• Elinor Trout Fishery

    12th November 2016 · Report by Keith Nicholson


    Six members and one guest travelled to Northampton to bank fish this first class trout fishery. We were greeted with wet and breezy conditions which didn't put off the hopes of a good day's fishing

    We chose to fish at various places around the lake with some catching from the start but others struggled to find fish. It became evident the fish were more concentrated in a few areas and once located it was possible take a decent bag of fish

    Floating lines were the order of the day for most and using the washing line technique with a small booby or a FAB on the point and nymphs on the droppers. It was necessary to fish quite slowly and some fish were even caught while the flies were static

    This was the penultimate 2016 Championship points event and the 2 main contenders were both present. Ray Burt was 4 points ahead of Ian Watts before we commenced fishing but Ray managed to win the day with Ian in 3rd position and so extended his lead. The final round of the Championship is at Chalybeate on Sunday the 20th of November. The updated Championship points table can be found elsewhere on this website

    It was decided to fish to a 5 fish catch and kill limit so that after the 5 fish bag was caught we could carry on fishing on a catch and release basis for the rest of the day

    Although the conditions were quite miserable at times, we all enjoyed the days fishing

    Full results:

    • 1 Ray Burt 5 fish 11lb 0oz - 9 returned
    • 2 Martyn Gray 5 fish 9lb 8oz - 0 returned
    • 3 Ian Watts 5 fish 9lb 1oz - 2 returned
    • 4 Mark Tremain-Coker 5 fish 8lb 4oz - 8 returned
    •   Keith Nicholson 5 fish 8lb 4oz - 1 returned
    • 6 Peter Thomason 2 fish 3lb 8oz - 1 fish returned
  • Rib Valley Fishery

    19th October 2016 · Report by Peter Thomason


    Three members fished this mid-week event at a fishery new to our annual programme. The fishery is about two hours drive around the busy M25 and A10 but by avoiding peak traffic periods, the travelling time can be shorter. This is an attractive, well-kept fishery of about five acres. Being relatively shallow (maximum depth is 14ft), it is not open for trout fishing during the summer period. The fishery had re-opened just a few weeks before our visit and had been stocked with good quality fish averaging just under 2lb. The facilities are excellent with a fishing hut with running water, toilet and tea-making facilities. Car parking is close to the water and there is easy access all round the fishery with casting platforms. The fishery can accommodate up to 30 rods although on this occasion there was plenty of room to move around with only four or five other rods fishing

    The day was a perfect fishing day with a light to moderate breeze, overcast sky and mild temperature. The fish were holding in the top of the water and frequent rises were obvious. After a little experimentation, we found the most successful method was to fish Hoppers or small Tadpoles on floating lines. Our three intrepid anglers (Ray Burt, Keith Nicholson and Peter Thomason) opted for tickets which allowed two fish to be killed followed by catch and release. This represented very good value at ú24 a ticket (three and four fish tickets plus catch and release are also available at additional cost). We quickly bagged our two fish and continued to catch throughout the day: the total netted, including the six which were killed, was a splendid 40 fish

    The only downbeat note for the day was Keith's rod breaking soon after starting. Fortunately we was quickly kitted with a spare rod and enjoyed a full day's fishing. The moral is always to carry a spare!

    Altogether, a very successful and enjoyable day at this new venue

  • Rutland, Eyebrook and Grafham

    14th - 16th October 2016 · Report by Russell Bell


    TWFFS Autumn Tour - A great trip and a controversial ending!

    The now annual Midlands tour kicked off this year at Rutland where 5 members arrived following a hearty breakfast at the Stibbington Truck Stop on the A1. Our odd number proved not to be a problem when Bob Shaw picked up a stray Irishman who promptly drove him up the North Arm much against his wishes!

    The others headed South, eventually converging in Hideaway Bay where the fish continued to be reluctant, but were caught fairly regularly during the day on a mixture of blobs and boobies. Luckily, Bob didn't allow his Grand Tour to deter him and he eventually joined the rest and overtook other members with consummate ease, finishing as top rod with 7 good fish

    We then retreated in the face of a chilling east wind to the Courthouse Inn in Thrapston who have been host us for the past 3 years, and as usual we were welcomed by a good range of beer and some prime cuts of steak for supper

    Next day we headed off to Eyebrook where the conditions had changed and after a very still morning, we enjoyed a warmer southerly breeze for most of the day. We were joined by Richard Lovett on his first outing since Chew in April (damn, I promised not to mention that again ...) and Ian Watts, who had come via Liverpool and practice day at Grafham (it's a long story ...) A bit of spice was added to the day when the Eyebrook staff very kindly donated a free day ticket for two as a special prize for our top rod. A very generous gesture

    By the lunchtime break, honours were fairly evenly split with fish caught in one's and two's, some on glass lines and floaters but with no discernible pattern to the day. In the afternoon however Richard's dry fly skills came to the fore, and by a combination of lighter tackle and poaching fish the chairman had kindly risen for him, he won the day by bagging a total of 6 fish. Generosity seemed to be the watchword for the day however and Richard has very kindly donated his prize for the AGM Raffle in January

    We then retired again to the Courthouse to freshen up before we headed off to our favourite curry house for more beers and an excellent meal before a couple of nightcaps and a (fairly) early night

