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Chalybeate Springs Trout Fishery
Keith Lyne Fur & Feather Trophy 9th December 2017 · Report by Mickey Heasman
The final event of the TWFFS 2017 season the Fur and Feather took place at Chalybeate Springs fishery on Saturday 9th December. It was a lovely sunny but properly freezing cold winter’s day and the 14 anglers in attendance were well wrapped up against the cold - breakfast rolls and hip flasks also helped to keep the cold in check
Fishing started slowly and it took a while for the right method to be found - yours truly never found it though we won’t dwell on that
Graham Morgan-Plumb got the action started with the first fish swiftly followed by another racing into an early lead. Peter Thomason, Ron Lewis and Ian Watts rising to the challenge as tactics began to be worked out - much reliance on fishing near to the corner of the outlet as this seemed to be where most fish were holding
As we approached the finish time of 13:00 it became a two-horse race - no Ron and Ian don’t look like or move like horses but you get my drift - I hope. Ian Watts finished with time to spare and 6 fish to the net. Ron Lewis needed until his last swim to catch his final fish so we had 2 anglers with a maximum - was this going to be close!
The weigh-in was tense and it was not so close with 1kg separating Ron and Ian and we have a new name on the Fur and Feather trophy and a first ever event win for founder member Ron Lewis - very well done Ron! Congratulations to Ian Watts on his runner-up and for making it a close competition
After a raffle which raised £80 for the Society - well done and thanks to Andy Stoner for organising - we all departed for the nearby Huntsman pub for much needed warming food and beer and we weren’t disappointed with a very fine beef, mushroom and ale pie followed by pear and blackberry crumble - yum yum!
Final Result
A total of 30 fish caught on the day - well done all
Congratulations to all of our anglers on the day and many thanks to Jim and Cathy at Chalybeate for looking after us all splendidly once again
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all
Elinor Fishery
11th November 2017 · Report by Micky Heasman
Ten TWFFS members left home comforts and ventured north to the fabled Elinor trout water. Weather down south was atrocious with torrential rain making driving extremely hazardous. Thankfully, as we got to the other side of the Dartford tunnel the weather improved and as we neared our breakfast stop at Thrapston, the rain had ceased and the weather looked excellent for our day’s fishing
As usual, Elinor looked superb and the water was vodka clear - (thought I'd use another spirit rather than Gin) although the fishery manager said that fishing had been tough over the past week. Fish came to the net throughout the day and the best sport was had from the dam, the gravel bar and Brookside: the latter and Brookside Point proving to be the most productive with Ray Burt, John Hancock, Ian Watts and Martyn Gray all catching their limits. Keith and Cassi Lawrence had a good day from the dam area but it was Keith Nicholson who topped the rankings fishing from the gravel bar and landing a splendid 5lb 12oz fish to help push his overall bag weight to top spot. 43 fish came to the net giving a very healthy rod average of 4 for the day
Well done to all!
Results for the day:
The top six qualify for points awards in the Society Championship the remaining participants receive an automatic award of 2 points each:
Draycote
30th September 2017 · Report by Peter Thomason for Mark Tremain-Coker
Eight members fished Draycote Water, near Rugby. This exceptional fishery has produced excellent quality fish and responds well to nymph and dry-fly fishing as well as the more mundane Blobs and lures. This visit was no exception with good cloud cover providing promising conditions for the dries. However, nothing is reliable in fishing (or we would get very bored) and only a few fish were caught on CDC emerger patterns with the majority falling to Blobs. A total of 36 fish came to the net and the most successful lines were either midge tips or slow intermediates. As this was a Championship event, all participants were awarded points and these have been added to the Championship table elsewhere on the web site. The results were:
A good day’s fishing was enjoyed by all!
