• Chalybeate Fishery

    Fur & Feather 7th December 2019 · Report by Micky Heasman


    Thirteen anglers were able to attend this final event of the TWFFS 2019 season. The fishing time is typically short as the local pub awaits with fine food and beer. Usually these are relaxed and jovial affairs as Championships have already been decided by this time of year. Not so in 2019! The Championship trophy has see-sawed between Graham Morgan-Plumb and Micky Heasman and coming into this event the two of us were tied on 81 points each! So there was added pressure and much interest from the other anglers in attendance. Who would be crowned TWFFS champion for 2019?

    The weather was perfect and Chalybeate Springs was in tip-top condition with clear water and plenty of fish to be tempted. Pegs were drawn and enough time for five different swims to be fished before the competition close. The starting whistle was blasted at 09:00 precisely and lines were quickly cast in wonderful synchronisation. Who would strike first - Graham or Micky? Neither! We had a party-pooper amongst us - Andy Stoner was first into a fish. This was not in the script. Then Sooty Hancock was into a fish. Graham and Micky still at 0-0. Then Graham sprang into action - a fish, 1-0; another, 2-0; then another, 3-0! Pressure on Micky! Banter floated around the lake about the 3-0 score line

    Sooty Hancock also had three fish on the first swim and then a fourth - a wonderful fish of around 5lb but it would only count as a released fish of 2lb. Then a fish for Micky: off the mark but still 3-1 down. Ron Lewis, Neil Osmond and Micky Priest going along nicely with two fish each and plenty of action

    Then more pressure on Micky H with Graham going 4-1 up. More murmurs around the lake: was it all over? Then another fish for Micky: now 4-2. Sooty Hancock completed his bag on swim 2 - fast work! Father and son, Scott and Eddie Benton were struggling but had plenty of friendly banter between them - I think. Then Graham was 5-2 up and more murmurs around the lake. A flurry of finishers followed - Ron Lewis, six fish; Micky Priest, six fish; Andy Stoner, six fish; Neil Osmond, six fish

    Then it happened - Graham Morgan-Plumb, six fish. Micky Heasman still on two with only two swims remaining. Pressure really on! Nick Cox found his mojo and had four fish in quick succession fishing an Irish wet fly, a Dabbler, to complete his bag

    A fish for Micky H on the penultimate swim - 6-3. Three fish needed on the last swim - could it be done? A few fish were rising so the risk was taken: on went a dry fly (the classic Shipman’s Buzzer). A gentle breeze ruffled the water and a fish obliged and was landed - 6-4. Fourteen minutes to go and two fish needed. Another rose to the Shipman’s and was landed - 6-5. Seven minutes left. The watching stands were hushed could it be six fish each? Then came the dreaded sound of the final whistle and Graham had finished with six fish to Micky H's five. But more drama was to come at the weigh-in. It transpired that neither Graham nor Micky would gain place points so would each get the basic two points for participating. In consequence they are still tied for the Championship! Discussions on a resolution to this unprecedented situation will now take place at Committee level. We understand that pistols at dawn and Spoof may be options ... A decision is pending

    The raffle raised £85 - thank you to all!

    We then retired to the Huntsman pub for a superb lunch and a few well-earned beers and much banter on how to resolve the deadlock

    Many congratulations to Ron Lewis who just held off Sooty Hancock to retain the Fur and feather cup

    The results were:

    • 1 - Ron Lewis - six fish - 12lb 12oz
    • 2 - John Hancock - six fish - 12lb 12oz Ron and John had identical weights but Ron had the heaviest retained fish in his bag
    • 3 - Neil Osmond - 6 fish - 12lb 10oz
    • 4 - Andy Stoner - 6 fish - 12lb 2oz
    • 4 - Nick Cox - 6 fish - 11lb 2oz
    • 5 - Mick Priest - 6 fish - 10lb 12oz
    • 7 - Peter Thomason - 4 fish - 10lb 12oz
    • 8 - Graham Morgan Plumb - 6 fish - 10lb 7oz
    • 9 - Micky Heasman - 5 fish - 10lb 6oz
    • 10 - Ian Watts - 3 fish - 9lb
    • 11 - James Constantine - 4 fish - 8lb 0oz
    • 12 - Scott Benton - 2 fish - 3lb 8oz
    • 13 - Eddie Benton 1 fish - 2lb 0oz

    The heaviest fish of the day was caught by Ian Watts: a 5lb rainbow

    Total number of fish was 57 giving an excellent rod average of 4.4

    Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year and tight lines for the 2020 season!

