of repeating previous success. The weather was overcast and notably cooler. Again there were no visible rises and I opted for the upper pool and wet flies once more. I decided to target the near side where the distance from the bank to the island was short, to allow me to cover any fish moving along near and far marginal shelves. It was not half an hour before the first sign of interest, with a short sharp tug on the fly half-way through the retrieve. Failing to connect, I immediately re-cast to the same spot, and counting the fly down to the same depth quickly retrieved. Again a tug against the fly and this time the hook set and the line pulled taut and rod bent over. Another healthy stockie in the 1-2lb bracket. Within the next handful of casts I connected with another fish, only for it to throw the hook early in proceedings.

A healthy Brockhill stockie

Shortly after, the wind picked up and the heavens opened. Having left my waterproofs in the car I was forced to hide under the trees and wait it out. It provided a moment for a bite to eat and within the hour the storm had passed over. However, the influx of cold water appeared to kill the fishing stone dead. I worked the entire perimeter of the lake, trying a variety of patterns both shallow and deep. The deeper water looked particularly inviting, but wasn't productive. 

Harboring the Storm

As dusk arrived so did the evening rise as the night before. Once again I was foiled in my attempts to  imitate the target prey items. Something to research further then, patterns to fool feeding trout on an evening rise! There were no further fish caught, but it was a lovely peaceful evening to be on the bank and Brockhill is certainly a fishery I'll return to in future.

.  

Fishing - sometimes catching simply doesn't matter...

Evening Rises - both bountiful and frustrating!

In Search of Ghosts... and Carp on the Fly!

After a great but ultimately unsuccessful session in pursuit of a twenty-plus carp, I headed straight out again the following day still hoping to achieve this aim before the rivers open in less than a month’s time. With the previous session yielding fish to 16 lb 8 oz, it was a case of close but no cigar! Perhaps a second attempt at a new venue might yield a fish to tip the scales, and so Objective #1 - a twenty-pounder.

So this time I headed out to Astwood Fishery, which is more than capable of producing a twenty and the home of my previous personal best of just shy of 19 lb – tantalizingly close to that magic number.

Astwood Fishery - Photo courtesy of The British Carping Youtube Channel

Astwood comprises three pools set in immaculately kept gardens. The fishery is run by Frank and his son and they’re always cheery and welcoming. Smokie Joe’s and Bluebell lake both hold carp over 20lb (together with some rarely-targeted specimen silvers) and the third pool has a higher density of smaller carp as an out-and-out match water. Of note to some of my regular readers… Smokie Joe’s also holds barbel. I’m not a fan of catching them in stillwater but if you’re desperate to see one on the bank over the closed season it’s certainly an option. My preferred water is Bluebell, mostly because it holds a handful of big ghost carp, with the largest reportedly 27 lb. This fish can occasionally be found cruising and is easy to spot but notoriously finicky about accepting baits put before it. I’ve had it take in and reject a surface bait before now, my strike just a moment too late! I love catching ghost carp. Not only do they look beautiful, they always seem to fight harder than their purebred cousins, with full-throttle runs a plenty. Whilst I’ve caught plenty of Ghosties, I’ve never had a really big one, so this would be Objective #2 - a double figure Ghostie...

I’d popped up to see Frank for a chat a couple of days before. As a regular, he kindly agreed to allow me to target carp on the fly if any of the pools were otherwise unfished. Thrashing the water to a foam with a fly-line could easily disturb other anglers, so it seemed a fair and sensible restriction. Catching carp on the fly is something I’ve always wanted to try. I enjoy catching trout, with those short explosive runs – but there’s something about the endurance of a carp-fight which appeals hugely on a fly set-up.  Objective #3… A carp on the fly!

Arriving for early morning, the weather was not quite a repeat of the previous day’s washout, but it was markedly colder, defined by a cool breeze and occasional showers. Setting up a peg at the far end of Bluebell Lake, it became apparent that the fish had started to spawn, with a number of them frolicking in the margins and even around the oxygenating pump.

With very little moving on the surface I decided to split my day into two halves, the morning coarse fishing and the hopefully warmer afternoon on the fly. With fish spawning I held myself to a margin-ban to leave those fish using the bankside vegetation undisturbed. With the dip in temperature I was expecting any fish concerned with feeding to occupy the bottom of the shelves. I set up with a pole approach with my trusty Torrix and ‘pin for roving should it be necessary. Loose-feed would be a particle mix together with fishery pellets, boosted with Severn Valley Barbel Products (SVBP) Tardip Power Boost. I was after the bigger fish, so my hookbait would be a SVBP Severn Berry halibut pellet. As well as being a large and smelly target bait, the hard pellet provided a degree of immunity to bream and silvers and the large shoals of crucian-F1 hybrids that reside in the lake. 

Tardip! A powerful scent boost to particles and pellet!