    Conditions changed again as we headed closer to home at Grafham for our points day. Heavy rain (together with Messrs Gray, Burt and Hancock) welcomed us on arrival, and then it got seriously wet during the morning. Fast glass lines and tequila or pink and yellow fabs and small boobies were the preferred method, and at lunchtime our two Rays of sunshine (French and Burt) were in the lead with 5 and 4 fish respectively

    The sun did appear in the afternoon and good catching continued for some with Ray French stretching his lead, while Mr Burt lost his stickability and a number of fish, and could only manage a nice brown in the afternoon

    So by 5 o'clock, 4 boats headed for the jetty to weigh in and compare notes, while a fifth containing Messrs Watts and Hancock were seen disappearing towards the dam, presumably for a second session. Having waited a reasonable amount of time, the main party adjourned to the Wheatsheaf to discuss what draconian punishments should be meted out to the delinquents, and wait to hear what pathetic excuses would be forthcoming

    As it happened it appeared that Ian was relying on Sooty as timekeeper (??), and Sooty in turn was relying on his brand new genuine Russian watch bought at a market stall in Marrakesh which for some reason was running on mid-Atlantic time ie 45 minutes slow. Of course no mercy was shown and the meeting was adjourned to allow the chairman to look up the rulebook, wait for the bribes to arrive in plain brown envelopes, and reach a reasonable decision

    And so to the results of this match day, which rely totally on the honesty of our members (??) and reflect fish caught by close of play at 5pm, although some were weighed in later;

    • 1 Ray French 10 fish 15lb 1oz
    • 2 Ray Burt 6 fish 12lb 2oz
    • 3 John Hancock 4 fish 8lb 10oz
    • 4 Mark Tremain Coker 3 fish 6lb 4oz
    • 5 Graham Morgan Plumb 2 fish 3lb 14oz
    • 6 Ian Watts 1 fish 2lb 8oz (3 more after 5pm)
    • 7 Bob Shaw 1 fish 1lb 12oz
    • 8 Russell Bell and Martyn Gray 1 fish 1lb 10oz
    • 10 Richard Lovett 0 fish

    Many thanks go to Mark for organising a great weekend, much enjoyed by all, and we're all looking forward to another expedition next year

  • Bewl Water Reservoir

    Nigel Turner Trophy Sunday 2nd October 2016 · Report by Russell Bell


    This year's floating line competition in honour of our former Treasurer was held on a very busy day at Bewl, with all 50 boats booked out, mostly to any method anglers who had to queue patiently on the jetty which at one point looked in danger of sinking under the weight!

    12 TWFFS members waited even more patiently and as a result had quite a late start on a fresh morning with a northerly but variable wind coming off the dam. This resulted in some lovely long but quite unproductive drifts along the dam wall and out into the main bowl across to Chingley, with the fish either reluctant to commit to a decent take, or just not showing at all

    Early catchers included Ian "Drizabone" Watts, who, accompanied by Andy "Catweazle" Stoner on his first outing in a boat for some time, and fresh from his Bob's Bits tutorial at Grafham, enticed an early rainbow to the surface on dries, but quite soon after was seen reverting to type, or alternatively using a novel high speed dry fly technique not seen before on Bewl or anywhere else!

    Only meagre returns were reported at lunchtime, with blanks, one's and two's prominent, and for some, things only got harder in the afternoon. A freshening wind and bright sunshine didn't inspire confidence, and it wasn't until the wind calmed a little and the sun dropped in the last hour, that our Honorary Secretary and Treasurer, drifting aimlessly towards Ferry Point, came across some co-operative fish who were prepared to take Keith's hoppers while Peter looked on in shock and awe

    The final positions for the trophy and match points were as follows:

    • 1 Ian Watts 5 fish for 6lbs 14oz
    • 2 Keith Nicholson 4 fish 6lb 8oz
    • 3 Andy Stoner 2 fish 3lb 8oz
    • 4 Martyn Gray 2 fish 3lb 1oz
    • 5 James Dench 1 fish 1lb 14oz
    • 6 Peter Thomason 1 fish 1lb 13oz
  • Draycote Water

    24th September 2016 · Report by Ian Watts


    Attendees: Ray French, Bob Shaw, Graham Morgan Plum, Ray Burt, Mark Tremain-Cocker, Martin Gray, Russell Bell, Ian Watts (Editor)

    There was certainly no 5-hour delay at the Dartford Crossing when eight members undertook the rather uneventful trip up the M1 to Draycote Water. In fact, listening to the news on the way, in between singing the Proclaimers anthem, "I'm on my way from misery to happiness today", a newsflash reported that it was officially Autumn. Was this the result of Ray French leaving his house without his usual summer attire we wondered? Gone, as with the Summer, was the ‘Robin Hood’ comedy outfit of peaked cap with matching green ‘budgie smuggler’ shorts, tanned bandy legs and Green Flash pumps and in its place was what can only be described as fashion's, "Derelicte!"

    The draw for boat partners was undertaken over breakfast at the Dun Cow, Dunchurch and the 'Dream Team' pairing of Mark Reo-Cocker, fresh from recently qualifying for England, with the rather less than fresh, Ray 'Bag Up' Burt. Bob Shaw despairingly and rather resignedly, sighed, "Not Again!", on drawing Frenchy. The Big Un drew Martin and the inexperienced pair of Watsy and Graham were left to discover what Draycote was all about!