Albury Park Estate, Vale End Fishery
27th September 2017 · Report by Peter Thomason
The venue for this midweek event was a substitute for the originally planed visit to Rib Valley fishery which due to draining and removal of coarse fish, had to be postponed
The Albury Estate lies between Gomshall and Guildford and has three separate fisheries. On advice from the estate, the two lakes and river at Vale End were chosen for this visit. There is an interesting ticketing arrangement where visitors are charged £3 for an entry card which will open the electronic gates to each of the fisheries (this is a one-off charge and the entry card can be used on future visits). There is then a day fishing charge of £12 and the choice purchasing tokens for two, three or four fish. If the selected number of fish are not caught on that visit, the unused tokens can be used on a future visit.
Four TWFFS members attended the event:
Each chose the four-fish option. The water in both the large and small lakes was clear and a good head of fish could be seen in both as well as in the little River Tillingbourne. Using a variety of methods, all four of us caught our bag limits with good quality and hard fighting fish averaging nearly 3lb. Ray Burt demonstrated his considerable skills sight fishing with small nymphs for cruising fish. Small dry flies, nymphs and Blue Flash Damsel nymphs accounted for the fish taken by the rest of the party
The fishery is very well maintained and set in attractive countryside. There is ample parking and plenty of space for casting. The bailiffs visit regularly during the day and are friendly and helpful with advice, including details of a local pub willing to purchase the catch if required. Not surprisingly, the day ended with a visit to the hostelry where the excellent Hog’s Back brewery’s TEA (Traditional English Ale) provided fitting refreshment at the end of a very enjoyable day at an interesting fishery
Bewl Water
Nigel Turner Cup 23rd September 2017 · Report by Peter Thomason
The Society’s annual floating line competition was fished by eight members at Bewl Water:
The water levels at Bewl were low and the day started with a bright cloudless sky and little breeze: conditions that were not propitious for a good day's fishing and the experience of hard fishing in the Grand Max competition a few days before did not raise any expectations!
Dauntless, the most competitors took to their boats with the majority making for the parched upper end of Bewl Strait where the majority of fish had been taken in the Grand Max competition. This proved a wise choice despite having to share a very limited area of water with the Saturday rowing fraternity where tolerance and good humour enabled both groups to enjoy their chosen pursuits. By lunchtime a few fish had been taken and information shared regarding successful patterns. We were fortunate that by the afternoon the breeze had freshened and there was good cloud cover. Unsurprisingly, the fishing improved and what had been very hard became reasonably difficult! The overall results reflect the conditions with a total of 24 fish being caught and two competitors finishing the day without fish. The size of the fish was good with John Hancock catching the biggest, weighing 4lb 8oz
Winner of the Nigel Turner Trophy for 2017 is John Hancock whose 4 fish weighed a total of 13lb 14oz
The runner-up was Russell Bell with 5 fish weighing 13lb 6oz
Despite the conditions, an enjoyable day was had by all, completed by our traditional visit to The Chequers in Lamberhurst for some well-earned thirst-quenching
Bewl Water
Pairs Cup 10th September 2017 · Report by Russell Bell
A good turnout of members attended at Bewl for the 2017 competition, which as usual started with a solid breakfast and some bruising banter. Unfortunately your Chairman was automatically disqualified for being careless enough to turn up without a boat partner, but following a quick adjustment to the drawn pairings, we set off in various directions in search of our prey
By lunchtime, Hook Straight, the Dam, Chingley and Ferry Point had all been explored with very limited success, and only 4 fish netted amongst 9 anglers
In an effort to increase the competitive stakes, new rules were debated over lunch, with one point to be allocated for a follow, two for a tap, three for a pull, four for a fish on and off, and six for a fish in the boat. On that basis Mick Priest claimed he would have had at least 20 points by then, but when that was challenged by a discrete raspberry from his boat partner, the idea was abandoned!!
So, after an enjoyable break fuelled by Lee Gallant’s claret and a profitable raffle we headed out as optimistic as ever – well almost ...
