Batson Rod Build Christened!

March 2012 This was my first trip with my new self built 9' 4 weight Batson RX904-4, and Talybont Reservoir in the Brecon Beacons was to be the destination. The rod had a fine day and so did I, and some fish were caught, not many but enough to have some fun. At over 300 acres and nearly two miles long the water could have seemed a daunting prospect. Some judicious web research encouraged me to make the walk around the top end where a feeder stream enters the reservoir. Here I found myself confronted with a long bank running northwards with the promised trees right down to the bank. The water level was high so casting proved difficult yet the promise of some fairly unbothered trout meant I was prepared to deal with the difficulties and in any case wild trout in these kinds of wild waters tend to hug the edges. I had read some info on the Merthyr Tydfil Angling Association web site which suggested that Talybont trout tend to be downward looking caddis feeders which together with the chilly wind meant my optimism levels were not running high. I need not have worried as this did not stop a 12″ beauty aggressively snaffling my freshly tied Joey size 12 fished on the bob.(The tying for the Joey featured in FF&FT April 2009 and is a Welsh variation on the classic black brown trout bob fly with the trigger of a red butt, my only addition was to add a strand of UV Straggle String to the twisted peacock herl body).

The new rod had already cast well and gave this typically sized wild brown trout a chance to show its power. The medium fast action of the blank had already allowed me a nice relaxed cast and judging by the first played fish it would also let me fish nice light tippets which will no doubt be required for spooky fish in summer drought conditions. The fish coming in the first quarter of an hour of fishing with a new rod made me smile and allowed me to relax away from the worries that cold early season conditions together with the non arrival of my just ordered slow intermediate would lead to some slow and difficult fishing. This first fish took the bob fly right of the top soon after I had cast; in fact I wasn't really concentrating and the fish hooked itself with an aggressive take. Perhaps my new rod will be lucky as well as a pleasure to fish with. I tend to return nearly all of my wild brown trout these days and always my first fish from a new water so I was glad that this one shot away quickly. As I worked my way northwards down the tree lined bank the south west wind quickly became strong as the shelter lessened. This forced me to shorten my leader considerably which I'm never that happy with on still water. I needn't have worried too much as another fish, this time a plump 13 incher, again attacked the Joey bob fly on top of the water. The fish made three good jumps as I brought it on to the reel. I like to bring fish on to the reel reasonably quickly; I tell myself that this is to avoid tangles but really it's to up the chances of hearing that reel scream ;-).

By now, having forgotten my thermals I was feeling the need for some shelter and some easier fishing so I made my way round to the western road side of the water. Despite lengthening my leader it wasn't until I came to a bay and cast in to this wind that I connected with another fish. Again this was on top, this time after seeing it moving, and it brought particular satisfaction as it came on as his fly of the month in FF&FT Feb 2010. I had used some plastic jungle cock imitiation eyes which I had been wary of using but will have more confidence in now. Working my way down the shore I soon came across an area of fish working on the top just on the edge of the wave and wind line. Judging by the amount of water they were moving they looked to be of reasonable size. I couldn't see what they were feeding on but was happy to cover them with the patterns I had already had success with. By now I had crushed the barbs down on my hooks and I suppose I will never know whether this lead me to loose contact with he two fish I briefly had on. Consensus in the fishing press seems to be that it doesn't make any difference. Who knows? I shall keep using barbless or debarbed hooks anyway. One final note as much to myself as anything: it looks like there might be a useful (cycle) track running above the other side of the water which would open up some good looking areas of the more inaccessible eastern bank.

Salmon Searching

I've never really been a salmon fisherman; it's always seemed too remote, too exclusive, too monied and too difficult. I never really thought I'd have the patience, or I suppose, optimism to try and catch the king of fish. The apparent ease and accessibility and no small pleasure of fly fishing for trout has always seemed more my kind of thing. That was until recently. My interest had been piqued I suppose by visiting the River Camel for trout fishing when I worked for the Environment Agency. No salmon were seen or caught or even fished for, but the fining water looked so good and the recent returns showed the salmon fishing had been good too.