    Conditions were very bright and extremely windy and the weather was described as atrocious by some and only lumpy by others! I suppose these descriptions depended on whether you had a Lidl store in your village or one termed, Li-dell!

    Some headed for the relative shelter of Rainbow Corner but the 'hardy' few journeyed to the far shore to brave the elements. The 'Testosterone Fuelled' boat of the Dream Pair was last seen thrashing away at D buoy. Unfortunately, for all, the fish were not in an obliging mood and at lunch there were some 3's, also 2's and 1's and the odd blank. Bob Shaw, recently retired to Merseyside, now deemed an 'Honorary Scouser', and in his much maligned accent stated that, "Eh, Eh, it’s rough out there, innit, like you know!" The Dishonourable Scouser, as usual, acted as translator!

    The ladies were practicing for their English National and in discussion with a frustrated TWFFS member over trout following and not taking, one lady commented rather knowingly, even condescendingly, that if the fish are not taking then you should use a smaller blob or booby. Said member politely replied that he couldn't tie his booby's and blobs in size 16!

    Conditions eased late in the afternoon and towards close at 5, the fish started taking more confidently and then aggressively. This was reflected at the weigh-in where there were 'familiar' tales of missed arm wrenching takes, whirlpool swirls, solid pulls and lost at the net fish. The result was a tight affair with two anglers each catching 7 fish. The Big Un and Bag Up were looking nervous at the end but The Scotsman had the larger bag, by incredibly, some 5lb! Martin and Bob both, credibly, had 6 each, Robin Hood was 5th with 4, our England Qualifier had 3, Watsy managed a solitary 3 pounder and the 'Odd Blank' blanked! The 'Mano et Mano' war was surprisingly won by Bag Up Burt and from a car leaving the car park, all that could be heard was, "I'm on my way from misery to happiness today, aha, aha!!!"

    Congratulations to Russell and also to all that turned out, for what was for some, a rather frustrating fishing experience. I certainly had an enjoyable day, in good company and look forward to the next social outing. This was a points day and these will be updated soon.

    Results below:

    • 1 Russell Bell 7 fish 201b 6oz
    • 2 Ray Burt 7 fish 15lb 8oz
    • 3 Bob Shaw 6 fish 13lb 4oz
    • 4 Martin Gray 6 fish 9lb 3oz
    • 5 Ray French 4 fish 9lb
    • 6 Mark Tremain-Cocker 3 fish 6lb 9oz
    • 7 Ian Watts 1 fish 3lb 1oz
    • 8 Graham Morgan Plum 0 fish

    Biggest Fish: Russell Bell 3lb 8oz

  • Bewl Water Reservoir

    Pairs Cup Sunday 18th September 2016 · Report by Russell Bell


    Following a week of very high temperatures and a rod average of 0.9 in the Grand Max competition a few days earlier, 10 members met for breakfast at the Waterfront Café with a fair degree of trepidation, if not downright depression!

    As it happened, rain on Friday and wind on Saturday had cooled things down considerably, with water temperature sitting between 18 and 20 degrees across the main bowl

    As a result a fair number of fish were caught, and while some tried areas from the Yacht Club to Chingley and Ferry Point, most success came near to the dam, with orange and tequila blobs being the most consistent catchers

    No great excitement during the day, apart for Ian Watts' schoolboy error in allowing Mick "Killer" Priest to take the engine, which meant that in typical scouser fashion, Ian spent most of the day (including sunny intervals) with double hoody protection!

    The final results were:

    • Ian Watts and Mick Priest 16 fish 23lb 4oz
    • Nick Cox and Russell Bell 10 fish 16lb 8oz
    • Dave Crouch and Mark Tremain Coker 8 fish 10lb 18oz
    • Graham Morgan Plumb and Ray Burt 7 fish 10lb 6oz
    • Scott Benton and Martin Gray 3 fish 4lb 1oz

    Biggest fish – Nick Cox 2lb 13oz

  • Bewl Water Reservoir

    Grand Max 14th September 2016 · Report by Russell Bell


    BBFC Annual Invitational Floating Line Competition

    Following a week of extremely hot and unseasonally humid weather, and temperatures projected to reach 30 degrees, plus a practice day when more blanks were recorded than during manoeuvres on an army shooting range, prospects for a productive day on floating lines were extremely limited

    However the carefully selected TWFFS team was full of optimism when we met for a briefing from Russell and Mick who had spent many hours in the glaring sun the day before. Unfortunately, the only information we were able to impart was on the best method not to catch fish and the locations where the fish definitely weren't!

