Hi guys....It's been a while since I last put pen to paper so to speak due to a host of reasons but mainly due to ill health again. I won't go into too much detail as at present we still have no idea what's actually going on but I've been quiet poorly since early January and been in and out of hospital having endless bloods taken. I have a camera being put down my throat on Wednesday of this week which I'm really nervous about but hopefully it will give us an idea what's actually going on inside. I've had chest and upper back/shoulder pain for some time and problems keeping food down. Chronic heartburn and nausea which has kept me awake at night for nearly two months now.....It's left me feeling very tired all day and completely lacking in the motivational department. It's had an effect on my work, home and social life and cost me umpteen days off work.
The worst part being the cost on my mental health....I suffer around December to March every year which I think is due to the long dark nights, shit weather and the lack of being outside but this year has been on a whole new level with the poor health. I've found the weeks just dragging with the desperate urge for the weekend to go fishing, only to have no strength or motivation to go when the weekend arrives. I have a few friends who suffer with their mental health too and they seem to get the same symptoms around this time of year.....with no real reasons behind it. It helps a little to talk about it between us and it's settling to know I am not the only one with this affliction. Anyway, thanks to all of you that have sent me messages of love and support throughout the last month or two....it's truly humbling to know you all care x.
Well, there isn't a huge amount to talk about fishing wise but three trips are past in time and ready for print! I had a little session up the River Wye one day in January and the weather was quite pleasant. I took a light weight bit of kit due to my lack of energy and just a float and feeder rod were needed. I sat on an unhooking mat and armed with a couple of pints of maggots and a small bag of bits and a flask, off I went.
The river looked a little coloured from run off but was almost down to its normal winter levels. I started on a shallow tributary of the main river with the float set around 3 feet deep.
A steady flow of maggots by hand and a 12x4 stick float trotted down didn't take long to do the business. I nice bite down the tail end of the swim produced a nice chub around 3lbs. A couple more followed in close succession until drying up about an hour in.
There was worryingly no sign of the large abundant shoal of grayling that used to reside in the section though....I just couldn't find them. I wonder if they have migrated further up or into the main river during the heavy floods of weeks passed. I packed up and headed for the main river and out came the light feeder gear. An hour in the first good barbel peg produced nothing so I moved pegs again to another good barbel swim.
A regular introduction of maggots through a blackcap feeder finally got me a bite after an hour and a nice chub of 4lbs found the net. This was followed up with about 6-7 small chub to two pounds.
All good fun on a 12ft Acolyte with a 2oz tip on. Before the light faded I made my way down stream to a confluence between the main river and tributary and managed another couple of lovely chub to four pounds.
We went for a few hours to Dyffryn Springs with lightweight feeder kit and poles to target small carp and silvers.....just a bit of fun and to put a bend in the rod really.
It was lovely to catch up with Simon and we had some great giggles and a little match between us that ended up being very close all day! We caught dozens of nice little carp up to 14lbs on both feeder and pole and lost a couple of better ones too. The carp were really on the munch and there wasn't another sole on the whole complex! We caught plenty of lovely silvers too with some great little roach making an appearance. It was a great chance to catch up with Simon and the chance to discuss our up and coming French trip which is in four weeks from today.
Yesterday I picked up my good old friend Ian Oxley who I've not fished with in about 4-5 years. We'd been trying to get the chance to meet up in a long time but things just got in the way and the days got put back. We made a concerted effort this weekend though and finally did a trip that we'd been discussing for about 15 years! My fluff chucking gear was dusted off and despite a near 8 year brake from Fly fishing off we went to the incredible Lechlade Fishery in the Cotswolds.
