I have been fishing for wild Brownies at numerous locations during the late spring sunshine. Evenings or later in the afternoon have been the most productive. Although I have encountered the odd Mayfly hatch I really missed the main event on my local streams the Chew and Wellow. Nevertheless the fishing has been good with plentiful fish on both streams of fish up to a 1lb. I have to say though the larger fish have been a bit elusive - perhaps it has just been my timing. The Chew is now like a jungle and unfishable or inaccessible on my favourite stretches. The Wellow is not so extreme in terms of effort getting to the river but casting is severely restricted. Both streams are about as vibrant as they are all year with Damsels, flowering Water Crowfoot and plenty of young bird life.
A trip to the Culm a few weeks back proved tough with clear sunny skies but no obvious hatches left three of us scratching our heads on where the fish were. We managed a few on deeply fished nymphs but the Champerhaies beat was disappointing with very few rises or signs of trout in fairly cloudy low flowing water.
My local, local however just less than a mile from my door splitting the urban belt of North Bristol has really produced the goods with plenty of good size fish coming to the net all on the dry. Perhaps it is the timing as I fish this on evenings after work just before dusk. Amazingly saw some little wild Brownies rising in my Bradley Brook recently just a few hundred metres from house - I knew they would make it upstream but just how far I was never quite sure.
Hi, loving the blog. Really insightful. Am I right in thinking the Bristol Frome from Bradley Brook down to Frenchay is free fishing with EA license? I'm down in Taunton, but spend a lot of time in Bristol and thinking I need to sneak the 7ft 3wt rod along for some nymphing!
ReplyDeleteTo be honest it is not regulated/mainatined as far as I am aware and I have never been challenged. I regularly chat to the guy who maintains the parkland on the opposite bank and he is just keen to see people fish it on the fly. It gets heavy dog walking traffic/runners etc - as I live nearby I tend to just go summers evenings. I have had some great sessions both on the nymph and dry fly. Below the ring road bridge towards Frenchay the water backs up a bit and is not suited to fly fishing unless after the Chub. Below Frenchay it is definately free fishing - it holds Trout, Chub, Roach and Dace that can all be caught on fly but is exceptionally busy with bathing dogs/paddling children.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reply, all very interesting. Have you been out this year at all? It's been an unusually cold start to the year and didn't know if the fish were taking the fly readily? Any tips on tactics?
ReplyDeleteJust fished once this season out on Lyn in North Devon. River clear in wonderful setting but no fish between the three of us. In March always try to get headstart either over the bridge or in Devon but it is never easy with takes tentative to deeply fished nymphs.
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