    Unperturbed, after a solid breakfast and a confident stride to the boats, we went out determined to grind out a result. By lunchtime it became apparent that a couple of fish each would put us in a good position, so having reviewed tactics and confused ourselves completely, we headed back out into the glare to swelter for another few hours

    But grind it out is exactly what the team did, coming in a very creditable 4th out of 18 teams, many of whom were led by highly experienced and competent anglers. During the extended dinner and presentations afterwards, while TWFFS narrowly missed out on the podium prizes, Scott managed to win the prize for biggest fish at 2lbs 13oz, and we managed to haul much more than our fair share of raffle prizes, including a travel rod won by Keith Lawrence

    The final results were as follows:

    • 1 Grand Max 11 fish 19lb 5oz
    • 2 Fish Hawks 11 fish 17lb 14oz
    • 3 Meridian 9 fish 14lb 8oz
    • 4 TWFFS 7 fish 11lb 12oz

    Individual results were as follows:

    • Keith Lawrence 1 fish 1lb 6oz
    • Simon Newman 2 fish 2lb 15oz
    • Scott Benton 1 fish 2lb 13oz
    • Ron Lewis 1 fish 1lb 10oz
    • Mick Priest 2 fish 3lb 0oz
    • Russell Bell 0 fish 0lb 0oz
  • Bewl Water Reservoir

    3rd September 2016 · Report by Russell Bell


    Catch of the Day!!

    Eight members signed up for this late summer outing, most of whom enjoyed a hearty breakfast at the Waterfront Café. The conversation focussed mainly on how deep the fish would be, with most estimates being between 20 and 30 feet!

    As it turned out however, the answer was closer to 20 or 30 inches, with a good number of fish being taken just off the surface, and orange or tequila blobs, fabs or boobies being the main attractors. While some boats did have a look at Chingley and Hook straight, all of the action was focussed in the main bowl leading over to the dam wall

    Choice of line and speed of retrieve were also major talking points at lunchtime, when catches of ones or two's were prevalent, apart from Mr Watts of course. He had 5, having moved quickly from a Di7 to a Floater and according to his boat partner "his hands were a blur" as he brought his blobs back in true roley poley style

    Imitation being the highest form of flattery, others tried to get on to the bandwagon, but couldn’t catch up with Ian who bagged up by about 3pm and had rather less success on the dries thereafter!

    Catch of the day went to Mick Priest however, who, having decided wisely with his boat partner to take the engine, managed to implant a Navigator firmly in Ray French's left ear!! As you’d expect, a great deal of sympathy was shown by all members present both at the weigh-in and at the Chequers thereafter, and Ray was encouraged to have a special feature with full colour photos in the next edition of the Bewl Angle!!

    The final results were:

    • 1 Ian Watts 8 fish 14lb 0oz
    • 2 Peter Thomason 6 fish 9lb 10oz
    • 3 John Hancock 4 fish 6lb 7oz
    • 4 Ray Burt 3 fish 4lb 5oz
    • 5 Russell Bell 3 fish 4lb 4oz
    • 6 Graham Morgan Plumb 2 fish 2lb 13oz
    • 7 Mick Priest 2 fish 2lb 10oz
    • 8 Ray French 1 fish 1lb 4oz
  • Bewl Water Reservoir

    17th July 2016 · Report by Russell Bell


    With several members heading for the Anglian Water Southern Final at Grafham, numbers were a little light for this event. In addition, the risk of fishing with the chairman was bit too much for Gary Collins, who decided to take to the bank at Ferry Point in the morning, and Richard Denney, who decided to "potter about" on his own for part of the day

    In the end seven members had a good breakfast in the Outdoor Centre before venturing out, with Dave Crouch getting close to a blanket ban for turning up unannounced, despite his protests that he’d updated the website weeks ago. While some tried to find fish at Hook House and Ferry Point in the morning with a number of fish taking and then lost, it became pretty obvious that most success was being enjoyed by the dam from Canoe Club down past the towers, with a number of fish being taken ever closer to the dam itself

    Those who started at the dam early got a good head start, and while others caught up to some extent by lunchtime, the usual switch off came on in the afternoon and catches dried up. Attempts to weedle out fish in Hook Straight and from Ferry Point to Chingley later in the afternoon also proved pretty fruitless, so the final results (most were fishing catch and release) were as follows:

    • 1 Ray Burt 12 fish
    • 2 Nick Cox 10 fish
    • 3 Dave Crouch 8 fish
    • 4 Martyn Gray 6 fish
    • 5 Graham Morgan Plumb 6 fish
    • 6 Russell Bell 5 fish
    • 7 Mick Priest 3 fish

    Just for info, the reservoir was very busy all day, with rowers, sailors and any method anglers out in force, but mostly not causing too many problems. In the afternoon the banks filled with walkers, cyclists and sun bathers and I’m told that both the Boathouse Restaurant and the Outdoor Centre café were very busy

    The pedalos and rowing boats came out after lunch, but were restricted to a cordoned section around Canoe Club, so while a small area was inaccessible, most members agreed that there was still plenty of room to fish

  • Meon Springs

    Three Fly Challenge 9th July 2016 · Report by Russell Bell


    Six members headed for Hampshire for our annual 3 Fly Challenge, with Russell selecting a klinkhammer, a diawl bach and a GH daddy to test our skills against some beautiful rainbows, brownies, blues and golden trout in the gin clear water of Meon Springs

    The rules were simple, at least to begin with (!) with our first 3 fish to be killed and poundage multiplied by 3 for fish caught on the dry, 2 for the nymph and 1 for the GH, with fish caught on the catch and release lake being credited at 2lb per fish and the same multiples applying – simples!!