  • Chalybeate Fishery

    Reg Littlechild Memorial Trophy Date 16th November 2019 · Report by Micky Heasman


    Eleven members took part in the annual memorial trophy in memory of TWFFS member Reg Littlechild. This event is important to the Society as it raises funds to support a very important local charity – The Hospice in The Weald. We also had in our thoughts another popular TWFFS member, Micky Dwyer, who sadly passed away in October 2018. Micky Dwyer was also a keen supporter of the hospice and his fly-fishing gear has been auctioned to help raise funds for the hospice charity. At time of writing, the funds raised so far, stand at £1,045 which is an amazing sum. TWFFS sincerely thanks all who have supported this effort. We are also hoping that our supporters, Fidelity International, will be able to match the funds we have raised so the donation to The Hospice in The Weald will be a wonderful £2090:00, and hopefully a little bit more. Well done everyone!!!

    So how did the fishing go? Considerable focus was on Graham Morgan-Plumb and Micky Heasman as clear leaders in the race for the TWFFS championship trophy. At the start of proceedings, Micky was two points in front of Graham - how would it be at the end of the event? Who amongst the days competitors might throw a spanner into the works? Read on ...

    Our Chairman, Russell Bell, was first into the action with a fish on his second cast but Micky Heasman who was a little slower getting started had one to the net on his first cast! Could this continue? Nope! It was to be a marathon, not a sprint! Chalybeate offered encouragement with fish coming to the net regularly and to most of the participants. Sadly not the case for Nick Cox who was having one of those days. Graham Morgan-Plumb patiently stuck at it and before we all knew it, had his three-fish bag and was then into his catch and release quota with a fourth making him 4-1 up on Micky Heasman. Yours truly then found his Mojo and by lunch also had four fish so honours were even at the interval. Ian Watts had also managed four fish with many others sitting on two. Things were close! Over lunch a raffle was held and a fantastic sum of £117 was raised - thank you to everyone for bringing prizes and supporting the fund-raising

    Back to the fishing and with an agreed finish time of 3pm, only three half-hour sessions (we moved pegs every 30 minutes) remained to try and catch the limit. Graham maintained his form and on his first peg after lunch, got his remaining two fish. Now we had a waiting and watching game to see if Micky Heasman could get his last two fish. Nothing for me on the first swim - with pressure mounting onto peg 12 right over in the far corner opposite the lodge. A fish! Now up to five. Another fish on with my next cast but then lost - Aaaarghhh! Last swim - last chance - no takes so stuck on five fish - a couple of reasonable sized fish in the bag but would it be enough? Somebody though had been quietly stalking us and on the last swim had two nice fish - Sooty Hancock was aiming to be the party pooper and try and throw that spanner I mentioned earlier

    So it proved at the weigh in - Sooty had bagged himself a nice 4lb rainbow with 10 minutes remaining and it was enough to earn him top spot - well done Sooty! How did Graham and Micky fair? Graham took the 2nd spot by a mere 6oz and Micky had managed 3rd. This all means that going into the final event (the TWFFS Fur & Feather on the 7th December) Graham and Micky are tied on 81 points each. So it will all come down to a straight fly fishing shoot-out for the Championship - what a way to end the 2019 season. Good luck to us both!

