No.1 Wed 1st June

conditions, the records sheets showed a disappointing run of blanks. Despite this, we had a reasonable turn-out for our first match in this year’s Wednesday Evening Series. Apparently someone had caught one earlier in the day, and another fish was taken on buzzers next to John O’Regan on the Causeway, who himself missed a couple of takes. Moving fish were evident, at all distances from the bank, some crashing as though chasing fry, and others just topping. It took most of the evening until anything happened, and then in the last fifteen minutes more fish started to show off the Railway Bank on No4. Andrew landed one on a Black Buzzer fished on the washing line, while Frank had one and lost another to a Hare’s Ear. When spooned, both these fish were found to be full of olive green daphnia. It’s still early days, but we really do with some rain to wash the brown colour out of the reservoirs, get the levels back up, and prevent the weed from taking too much of a hold.

No.2 Wed 8th June

promised much, and in fact we we did enjoy occasional spells of rising fish along the Causeway of No4. Frank was one of the earliest to land a fish, with Tony also getting a few chances with accurate casting on a Green Shuttlecock Cul. While we had some cloud cover fish could be seen moving upwind but, maybe because of the chilly breeze, they were reluctant to chase and follow. Tony landed a couple, best just under 4lbs, while Brian and Andrew also got on the scoresheet. Both swifts and gulls were active in the last hour as a great buzzer hatch got under way, with dense clouds swarming as we made our way back to the pub. There have been some better catches recorded over the last week, so once the recent stockies settle in, we could be in for some decent fishing.

No.3 Wed 15th June

we were looking forward to some good fishing, especially after seeing people like Mike Sternfeldt coming off with a couple of four pounders in the bag, and more returned. Indeed, the first hour saw plenty of moving fish in No4 along the Causeway with the odd one taken on dries. After that, though, they seemed to disappear, except for the more sheltered conditions of the SW corner where some continued to show. One peculiarity this evening was that fish seemed to want the flies moved or twitched quite quickly. Some fish examined afterwards were found to have very little inside them, despite the swifts feeding on small midge during the evening and the usual swarms of large midge at packing-up time. Tony’s brace, including a four-pounder, was caught on dries, as was John’s pair, and one of Andrew’s, with another on a small Diawl Bach. Kevin had several fish moving his flies fairly quickly, while Vinnie caught on a Booby. The record sheets are now showing much better returns and, with more rain forecast, we’re hoping the fishery will deliver the kind of sport we’re used to enjoying.

No.4 Wed 22nd June

cross-wind blasting along the Causeway of No4, and just occasional patchy cloud. Good fish could be seen moving though, even if a lot of them were some distance out. An overcast spell, as a cloud bank moved across, saw Frank get an early fish on culs, followed by another soon after. Vinnie also had one fish on a goldhead sedge pupa, with his second falling to an elk hair caddis later in the evening when the wind had dropped. Others were doing well on No5. Tony took a fish close to the West bank on dries, while Kevin caught his during a spell of moving fish along the Houses bank, where Mike Sternfeldt (not in the competition) landed a nice brace including a near five-pounder. Only two points now separate the top three places, but it’s still early days and anything can happen. With the marginal weed growth, we’re hoping that levels will not drop further, which would only add to the practical problems.

No.5 Wed 29th June

marginal weed problem in No4, most of us focused on No5, either along the Causeway, where there had been some fish caught from the culvert earlier in the day, or from the first three swims down from the NW corner. Andrew had an early  fish to a deep-fished buzzer, but apart from some takes that Kevin found difficult to hit, sport seemed to die. Gerry was unlucky to lose a fish on a green buzzer, and the 4oz perch that followed wasn’t really compensation, although it might explain the odd missed take along here. Just round the corner Gary had a fish on a Widget, while Frank had another further along the Causeway. Vinnie moved to the Railway Bank of No4 where, during a brief spell of moving fish, he got one by accurate casting with a Diawl Bach. A few coarse fish were also seen here, just beyond the weed, including roach and a few sizeable carp. The numbers of moving fish when we first arrived suggested we might be in for a good evening, but although some started showing just before dark, they were tricky.

No.6 Wed 6th July

the weed in No4 being pushed to the downwind banks. Although the weekend had been hot, heavy rain the previous evening appeared to have freshened the place up, and we were seeing fish active from the moment we arrived. Once again, early fish were taken within minutes of starting, with Tony, Andrew and Frank all catching. Tony continued to take fish on dries, returning a few, from a corner of No4 that the rest of us had walked past. Others started catching off the Causeway with Gerry, Brian and Vinnie all doing well here. Gary was unfortunate to lose a fish close in from the SW Bay of No5 on a Two-tone Blob, but landed another a while later, while Andrew got his second on a small Orange Booby. Although full of daphnia, fish are also feeding on buzzer and fry, which presents us with a choice of tactics. Although Andrew is hanging onto his lead, with two matches to go this could easily change. The format of this series means that it’s your five best scores out of eight that count, so the odd blank isn’t a disaster.

No.7 Wed 13th July

cloud, humid conditions and a light wind saw plenty of moving fish along the Railway Bank of No4, from about half way along to the culvert. Both Vinnie and Andrew included 4-7-0 rainbows in their bags, while Tony topped these in the last ten minutes with a 5-4-0 specimen. Vinnie’s came to a washing-line rig, while Tony’s and Andrew’s took Shuttlecock Culs. Brian and Gerry (also on dries) each weighed in a couple of nice fish, but Pat and John, who’d headed for the Causeway of No5, found this comparatively lifeless, even though Dave Jarvis (not in the competition) had taken a 6-8-0 rainbow from the culvert area earlier in the day. Fish spooned were found to have been feeding on daphnia, buzzers and also small shrimps. With one match to go, Tony is obviously favourite to take the Ken Gunn Shield, although both Vinnie and Andrew could tie with him on points, in which case it would be decided on overall weight from your five best results. We could be in for another close finish.

No.8 Wed 20th July

might have enjoyed similar conditions to last week, with moving fish taking dries. As it was, although we had chances on dries for the first hour, this eventually slowed up and we had to resort to other tactics. Tony got off to a good start on the Railway Bank of No4, getting a 2-8-0 close in on a Cul, but put it back, looking for larger specimens. Soon after, Andrew landed a 4lb fish on an Orange Booby fished on an intermediate, which he kept. Vinnie had started on the Causeway of No5, then moved to the Railway Bank, then returned to the Causeway where he was unlucky to break off on a Booby on a DI3. Faced with a lack of activity on No5, John Ferguson went over to a couple of Boobies on the DI5, getting the two fish he needed very quickly, including a 4-10-0 rainbow with a great tail. Pat was also successful, breaking a run of blanks with three pounder, a good reward for persevering right through the series. Overall, although Andrew was able to improve his score and consolidate second place ahead of Vinnie in third, Tony’s four 1st places saw him take the Ken Gunn shield and the free East Warwick season ticket. This has been a well supported event, and it was nice to see so many return for the last match of the series, even if it came to a rather soggy end. Although we’ve had some tough evenings, with several four pounders and a 5-4-0 fish, the good fish are there to be caught. It needs favourable conditions to get them moving, but if you can get an evening like we had on the 13th, they can be taken on dries.

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