Inevitably things just got worse! Winds increased to a blustery 20+mph, squalls of rain came through and the fish remained as elusive as ever. Various methods and areas were explored with the fish still fairly high in the water but apparently just not feeding, perhaps explained by water temperature on the surface well above the usual 20 degree threshold
Eventually, some willing rainbows were found off Chingley, and those caught were of good size and in sound condition. After a very swift weigh-in and a sprint to the Chequers, the following results were recorded:
Bewl Water
2nd September 2017 · Report by Peter Thomason on behalf of Scott Benton
Nine members fished this event. Results give an indication of the tough nature of the fishing. Bewl has seen dropping water levels with warm and coloured water. Despite regular and generous stocking levels, these conditions have proved challenging. After a difficult day, an easier time was enjoyed over post-match drinks!
Results:
Ray Burt, James Dench and Neil Osmond were all fishless but as this event contributed to the Society's Championship they were all awarded points eachparticipating
We look forward to improved fishing at Bewl with the onset of cooler autumn weather
Bewl Water
Corrib Cup 17th June 2017 · Report by Mick Priest
Only 6 members turned out to fish one of the clubs main Trophy’s of the season
After breakfast and with the knowledge that the fishing would be hard the forecast being for very hot and bright conditions with little or no breeze we all set of for the morning session
At lunch fortunes had varied and having taken a gamble to go to the end of hook straight myself and Dave Crouch found a lot of fish feeding hard on the jelly fry in very shallow water which we took advantage of, others however had found the fishing far more challenging with only a few being caught
After deciding to finish at 4pm due to the conditions we set of again for the final session and at the end of play a few more fish had come to the net with Ray Burt find some feeding fish between sinfoils point and the old cages
The end result was:
Best fish went to Ray Burt with a rainbow of 3lb 7oz
Afterwards in keeping with the tradition of the club 4 members adjourned to the Chequers pub in Lamberhurst village for a few well deserved beers
Powdermill Reservoir
27th May 2017 · Report by Peter Thomason
Seven members fished this weekend event, four choosing to fish from the boats and three from the bank
We had hoped the mayfly would be hatching in good numbers but were disappointed on this visit with just a few showing near the dam
The day commenced with a brief and turbulent thunder storm which fortunately passed over whilst arranging our day tickets in the shelter of the fishing lodge. The weather for the remainder of the day was generally sunny with some cloud cover and light breezes from the south and south-west. The bright conditions demanded fishing with fast intermediate lines later changing to slow intermediates as the cloud increased. Successful flies were wet mayflies and Dabblers which some of the party frequently use on trips to Ireland. Small Blobs fished with Cruncher and Diawl Bach patterns also proved successful despite being looked down upon by those who chose the more imitative wet mayfly patterns!
A total of 29 fish were landed giving a rod average of 4.1 and an average weight of 2lb. All of the fish were in excellent condition and fought well for their size
Best bag of the day went to Peter Thomason with a limit bag of six fish for 12lb 6oz caught from a boat. The best bag from the bank was taken by Mick Priest with six fish for 10lb 12oz
In usual TWFFS tradition, the day ended over a relaxing pint in the nearby Queen's Head in Seddlescombe
Powdermill Reservoir
17th May 2017 · Report by Peter Thomason
There was a good attendance for this mid-week event, probably because of the venue and reports that the mayfly hatch had started. Nine members fished:
Seven fished from boats and two from the bank, with one boat fisher changing to bank in the afternoon
With bright conditions for much of the day, the fish were not very inclined to take floating patterns with any confidence and nymphs and wet flies fished on slow and fast intermediate lines proved the most productive methods. Some of the party resorted to small Tequila or Biscuit Blobs fished in combination with nymphs or wet mayfly patterns. Those that did, insisted they were fished imitatively!
Late afternoon saw a change of conditions with good cloud cover and a steady breeze. This quickly brought the fish to the surface and good sport was enjoyed with dry mayfly patterns for the last hour or so
All who attended caught fish including six limit bags. The fish were all in very good condition, fought well and averaged between 2lb and 3lb. In addition to enjoying good quality fishing on this attractive and peaceful reservoir, we had the great pleasure of seeing a number of hobbies (rare small summer visiting hawks) seeking flies around the treetops
The day produced a total of 45 fish in addition to those that were lost. In true TWFFS tradition, several of the party reviewed the day over a relaxing pint in the comfort of The Queen's Head in Seddlescombe. Our next visit to Powdermill will be on Saturday 27 May when we hope for more cloudy conditions and fun with the dry flies.
