Wellow, Chew and Bristol Frome all within three days...but it has not been easy!

On both Saturday and Sunday I managed to get out at some point. On Saturday PM I fished the River Chew at Compton Dando. In the first half hour I had netted three fish - two small Brownies and an average sized Grayling for the Chew. After that 2 hours of searching likely runs without success. All fish came to the nymph and I did not see one rise. The level was high but colour clearing. It was a hot sunny day. Went to a nearby lake with the hope that the Carp were on the feed. Unfortunately I think the previous weeks run off and now hot sunny conditions had sparked an algal bloom. Casting any line resulted in a green blob at the hook end!

Sunday evening fished the Bristol Frome. Despite fairly clear water and warm weather exceptionally quiet with just the odd rise. Managed to tempt one clonking Brownie of about 1.5lb in a very shallow run just below a big riffle as I speculatively searched the river for a take. I watched it come up just a yard or two away to take the Klink despite it not showing before. I love it when that happens such a surprise and to think your fly can induce a rise when naturals might pass by. I came away thinking that the Chew and the Bristol Frome need to settle a bit before fishing improves - I almost wondered whether the resident fish had got washed downstream!

Nature day on the Mendips

Family trip to the Mendips. We took in Velvet Bottom and Stockhill. Glorious summer day with light winds and blue sky. The butterflies were out in force - Marbled White, Small Heath, Ringlet, Meadow Brown, Small Skipper and Green Fritillary were abundant. Managed to net some Common Lizards and a Sloworm for the lads to have a close encounter with - I think we were a bit late for the Adders. Some nice meadow flowers for us to identify - Common Spotted Orchid and Harebell. 

Green Fritillary

Common Spotted Orchid

Harebell

  

Common Lizard

Sloworm

And finally the rivers return to some normality - Wellow Friday fish

The sun was shining after nearly a months break as the rivers were almost unfishable on the fly. Fished the Wellow from about mid afternoon onwards. Lost count of the number of wild Brownies with most coming to an Olive dubbed Klink dry fly. At a couple of the deeper pools where there was no surface activity I twitched a heavy nymph through the deeper elements and hooked a couple of good fish. The Wellow seems to have a fairly consistent size of fish with most around 8"-10". Many have striking contrasting marks with creamy underbellies and heavily marked backs. Red and I fished two sections although the upper section has less pools and with still high water it was not easy to fish. Unfortunately stumbled across a mink at one point.

Southbourne Kayak and last light on Wellow

The last week or so has had more and more rain. I took a day off on the eve of the longest day for some sea kayak fishing on one of the few dry days recently. My brother and I launched from Southbourne with Black Bream and Mackerel the target. Unfortunately the light winds forecast were not sustained and before long we were trying to drift in 15 mph onshore winds with a swell to go with it. Despite several hours of jigging, feathering and bottom fishing, mainly with squid, we ended up with just two Mackerel. We had a few knocks on the squid but no hook ups. On the way back to Bristol I took slight diversion to the Wellow for the last two hours of light. The river was high but clear and fishing was tough. I clipped a the tail from a Paradun in the light after covering numerous fish without success. As soon as I had done this the fish started to come. Ended up with 4 wild Brownies to about 10 inches.

Yesterday went to the Wellow again but the water was too high and coloured. Red and I ended up at one of the lakes and despite several early plucks on a Shipmans I failed to catch. Red hooked a nice fish on a G&H Sedge. Loads of Carp near the surface but not really in a feeding mood. This week looks drier but I think it will be few days before the rivers are fishable on the fly.

River Chew continues to run high

Visit to the Lower Chew on a sunny day among the heavy showers. The river just about suitable to fish on the fly with a fair bit of water coming down and coloured. I fished fairly deep and noticed the fish took when movement was imparted rather than on the dead drift. A few rises occurred in the eddies but I failed to tempt a fish on the dry. Ended up with just two Grayling and two hooked but lost fish.

Red and I then headed to the Upper Chew where the stream was clearer but fishing was still slow. I really feel the fish here have to fight against the odds as I disturbed two Herons and saw Mink prints on the silt. The stream is small with little cover apart from undercut banks and the odd stump left undisturbed. I ended up with three wild Brownies to about 10", two of which had Heron/Cormorant damage.

After the weekend thought I'd have a change on the following Wednesday which was just about the nicest evening of the week and headed for one of the local lakes with Carp on the fly in mind. Surprisingly no Carp action but three Rainbows on the surface Shipmans Buzzer and Green Buzzer drifted 18" below the surface.

Bristol Frome does it again with a clonking trout...

A few hours to spare this evening so took my eldest lad George down to my local stretch on the Bristol Frome. As we passed the Bradley Brook we watched my favourite Brownie cruise out from under the bridge. A conservative estimate would put the fish at around 14" so I'm guessing getting on for 1.5lb. As we watched the trout another surprise hidden beneath the reflection - a nice sized Eel. Not just a troublesome bootlace but one of probably over a pound and 24" in length. We eventually  moved on as light was fading. I missed a few rises in my usual pools and the fish seemed stubborn tonight. One rise was it and they would ignore the fly again whilst rising for the big naturals that were coming off. I decided to move downstream and target an area that bought me results last week.  I cast to a hefty boil and suddenly all hell broke loose as a good sized fish took my nymph and set about going for every snag in the river. I played the fish long and carefully as I'd lost a big fish, perhaps this fish, the other night. Finally in the net I could see my Bristol Frome PB had been broken again and possibly the biggest wild Brownie I have caught to date. This one was I would say around the 2lb mark. A beautiful wild fish from my local river. George could hardly believe a fish of this size was rising just under our noses obscured by the low light reflections. I went on to successfully net two further good sized Brown Trout, but not like the first, on the dry. 

    

Jungle fishing on a Somerset stream

Today I met up with Red and we fished a beautiful little stream that I suspect is rarely fished. Sworn to secrecy on this one we had made a reconnaissance back in the Winter and asked local land owners before fishing it. It meanders through wooded valleys rarely opening out through a canopy of trees. Cascading over a rocky bottom with long shallow fast runs and deep turbulent pools. Today was a boiling hot Spring day with plenty of birdsong but surprisingly not huge amount of fly life coming off the stream, just the odd Mayfly drifting up. I couldn't wait to get my fly in the water. I started fishing NZ not seeing any rising fish. I was heartened immediately as I hooked into a few spirited miniature Brownies both on the nymph and the dry on the first run.

Red is in there somewhere..

 

It was a case of finding the deeper pools and looking for the slack water either side to keep your fly in the sweet spot and hook a fish. One particularly nice pool gave up three Brownies to about 10" all on the dry. Casting was extremely difficult with bow and arrow improvisation proving invaluable. The rocky bottom also made wading tough - I took a stumble breaking the handle from my reel. I was not dismayed though as stream fly fishing invites you to explore some truly wonderful habitat just tucked away you would often overlook on a map - I never thought for one moment I could find a taste of  highland stream so close home.

 

A rare stand of Monkshood - pretty but deadly handle with care!