    Ray Burt led the way with 3 good fish on the nymphs before moving to the lower lake and bringing in another 4 on catch and release before lunch, with Mick Heasman doing his usual Rusthall Heron act, sitting motionless on the dries with a fair degree of success

    Russell was first to follow Ray having had good luck on both the dry and the nymph, but as others moved on to catch and release, it became apparent either that Ray had totally deliberately spooked the fish or that conditions were proving much harder on the bottom lake which was much more open to the wind

    During a discussion over a very pleasant lunch therefore, it was agreed that a fourth fly (a stalking bug) would be added to the challenge and counted as a nymph. We all raided Ray’s flybox and took one fly each and resumed fishing – again, simples!!

    A number of members did get close to disqualification during the day – Martyn Gray for strolling down the bank and doing his version of trawling without a boat – Sooty for a poor impersonation of a garden gnome on his little stool – and Mark T-C for reverting to his own flies in desperation rather early in the afternoon!

    Indeed a couple of members did catch on their own flies but were honest enough to own up to that, so Russell, being chief prosecutor, judge and jury, decided that (after the event) while these fish would count, they’d only be allocated a multiple of 1 whether they were caught on nymphs or bugs

    The end result was everyone got at least their first 3 fish, those who did stick to the original dries and nymphs were given full credit for that, but while Micky did get close, we couldn’t quite catch up with Ray so the final placings were as follows:

    • 1 Ray Burt 9 fish 37lb 2oz
    • 2 Micky Heasman 5 fish 35lb 7oz
    • 3 Russell Bell 5 fish 27lb 15oz
    • 4 Martyn Gray 7 fish 23lb 15oz
    • 5 John Hancock 3 fish 20lb 13oz
    • 6 Mark Tremain-Coker 3 fish 14lb 15oz

    A very enjoyable day with good company and the usual banter was rounded off with beers at Ye Olde George in East Meon

  • Bewl Water Reservoir

    Corrib Cup 19th June 2016 · Report by Peter Thomason


    Thirteen members fished this trophy event. As usual in our boat competitions, every attempt was made to pair less experienced anglers with our more capable members and it is hoped that this improves the catches and enjoyment of all participants

    The weather was mild with moderate south-westerly breezes and from sunny spells in the morning the cloud cover reaching 100 per cent by afternoon we had near perfect conditions. The water level was high for this time of year at Bewl (around 90 per cent) and in most places was very clear

    The majority of boats spent the day in the main bowl of the reservoir and most fish were taken on the Chingley Wood side of the tower and within 150 yards of the dam, although fish were also taken much further back. The most successful methods centred on fishing the top few feet of water with slow intermediate or floating lines. Successful flies included Diawl Bach, small Blobs and Boobies – all fished slowly

    A total of 73 fish were weighed in. The average weight was 1lb 15oz with a number of fish topping the 3lb mark. The rod average for the day was a good 5.6 and all participants had fish to weigh in

    The Corrib Cup is a Championship event and is one of the events designated for additional Championship points. The first six places gained points and the result was:

    • 1 Ray Burt 8 fish 18lb 11oz
    • 2 Peter Thomason 8 fish 15lb 5oz
    • 3 John Hancock 8 fish 15lb
    • 4 Mick Priest 8 fish 14lb 6oz
    • 5 Richard Denney Snr 7 fish 13lb 0oz
    • 6 Martyn Gray 7 fish 12lb 4oz

    The Championship points will be added to existing scores and the Championship table will be updated but this result now places Ray Burt and Ian Watts as joint leaders with 26 points each

    Ray Burt is now the holder of the Corrib Cup for 2016

    A very enjoyable day's fishing was followed by our usual thirst-quenching at The Chequers in Lamberhurst

  • Powdermill Reservoir

    29th May 2016 · Report by Peter Thomason


    Ten members fished at this attractive, tree-lined reservoir. The mayfly had been in evidence for some time prior to our visit but cool blustery northerly winds kept the hatch to a trickle on this occasion

    All members chose to fish from the boats, which, not having engines, placed a premium on physical fitness for those who wished to fish on the drift rather than anchoring. Our Chairman gave a bold display of strength and oarsmanship spending much of the day drifting and then repeatedly rowing back upwind. The remainder mostly fished at anchor

    A total of 34 fish were caught using nymph and wet flies although one or two fell to dry mayfly patterns. The average weight was around 2lb with Ray Burt catching the best fish of the day weighing 3lb

    As this event contributed to the TWFFS Championship, points were awarded for the first five places:

    • 1 Mark Tremain-Coker 6 fish 11lb 0oz
    • 2 Russell Bell 6 fish 10lb 13oz
    • 3 Ray Burt 5 fish 10lb 12oz
    • 4 Martyn Gray 6 fish 10lb 5oz
    • 5 James Dench 3 fish 5lb 7oz

    All the points have now been added to the Championship table

    An enjoyable day's fishing was enhanced by the sight of two pairs of the relatively rare migratory Hobby seen hawking for insects and small prey above the woods which surround this quiet and secluded water. As usual, the day ended with several draughts of the local ale at the Queen's Head in nearby Sedlescombe

  • Bewl Water Reservoir

    21st May 2016 · Report by Russell Bell


    This was a busy day at Bewl as a number of members used the opportunity to have a practice day before the Anglian qualifier on the Sunday either with the Society or in their respective teams

    Most of the 15 members present enjoyed a good breakfast at the Visitors’ Centre before pairing up and receiving a jetty-side match briefing from Russell, standing in for Keith Lawrence as organiser

    In the morning session, those who found the fish around Canoe Club, Bewl Straight and down to Rosemary Lane did very well indeed, and those who didn't, didn't! Methods varied, but blobs and nymphs on fast and slow glass lines prevailed

    Lunch was taken at the Boat House as the wind picked up making early afternoon conditions a bit more tricky, but members gave generously in the raffle, with Ian Watts being typically argumentative over the selected prizes!