Farmoor
14th May 2017 · Report byRussell Bell
Seven members arrived for breakfast, with most not having fished this venue before, so a bit of an expeditionary outing for some, although reports from Gary Collins of his past adventures and huge lumps caught on Farmoor 1 soon had us drooling.
Unfortunately we were booked onto Farmoor 2, and on arrival your intrepid organiser immediately got a bollocking from the charming young man in the Fishing Lodge for not having reduced our boat requirement from 6 (previously reduced from 8) to 4
A lesson to be learned there for the future at all venues, especially as the punishment meted out to your chairman was to be given a boat with no petrol but half filled with water (as were all the others)
Anyway, we soon headed out in search of our prey, and some had early success on slowly fished nymphs which were taken hard by excellent quality fish, but none of any exceptional size. Then the inevitable happened, and Dr Burt, who had struggled initially, soon found “the method” which was lures on a DI5 pulled rolly poley style (what else?) which brought him unabated success throughout the day
Others copied and found similar success, while a few stuck to the nymphs and eventually did well.
So a very successful day for most, at a venue to be visited again for sure, although hopefully we’ll receive a more courteous welcome next time
The results, in this Points match, were as follows:
Chigboro Trout Fishery
30th April 2017 · Report by Mark Tremain-Coker
Seven TWFFS members fished this Championship event at the popular and productive Chigboro fishery in Essex. The day commenced with bright conditions accompanied by a strong SE wind which persisted for the whole day. Andy Stoner and Mark Tremain-Coker chose to fish the more open Rook Hall lake and the remaining five members fished the more sheltered Home Water. The fish were holding in the top three feet of water and successful methods were Buzzers fished on the "washing line" with floating lines with some fish also being taken on Damsel and Cat's Whisker patterns
As is often the pattern on small waters, fishing slowed during the afternoon session but good quantities of fish were taken, including five blue trout by Mark Tremain-Coker all of which put up tremendous fights. Mark capped his day with a rainbow of 5lb with a tail like a shovel
As this event contributed to the Society’s Championship points, it was agreed to kill and weigh the first two fish caught by each individual and subsequent fish were released but counted as 2lb each to the individual’s total weight. The results were:
A good day was enjoyed by all with a total of 52 fish caught
Bewl Water
6th May 2017 · Report by Russell Bell
Seven members ventured out on a brisk May morning, with the usual advice as to the recent whereabouts of the fish – Chingley, Hook House, the Dam, Seven Pound Creek, the Gorse Bushes, Canoe Club etc, etc, all of which was taken with a little pinch of salt
As usual, the morning session proved the more productive, with Nick Cox and Ray French leading the way, but after an envigorating lunch break with wine kindly provided by new member Lee Gallant some of those who struggled in the morning were able to remedy things a little in the afternoon
Sooty (still relying on his Russian watch?) managed to roll in a little late, but since it was a friendly day, no controversy ensued, even after he'd managed to ram the jetty a couple of times on arrival. There was some debate about the biggest fish however, with Ian Watts weighing a lovely rainbow at 4lbs 8oz, while Nick, doing the gentlemanly catch and release thing, had it on affidavit evidence from Ray that he'd netted a 5lb 2oz specimen but released it unharmed to fight again another day
Schoolboy error of the day was Dave Crouch throwing his life jacket into the boat at lunchtime, but missing!
The good news was that it worked and self-inflated successfully!