It was a slow start to the morning, with very few fish showing in the bay I’d set up in. I’ve noticed when fishing Astwood that the fish are angler-way and often push back away from bankside anglers. With the fishery otherwise empty and a slow start to the morning I decided to generously bait a few likely spots around the pool. Returning to the first location after an hour I received a gentle lift on the pole float which was dotted right down by the weight of the pellet. I resisted the temptation to strike and waited for the almost tench-like bite to develop… A moment later and the float sailed away. The fish tore off on the strike, and quickly rose to the surface as I applied the brakes a little too hard with an over-zealous thumb. With thick-set shoulders the unmistakable shape of a large ghost carp, clearly into double figures shot back down to the depths as quickly as it had risen up. The fish gave a real tussle on the pin, and knowing this was one of my target fish my heart was in my mouth. I really struggled to get the fishes head up and roll it over, each time I thought I had control the fish shot back out refusing to yield. The fish only just fitted into my roving net, with grey scales flecked and punctuated with silvery white. The same silvery-white adorned the fishes fins with the exception of the tail, which had silver top half and deep golden lower. Stunning.  Photographing the fish whilst it was in the water I got everything ready to weigh the fish swiftly and efficiently. 13 lb and 14 oz. A personal best Ghost Carp and one of my target fish for the session.

Ghostie! 13 lb 14 oz.

Returning to the same spot, there were plenty of indications but nothing that caused the float to bury. Changing to a piece of corn, two bream quickly followed suggesting the cause of previous indications and I decided to explore another baited peg. For a minute or so there was not so much as a touch; and then immediately following a small bubble rose to the surface and popped, sending a small perfect ring radiating outwards, the float shot down and away. Another good fish, this time a mirror of 12 lb 12 oz.

Stopping for a brew, I decided it was time to set up the fly rod. With nothing moving on the surface still I set up a wet fly with an intention of exploring the depths. However, with the trees just a few metres behind me I quickly realized that back-casting was nigh on impossible. On perfecting a half roll-cast, I eventually managed to present a small natural somewhere around the shelf edge and felt a short delicate tug on my first retrieve. Connecting with the fish I pulled a perfectly formed golden rudd from the water, with a real tango-dipped hue to its scales and gill plates! It was a beautiful fish, but one that made me realize the main issue of pursuing carp on a wet fly in a venue full of silverfish!

Tango anyone? Golden Rudd

I introduced a little surface bait and paused for lunch to see what developed. A few fish showed, but it seemed the ducks were far more eager than the carp. Still, a few fish could be seen cruising and so I tied on a bread fly, with a 9ft leader. With a delicate cast, the first cruising fish I presented to gladly accepted… sucking in the fly and rolling away…. I struck a little too eagerly and was promptly hit in the face by a crescendo of fly line… So close, yet so far! It took another fifteen minutes or so to find another cruising fish… this time the cast missed the target, landing behind the fish and the opportunity was gone! Another pause to wait for a shadowy form to pass in range before me. This time it was another Ghostie, a touch smaller than the fish already landed. I managed to flick the fly all but on its nose and somewhat to my amazement, rather than spooking, the fish approached and sucked in the fly… This time on striking the line pulled taut and the rod arched over… Fish on! Unfortunately a moment later everything went limp as the hook hold pulled free. Disaster!

By this time a few fish had moved onto the surface baits left unspotted by the ducks. Rather than licking my wounds over the lost Ghostie I flicked out the bread fly amongst the few remaining free morsels. I didn’t see the fish approach, but with the distinctive splash of a carp engulfing the fly and rolling away watched for the short sharp tug on the leader and connected with another fish. The carp stripped off some twenty yards of fly line on its first run, leaving me just behind the leader and the fish most of the way towards the far bank!

Epic Tussle! Double figure carp testing light fly gear to its limit!

At this point I realized how under-gunned I was with a 5 wt fly rod. The issue was not so much stopping the fish running, as the maximum pressure was already governed by the 6lb tippet material, more in the rods ability to haul the fish back across the lake. I spent much of the fight with the rod locked up, bent over to what felt like it’s absolute limit. Don’t get me wrong here, it was tremendous fun – and carp aren’t a species that suffer for a drawn-out tussle, but it definitely isn’t the right tool and I’ll be looking at acquiring a value for money 8 wt going forwards. Eventually making back some ground with the rod tip low and applying plenty of side-strain, I eventually slipped the net under a mirror carp of 14 lb and 9 oz, not bad for a first fish on the fly! 

14 lb 9 oz. A first carp on the fly!

With heavy rain on the horizon there was just about time for one more fish, with a common carp of around the 10 lb mark fooled by the small bread-like hackle. Another spirited fight and a fourth double figure fish for the session. The twenty still eludes me, but I was absolutely made up by the big ghostie and carp on the fly might just be one of my new favorite ways to fish outside of the river season!

Another fly-caught double...

60 Second Blog Roll - Wet Weather Carping

Changeable Conditions!

Brew-on! First outing for the Kelly Kettle!

Welcome to the second in a series of posts designed to be a quick read, generally an update on days on the bank that don't warrant a full article... 