    A special mention of thanks to Steve Collins who, as a TWFFS member and employee of Fidelity International, set up the Just Giving charity fund-raising page in support of Hospice In The Weald. Steve also landed 3 fish one of which escaped by leaping off the landing stage much to Steve's annoyance but for our amusement. Thanks again Steve

    Full results:

    • 1 - Sooty Hancock - 4 fish - 11lb 2oz
    • 2 - Graham Morgan-Plumb - 6 fish - 9lb 14oz
    • 3 - Micky Heasman - 5 fish - 9lb 8oz
    • 4 - Ron Lewis - 4 fish - 7lb 10oz
    • 5 - Ian Watts - 4 fish - 6lb 6oz
    • 6 - Peter Thomason - 3 fish - 6lb 2oz

    Chris Ball - 3 fish; Russell Bell - 3 fish; Steve Collins - 2 fish; Neil Osmond - 2 fish; Nick Cox - 0 fish: All receive 2 championship points for event attendance

    Total number of fish caught (including released) was 36, giving a respectable rod average of 3.3. Best fish caught by Sooty Hancock at 4lb 0oz. Our thanks to Jim Streeter for looking after us once again and to Cathy for starting the day off right for us with breakfast rolls. See you all at the Fur & Feather on 7th December

  • Elinor Fishery

    9th November 2019 · Report by Micky Heasman


    Four TWFFS members journeyed north to Elinor trout fishery stopping in Thrapston Cattle Market for a superb but rather large breakfast. Suitably stuffed, we headed to the water in anticipation of a good days fishing. Unfortunately on arriving and chatting with Ed, the owner, we learned that prolonged rain during the week had left the water resembling a cup of coffee rather then the crystal clear water to which we have become accustomed. Fishing was going to be hard and so it proved. We shared the water with nine members of the Invicta fly fishing club who were fishing their annual Fur and Feather event. TWFFS members managed to winkle out four fish - sadly not one each so we could have had a one-fish shoot out at the weigh in

    Chairman Russell Bell got greedy and had 2 fish! The nine Invicta anglers had 12 fish proving that on the day the conditions we definitely against us

    The Society Championship remains close with Micky Heasman and Graham Morgan-Plumb battling for the top spot. At the start of the day Micky was four points in front. At the end of the day, that had been slashed to just two points thanks to a superb 4lb rainbow caught by Graham within the final 25 minutes. Russell went one better catching a nice 3lb 10oz rainbow with only five minutes to go – this, added to his pan-sized 1lb 13oz specimen caught earlier. Micky Heasman brought a 3lb 7oz fish to the scales and a hard luck story of another fish that was on but escaped. Peter sadly didn’t manage to bring any to the net. The Championship slugfest moves onto Chalybeate and the Reg Littlechild memorial trophy which is also up for grabs on 16 November. The Championship is going to the wire!

    Results

    • 1 - Russell Bell - 2 fish - 5lb 7oz
    • 2 - Graham Morgan-Plumb - 1 fish - 4lb 0oz
    • 3 - Micky Heasman - 1 fish - 3lb 7oz
    • Peter Thomason – 0 fish
  • Bewl Water (boats)

    3rd November 2019 · Peter Thomason


    Six members, including the current leader and second place in the Society Championship, fished this event at Bewl Water. It was our good fortune to have a total weather contrast with the preceding day’s howling wind and soaking rain: the day started with sun and a light SSW breeze. Evidence of the previous day’s inclemency was obvious with up to six inches of water to be bailed out of boats before we could start. With the exception of Nick Cox, the fishing proved slow for the morning session with all boats concentrating on the main bowl and the area between Ferry Point and Chingley Point. Welcome cloud cover accompanied the resumption of fishing after the lunch break and the fish responded well to Hoppers and Boobies fished on floating or intermediate lines. By mutual consent, the rule for the day was to retaining the first two fish and then allocate a 2lb bonus for every fish released thereafter, up to a maximum of ten fish, including the first two. November sundown meant fishing ceased at 4pm. and the weigh-in produced the following result and associated Championship points:

    • Nick Cox – 10 fish - 19lb 11oz
    • Ian Watts – 10 fish - 19lb 5oz
    • Dave Crouch – 8 fish - 17lb 6oz
    • Graham Morgan Plumb – 7 fish - 13lb 10oz
    • Peter Thomason – 6 fish - 11lb 7oz
    • Micky Heasman – 3 fish - 5lb 13oz

    The total bag for the day was 44 fish, giving a rod average of 7.3 and an approximate average weight of just under 2lb. The best fish weighed was 2lb 12oz, caught by Dave Crouch although heavier fish may have been released during the day

    Micky Heasman and Graham Morgan Plumb retain their first and second places in the Championship Table but with a reduced lead of only four points for Micky and just three more Championship events to go!