The final result, with most fish caught on small blobs and nymphs and as predicted on wide ranging parts of the reservoir, was:
Bewl Water
15th April · Report by Keith Lawrence
This was one of those difficult days in early spring that are often and mysteriously mixed with days of excellent fishing. Cold nights may have affected the water and we know that fish are often slow to settle after changeable conditions. This was reflected in the results! Having the event on Easter Saturday also had its effect on the numbers who fished with the total of seven being lower than usual for this time of year
Despite this, the day was enjoyed by all with the quantity of banter making up for the paucity of fish!
11 fish were caught in total but all were good quality. The best fish of the day, captured by Dave Crouch weighed in at 3lb 4oz
The positions on the day and their Championship points awards were:
Bewl Water
Dave Clarke Cup 2nd April 2017 · Report by Andy Stoner
The Society's annual bank competition at Bewl reservoir for the Dave Clarke Cup took place on Sunday 2nd April 2017. Eleven members attended and some of us partook of a breakfast overlooking a quite serene water, with clear blue skies and temperature rising. The general consensus was to go over to Ferry Point so we had the option of quite a large area for bank fishing
On arriving at our destination we were surprised at how chilly and breezy the NNE wind was hitting the bank. Numbers were drawn and the participants went off to find the fish. The morning was challenging and not a lot of fish were showing and difficult to entice. A lot of boats were out and most were congregated over at Chingley. By lunchtime the temperature was rising and the water was calm. A few of the chaps had caught. In the afternoon the wind had changed to an easterly direction: so, testing conditions. Various methods and flies were used. Slow sinking, floating and sink-tip lines, Boobies, Blobs and Buzzers the successful patterns. Out of the 11 who attended, 7 managed to catch
The result was as follows:
Best fish was caught by Martyn Gray, a nice 4lb 14oz fish
The four remaining fishermen didn't catch but still obtain points for turning out. My thanks to the members who turned out for a testing day's fishing and contributing to the Club's funds by taking part in the raffle
Rib Valley Fishery
18th March 2017 · Report by Mark Tremain-Coker
The first Championship event of the season was held at this attractive and productive fishery. A total of sx members fished on quite a gusty day. Most fish were taken from the lee bank, casting into the wind and successful flies were Buzzers, Tadpoles, Blobs, Damsels and floating midge with intermediate lines
The new rules regarding TWFFS competitive events applied, with the first two fish caught and killed and subsequent fish released but contributing 2lb per fish to the individual's result
The new points system for the Championship also applied to this and all subsequent Championship events for 2017: All participants are awarded 2 championship points and the first six places are awarded 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, and 3 points respectively
An enjoyable day was had by all
Chalybeate Springs Trout Fishery
Pairs Challenge Round I 11th March 2017 · Report by Keith Nicholson
The first round of the 2017 Chalybeate Pairs took place on Saturday the 11th of March. There were seven pairs fishing in this round with two only having one angler as permitted by the rules
As usual, breakfast rolls plus tea and coffee were served before the match began. The draw for starting pegs was made and the competition began at 9am
Action was unusually slow for the first hour or so but as the day warmed the fish began to oblige. Takes were few but when you got one the fish generally remained hooked. By lunchtime almost all had a fish or two in the bag. The afternoon session was even slower than the morning but that isn’t unusual for Chalybeate
Micky Heasman enjoyed the most success in the morning and caught 5 fish on a blue flash damsel and was well supported by Alan Dean with 2 fish. Keith Nicholson and Peter Thomason caught 4 and 3 respectively, both used an Apps Bloodworm to good effect. The other competitors had bagged 1 or 2 fish by lunchtime
As mentioned, the fishing was harder after lunch but Alan Dean continued to perform well and caught another 2 fish and Keith Nicholson took 2 more on a Cats Whisker in the last 20 minutes of the competition. Keith Lawrence and Ray Burt both ended with 3 fish apiece
Hard fishing but an enjoyable day in the warm sunshine and in good company
The next round will be held on Saturday the 1st of July and there are vacancies for 3 more teams to enter. The two best results out of the three rounds count towards the trophy so any pairs entering for both the 2nd and 3rd rounds can still win
Results of Round 1
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