With a week’s annual leave I recently made it out to a couple of local fisheries to attempt to close out a couple of targets. The first of these trips was on a rain and windswept Wednesday. Being the only person on the fishery had its advantages and disadvantages… I had a choice of pegs but was heavily targeted by swans limiting my potential to introduce bait into the margins and the fishery informed me it would be closing three hours early at 4 pm. Given the weather I set up beneath my brolly in a sheltered spot and was thankful for my Kelly Kettle to provide the occasional warming brew!

I had a productive morning targeting bream on the method feeder and once the swans moved off to the other half of the lake I managed to set-about finding the big carp with a few hours to go.

Tardip-boosted fishery pellet

Baiting the margins with fishery pellet soaked and boosted with Severn Valley Barbel Products Tardip, I didn’t have to wait long for the carp to descend upon it. I set up two margin approaches – the pole for when I was sheltering from the elements beneath my brolly in a fixed peg and then Torrix and ‘pin for roving. Hookbait was Severn Valley Barbel Products paste, in Severn Berry, on a Size 10 Guru QM1 hook. I always fish dead depth when margin fishing and saw no reason to make an exception 

The first fish was a pretty fish of only about 6lb, but the larger fish obliged thereafter. There was no sign of the elusive twenty I was hoping for, but with a couple of fish of 16 lb+ I wasn’t a million miles away. I’ve included the best of the bunch below, together with a picture of the weather!

Howling wind and driving rain! 

14 lb 06 oz

16 lb 08 oz

16 lb 04 oz

14 lb 10 oz.

Severn Valley Baits Partnership

After a few conversations with Adam Sheriff at his tackle shop just outside Bewdley, I'm delighted to announce that Severn Valley Barbel Products are now supporting my blog!

I've been using Severn Valley bait for the best part of a decade now. I first heard about their dominant flavour, Ambush, speaking to some of the anglers who frequently fish the middle-Severn. The initial feedback was that it 'stinks to high heaven' and barbel love it. A quick visit to the tackle shop at Bewdley confirmed the feedback as a heady waft of pickled onion monster munch nearly knocked me off my feet on stepping through the door. Christ. From that moment on, the rest of this story would be a long potted history of my barbel catches. I've used Ambush as my go-to bait for barbel ever since and they've caught me barbel all over the country.

Ambush is by now nothing short of legendary on the middle-Severn and the barbel have certainly seen plenty of it. Familiarity certainly doesn't seem to put the barbel off as I catch as effectively on the Severn still as I do anywhere else. The strong scent of Ambush gives it great pulling power in summer and winter alike and my own experience tells me that barbel lock onto it quickly and confidently.

Since I started the blog I've always maintained that I would only consider recommending products where I sincerely believed in them. It is that reason why I am so delighted to have partnered with Severn Valley and it feels like a very natural fit.

For those of you not aware, the bait is supplied as: 'Hooker' pellets in 8 mm, 10 mm, 14 mm and 16 mm; feed pellets in 3 mm, 4 mm and 6 mm; boilie dumbells; groundbait; a quick-melting paste; and Tardip glug and booster. The flavors are Ambush (think pickled-onion monster munch and roasted garlic); Severn Berry, Lamprey Juice, Spicy Frankfurter and Krill-it.

The Severn Valley Bait Range

My top tips...
(1) Go Ambush for barbel. Every time. Keep a few of the other flavors as a change bait - the hookers will happily last for a couple of years and seem to retain their strong scent. I top up on ambush regularly, but a few tubs of change baits last me the whole season.
(2) 6 mm and 8 mm pellets are great for big roach. Whether it's because they look like hemp or because the fish are used to picking up the loose offerings that get washed downstream in the flow, big roach are definitely honed onto small halibut pellets these days. I'll be breaking out the Severn Berry 8 mm's after the silvers early in the new season!
(3) Boost bland fishery pellets or cheap particle mixes with Tardip liquid booster. Just pour in a tablespoon as you soak your pellets in water and they'll have far more pulling power than even the smelliest premium pellets.
(4) They're not just for Barbel! I've caught loads of chub, roach and carp on these baits. Severn Berry is my personal choice for carp and roach and Krill- it for chub, but in truth they all seem to work.

I only have one word of caution. Find somewhere outside of your house to store it. A shed. A garden bin. Bury it down the back of the garden. Just don't keep it in your house. Pure and simple the stuff honks. Don't get me wrong, it's not an unpleasant smell in itself, I just like to have boundaries between the smell of my fishing bait and the rest of my life and world.

For anyone interested in giving the bait a try, I'd recommend starting out with a tub of 14 mm Ambush Hookers and a matching tub of paste. All of the Severn Valley Bait Range can be bought at Bewdley Tackle and Leisure or at Adam' online store, here: http://svbp.co.uk/

I'm looking forward to working with Adam to spread the word and field test new baits as they're developed!