    An altogether pleasant day was rounded off with a relaxing pint at The Brown Trout

  • Chigboro

    30th October 2019 · Report by Micky Heasman


    Five TWFFS members visited Chigboro fishery near Maldon in Essex. Weather was overcast with a moderate breeze. Chigboro is somewhere we look forward to fishing late on in the season as water temperatures are down and fishing is often spectacular on both Home Water and Rook Hall lakes. Unfortunately on this occasion Home Water was very coloured and produced no fish. Rook Hall however was crystal clear and fish were moving although not as willing as usual. However despite a biting wind we persevered. Highlight of the day has to be a splendid brownie caught by Andy Stoner on a buzzer a lovely fish of 47cm - in the lead for the TWFFS Brownie Shield - well done Andy

    The results were:

    • 1 - Andy Stoner - 5 fish including 1 Brownie at 47cm length
    • 2 - Peter Thomason - 4 fish
    • 3 - Steve Collins - 2 fish
    • 4 - Micky Heasman - 2 fish
    • 5 - Alan Dean - 0 fish
  • Duncton Mill

    26th October 2019 · Report by Micky Heasman


    Four TWFFS members chose to fish at Duncton Mill and to miss the memorable England performance against the mighty All Blacks:

    • Martyn Gray
    • Micky Heasman
    • Neil Osmond
    • Peter Thomason

    The weather forecast for the morning was very pleasant but after lunch looked awful. The pressure was on for us all to try and catch our four-fish limit by lunchtime. All but one of us managed it! Read on to find out who ...

    Yours truly started off nicely at Rosie’s lake with a fish on the third cast to a small ginger Hopper fished slowly - looking good. I then decided to move to Coots as never had much luck in there and wanted to prove to myself that it wasn't me - once again I came away defeated. I came back to Rosie’s and Peter Thomason was just landing a fish, I was soon to discover it was his fourth - yikes! I then found out Neil and Martyn were each on three and as I fished for my second, they both landed their fourth fish. So there you have it, it would be me that would head into lunch with only three of the four fish required. Already the wind had wound itself up into a temper and then the rain joined in

    Tommo to the rescue - dark arts required. Think Cluedo and it was Micky Heasman with the Di7 + Booby in Birch lake (Tommo as the ghillie - predicted a fish at between 1 and 4 minutes). Cast made, seated I watched as instructed. The timer was started and the seconds ticked round toward one minute ... 56,57,58,59 ... a twitch on the line, then away ... fish on and soon to the net - thanks Tommo! One minute almost to the second. So if anyone wants the Lotto numbers contact Peter Thomason

    Back to the lodge and Neil and Martyn were still drinking coffee - finished they asked? Yes was the reply. Not before time as the weather worsened to absolutely foul

    Weigh in and then off to the nearby pub for a birthday beer and the results

    Well done to Neil on his first TWFFS event win by a single ounce - who would have predicted that

    Results:

    • 1 - Neil Osmond – 4 fish - 6lb 11oz
    • 2 - Peter Thomason – 4 fish - 6lb 10oz
    • 3 - Micky Heasman – 4 fish - 6lb 4oz
    • 4 - Martyn Gray – 4 fish - 5lb 8oz
  • Bewl Water Reservoir

    Nigel Turner Floating Line Trophy · 19th October 2019 · Report by Peter Thomason


    A good turnout was achieved for this trophy where fishing is restricted to floating lines. A total of ten members participated

    The weather conditions looked promising with a gentle to moderate south-westerly breeze and overcast conditions with a little rain in the morning. From the experience of the Grand Max competition held earlier in the week, all boats headed for either the main bowl of the reservoir or the drift between Ferry and Chingley Points. Despite the good conditions, fishing for nearly all was hard and at lunch most had taken only one or two fish with the remarkable exception of Ian Watts who had caught his eight fish limit by noon!

