Week by Week reports

Given bright sunshine and almost flat calm conditions you might have expected the going to be tough, but although No5 was dead, No4 was alive with moving trout. By 1.00pm, when Gary Inwards arrived, John Ferguson had already caught 8 fish and proceeded to hook another as they were chatting. Tony Fox apparently bagged his two fish in the first 15 minutes, which included the biggest of the match – 4lb 2oz. Everyone caught lots of fish – scores of up to a dozen were not uncommon, and they were sizeable fish too, with 3-4lb fish in abundance. There was talk of corixae feeding but a spooning of trout at the weigh-in revealed very little (apart from a few hog-lice in some of them). However, these fish were prepared to take almost any fly presented to them, so most opted for buzzers and nymphs. An ideal day’s fishing – with a water temperature of some 18ºC – and the weather was perfect for a sun-tan.

Another day of bright conditions looked as if it might produce the same good fishing we enjoyed last weekend. Fish were caught while we had a ripple, and several were put back by those expecting this to continue. Once the wind dropped, though, it all got rather more difficult. While fish continued to show in good numbers on No4 most of these were 40 yards and more out from the bank. Kevin kept a couple he had from the Causeway while shoals were patrolling up and down here, and Tony had a couple on dries from Houses bank of No5. Looking on the bright side, the numbers of fish showing, and their exceptional average size, promises good things for when we get some easier fishing conditions.

With solid overcast cloud cover we hoped for better things this Saturday, and early fish to Ron Fry (not in the competition) from the Causeway of No4 suggested we might be in for some good sport. Richard put back a few fish, while Tony returned some small ones from the NW bay of No4. Frank and Andrew looked at the Houses bank of No5 but soon returned to No4. Frank had a fish from the SW bay of No4, while Andrew, after getting his first on a Diawl Bach, found he had two on his washing-line rig (as usual, the better one came off). With an already fresh wind increasing in the afternoon, conditions were not ideal for big bags, but Roger Eglinton (not in the competition) had a nice one in the NW bay. Another good performance from John Ferguson gives him a clear lead, but it’s still early days.  

A Westerly wind saw most anglers fishing from the Causeway. Both Frank Daley and John Ferguson first decided to give No5 a go, but found it slow going. Richard Mosek started on No4, but then tried casting into the breeze on No5 and soon had fish on a Cat’s Whisker and a Booby fished high in the water. Behind him, though, Kevin Blackwell was soon into his first fish of the day on an Orange Booby. By now both Frank and John had switched to fishing No4 from the Causeway, and were starting to sort out the better fish on a Booby and nymph set-up. Meanwhile, Tony Fox was quietly fishing the point on the West bank of No4, landing two fish for third place. With two matches to go, Kevin, Frank and Tony are all level on 25 points behind John on 36, but the outcome is far from settled.

In bright conditions and a strong Westerly the North end of the West bank of No5 had been producing for the early birds, but seemed to slow up when the match got under way. One consistent area was the Causeway with Brian, John, Richard and Gerry all catching along here. As the wind increased and started blowing more Southerly, some of us moved to the No4 side where the odd fish was caught but the highlight on this reservoir was a five pounder caught from the North West bay by Charles Cleaver. Richard’s brace included a 4lb+ fish, but John continued his consistent performance – blank-free all series – to share second place with Brian. After doing well in the Summer Series, it looks like he’s finally got his name on a trophy.

Apparently promising conditions proving frustrating for some of us on the last match of the series. Most areas saw brief flurries of activity with Frank making the best of a hot spell in the SE bay of No5 to bag an early brace of fish, but with the Fur & Feather just a fortnight away he was cagey about his tactics. Gary and Andrew both lost fish in the SW bay of No5, but the most consistent spot appeared to be the Western half of the Causeway, fishing No4. Phil had a run of action here on the floater, with fish for Richard and Gerry either side of him. Frank’s win saw him just pip Richard into second place overall, while Gerry and Phil both finished respectably behind Tony and Kevin. The weather’s still mild at the moment, but if previous years are anything to go by, we should be in for a few cold snaps before the Fur & Feather.

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