Tardip boosted particle - great for short-session margin carping

Sportfish Photo of the Month Winner (Apr '19)

When I started writing this blog I hadn’t quite anticipated how writing would influence another growing hobby of mine, photography. With the blog in mind I’m rarely on the bank these days without a camera, even if it’s simply a trusty smartphone. I find myself thinking more carefully about the shots that record my time on the bank and have taken great pride in some of the results.

Being inherently competitive and to increase publicity for the blog I’ve decided to enter a few photos in various photo competitions, run by tackle companies or local interest groups.

It’s with a huge amount of pride that my entry of a brown trout, small but perfectly formed, was successfully voted joint Sportfish Photo of the Month for April 2019. Amazingly there wasn’t a single vote between myself and John Waggot’s Bohar Snapper!

Joint Winners - my own brown trout and John Waggot's Bohar Snapper!

A huge thanks to Sportfish for running the competition and everybody who voted for me!

Sportfish, award winning game fishing tackle supplier

I’ve included the other shortlisted photo’s below for anyone interested to see the competition, Torben Meldgaard’s 'Sunset Sea Trout' was perhaps my favourite, a shot which really captured the atmosphere of the moment.

Torben Meldgaard’s sunset sea trout

John Warburton's 18lb 3oz Rainbow trout

James Lister's first trout of 2019

Reminiscent Ramblings - Orton Staunch - Evening on the Nene

Earlier this summer and before the water temperatures crept so high that many of us decided to abandon fishing for a few months, I found myself with an unexpected work trip to Corby. Barely a stones throw from the River Nene, a river I have always wanted to fish, I immediately looked into whether I could squeeze a short session into my itinerary. It took no time at all determining where to fish, having been put onto Orton Staunch by Peterborough and District Angling Association. With a short window of opportunity and water temperatures on the rise, a weir pool seemed ideal. The increased oxygen saturation would doubtlessly draw in fish and it gave me an increased chance of stumbling across a short-session barbel.

The fishery was a 40 minute-drive away from my base of operations and I managed to arrive for late afternoon. Convenient parking is available a few minutes walk from the beat and after negotiating the railway crossing I found myself emerging onto the Staunch. The Staunch is a weir with persistent flow along the right hand bank and navigable sluices to the left. The weir has a distinct tail which terminates at a weed mat some 40 m downstream. Other notable features included the presence of kayak slaloms, dotted around the weir pool and suspended from overhead cables. The right hand bank is members only whilst the left is available as a day ticket through a ‘pay on the bank’ arrangement.

The River Nene at Orton Staunch...

On arrival I was pleased to see both banks free from other anglers and promptly set myself up on the ‘obvious’ peg at the downstream end of a set of railings. This position allowed one rod to be cast parallel to the slalom cables and into the weir tail, with the other punched out against the weed mat. I also considered the deep water immediately before me, but decided not to target too many features in one short session. With hindsight I still think it would hold fish and plan to return some day to explore it! Ordinarily I would fish one rod directly into the weir pool as close to the sill as possible, but this is prevented by the overhead slalom cables. I rigged up a feeder, filled it with halibut and hemp groundbait and positioned it into the tail of the weir. A few free offerings were also added to the mix and would hopefully leave a trail downstream. The downstream rod was set-up with a 3 oz ledger, paired with a pellet-filled PVA bag and cast tight against the weed mat. A long 6 ft leader would hopefully see the pellet settling firmly beneath the dense green cover. For short sessions I always favour something with a pungent scent to aid the fish in honing in on the bait and my chosen hookbaits were Severn Valley Barbel Products 14 mm Halibut Pellets in Ambush on the upstream rod and Spicy Frankfurter beneath the weed-mat.

Overhead Slaloms - Careful Casting Required!

With both rods carefully positioned I balled in a couple of tennis ball-sized portions of groundbait and followed this with a handful of pellets introduced by catapult. With traps set, I sat back to enjoy the warm summer evening with a petrol station dinner. There was very little action and I passed the time chatting to a couple of passing police officers and a roving pike fisherman. Both reported that I’d have no issues with personal safety whilst alone on the banks into dusk, but the car park was a hotspot for vehicle break-ins and to ensure I didn’t leave any gear unattended.

As the time passed I gave each rod a small lift to ensure they weren’t snagged given my unfamiliarity with the swims. I recast the feeder every half hour, but left the downstream lead in position just above the weed mat. I was confident that the swim would hold fish, I just had to induce them into feeding.

A little before 7, a fish duly obliged and the downstream rod arched over with an almighty great thump. No 2 ft twitch, the narrow Torrix blank had simply bent double as the fish tore off under the weed mat. The Torrix has such as soft action that it really accentuates those big takes which barbel are so well-known and loved for. I was chuffed to be into a fish, but landing it was no means a given. I had no idea how much structure was under the weed mat, and I held my breath nervously as I tightened the clutch and bullied the fish out and into open water. There was very little flow on the near half of the river, so once out of the weed mat the fish darted all over the place… running upstream, downstream and from bank to bank.  There is a tendency I think for small river barbel to fight extremely hard and it would appear those in the Nene were no exception. Keeping the pressure on to land the fish as swiftly as possible, I slipped the net under the fish and secured the net handle to the railings. The fish was given a long resting period and photographs taken whilst the fish recovered in the water. By default a personal best from the Nene, this was a fish I wanted to weigh; and with a little careful planning I was able to do so in a wet sling with the fish removed from the water for mere moments. The fish was once more rested and set free once confidently swimming against the edges of the net.