    The afternoon proved equally challenging with most fish being taken on combinations of Blobs or Boobies with Hoppers or Daddy Longleg patterns

    At the end of the day the overall result was a total of 21 fish caught with a rod average of 2.1 and an average weight of just over 2lb. Two fish proved heaviest of the day at 3lb 4oz and were included in the bags of Ian Watts and Nick Cox

    The individual results were:

    • 1 - Ian Watts – 8 fish - 18lb 8oz
    • 2 - Nick Cox – 4 fish - 9lb 7oz
    • 3 - Ray French – 3 fish - 5lb 14oz
    • 4 - Peter Thomason – 2 - fish 3lb 8oz
    • 5 - Mick Priest – 1 fish - 2lb 2oz
    • 6 - Dave Crouch – 1 fish - 1lb 12oz
    • 7 - John Hancock – 1 fish - 1lb 8oz
    • 8 - Micky Heasman – 1 fish - 1lb 7oz
    • 9 - James Dench – 0
    • 10 - Gary Collins – 0

    Congratulations to Ian Watts as the decisive winner of the Nigel Turner Trophy and to Nick Cox as runner-up

    The day ended with celebratory imbibing at The Brown Trout and the comfort of England gaining a place in the semi-finals of the World Rugby Cup

  • Chalybeate Springs Trout Fishery

    Pairs Challenge Round II 5th October 2019 · Report by Scott Benton


    Peter Thomason fished alone and finished first with 6 fish, making him and Keith Nicholson overall winners

    Mick Heasman also fished alone and finished 2nd with 6 fish making him and Alan Dean runner-ups

    Scott Benton and Rolf Smith came 4th with 3 fish making them third overall

    James and Eddie, the junior pair, finished 3rd with 5 fish finishing joint third overall

    Ron Lewis caught 4 fish on the day but was disqualified due to a pair not fishing in an event, as was Ray Burt and Mark Tremain-Coker for not turning up

  • Draycote Reservoir

    15th September 2019 · Report by Graham Morgan Plumb


    Five anglers ventured north for a day at Draycote Reservoir near Rugby. Breakfast was taken at the Dun Cow in Dunchurch and it was a good opportunity to welcome Ray French back into the TWFFS fold following an enforced absence due to a leg injury. It was even better to see Ray hopping about a boat in his usual inimitable style

    The day started with a hint of autumn about it albeit with clear blue skies and a gentle south-westerly wind. As the day wore on, some cloud did appear and the wind backed to the south as the temperature rose to 20°C

    As none of the participants wanted to keep fish, it was decided to fish catch and release with places being awarded on a time-trail basis to eight fish. That is, the first angler to catch eight fish would win the event and the next would be second, etc. This did prove to be a little optimistic

    The advice from the regulars and the lodge was that most catches were in the top foot of water and that orange foam Daddies were the flies to deliver. It was with eager anticipation and dries aplenty that we started fishing at nine o’clock with Lee Gallant heading towards Toft shallows and the rest of us heading to the western half of the reservoir. I was partnered with Russell and for our boat at least, the dries were not working the expected wonders. This was confirmed by the others at lunchtime with the exception of Lee, who was showing us how it should be done, having caught four rainbows on the omnipotent orange foam Daddy. The rest of had managed one a piece on a collection of Hoppers, Crunchers, Boobies and sheer determination/perspiration

    Following a quick lunch and with leaders replaced and lines untangled from the odd tackle box wheel, the small TWFFS flotilla set sail for Toft shallows. The afternoon proved still to be difficult for dries although I did manage one on an orange (there’s that colour again) Shipman’s Buzzer and Lee had one more on his orange Daddy. Other than that, various Hoppers and nymphs proved successful when retrieved with a fairly fast figure-of-eight. Russell, Lee and myself remained at Toft for the afternoon whilst Ray and Sooty ventured back into the middle of Draycote

    Russell caught a tank of a Rainbow which led him behind the boat, in front of the boat, under the boat and through the drogue ropes. When eventually landed, the fish measured in at 22 inches (an estimated weight of 5lb 8oz)

    The final scores were:

    • 1 – Lee Gallant - 5 fish
    •       Ray French - 5 fish
    •       Russell Bell - 5 fish
    • 4 – Graham Morgan Plumb - 3 fish
    • 5 – John Hancock - 2 fish

    Best Fish – Russell Bell with a 22 inch Rainbow

    The day concluded with a bottle or two of Draycote Bitter consumed on the balcony overlooking the reservoir. A good way to end a good day