    Some members were able to catch up with the early leaders in the afternoon as the weather settled, mainly on stockies under 2lbs each, and the final top 6 point winning results were as follows:

    Best bags (and points!!)

    • 1 Ray French 8 fish 15lbs 4oz
    • 2 Ian Watts 8 fish 14lb 6oz
    • 3 Gary Collins 8 fish 13lb 14oz
    • 4 Bob Shaw 8 fish 13lb 6oz
    • 5 James Dench 8 fish 13lb 0oz
    • 6 John Hancock 6 fish 11lb 2oz

    Biggest fish: Ray Burt at 2lbs 7oz

  • Powdermill Reservoir

    18th May 2016 · Report by Russell Bell


    Our first outing to Powdermill in 2016 was met with fairly blustery conditions which were exaggerated by the wind swirling around the valley for most of the day. Mid-day rain also encouraged an extended lunchtime session in the lodge before things settled down sufficiently for us to brave the elements once more

    The fishing however was spectacular – for most anyway. While Bob and Ray elected to find shelter down the eastern arm, and James and Alan did the same in the western section, Sooty persuaded Russell to do a Steve Redgrave impersonation up and down the main straight for most of the day which fortunately produced some excellent results

    With mayfly hatches putting the Corrib to shame, at least when the wind dropped a little, most productive patterns were claret dabblers and bumbles in the morning, and grey wulffs once things had settled a little in the afternoon. The fish were close to the surface and on occasion up for the chase, while the takes to the dries tested leaders to breaking point and beyond!

    The final results for the day were as follows:

    • Bob Holland 6 fish
    • Ray Burt 6 fish
    • Russell Bell 6 fish
    • John Hancock 6 fish
    • James Dench 3 fish
    • Alan Dean 0 fish

    A fair number of brownies were returned to the water in the course of the day ...

  • Blagdon and Chew

    30th April and 1st May · Report by Russell Bell


    Weekend Outing to Blagdon and Chew

    I'm afraid that I've left my report for the TWFFS website a little late, and with the intervention of a Guinness addled trip to the Corrib in between, my memory is failing a bit so I've checked with participants on the results for the weekend before publishing

    Five TWFFS members and one distinguished guest (Ralph Painter) travelled to Somerset to enjoy the spring scenery and hopefully some spectacular early season nymph fishing on two of the west country's more famous lakes

    As it turned out, the cold winds we'd been experiencing continued, leading to some blustery conditions which didn't lend themselves to too much twiddling, but Ralph showed us how things should be done on Blagdon on our first day with 4 fish in the morning and another two in the afternoon. Things slowed up considerably in the late afternoon, so we were very happy to retire to the Blue Bowl for some excellent Butcombe Bitter and supper which enabled us to re-group and re-energise for the next day

    Conditions didn't change much on Chew, and as we'd been warned, the fishing was tough and conditions worsened with continuing easterly winds which kept us rocking for most of the day. Both Bob and Jeff did well to recover some form with good catches in the circumstances but at the expense of the use of some less imitative patterns!!

    In all a very enjoyable trip however, to be repeated next year. The final results were as follows:

    Blagdon

    • Ralph 6 fish
    • Ray 2 fish
    • Jeff 2 fish
    • Bob 0 fish
    • Graham 1 fish
    • Russell 4 fish

    Chew

    • Ralph 1 fish
    • Ray 2 fish
    • Jeff 4 fish
    • Bob 3 fish
    • Graham 1 fish
    • Russell 1 fish
  • Bewl Water Reservoir

    Dave Clark Cup 16th April 2016 · Report by Peter Thomason


    Nine members anglers attended the 2016 Dave Clark cup bank competition held at Bewl water on the 16th April 2016. After discussion with Janet in the fishing office and Rob Barden our ferryman the group opted to be taken to Ferry Point which had seen the best of the bank fishing over the previous few days. The North Westerly wind, although not strong, would be in our faces, would be chilly and make things tricky especially for left-hookers Dave Crouch and Micky Heasman. The other magnificent 7 briefly offered their sympathies as we all began the task of catching fish on what looked to be a difficult day