Resting Barbel - 7 lb 0 Oz

Delighted to have achieved my objective of a barbel from a river I had never fished I relaxed for the remainder of the evening with further fish simply a bonus. I re-cast the downstream rod, but was to have no further interest on this for the remainder of the session. I was however receiving little knocks on the quiver tip from the rod positioned just downstream of the weir. With nothing further developing on these I chanced my arm at a few speculative strikes, knowing on occasion these can produce results from wary-feeding fish. The first two struck into thin air, but the third connected. The fish gave a reasonable account of itself for the first few seconds and then simply plodded about as I retrieved. Slipping the net under a bream of 5 lb 12 oz answered the conundrum of what was causing shy knocks on my feeder.

Bream - 5 lb 12 Oz

With less than an hour left and not really wanting to spend the rest of my work trip with a car smelling of bream I decided not to re-tackle to target them specifically and spent the remaining time in pursuit of another barbel. It wasn’t to be however, with no further fish gracing my net. Whether that was as a result of the large pike that was by now crashing about the weir pool I’m not sure. I'd have estimated the fish to be around the 15 lb mark and I’ve certainly made a note to consider bringing pike gear if I ever revisit in autumn!

With so much keeping me busy and away from the banks this year, these short sessions whilst away with work have been a blessing and this, together with a similar session on the River Swale and a recent trip to Ireland will really stand out in my fishing memories when I look back upon this years angling. I’d encourage anyone thinking of taking up the opportunity of a short session to get out there and reap the rewards of a little effort and planning!

The Luck of the Irish!

A recent work trip saw me travelling to Waterford in the south-east of Ireland; and schedule demands meant I would be losing part of the weekends either side to travel. Keen to make this work in my favour it took no time at all for my mind to jump to trout fishing. Asking for advice on a few facebook groups I was quickly put onto Ardaire Springs near Mooncoin. It was well located and promised a good head of large trout, both rainbows and brownies. I was yet to catch a brownie on the fly and still had two outstanding blog targets for trout - a 5lb fish from each of the brown and rainbow stables. Many a purist would consider it sacrilege to visit Ireland, home of some of the best natural trout fishing rivers in the world and then target a commercial fishery. However, time was against me and I would only have three short sessions - a Sunday afternoon, Friday evening and Saturday morning. With guiding relatively expensive and fishing in Ireland being uncharted territory for me, a spring fed commercial fishery with a chance of seeing a few specimen sized fish fitted the bill perfectly.

Ardaire Springs - 2.5 acres of pristine gin clear trout water
(Photo courtesy of  http://www.ardairesprings.com/

An early morning flight saw me arrive into Dublin for 9 a.m and onwards to Mooncoin for just before midday. The fishery was surprisingly busy. With some of the world’s finest natural brown trout fishing available on the rivers, I didn’t expect a commercial trout lake to be quite so popular. A good sign perhaps! There was plenty of space to fish and a little company would give me someone to seek advice from later if I was struggling to find the right fly pattern.

Making my way to the fishing lodge I met the fishery owner, Ned, and enjoyed a much-needed brew. A quick chat provided me with some valuable information and some insight into the water I was going to fish. The fishery had been established by Ned around eight years earlier, having been dug out, spring fed and then stocked with mature fish in a range of sizes. Ned further informed me that the fish ran over the twenty pound mark and my targets of a 5 lb rainbow and 5 lb brownie were certainly achievable, although the latter could be somewhat unpredictable and difficult to target specifically. Ned advised that fishing buzzers would be his recommendation or a large moving target stripped quickly at depth, with olive damsels working particularly well into the evening. With restricted luggage for the flight I was limited to an intermediate line so buzzer fishing would be tricky.  

  

Olive Zonker

With this in mind I opted for a Size 10 Olive Zonker to open proceedings. Big and brash with plenty of Maribou, the feathers look fluffy on first inspection but take on a pulsing motion when worked under the water and effectively imitate the movements of fish fry. Surveying the water before me, the near corner was unoccupied and the wind direction was favourable to aid rather than hinder my casting. There were fish rising, mostly feeding on emergers from what I could tell – ‘porpoising’ through the surface film with just their dorsal fins breaking the water. Knowing that I would be covering fish was a great start, so I was happy to fish this as the first spot I had come to. Whilst setting up I made a point of noting how nearby anglers were fishing and their degree of success. The occasional fish was being caught and there was a group of friends clearly enjoying the Craic with warm irish tones of laughter infrequently filling the air. I set up with a 6ft slow intermediate tapered leader to match my fly line and 3ft of fluorocarbon tippet. To the end I carefully tied the zonker and neatly dressed the feathers. 