So it is that I come to find myself arriving on the sunny banks of the lower reaches of that classic salmon river of by gone eras- the Hampshire Avon. It was only recently that I found out that the word Avon means river. There are many avons but to my mind and those of many a fisher the Hampshire Avon is the most famous Avon. Anyway, this Avon was looking in fine fettle as it was carrying a bit of extra water and height after some recent light rains. Together with the recent spring tides this made conditions look promising.

Optimism bolstered by forum reports of catches upstream at Somerley and downstream at The Royalty, I had kitted myself out with some heavy brass and copper tubes in all the classic patterns such as Willie Gunn together with some new kids on the block like the fashionable Cascade and Pot Bellied Pig. The order of the day was to fish as slow and low as possible so I had attached a heavy poly leader to the end of my fast stinking line. I just about managed to cast (or more like lob and duck) this with my 10" reservoir rod and I think the fly was fishing fairly slow and low judging by the occasional bump and snag- better this way than skating way over any resting fish so I had been told.

I worked the marked pools avidly yet such is the way of things that without a sight of a fish one's optimism and therefore chances of a fish began to wane as morning turned to afternoon. I think I fished competently but being a newcomer to this style of fishing I could never really be sure. Most advice I had read suggested that early season fish like the fly very slow and right on their noses as they tend to be unwilling to move far to investigate. To top this off Avon salmon are reckoned to be fairly rare beasts with very few fish if any coming from the Avon Tyrell waters each season. Judging by the occasional catches still made above and below Avon Tyrell this may be as much to do with very low rod pressure as low stocks.

Later in the afternoon I bumped in to a chap who turned out to be the keeper. He was a bit surprised to see me and after a brief misunderstanding we agreed that I was a guest of the house rod. A nice chat didn't exactly leave me feeling like I was about to catch as he reported that he had seen very few brown trout, sea trout or salmon during his time on the Estate. I didn't ask him how long he had worked here for but felt a little reassured that he thought it worth himself having an afternoon after salmon as he trudged towards the top of the beat.

No fish, but I had a good day. I wouldn't say I have yet caught the salmon bug but I'm keen to catch one. As nice as it would be to catch Salmo Salar on the fly I shall be back to the banks of the Avon tossing a no4 Mepps after May 16th.

South Devon new rod christening and June Bass!

Sat 30th June- Sunday 1st July Managed a couple of sessions in south Devon over the weekend and finally bass-christened my new Temple Fork BVK and Danielsson combo at about the 6th time of trying. (I had previously had numerous mini pollack which I try to enjoy but you know how it is ;-)) Weather: very windy from SW and bright no warmer than 17c Tide: small but rising to high around 5pm Had the fish on a chartreuse Livebait Clouser in size 6 (this time tied short and stumpy and a bit less sparse than I normally do). Due to the high winds and some rude lure fishermen plonking themselves right on top of the water I was quietly fishing I had found myself covering some deeper water a bit more off the beaten track. I had found some white water with a bit of a ledge and was diligently covering the drop off when I thought the fly had caught on said ledge and was cursing under my breath when the snag started shaking it's head! Excellent- I'm in, and even better there's a flash of gun metal silver rather than the coppery pollack I was expecting!! Not a huge fish and as it had taken so close in I didn't play it off the reel and didn't get to hear the Danielsson purr. A spirited fight under the rod tip with a few short runs and a handy wave beached her nicely at my feet.

So nice to see how beautiful they are again.

It had inhaled the clouser deeply- 44cm 1.5lb I would guess

Woohoo- off the mark with the new rod and reel! Will

BAAAAASSSSSS!!