    Ian Watts soon put down a marker with a good 3lb-plus fish caught to the right of the landing stage. Micky Priest took a while to get going but soon was also laying down a marker, so too was John (Sooty) Hancock. Dave Crouch, Ray Burt and Graham Morgan-Plumb tried their luck in Mussell Bay with Dave picking up a single fish. Micky Heasman ventured round to Monty’s Seat with no success. James Dench and Martyn Gray headed off round the corner and down Bewl Straight - James making it all the way to the other side of Dunsters Bay for 2 fish - he likes a walk does James! The weather gods slapped us all with a heavy shower mixed with the cold NW wind just before lunch - Oh the roaring Chequers log fire and a pint would have been nice right then. At lunch the cold and wet standings were, roughly: Micky Priest - 5 fish. Ian Watts - 4 fish. Sooty Hancock - 4 fish. James Dench - 2 fish. Dave Crouch - 1 fish. Graham Morgan Plumb - 1 fish. Ray Burt, Martyn Gray and Micky Heasman - squidly dot

    After lunch off we went again - the fish were mostly holding left and right of Ferry Point but with a strengthening wind, casting was going to be difficult. However Micky Priest, Sooty and Ian all managed to get their 8 fish. Mick H, Martyn and Graham tried their luck further down Bewl Straight and into Dunsters Bay with no success. James Dench picked up another at Monty’s Seat before a rod malfunction halted his march. Then a little bit of a miracle occurred - and as it was for me (Micky H) I can write about it. Cold and more than a little fed-up at not having any fish I thought I'd have another go up near Ferry Point - first on the Bewl Straight side where the wind was keenest. Some other anglers had moved so there was room - my casting was just not up to it. A chat with Ray Burt who now has 2 fish and some words of encouragement from him about Chigborough warmed my hands. I went round to the left of the Ferry Point landing stage and the wind had changed to northerly - at last something for us left-hookers to take advantage of. Dave Crouch was already there and was into a fish. Armed with Micky Priest’s line tray (thank you Micky - I now have one on order) and better casting distance I was soon into a fish - the blank was beaten. Soon after another and then another - I was motoring now - Dave Crouch was motoring too - and the spectators were cheering - come on the left-handers! (well, that's what it sounded like). In the last 45mins of the day - the left-handers picked up 8 fish between them - where was Fergie time when you needed it

    Three anglers - Micky P, Ian W and Sooty H, had 8 fish. Sooty had a 5lb-plus fish in his bag; Ian had 2 good fish of 3-4lb; Micky P had a couple of good fish too. The weigh-in was going to be tense. It was close between the three and many congrats to Ian Watts who took the spoils and is TWFFS Dave Clark Cup winner for 2016. Sooty Hancock was 2nd which included a splendid 5lb 4oz rainbow and Micky Priest was 3rd

    Dave Clark Cup - Full Results - Double points too!

    • 1 Ian Watts 8 Fish 21lb 5oz
    • 2 John Hancock 8 Fish 20lb 3oz
    • 3 Micky Priest 8 Fish 19lb 10oz
    • 4 Micky Heasman 5 Fish 13lb 10oz
    • 5 Ray Burt 2 Fish 7lb 4oz
    • 6 Dave Crouch 4 Fish 6lb 14oz
    • 6 James Dench 3 Fish 6lb 14oz
    • 8 Graham Morgan Plumb 1 Fish 2lb 13oz
    • 9 Martyn Gray 0 Fish
  • Chigboro Fishery

    10th April 2016 · Report by Peter Thomason


    Nine members fished this early spring event. The weather proved mild with a slightly blustery wind. The water at this friendly fishery was gin clear and the trout in fine fettle. This was the first event where championship points were awarded. (With the exception of those events designated for higher points, championship points are awarded to the first five places: 12 points, 8 points, 6 points, 4 points and 2 points)

    The two main lakes at the fishery both fished well and by lunchtime everyone had caught fish, mostly on buzzers using floating lines and very slow retrieves. All the fish were in excellent condition and fought hard. The afternoon session continued to provide good fishing and the event was fished to a three fish limit with all subsequent fish released and adding 2lb to the total weight of the first three fish

    The results were (Including released fish):

    • 1 Micky Heasman 3 fish 6lb 3oz plus 14 - Total 34lb 3oz
    • 2 Keith Nicholson 3 fish 6lb 7oz plus 8 - Total 22lb 7oz
    • 3 Peter Thomason 3 fish 5lb 8oz plus 7 - Total 19lb 8oz
    • 4 Russell Bell 3 fish 5lb 14oz plus 6 - Total 17lb 14oz
    • 5 Ian Watts 3 fish 5lb 9½oz plus 4 - Total 13lb 9.5oz
    • 6 Alan Dean 3 fish 5lb 9oz plus 4 - Total 13lb 9oz
    • 7 Graham Morgan-Plumb 3 fish 5lb 7oz plus 3 - Total 11lb 7oz
    • 8 Chris Ball 3 fish weighing 4lb 8.5oz plus 2 - Total 8lb 8.5oz
    • 9 Mark Tremain-Coker 3 fish 5lb 11oz plus 1 - Total 7lb 11oz

    The best fish of the day fell to Keith Nicholson and was one of the eight fish he released. Its estimated weight was in the region of 8lb!

    An enjoyable and successful day's fishing was concluded by a variety of excellent beers in the Queen's Head where majestic Thames spritsail barges are moored on the quayside

  • Bewl Water Reservoir

    26th March 2016 · Report by Russell Bell


    Stormy Weather!!