We left at 5am and the weather was dreadful! 5C with horizontal rain! Amazingly as we drove along the M4 things improved and we arrived at a very cold and frosty but dry venue! Ian and I had visited the venue when I worked for Dragon Tackle some 15 years ago whilst piking at Little Farringdon and always wanted to go there to fish it for the monster trout that reside there. It took around two hours to get there and by 7.40am we were sat outside the gate awaiting opening time at 8am. Owner Tim Small let us in at 8 and after pleasantries we were off around the lake chasing dreams! I had one goal for the day and that was to beat my 19 year old PB Rainbow of 8lb 9oz! I knew it was a tough ask but Lechlade offered the best chance anywhere if it was going to happen!
I'd watched a few online vids on YouTube about the venue and spoke to a couple of mates that had fished there in the past. I had a good idea of my approach and a little more knowledge about the place before making the first cast. We headed off around the lake and chose a spot each around the far side of the lake. The venues levels were over the bank in many places with flood water from the small rivers either side of the venue leaching over the bank into the lake. This had not only clouded up the water heavily but also reduced the overall water temps. We knew it was going to be hard but after 4 hours we'd not has a single follow from a fish when fishing down in the water with sink tip lines and intermediates.
A host of flies were tied on and chucked at the fish to no avail. I was starting to think that it was going to be the most expensive blank I had ever experienced! As the sun finally reached it's peak around 12.30pm, the temperature rocketed up to the mid teens for an hour or so and suddenly there were a few fish starting to show in one of the south easterly corners of the lake.
I swapped over to a floating line, 12 foot leader and a Catswhisker fly. I decided to totally change tactics and fish much higher up in the water column with short sharp pulls. I got my first pull around 1pm and it caught me totally off guard and never hooked up! I couldn't believe it......Was that my only chance of the day gone begging?
I made another cast to the same area a few times and finally I got a hookup! It went like a rocket and tail walked a few times too! Ian came round to net the fish for me and it looked close to my 8'9 oz PB! The fish was dispatched quickly then weighed in at 7lb 6oz! A great fish but not quite my PB...Oh well at least I hadn't blanked. I had a couple of quick nips on the fly over the next few casts but nothing came of it. Ian dropped in behind me and we changed swims. He was quickly into a good fish and after a spirited fight I netted a rather fat looking rainbow for him. With a PB of 10lb 6oz this looked close for him! We dispatched and unhooked the fish then weighed her at 11lb 3oz. A new PB for Ian! A great fish.
I went back to my spot and it was about half an hour before I got another chance. This one felt a whole lot different to the first fish and after a great scrap Ian netted it for me. This was going to surely best my PB? Ian took the fish round to his scales for me so I could carry on fishing where I was. He looked across at me and shook his head....I was gutted as I was sure it was a PB.....'Sorry mate but ........you've got a new PB son!' Hell yeah! 11lb 2oz! What a result....19 years in the making and the rusty old git had managed it at last. I was ecstatic to say the least. I went back to the fishing and after an hour the light was starting to go and with it the suns warmth.
I thought we'd had our fill and Ian was starting to pack away for the day. I had a last few casts in the first swim and after spotting a wind knot in my leader, I cut off around three feet of the line reducing the leader length to 8 feet. I then made a recast feeling less than confident with just minutes to go. I was then shocked to have the rod almost torn from my hand with in seconds of the fly settling! Number three on the line and after a few minutes of battling the fish, it came to the surface covered in big black spots! Oh my god, it's a big brownie!
Now, my brown trout PB had stood at 3lb 4oz for so long that I actually couldn't remember when I had caught it? This thing looked big though! Please don't come off I said to Ian. The fight was erratic and heart pounding before Ian scooped it up in his net for me. The feeling of relief was immense! On the scales she went 8lb 8ozs! A new PB by miles! So pleased, I was literally shaking till I got home at 8pm! I went in the house with the bag of fish and the wife and kids were blown away when I showed them the monsters we'd caught that day! I can't wait to go back! Well there we go....that's about it for now. I have a lot of very stressful stuff to sort over the coming weeks and the next bit of free time will be the annual work party trip over to Nicks lake in 4 weeks time. It honestly can't come soon enough now. Tight lines all.
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