Paying out as much line as I felt I could cast and turnover I flicked the line up and hauled it backwards. Having not picked up a fly rod in a little over a year my casting was a little clunky, but a few consecutive backhauls later and the fly had turned over and dropped down to the surface with elegance. Zonker’s are designed to fish ‘wet ‘, but sit on the surface on the first cast until the feathers are drowned with a short sharp tug. Alas, I was afforded no such opportunity. Barely a second passed from the fly hitting the water before a huge trout full-breached and engulfed the green fluffy feathers of the Zonker. With this sort of take a gentle lift into the fish is all that is required to set the hook; and yet, partly as a coarse fisherman and partly from sheer panic not expecting such an immediate response, I struck. The briefest moment of connection was followed by complete weightlessness. In my panic I had not only struck against the fish, I had also trapped the fly line between my hand and the rod. With an unforgiving 8wt rod and considerable momentum behind the breaching fish, fly and fish parted with the fluorocarbon leader and the fish was gone back to the depths from whence it came.

Sitting back a moment to reflect, I was both encouraged by the near instant opportunity and disheartened at losing, through unforced human error, the largest trout I had ever seen by some distance. The fish had a head like a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and was remarkably thick-set in the body. In that fleeting glimpse I had estimated the fish to be around the 15lb mark, certainly north of double-figures.

First Fish - A welcome stocky

Re-tying a new fly with similar pattern I found myself struggling to repeat the same emphatic response, instant or otherwise. Varying the fly, depth and retrieve made little impact with those around me catching. Matters didn't improve when another angler pitched up directly next to me and caught four fish in quick succession. Checking his pattern, he had caught on a yellow and white bung. Setting up with a floating leader this time and a highly buoyant sight indicator, I felt that I should be able to fish dry as long as I made a very slow retrieve to keep the line taut. I received a number of rises in quick succession throughout the next half hour or so, with fish seemingly trying to drown the fly rather than consume it. Eventually one of the fishes didn't just succeed in doing so, it returned as the fly dropped through the water column to finish the job. Striking the fly a second time, this time the fish connected with the hook. Only a small stockie but a fish that gave a good account of itself and a welcome sight in a tough first hour.

Hot-headed Olive Damsel

With a warm buzzer-inducing breeze changing to a cold wind, the rises slowed dramatically and I was thereafter forced to fish wet flies again. Trying some half a dozen different patterns... snakes, gold ribbed hairs ears, minkies and buzzers... all produced the same response or lack thereof. By this time I had made a full lap of the fishery and those around me were still catching. For the next half an hour I tried flicking flies out in front of visible fish moving in the margins only to watch them instantly be rejected. There was evidently something wrong with my set-up. I was fishing a relatively strong 4x fluorocarbon (~7-8lb) and wondered whether this was the culprit. Retreating to the lodge for a chat with Ned and one of the locals we inspected my set-up and concluded that the 3ft tippet was far too short and a change was made to extend the tippet to 9ft in addition to the 6ft tapered leader. With only a couple of hours fishing left, Ned also advised that now would be as good a time as any to switch to a damsel and kindly provided a hothead olive variety with a hint of blue flashing for me to try.

With a renewed sense of hope replacing my downtrodden demeanor I made my way back out and re-cast, taking care to ensure the fly turned over with the longer leader. Allowing the fly to sink for thirty seconds I began to retrieve in a short steady rhythm. Roughly half way back there was a short sharp trout-like tug... Tightening my grip on the line I lifted into the fish which subsequently shot out across the lake. Fish on! With the water being clear and deep the fish here fight hard and for considerably longer than the trout I'm used to catching. A fine fish of around the 3-4lb mark was a joy to behold as the same local who had investigated my set-up netted the fish with a large congratulating smile.

At 3-4 lb this fish was likely a person best, but flustered and delighted I forgot to weigh it!

A further three fish followed (and another two lost) in the final hour to confirm that this wasn't a fluke and the correction to my set-up was a sound call. I left for the evening contented that I had learnt valuable lessons and seen a few fish, yet tormented by that magnificent fish lost barely moments into the session.

DAY 2

It was the best part of a week before my second days fishing came, late on Friday afternoon. The weather had been characterised by bitterly cold winds and even a frost on two mornings out of five. Between the cold weather and salmon running in the local rivers I had the water to myself and despite no fish rising I approached the water with new-found confidence. Setting up with the same long leader and hot-headed olive damsel I targeted a narrow section of the fishery which links the two main bays. My feeling was that I could target fish patrolling both the near and far bank shelves as well as provoke those passing through between the bays. A double-figure brownie being caught from this same area by another angler on my previous visit may also have carried some influence!

