First trip to River Chew 2020

Back to my roots and favourite section of the River Chew. I have to say the river is now is wild as ever and I was actually really impressed with the gravels and number of wild trout. Course species like Dace and also Grayling conspicuously absent. Water level low with no real difference from last season. Whether it was the Mayfly but the trout were abundant and evident with rising fish all over the place. Loved it catching a good number of fish in all sizes purely on the dry.

Evening sessions on the local rivers - River Chew and Bristol Frome

Had some lovely late afternoon/evening sessions on River Chew and Bristol Frome. The Chew was incredibly low in level. I wonder whether Bristol Water are managing the flow in this way but question the impact on the fish who are struggling hard to find deeper pools. Nevertheless I found some good spirited mid sized Brownies falling to the dry as Mayfly were steady in coming off. No big fish though but lots of parr which is a good sign.

Meanwhile the Bristol Frome babbles away beneath the busiest of Bristol roads harbouring some wonderful fish. So far on the dry I have netted Dace getting on for a 1lb and some really solid Browns still managing to sustain a reasonable population. 

River Chew evening on the dry

Wonderful evening on lower River Chew. I fished a long section that a fellow fly fisherman, Charles Fishwish Halliday, and I had tended to on the weekend before. We had made some access points, unblocked some tree falls, undertaken some sympathetic pruning to open canopy and positioned fallen branches to increase flow. It was remarkable how much work we had done in a day. Today I was reaping the benefits casting to the pools I had planned and yes they were full of rising fish. Mayfly were starting to trickle off and the fish were sipping and hitting my dry with enthusiasm. A nymph never left my box. The other good thing was the variety in size from small par just a few inches to really good wild Browns of over a pound.  

The best of the bunch in the net was a good 14" fish and this was just after a colossal struggle and line break a few casts before. Weather getting warmer in late teens with the odd light shower.

Frustrating River Chew followed by Bristol Avon Perch

James and I spent many hours on lower River Chew searching for fish in the sedate flow on the float. James loved every minute using his whip he bagged up on Minnows to maggot on a size 16 hook. I am afraid the Minnows did not quite have me so captivated and I was frustrated not to see some variety - maybe the odd out of season trout or chub to break up the predictability but it wasn't to be. We moved to the Bristol Avon and I was happy to finish the day with a nice Perch on the fly, a red fur number that has served me well in the past. Heck of a lot of water coming down but clear enough to work a lure.

Wellow and Chew back to back

Beautiful weekend saw me fishing Wellow on Saturday with Red and on my own at River Chew on Sunday. Both days despite warm weather proved difficult with no Mayfly yet and just a few upwings coming off with very few rises. Masses of Chronomids in swarms over the rivers. After frustrating few hours on Wellow, with just one tiny par on the nymph, walking back to car a rise was spotted. Red handed me his rod all loaded up with a small dry black knat pattern, scramble down the bank, and a few casts later a lovely little brownie in the net. Stalking a fish like this makes it a special.

Sunday similar situation on Chew. Really difficult with few fish. Managed a couple of Grayling from fishing heavy nymphs in faster flow and a couple of small Brownies all sub surface. The Balsam seems to be less prevalent this year with the banks well covered in nettles. Hardly any sign of other fisher folk as I was cutting virgin trails through the undergrowth. Managed a swim in one pool which I was convinced was wadeable from previous visits, lesson learnt always be wary where you can't see the bottom as contours change dramatically each year.

Chew preparing for Mayfly madness

Spent a few hours on River Chew. The water was low although at the time of writing we are expecting some significant rain over the coming days, so good news. The river did look good though with good water clarity and some lovely clean gravel runs. Luckily the stretch has some fallen tree cover or else it would be tough finding cover in the majority of areas. Bird life busy with Great Spotted Woodpecker, Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail, Whitethroat, Grey Heron and good numbers of Song Thrush. Surprisingly I have not seen the Dipper family on this stretch so far this year. The trout were now well and truly dominant over the Grayling rising into the evening taking the early trickle of Mayfly. Caught on the dry a number of  WBT, one Grayling and a few Dace that looked tired and worn out after spawning.

 

Rain stops play on the River Chew

Heavy rain forecast but did not arrive until I'd fished for a couple of hours on the lower Chew. Water levels low and the river was wadeable for long stretches normally out of bounds. Lots of Dace about and some nice sized wild trout. The fish were rising infrequently to pick up Grannoms. Once again the odd Yellow May coming off. All my fish took the nymph. Thundery showers set in and cut my session short.

River Chew 2017 home coming ,,,,

First trip back to my local River Chew after many months. Lovely day, warm with light winds. Water incredibly low after weeks of very little rain in the west country. Anticipated a tough time expecting fish low in the deep pools. Just a few Grannom coming off and lots of Hawthorn flies drifting in the verges, no discernable upwing hatch. First fish a nice Grayling and then two wild Brownies taking the dry to my amazement from a shallow riffle under the shade of trees.

I scrambled the banks of my old haunts and the fish were there in good numbers, nothing large but beautifully marked, buttery iridescent wild Brownies. After the initial few fish on the dry the majority of fish took the nymph on the drop later in the day. Lots of small shoals of Dace also tugging the Size 14.

 I really was out of condition, used to fishing the nicely kept banks of the Wiltshire chalk streams, and it showed when I lumbered back into a hole filling my waders! Really pleased the river has maintained its life despite the low water conditions. I ended up netting about twenty fish mainly wild Brownies.

River Chew in its May glory

A beautiful spring day on Chew today loads fly life Sulphur Duns, LDO's and the odd Danica. The odd fish rising but most feeding sub-surface and falling to nymph. Disturbed a few Dace and a reasonable Grayling quickly returned. Nice to be back on river which has now dropped quite considerably from a few weeks back. New wide angle GoPro camera as the old Panasonic has just given up the ghost.