  • Eyebrook Reservoir, Northamptonshire

    29th June 2019 · Report by Micky Heasman


    Round 2 of the Uncle V Niece fishing shoot-out took place at Eyebrook Reservoir on the 29 June 2019. Could Jo Harris get revenge on Micky Heasman for the 4 oz defeat in the Round 1 shoot-out at Elinor on the 11 May - full story available in the 11th May report

    As we were the only 2 anglers that could attend, we once again decided to make it a one fish shoot-out. So with a one fish ticket along with unlimited catch and release we headed into the heat of the high noon sunshine that shone on Eyebrook. The hot sunny conditions were worthy of many a famous Western shoot-out involving James Stewart, Clint Eastwood, Yul Bryner and John Wayne to name a few. For a few dollars more I could name other famous names but lets move on. The conditions certainly did not suit fishing for trout - crystal clear water, bright blue sky and hot 34 degree sunshine but we persevered. No takes and no fish in the morning session we headed in for lunch and some much needed shade under the large oak near the fishing lodge. We spoke with a regular angler who had enjoyed some success in the morning - turned out he was using the same washing line method as us albeit with some different flies. The method was a foam blue damsel with 2 pin fry imitations on dropper(s). To the shop! Flies purchased and casts made ready we again headed out. Mucky Bay was the place to be - yes Mucky not Micky and no, not a new nickname! Although some may disagree

    Action! Jo into a fish but excitement short lived as it slipped the hook and escaped - close! Then another good take on Mucky's sorry Micky's line - missed it! And that I am sad to say was it - 2 takes all day and that was it but once again Jo deserved the win but it was not to be. We had, with some advice, only taken a boat until 3 pm: good decision as the heat later in the afternoon was becoming unbearable. So with an honourable draw declared we headed off to the pub for a very well earned beer!

    No fish to report so only the 2 points each. On to Round 3!

  • Bewl Water

    Corrib Cup · 1st June 2019 · Report by Ian Watts


    Then there were 4!

    On a windless, cloudless summers day, the hottest of the year so far, 6 intrepid anglers were booked to take to the boats at Bewl for the 2019 Corrib Cup competition

    A freak accident in the French household, which started out as a kick about in the garden with the dog, ended up with a broken leg for the owner!

    His ex-manager wryly commented, that his right foot was never that good anyway!

    This left 5 but on the day only 4 turned out which was partly explained by the loss of TWFFS members to the AMFC at Pitsford

    The dream team pairing of "Youthful hopefuls", Mark Cocker and James Dench was ably supported by the "Olduns" of Dave Crouch and Ian Watts

    The "Olduns" soon got their football differences out of the way and settled to aimlessly drifting in the main bowl towards the dam for some action

    At lunch it was tales of missed opportunities, bites and lost fish, Dave and Ian had 1 each and the "Golden Ones" nets weren't even wet yet!

    By the end, most people had given up hope of catching anything that looked fishy

    However, Dave struck at last knockings to win the day, Ian was second (1 but lost 3!) and the "golden generations" blank looks were accompanied by empty bass bags!

    The results

    • 1 - Dave Crouch
    • 2 - Ian Watts
    • Mark Tremain-Coker & James Dench didn't catch
  • Powdermill Reservoir

    25th May 2019 · Report by Andy Stoner


    Eight members attended this event. Six of us met for breakfast at the Route 1066 Cafe just outside Robertsbridge on the A21

    The 56 acre water is set near Sedlescombe on the border of Kent and East Sussex. Five members decide to take to the boats. Bob and Russell shared a boat; also sharing were John and Ray. This quartet had electric engines for their boats, whilst Neil fished alone and had to row – very energetic of him! Alan, Andy and Graham fished off the dam wall. This time of year is very good for mayfly at Powdermill and there was a hatch all day long. Plenty of fish were showing at the dam and were cruising backwards and forwards in the water. Wind was variable and changed from south south westerly to north north easterly. Few fish were caught in the morning, either by bank or boat. We stopped for lunch outside the Clubhouse