It took fifteen minutes of searching the water column but eventually I picked up my first take, deep from the bottom of the far bank shelf. The fish took off along the far bank, quickly stripping the reel down to the backing. No sooner than the fish had charged off in one direction, it had turned and charged back towards me. Fishing barbless I reeled frantically to keep in contact with the fish, needing to walk backwards simply to keep up. Further screaming runs followed, each with the same impressive pace as the last. Hoping that this was a better fish, my pulse quickened as I caught a first glimpse of the fish - a big beautiful 'bow with a deep flash of iridescent pink along its flank. Finally netting the fish I let it rest and set the go-pro up for a photo. By taking the time to set-up the photo and weighing in advance whilst the fish rested, I was able to complete both tasks in just a few moments and the fish was quickly returned. The fish had weight an impressive 8lb 12oz not just eclipsing my personal best but smashing my target of the 5lb fish I had come for. What. A. Start. It was fair to say I was absolutely buzzing.

8 lb 12 oz and a Personal Best! 

A small over-wintered fish - in pristine condition

Composing myself I targeted the same area and another modest over-wintered fish around the 2lb mark quickly followed. Fin-perfect, brightly coloured and with vivid spotting, over-wintered fish can be differentiated from stockies typically by their condition.

It was another half hour before my next fish, but this one was to draw the biggest grin of any that I would catch during the trip. Letting the fly sink completely through some 30 seconds or so, I made a steady retrieve, and at the base of the near shelf felt a gentle pluck. Lifting the rod only connected with thin air and so I cast out once more at half-distance and repeated the same slow patient sink and steady retrieve. This time the take was more committed and a fish tore off from barely under the rod tip. A slower and more considered fight, this felt different to the rainbows I had landed up to now and on bringing the fish into the shallow clear water of the near bank I caught the first outline of bronze, punctuated by large dark spots. A Brownie! and my first ever on the fly. I felt genuinely nervous as I played the fish under the rod tip, my heart in my mouth each time the fish tore back out with the leader knot catching on the rod rings. With the fish finally subdued I grinned from ear to ear as I inspected the intricate patterns on the fish in the net before me, Bold spots, a deep bronze flank and a bright yellow belly, I'm so glad my first brownie was a looker, the fish I always imagined it would be! The fish weighted 4 lb 2 oz, just short of my 5lb target, but I didn't care one jot. I could have caught nothing else all trip and it would have been a success. Magnificent!

My first ever Brownie! 4 lb 2oz.

Six more fish followed suit as evening came. Averaging 3 lb with the biggest around the 4lb mark, I had also been snapped off by another good fish. Three fish had succumbed to a steady retrieve whilst another was taken following a targeted cast to a buzzer-feeding fish and very fast through the upper layers of the water column. Of note, two (plus the lost fish) had come 'on the drop', with connections made simply by keeping in touch with the fly as it descended. Presumably these takes were on account of the hot-head to the damsel - resembling perhaps a failed emerger sinking back down. Either way, these fish emphasized the importance of keeping a taut line between angler and fly at all times to detect and set those unexpected and sometimes delicate or wary takes. 

Camouflage! Ever wondered why trout carry such pretty patterns?

Fishery Owner - Ned - with a huge Rainbow!

As afternoon turned to evening, Ned had come out to wet a line and it wasn't long before he beckoned me over to help him photograph a huge rainbow. The fish was thick-bodied and estimate my Ned to be around the 12lb mark. The fish was thick-set and had a huge head. It was an absolute brute of a trout and had been fooled by a near static buzzer fished on a 12 foot leader. Deciding to take a moment to sit and chat with Ned, he talked me through a little more about the fishery and gave me some much welcomed lessons on how to properly fish with buzzers. It seemed fate had a hand in the next fish as it was barely a moment after I'd told Ned that I only had one target left to catch - a 5lb Brownie, when his line pulled straight

The Luck of the Irish! Ned's Big Brown!

and Ned lifted into another fish. Watching as he calmly played the fish to net, I was green with envy as we peered down at the big brownie of perhaps 6-7lb. With my appetite suitably whetted, and Ned not in the least bit smug, we agreed that with the brownies on the feed I should perhaps get back to it and I made my way back to my gear. As if Ned had somehow prophesized what might come next, my first cast connected with a much better fish. Again that first flash of bronze had my heart a flutter and this time it was my turn to beckon Ned over to take the photographs. Weighing 5lb 5oz it was another blog target met.

Big Brown! 5 lb 5 oz of Irish Brownie!

After taking a moment to congratulate me on meeting my objectives, Ned suggested that I should spend a little time practicing what I had learnt about buzzer fishing and kindly lent me his 6wt Mazkenzie FX1 with Rio midgetip line. It was a beautiful tool, effortless to cast and as light as a feather. My only disappointment was that I wasn't able to find a fish with it to feel a bend through the blank, evidently I still have much to learn with buzzers!