    A full complement of 14 members attended Bewl, each armed with forecasts varying from a fairly normal rain and wind to 18 mph, to prophesies of the end of the world and gusts of 70-80 mph by early afternoon

    The consensus was therefore to fish through lunch and finish at 3pm, with a few of our less hardy members (no names but it was Collins and Dench) electing to fish the bank for the day. This left your organiser to search the rule book to see whether this warranted automatic disqualification, or just the derision of the rest of the squad. In the end they achieved both!!

    Seriously though, it was a day when individual members had to be thinking about their personal comfort and safety, and that justifiably effected where and for how long members decided to fish

    As it happened, while conditions did get a bit rough in the main bowl by mid-day, (but not much worse than a mild ripple on the Corrib) most had decided to find shelter down Bewl Straight with moderate success, while others decided to go on a Cook’s tour of the lake with more limited returns

    Those who decided to turn right from the rather rickety jetty and stick to the area in and around Seven Pound Creek however, had some spectacular results, with Keith Lawrence and his novice guest Fred finishing early, and Andy Hope with Ian Watts reaching their limits with some chunky specimens around the 4lb mark by 12.30pm

    The final placings for this "pointless" fun day out were as follows:

    • 1 Ian Watts 8 fish 23lb 2oz
    • 2 Andy Hope 8 fish 22lb 6oz
    • 3 Keith Lawrence 8 fish ?lb ?oz
    • 4 Mick Priest 5 12lb 9oz
    • 5 Ray Burt 5 fish 12lb 0oz
    • 6 Mark Tremain-Coker 5 fish 11lb 5oz
    • 7 Micky Heasman 3 fish 9lb 10oz
    • 8 Russell Bell 3 fish 9lb 4oz
    • 9 Ray French 2 fish 5lb 8oz
    • 10 Dave Crouch 1 fish 2lb 8oz

    Mick Priest and Keith Lawrence caught the biggest fish, both weighing in at 4lb 2oz, with several others caught well over the 3.5lb mark

    Points to note:

    • 1 The new Boathouse is in sparkling condition and is now open for breakfast from 7.30am and for lunch and dinner if needed
    • 2 The fish are in excellent condition and seem as requested to have been trickle stocked around the lake
  • Bewl Water Reservoir

    23rd March 2016 · Report by Peter Thomason


    This mid-week event was originally intended to be held at Elinor fishery in Northamptonshire but due to recent widespread flooding, the owners had kindly and honestly advised us that the fishing had been adversely affected. Not wanting us to experience anything less than the usual high quality offered at this very pleasant venue, the owner suggested we move the fixture to another fishery so after a quick consultation with members who had registered for the event, we decided to fish the banks at Bewl Water where the new season had opened only two days previously

    Five members fished and from the experience of the previous two days, commenced from the Dunsters Bay area, two going via the nature reserve to Monty’s Seat and then along to the Gorse Bushes, one going to Dunsters and the Gorse Bushes and two going towards Tinkers Marsh. Keeping in touch by mobile phone, we were aware the fishing had slowed from the relatively easy rate of opening day but by careful and consistent effort, good catches were achieved in the rather windy and overcast conditions

    The results for the day were:

    • John Hancock 8 fish
    • Martin Gray 7 fish
    • Graham Morgan-Plumb 6 fish
    • Ray Burt 6 fish
    • Peter Thomason 6 fish

    All the fish were in good condition and many nearing the 3lb level. Altogether a very enjoyable day which was concluded with a very enjoyable beer in The Chequers in Lamberhurst

    We shall look forward to fishing Elinor when next on our fixture list

  • Chalybeate Springs Trout Fishery

    Pairs Challenge Round I 12th March 2016 · Report by Keith Nicholson


    The first round of this year’s Chalybeate Pairs Challenge proved to be a challenging day. In the days leading up to the competition the weather had been extremely wet which resulted in the lake bursting its banks. As the water receded the bankside mud was washed into the lake and resulted in very poor water clarity

    It was obvious we would be in for a tough days fishing but, it wasn’t a total disaster. Takes were few and far between but usually resulted in a fish. The method was to fish dark flies using a slow retrieve and to concentrate hard so as not to miss any opportunity

    There were 8 teams taking part in the first round with 4 teams only fielding 1 angler. This was due to their partners being unavailable for this round. This situation is allowed for in the rules as the 2 best results from the 3 rounds of the competition count towards the trophy

    Results of Round 1

    • 1 Mick Heasman/Alan Dean 7 fish 6.15kg (20 points)
    • 2 Mark Tremain-Coker/Ray Burt 6 fish 5.63kg (15 points)
    • 3 Keith Nicholson 6 fish 5.6kg (11 points)
    • 4 Andy Sawyer 3 fish 4.1kg (8 points)
    • 5 Ray French 1 fish 1.3kg (6 points)
    • 6 Andy Stoner 1 fish 1.28kg (5 points)
    • 7 Ron Lewis/Keith Lawrence 1 fish 0.63kg (4 points)
    • 8 Graham Morgan Plumb/Chris Ball 0 fish 0kg (3 points for turning up!)

    There are still 2 team vacancies so, if any member wishes to join the competition for rounds 2 and 3 please register on the web site

    All is left to fish for in the next 2 rounds on Saturday 4th June and Sunday 30th October