    There was a very light shower in the morning but Bob seemed to have quite sodden footwear. Apparently this was not due to the weather but to Russell disembarking their boat and almost capsizing it! We chatted about the fishing and the subject of prices came up. It was then revealed that the Solicitors in the Society had failed to pay the correct fee to Hastings Fly Fishing Club; in May and June the cost for six fish rises from £30 to £35. I am pleased to report that HFFC received the outstanding amount of cash through the Clubhouse letterbox

    Fish were caught, some by natural patterns and others using blobs. Boat fishing was more productive than bank. Alan had not caught all afternoon so by 4.00pm he decided to put on the faithful Alan Dean (Black & Green) and caught his first fish. Stoner, who had only caught two fish, put on the same pattern and caught. There were so many mayflies hatching that to cast out an imitation mayfly pattern and for a trout not to take it was quite frustrating

    All eight of us caught and various patterns were used: Claret Damsel, Grey Wulfs, Green & Black, Palmer Blob and other blobs, Irish Mayfly and Green Damsel. Those fishing in boats caught their six fish

    A good day out at a lovely location, followed by a well-earned couple of pints in the garden of the Queen’s Head

    Results for the day

    • 1 - Neil Osmond - 6 fish - 11lb 6oz
    • 2 - Bob Holland - 6 fish - 11lb 0oz
    • 3 - Ray Burt - 6 fish - 10lb 12oz
    • 4 - John Hancock - 6 fish - 10lb 10oz
    • 5 - Russell Bell - 6 fish - 9lb 14oz
    • 6 - Graham Morgan Plumb - 3 fish - 5lb 3oz
    • 7 - Andy Stoner - 3 fish - 5lb 1oz
    • 8 - Alan Dean - 1 fish - 1lb 10oz
  • Elinor Fishery

    11th May 2019 · Report by Micky Heasman


    Attendance for this event was low due to clashes with the International fishing, TWFFS tour to Ireland and other commitments. However two of us did manage to get there. It turned into an opportunity for Mick Heasman to take his niece and new TWFFS member Jo Harris to her first TWFFS event. Reports from Elinor had shown it to be fishing really well. First things first though - with the closure of our normal breakfast haunt the Little Chef other options had to be looked at. We found a cafe in the middle of Thrapston cattle market and enjoyed a superb breakfast whilst listening to cows and sheep - TWFFS will return!

    Onto the fishing - Jo being a relative novice and that there were only two of us meant that taking a boat seemed the best option. Ed, the fishery owner, had told us that there had been a huge thunderstorm the night before and it had clearly affected the fishing with little action seen on the lake. That said, Jo fishing a small damsel and a pond olive as a dropper was first into a fish - sadly it outwitted her and escaped. Not deterred, she fished on and was soon into another - this time successfully landed. I meanwhile had not had a take. It’s true what they say about novice fisherman - I should know! That was the sum of the action for the morning. So we rowed to shore and had lunch; timely too, as this was when it decided to rain. We spoke to a bank angler to ask how things were going; he'd been here the day before and was getting takes every cast but today absolutely nothing (turned out only one fish was caught all day from the bank)

    After lunch we tried a different area and Jo had another fish on but after a good battle, sadly lost it. Then I finally joined the party and had my first fish - one all! Tense now! Then Jo had another fish but again lost it - aaarghhh!! She should have been out of site for the points and huge bragging rights! In all Jo landed one and lost three. Then I caught a second fish ten minutes before our finish time but to make things interesting at the weigh-in, I released it

    The weigh-in - a one fish each shoot out!

    Ed the fishery owner was on hand to ensure fair play!

    Jo's fish - 1lb 14oz

    Micky's fish - 2lb 4oz

    I'd snatched a victory from what should have been a resounding hiding by a mere 6oz

    Fishing aside I thoroughly enjoyed a great day with my niece Jo and look forward to many other battles. What's great though is Jo is now on the TWFFS points table - Well done Jo!

    Final Result

    • 1 - Mick Heasman - 1 Fish - 2lb 4oz
    • 2 - Jo Harris - 1 Fish - 1lb 14oz
  • Chigboro Trout Fishery

    5th May 2019 · Report by Andy Stoner


    Four senior members and one junior member attended this Chigboro event. Three of us, Graham, Micky and Andy met at the Crystal Cafe for breakfast, which kindly opened early for us. Mark and his son, Nathan, met us at the fishery after camping the night before. The night had been a bit blustery and Mark said that it was like sleeping in a crisp packet! It was nice to hear the first cuckoo but Mark said he could have strangled it because of its persistent and monotonous song!