Spring day on the Lower Chew

Fishing of late has not been easy. I can't quite put my finger on it whether I am expecting too much, or that the water temps are still low despite the mild weather or whether the water levels are just too low. Most of the holding spots are the deeper pools with very few rises to target. Today was no exception although I did manage a few fish on the nymph. I had two rises to the dry but they were half hearted attempts and did not result in a hook up.

After catching a nice WBT I came across a group of trout behaving in an unusual manner - almost shoaling and unfazed by my presence. I ran the nymph through several times and they only showed interest when I imparted some motion and not on dead drift. Once I worked out how to get them to take I hooked three fish from a square metre. All fairly similar in size with a silver complexion with poor fins I guessed they were small stocked fish as they didn't exhibit the normal buttery colour of Chew's WBT.

Brown stockie?

 

Last fish of the day a Rainbow of about 2lb that run me ragged on my little 3wt jumping clean of the water several times. Bright breezy day with Blackthorn and Dandelions in full flower.

 

Dandelions perhaps not great in your lawn but they do have their place!

In search of Grayling on the Chew

After a break from game fishing for a while I decided to go out this beautiful February day to try and find some Winter Grayling. The banks were barren with Snowdrops bursting through in the sunshine to make it feel like Spring was just round the corner.

The Chew holds pockets of Grayling in a number of areas mainly where the current runs fast but they are not prolific and the fish rarely exceed a llb. The river was low and clear with little in the way of woody debris. It appears the recent high water has cleaned the gravel but also washed down any debris. First fish was a small Grayling to the nymph which gave me comfort after covering numerous runs without success. I had missed a rise through a turbulent riffle but things were slow to say the least.

Noticed lots of Otter or possibly Mink tracks on the silty berms on the inside of bends - I had convinced myself they were the reason for lack of success. Next fish a good wild Brownie quickly released - it was slow and lethargic but definately a wild fish taken close to the bank and roots of an Alder. Unfortunately my leaky waders were beginning to numb my feet so I had to leave but it was nice to be back out if only for few hours on the nicest day of the year so far.

Its hot and the fish are still making the most of the dwindling Mayfly...

Fished the River Chew on a muggy hot afternoon. Mayfly still trickling off and a few lazy rises from the large fish that frequent this section of the river. I have not learnt my lesson and the first fish, a good fish, snaps my 3lb leader. I change my set up to a 5lb fluro straight through to the dry. I miss a few rises but then hook a nice wild fish of about a 1lb.

The banks are like a jungle as I scramble between entry and exit points with nettles chest high. At this time of year parts of the Chew become unfishable with vegetation but it keeps the fishing pressure down and provides lots of cover. Next fish a stocked or escapee Rainbow that provides a test for my little Fladen, this time taking a brassie nymph on a deeper section. I finish off with another nice Brown that I watched come from a deep undercut to inspect and engulf the dry. I caught some smaller wildies which was good to see as this section is often dominated with stocked fish.

 

 

 

 

Mayfly megaladons come out on the Chew...

Spent the afternoon fishing the River Chew as the Mayfly starting streaming off creating clouds across the field margins. At first things were quiet on the water but a bit reconnaissance located a group of large fish leisurely sipping Mayflys under some overhanging trees. First fish took a while to realise I'd hooked it but once it had it sped downstream beneath me at breakneck speed snapping my 3lb tippet with ease as I tried to pay off line rapidly. I thought it must have been a big Rainbow. Thankfully the fish were still feeding so I let the run settle and composed myself to target another fish. I increased my tippet to 6lb. Next fish again ran me from bank to bank, but I felt confident with the strong leader. After a colossal struggle it shook the hook - damn this was getting frustrating. I waited patiently for the fish to gain confidence. I cast to this large fish which was feeding confidently again:

It took the fly and I really bullied it to the net as I did not want to loose another. All I can say is it was a beauty, the biggest Brown I'd caught to date at well over 3lb. A large cock fish with full kype armed with a row of serrated teeth. To my amazement my earlier fly was nestled in its jaw next to the paradun I'd replaced it with. I was so pleased as I never like the thought of releasing a hooked fish although its jaw was so big it looked like tiny speck. I released it quickly finding it difficult to get a good shot due to its size without causing to much distress.

As the afternoon progressed and the sun dropped fish began breaking surface with confidence and I went on to catch two further big Browns and several obvious wild fish of just under a pound. A further fish broke my 6lb leader which was on the scale if not bigger than my first fish. 

What the fish and fisherman has been waiting for..

I have to assume some of these fish due to their size must have been stocked but they were all fully fin and fine condition.

More Lilliput Rainbow fishing...

A couple more sessions on the Upper Chew has resulted in plentiful catches of Rainbow parr to about 8 inches. This has been interspersed with the odd wild Brown one of which one was a particularly good fish for this little stream. Black Knats have been giving me some frustration when I run out of flies in the box. The fish seem pre-occupied with them at times. The meadows have been alive with Damsels and Orange Tip butterflies attracted to the Lady's Smock. Recent rain has kept water levels up well whilst the Kingfishers are busy tending young in the nests high in the undercut banks.

 Just read an interesting report online from 1997 collating data from the early 90's which suggests very few sustainable populations of Rainbows in the UK - well I have news for you guys you need to refresh your data!

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/290938/str-w61-e-e.pdf

The Upper Chew is acknowledged has having isolated breeding Rainbows but indicates Browns are dominant. Not sure it still stacks up but interesting reading nevertheless.