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.

Late Spring on the rivers around Bristol...

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.

 

Last few sessions of predator fishing on the Bristol Avon deliver a fine Perch

A quick few hours on the Avon with a duo approach of light spinning tackle and fly rod. I think the Pike must be a bit lethargic at the moment as I had some quick pulls but very few connections. Lots of follows by Perch in the 1lb range and luckily managed to bank my personal best stripey whilst jigging with a weighted black jelly eel. The fish must have been in the region of 3lb a great chunk of a thing - not on the fly but I was pleased and impressed the old Avon had turned up the goods.

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.

The Rainbow dilemma

I fished the Upper Chew on a beautiful spring day. Ladies Smock together with Wild Garlic decorated the banks and the stream glistened in the sunlight. The water was clear but flowing well exposing the clean gravel. For a while the pools seemed lifeless but as the warmth of the afternoon approached fish started to dimple and rise in the head of the deeper sections. In the space of about two hours I handed in at least a dozen young Rainbows up to about 8 inches. A rare but welcome sight were a couple of small Brownies. Although the Rainbows livened up the day with their spirited fight I couldn't help but think how this stream must have fared before its incarceration between two reservoirs - it would have been wild Brown Trout heaven without the pressure of cormorants and mink exploiting the local fisheries. After all the Rainbows are no more deserving of being on the stream than Signal Crayfish or Himalayan Balsam that have now become recognised pests in many of our waterways. The saving grace is that this small stretch of river is confined and I don't see parr cropping up regularly where rivers are not subject to the levels of Rainbow exposure this stream has. Perhaps therefore the Upper Chew can viewed as a local treasure which should be cherished as an oasis of North America/Asia within Somerset. My conscience eased now, I have to say I really enjoyed the fishing!

Later on I went in search of our native Brownie on the lower Chew. Unfortunately the previous days rain had coloured the water this far downstream which made fly fishing difficult. However I managed to tempt two nice fish to the surface with a klink on an otherwise quiet stretch of river. Always worth a speculative cast even when there are no fish rising. 

2014 First Friday fish on the Chew

Fished my beloved Chew for first time this afternoon joining a few other fisherman on the bank. It didn't disappoint in the glorious spring sunshine. An early work finish with no pressing family commitments conspired to give me a few precious and rewarding hours on the river. Water clear but a reasonable flow with some lovely gravel bars emerging after the turbulent winter. Early fly life was abundant with numerous rising fish. Mid afternoon saw a wild Brownie taking the nymph this was followed by a nice out of season Grayling that was quickly and carefully returned. 

As the afternoon progressed the Dace were evident rising to the dry regularly but rarely hooking on the Size 14. Loads of wild trout parr were taking the fly which was nice to see bearing in mind the number Rainbows that constantly appear on this stretch.

As the afternoon wore on a lovely big Brownie fell to the nymph which was followed by another good Grayling. Last pool I fished exclusively on the dry catching half a dozen mid sized trout that were clearing the water to take the fly. Its a good feeling looking looking upstream into the riffle: seeing and hearing silhouetted fish break surface while the evening birdsong tells you spring really is here. One downside was that my botched Aquasure wader repair has not done the trick. I am running out of options as to where the water ingress is coming from and feel the need to invest.