Early morning success later…. And new mark fish 13th\14th August A work hiatus and fishing less family trip to the South Hams saw me returning solo for an evening session followed by a full day. The fits evening saw me fishing the south west facing rocks opposite the bay we had visited as a family together at the weekend. I will never cease to be amazed by how much the sea conditions can change the whole coastal environment so quickly. The northern winds of only two days previously had swung round to more normal brisk south westerlies which meant that the rocks were difficult to fish from with regular large waves rushing up the rock faces. This made fly fishing nigh in impossible and the lures I cycled through brought no success on the dropping tide. A fairly restless night (I usually sleep like a kid before Christmas day before dawn trips) saw me awake before my 5am alarm. It seems odd to see this as relatively more civilised than the 3.30 start required for a high summer trip. I fairly trotted down to the normal point excited by the prospect of the fishing dawn trip can bring. As a child my pre-breakfast trips often brought success and all the bass blogs and websites speak glowingly of the bass and baitfish an early morning trip can bring. I had resolved to keep mobile on this neap tide so after forty minute so fly and lure I moved round the point I the bassy hole that often forms my second option here. I soon found myself drifting a Wave Stick around in the light current appreciating the slowed down feeling and the sensitivity required to concentrate on the soft bait. I still haven’t had a bass on this method but will persevere as I quite enjoy the change of approach. Lots of hard lure fisherman seem to like the feedback and speed of cranking hard lures and whilst I can appreciate this view and enjoy this method I also like the variety of drifting weightless baits.

By now with high water at 4.45 A.M. the tide had dropped and I was back on the floating shooting head closer in to the bay fishing above the head of the weed revealing itself. I had been trying to vary the retrieve and keep my confidence high by telling myself a bass could come along at any moment. In truth I had drifted in to a spacey reverie accompanied by the by now fairly standard quick strip-strip-strip I fall n to by default when fishing Livebaits or Clousers. Ten bang fish on and I was awakened with a powerful hit and heavy head shaking weight which quadrupled then gain doubled my pulse as the unseen fish slammed in to my fly. I was in no doubt this was a bass due to the sheer ferocity and power of its take and early fight but was still relieved and delighted to see the silvery grey the white flank of the fish and then its dark eye as it first showed itself. Soon enough it had taken all the stripped line and at long last I was playing a sizeable a bass off my sexy Danielsson reel. I immediately found, myself palming the rim before clumsily adjusting the drag too tightly which saw the fish unable to take line and thrashing on the surface. Fearful of losing the fish I quickly more finely adjusted the drag and listened to it purring keenly as the bass again took line. I had been waiting for this moment since February when I took delivery of the beautiful and extravagant piece of Swedish engineering. Despite the early power and runs I was still soon able to bring the fish in to close by the rocks and after some initial trouble in finding a suitable landing point (I still don’t carry a landing net) I was soon able to use a wave to land the fish. What a beauty! 51cm of plump healthy bass. Yes! I even let out a few little whoops! of excitement and pleasure. The fish had taken a very sparsely dressed but large Livebait Clouser tied in gunmetal grey and ash with red yes on a size 2 hook. It was also good to feel that I could catch here in quite shallow water towards a neap low tide.

