leader onto the end of his fly

I think I have mentioned in earlier articles about the heavier stocking that has been going on at Chew and Blagdon; recently the effort by the fisheries staff has begun to bear fruit. I had a couple of trips to Chew Valley Lake this week for teaching/guiding sessions and the amount of trout seen there has been amazing. I am not going to say that the fishing has been easy though, far from it. Instead it has been really challenging and isnít that what we really want from a trip to the lake? Yes, I know it is sometimes pleasant to have a good easy dayís fishing, but it is those days when we come away from the lake wondering why we didnít catch a couple of dozen fish, as opposed to the two or three in our bag, that make us spend more time at the fly-tying vice and want to go back on the lake as soon as possible.My two trips this week were just like that. On Monday I was out again with Dave Childs and it was shaping up to be a great evening. There had been an amazing fall of ants during the afternoon and barely a square centimetre of water was without a dead or dying adult ant trapped on it. There were certainly trout moving, but they were able to take their pick and feed at a most leisurely rate. In past trips when ants have been on the surface I have had superb sport, but I must say that this time I could find no definitive pattern to the way the trout were feeding. I will confess that I have not experienced such a vast quantity of ants as were present this week, but I certainly expected the fish to turn on to them at any moment. Fortunately there were a few trout up in the water and actively feeding on a regular basis, as opposed to those “oncers” that are so difficult to catch because you cannot work out their direction or speed of travel. I caught a brace of trout in the first hour on dry hareís ears, but Dave struggled with his casting, which is a shame as it has been improving steadily over the past few weeks. (Later in the evening when I sorted out one of his tangles I discovered that he had “sneaked” a long poly-leader onto the end of his fly-line and that, I believe, caused a great deal of his problems!) As the evening progressed the trout came up for the large buzzers that have been a most prominent feature of the past few weeks. But we struggled! I had a beautiful brownie of at least four pounds which I gently returned, and Dave had one rainbow on a Shipmanís buzzer, but we didnít really do justice to the number of trout that moved in the last half hour.On Wednesday I had a couple of young lads to instruct. I must confess that I was somewhat apprehensive as the wind was stronger than I would have wanted for a ten-year-oldís first trout fishing trip. However dad was keen that we went ahead, and thus it was with a certain amount of trepidation that I headed across the lake for my favoured Stratford bank area. I shouldnít have been such a “Doubting Thomas” for even before we stopped the motor I spotted a trout feeding off the surface. We didnít persuade that first one to take our flies, but by the time we headed back for the jetty, some two hours later, we had landed three trout and at least another half dozen had taken our dries without bothering to react!When the older lad, Alex, decided that he needed a rest I was secretly quite pleased as it meant that I could have the next fifteen minutes or so fishing for the most amazing amount of trout feeding on the surface. Just my scene! However, a quarter of an hour later, during which time I covered fifty or so trout, there was no addition to the bag. Defeat! But, most importantly, a couple of young lads had been introduced to our wonderful sport. The younger lad, Bertie, had been absolutely fascinated as he leant over the side of the boat and watched the large buzzers hatch. He commented on the orange patch that he could see just at the moment that the fly hatched. The birdlife too was a great attraction, and the trout rising and jumping just about held them captive for the last hour. If you havenít yet taken a youngster trout fishing then try to make an effort to do so this season as you wonít often find such stocks of fish in the lakes around Britain. In the bar afterwards I had a long chat with quite a few anglers who had been out that day. Paul Weiss had stuck with a floater and spots like Moreton and Stratford all day; he had caught five but also admitted to losing a few trout! Those in the boats that “jostled” around Villice or Heronís Green had also been rewarded with good bags of trout. The first couple of Welsh anglers that I spoke to had taken a double limit using the “washing-line” method. Diawl Bachs had produced most of their trout, but a few had taken the floating fry patterns that they had used to suspend the rigs.I spent a long time chatting with Steve Whittaker who, with his boat partner, had landed more than anybody else on that day. In conversation I found that they had both caught well with hareís ears. Steve in particular had his limit by lunchtime and must be an angler on top form at the moment because the next couple of guys I spoke to had only caught one between them all day! Steve fished the Welsh trials on Brenig last week and finished in a most respectable 12th position. It is good to see the Welsh management adopting such a positive trial system where it is not “one day wonders” that can end up representing their country. Good luck to Steve in the next round. Steve also had some ace flies which he had been catching on during the day and he willingly swapped patterns with me. That is the great thing about most trout fishermen: they want to share information, flies and successful areas with others, and so enhance their days out! The one thing that Steve was unhappy about was his failure to find any moving fish in the evening. Give me a call the next time you come over the bridge Steve and I will tell you the best spot for the late rise!I am off to fish the other side of the bridge myself on Saturday. My friend John “Biker” Humphrys has entered me for a pairs competition on Lys-y-Ffran in Pembrokeshire. Look out for a report on that next week.Tight lines,

Marin Cottis