Week by Week reports

Going by the Wateraid competition, the better fish were to be found in No4, or at least that’s what some of us banked on as we started the 2015 Autumn Series. Jim Dillon, however, chose No5 for his opening gambit, but after an hour was back doing a circuit of No4 having found it slow going on No5, despite a dozen people fishing it. Andrew made an early start off the Railway bank with a smaller one put back and a 3-12-0 fish kept, on the DI5 and Fast intermediate, but then followed Frank round to the East bank. Frank also got a good 3-13-0 fish by the culvert on the Railway bank, which he returned to after a short spell on the East bank.  Some brief cloud cover encouraged moving fish, and saw Andrew take a succession of rainbows close to the top while it lasted, to be joined by John O’Regan and John Ferguson, who also caught here. As often happens, though, the fishing slowed up and the last hour was somewhat of a grind, not helped by the brighter conditions. We all thought Frank had got the 10 points, only to be pipped by Andrew by one ounce at the weigh-in, but it’s still very much early days. Anyone who hasn’t been down here yet doesn’t know what they’re missing, and it’ll only get better.

The light winds we had today finished up blowing off the East Bank, which prompted some of us to move there from the Railway Bank on No4 where we had started. Both Jim and Andrew lost a couple of fish here, before moving, whereas Frank stayed put next to the culvert and put together a nice bag of 8 fish, including a couple of three-pounders which he kept. Unlike last weekend, the East bank wasn’t as prolific as expected. Despite returning a fish (which in hindsight he would have kept) Andrew found takes slow, so joined Andrew Smith, John O’Regan and Dave Jarvis on the Causeway of No5 where fish were showing as they moved upwind. Both Dave and Andrew Smith completed their brace here, while Andrew lost another one, fortunately getting a good one on his last cast. Jim and Frank now share the overall lead, with Andrew and John Ferguson just a few points behind. We’re all back again at the end of the month, and hoping the clear water and excellent fishing will continue.

We were lucky with the weather again today, with mostly light winds and sunny conditions for most of the day. Also, the water clarity in both reservoirs looked even better than last time, which promises good things for the Fur & Feather. After a slow start on No4, Andrew and Frank joined the others on No5 where they were catching steadily, especially in the South East Bay, and on the Houses Bank. Fish were found about 4-6ft down on the Intermediate, with the Charley Farley having its usual effect. The main issue was sorting out the better fish, which later led John and Pat to move to the Causeway, where they found a couple of better specimens. With the drop in water temperatures, even the two-pounders are fighting well with many in excellent condition with full tails. After a break next week, we’re back for the three-match run over subsequent weekends. Jim has a two-point lead over John and Frank but at this halfway stage, anything could happen.

Still mild conditions, but with steady rain throughout the day, you needed some persistence to stick with it. Some of us started on No4, thinking that we might find larger specimens here, but we seemed to be catching the same 2-0-0 to 2-8-0 fish everywhere. Most places on No5 seemed to hold fish, which came out either on Boobies, or on Snake flies fished deep on the Intermediate. Like the rest of us, John found that you often had a take as soon as you moved to a new spot, so kept mobile to record an excellent bag of 10 fish. The rest of us were putting back trout we probably should have kept, as we found the fish wised up. With the water clarity, nymphs are probably worth a try, with fish often seen moving close to the banks. With another 10 points, John caught Jim up and they now tie for the lead. Pat also did well to get his second 9 points on the trot. With another two matches to go before the Fur & Feather, things could very well get tight before the winner is decided.

The mild spell ended with a strong Northerly blasting off the Causeway, bringing driving rain for the first hour or so, after which the sun came out for a while. Not surprisingly, other than those in the competition, not a lot of other fishermen bothered to turn out. Having said that, the fishing was great, and not just to Boobies on the DI7, or Charley Farleys on the Intermediate. Both Frank, Tony Fox and Kevin Blackwell (not in the competition) caught on Buzzers on the floater. Andrew had a couple of decent fish early off the Causeway on No5 to Coral Boobies fished static on the DI7, along with a run of smaller fish. Jim was also catching well next to him, as was Pat in the corner, while John ran Andrew close with a couple of good fish from halfway down the Causeway. The fish are currently in good condition, fighting well, and thriving on a diet of bloodworm, so prospects look good for the Fur & Feather. With one match to go, just seven points separate the top five, so the overall title could be anyone’s.

The weather had reverted to a mild spell, with a fresh South Westerly, but the clear water we’d enjoyed on both No4 and No5 had stayed, so we were optimistic. Fish came right from the start to DI7 and Boobies, as well as the Intermediate and even to buzzers on the floater. John landed a keeper 3lb fish early on from the West bank, rounding this off with a 3-6-0 fish he caught from the Houses Bank as part of bag of over dozen fish. The rest of kept our first reasonable fish, but started returning ‘undersized’ fish in an effort to find that four pounder. None of us quite managed it, but we still enjoyed good sport in the process, with bags of up to 15 fish, even if takes started to slow up in the afternoon. John took the shield with an impressive four firsts and one second, with the rest of us only separated by points. If we can keep the water clarity, prospects certainly look for next week’s Fur & Feather.

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Final Positions