After some brunch and midmorning campsite beer (odd looks from fellow campers) and brief hot snooze I made my way through the National Trust sheep down the exposed cliffs and rocks beyond the cove we had visited together. This was truly wild and big sea coast with huge rock faces sloping down in to deep looking sea. The sea state had calmed since the day before but still required some caution to negotiate safely. It looked great with clear fizzing water and a multitude of likely looking areas with drop off ledges and gullies all visible. All a bit deeper than ideal but still with that excitement of dipping in the unknown and fishing new ground. I guess it’s not a “mark” until you have caught fish from it and perhaps not even until you have unlocked its code a bit. With the deep water in mind I put on the sinking Rudra jerk bait I had bought for Chesil Beach bassing. Soon it was attacked by a schoolie at the end of the retrieve, which was almost immediately landed at my feet by the large wave which swept the fish up almost as soon as it had been hooked. Only a small fish but great to catch on not just a new lure but a new style of lure. Chuffed. I fished a couple of likely looking spots just further along and took almost countless Pollack- some up top about 1.5lb on a variety of lures from Savage Gear Sandeels to Livebait flies and in particular a chartreuse back and white belly Deceiver patter. I also lost two smallish bass – one on a Livebait and another on an olive SGS before finally landing another smallish bass of 43cm this time on a gun metal grey and red eye Livebait fly. I also landed quite a few smallish mackerel that look like they were herding brit in to the bay formed at high tide; it also looked like the south west wind might be helping the bait fish gather in this areas as many of the Pollack were regurgitating an almost jelly like see through mass of fry with distinctive eyes as they were landed. It was easy to see how the smaller Livebait flies made an excellent representation. On the way back I fished on the rocks right above the family cove and was greeted by the sight of a bay absolutely full of a massive shoal of mackerel cashing unseen prey right on the surface. For a while it was difficult to avoid them but soon enough I managed to get the Rudra to avoid them by casting parallel to the shore right through the white water close in. Jerking the Rudra I soon felt a bag bang followed by a full take. Stupidly I was convinced this was a Pollack and in checking for identity left a slackish line which combined with the bass thrashing on the surface lead to its escape. Damn. Damn. Bad angling. It was now time to beg nth trip home and reflect upon a fish filled day and new mark which deserved respect and is probably really only fishable in calming weather conditions.

New Season- Usk Town Water

My first freshwater fly session of the year found me unsurprisingly rusty but it was still a treat to be back on the banks of the town water at Usk after a winter dreaming of casting a fly again. In unseasonably warm temperatures and sunshine- high must have been around 17c- the water was low and clear but cool to the touch. A warm southerly breeze added to the out of kilter season feeling and aided turnover of my upstream casts with a long and fine leader. Despite reports of LDO hatches and even some March Browns I found little evidence of upwing fly life or rising trout. There did seem to be the very odd fish rising - oncers is a good name for them; but I couldn’t really latch on to what they were going for- buzzers perhaps. Perhaps rather unimaginatively I settled on a clink-and-dink approach with a size 14 Jean Williams tied gold head below an Olive pattern. Fishing in a searching pattern I was soon in to a strong 12 incher which managed to swim through the trailing fly line whilst I attempted to use a landing net rather too well tethered to its magnetic ‘quick’ release. More thought required as to how best to rig up this release system. What a lovely feeling to get in to a beautiful spotted brownie so soon in to the new season. As is my way with the first fish of a season and often my first fish on a new river the fish was returned after a little coaxing in some gentle current. This always feels like paying homage to the river and giving thanks for the beauty and sport still to come. I also encountered problems with twisting of my leader probably caused by a combination of a large-ish dry fly and fine 3lb leader. This still surprised me a bit as the fly was only a size 14- if quite a robust- Jean Williams pattern and I don’t normally get line twist issues with 3lb fluoro carbon leader. I’ve just started using Airflo fluoro rather than my normal Fulling Mill though this has not been down to any clear choice but rather owing to there being no 3lb Fulling Mill available at Veals.

A few further first session of new season gripes hampered me which I suppose is the kind of thing that happens when your kit has been stuck away forgotten for a while. The leaks in my expensive breathable chesties were much worse than I remembered them to be. I shall try to see if there are any definite holes or tears but I fear that it is either the seams or an overall loss of waterproofness. An inside out test in the shower will hopefully reveal all. Moving further up river I hooked another nice 12 incher which initially fought hard and deep making me think I had latched on to a real Usk heavyweight. The fish again came to the gold head nymph. Soon after this I thought I felt the weighted nymph hitting the blank as I cast. However on looking at the tip of the rod it was apparent that I had lost the tip ring from myself built Batson 4 weight. This made casting rather awkward and so the session was curtailed.
Great to be out on the river again and hopefully I’ll fit in a few more trips to this beautiful and bounteous river before my attentions get firmly diverted to my true love of SWFF.