With the light fading I decided to have one last cast with the olive damsel. Hauling for the horizon I cast as far into the centre of the lake as I could manage and let the fly slowly sink. Once again, it was a steady retrieve that provoked a response from a fish that tore off towards the far bank stripping the line down to the backing and then some. Frantically trying to get line back onto the reel, I had half of the fly line back on when the fish stripped it all the way off once more. And then again for a third time. I was astounded. For me, a fish running down to the backing is a rare event, and one where I've always said (when not fishing catch and release) would earn my quarry a reprieve from the pot! To have it stripped down twice was unheard of. By the third time the fish certainly had my attention. What got my attention even more was the pauses in between those runs. No amount of leaning into the fish made the slightest amount of difference to it's position. This fish didn't just have power it had inertia. Some 6 or 7 minutes later I eventually caught sight of the fish. It resembled a salmon. It. Was. Huge. With the excitement of a 5 year old on Christmas Morning (and perhaps the nerves of the parents creeping around the night before!) I continued to play the fish, doing my utmost to keep in contact with it, to usher it to the near bank and towards the net. It was some 15 minutes, an eternity in trout fighting terms, before I finally managed to net the fish. I could scarcely believe my eyes and barely lift my arm. With the fish as tired as I was, a long resting period was given before Ned helped supervise the weighing and photography in the fading light. At 12 lb 6 oz it was a fish of a lifetime and one I will be surprised if I every surpass on a fly rod.

Monster! 12 lb 6 oz and a Personal Best that I expect to last a lifetime

When in Ireland...

With no strength left in my arm and my hopes and dreams for the short evening session surpassed, I shook Ned's hand to thank him for running such a fantastic fishery and headed back in the direction of the hotel. 11 fish in a few hours, including my first brown on the fly, both 5lb+ targets met, personal bests obliterated and a leviathan double figure fish were well worthy of a celebratory Guinness by the log fire. Reflecting on my second day, perhaps the most pleasing thing were the fish that felt earned. One was stalked, two were taken by staying in touch with the fly on the drop, another was an improvised retrieve to catch a fish feeding just below the surface. My first Brownie was taken through having the presence of mind to cast immediately back to the same fish after detecting the most delicate plucks on the fly. The big brown came from 'getting back to it' and the big rainbow from making a change for one last effort. Considering this, 11 fish could easily have been 4, with no browns and no big rainbow. I'd have still chalked it up as a successful session, but it wouldn't have been the red letter day I was privileged to have enjoyed. I had also banished the demons of 'the one that got away' and cemented the need to fish a longer leader firmly in my mind. A few text messages to angling friends about the evening's exploits and it was time for bed.

DAY 3

An early start the following morning would gift me one final session before heading north for an afternoon flight home. The weather had changed again and was best described as moody as I arrived back at Ardaire Springs. With such a successful evening behind me, there was no pressure to catch, no targets, just bonus fish to be had on an already memorable trip. A double figure brown would be the icing on the cake, though Ned indicated these were fickle beasts and I decided to simply relax and enjoy the morning rather than embrace hope and taste disappointment.

Changeable Weather - can bring bountiful changes in fish feeding behaviour

5 lb 0 oz - another hard-fighting rainbow

Despite this relaxed approach Day three began at a frantic pace. Walking to the main lake I couldn't resist flicking my fly across to a stockie in the smaller of the two lakes as I walked past. Three seconds into the day and I was playing my first fish. A small but pretty rainbow which pulled back hard enough to iron any memory from my fly line. Completing my journey to the main lake, a second fish followed in short order, casting ahead of another buzzer-feeding fish and inducing a take with a fast strip of the fly. Within the hour I had taken a further 5lb rainbow and a beautiful brownie, small but perfectly formed.

Another brownie... Small but perfectly formed

Delighted to have banked another brownie on the trip, the next fish was another personal best I think I'll struggle to beat for years to come. Taken deep at the base of the  near shelf, a big brownie had hammered into the olive damsel and taken off up the near bank. Several runs later it was another nervous landing and huge grin as I surveyed the spoils in the net before me. Weighing 6 lb 14 oz it was another personal best, surpassing the 5lb fish of the evening before.

6 lb 14 oz - another Personal Best!

5 lb 0 oz. vividly spotted rainbow

5 lb 13 oz - not a bad final fish!

A further five fish followed before I had to call it a morning and head northwards for my flight home from Dublin. The first was a 2lb stockie, tempted by drawing the fly along the length of the shelf edge. The remaining fish were all of a better stamp, 4lb 14 oz, 4lb and 5lb on the nose and a final fish just shy of 6 lb. 
As I packed away my gear it was a wrench to leave such a fantastic fishery. I made a point of buying some more of those hot-head olive damsels from Ned too! Not necessarily one for the purist, but I can see myself reaching for them time and time again on a hard day when the fish won't take a natural pattern. In three short sessions, fashioned around a work trip I'd managed 26 fish, including 7 over the 5lb mark I was originally aiming for. I'll certainly be back to Ireland in future to sample more of the world class fishing it has to offer; and whilst a future trip might focus on wild brownies and salmon from some of it's rivers, I'll find it difficult to resist a repeat visit here to pursue more of those double figure fish that lurk in the deep clear waters of Ardaire Springs!

The Highlights Reel - 26 Fish including 7 over 5 lb, a 6 lb+ Brownie and 12 lb+ Rainbow!