    The wind was a strong north-north-easterly but it was a sunny day. Three of us started on Home Water and two on Rook Hall. When the sun came out there was a small hatch. Not many swallows over the water. Most fished with naturals

    Rook Hall water was very clear and in the afternoon the water switched on and fish were taking on the dries. Both waters fished well and the fish were of a good quality and good sport. We decided to catch and dispatch three fish and then catch and release

    Results for the day

    • 1 - Micky Heasman – 3 fish - 6lb 14oz
    • 2 - Graham Morgan Plumb - 3 fish - 6lb 10oz
    • 3 - Mark Tremain-Coker – 3 fish - 6lb 0oz
    •       Andy Stoner – 3 fish - 6lb 0oz
    • 5 - Nathan Tremain-Coker – 1 fish - 2lb 4oz

    Best fish of the day was caught by Nathan Tremain-Coker – 2lb 4oz

  • Bewl Water (boat event)

    28th April 2019 · Report by Mick Priest


    Only four members made this trip – all in the Championship points before casting a line!

    It was a cloudy day with a chilly north-westerly wind and the morning proved to be slow going with only Ray French having five fish by lunchtime, the remainder having just one or two each

    After lunch the wind calmed down a little and the fish responded. Myself and Dave Crouch picked up fish from Ferry Point all the way to Monty’s Seat whilst Ray French and Nick Cox were catching around the Bramble Bay area

    We finished at 5 p.m. with the following results:

    • 1 - Ray French - 8 fish - 20lb 6oz
    • 2 - Mick Priest - 8 fish - 19lb
    • 3 - Nick Cox - 7 fish - 17lb 8oz
    • 4 - Dave Crouch - 4 fish - 11lb 7oz

    Best fish of the day was caught by Dave Crouch – a superb rainbow of 3lb 9oz

  • Bewl Water (bank fishing)

    Dave Clarke Cup · 22nd April 2019 · Report by Keith Lawrence


    This was a hard day's fishing with low catches. Ten members fished and four blanked. Despite this, an enjoyable day was had by all!

    Results:

    • 1 - Mick Priest – 2 fish - 5lb 10oz
    • 2 - Graham Morgan Plumb – 2 fish - 4lb 4oz
    • 3 - John Hancock – 2 fish - 4lb 2oz
    • 4 - Neave Tremain-Coker (junior member) – 1 fish - 3lb 0oz
    • 5 - James Dench – 1 fish - 2lb 7oz
    • 6 - Ian Watts – 1 fish - 2lb 5oz

    Although blanks were recorded for Russell Bell, Micky Heasman, Keith Lawrence, Andy Stoner and Mark Tremain-Coker, each earned 2 Championship points for participating

    Two participants caught the best fish of the day at 3lb each for Neave Tremain-Coker and John Hancock. Well done to Neave, one of our junior members!

  • Arlington Reservoir, Sussex

    13th April 2019 · Report by Andy Stoner


    Arlington is a 248 acre water near Hailsham in East Sussex

    Four anglers from TWFFS attended this venue which was a Championship points event. Three of us met at the Willows Cafe for breakfast. Those fishing were Dave Crouch, Peter Thomason, Micky Heasman and Andy Stoner

    Set in a lovely location with the South Downs just beyond the dam, we decided on a six-fish ticket. The water was very calm in the morning and Dave and Peter decided to fish in the bay, whilst Micky and Andy headed towards the dam. Micky stopped off at The Brambles to try his luck with what seemed good conditions. Andy carried on to the dam. We contacted each other as to how both areas were fishing. The dam area was slow, with only the occasional fish showing. Micky did not stay long at The Brambles as the wind changed direction and was blowing into him. We had a few touches at the right hand corner of the dam and both Micky and I caught fish – Andy on an Alan Dean (black & green). Micky lost his leader with three flies on the concrete base but luckily on retrieving a cast he caught the original header, fully intact!

    Peter phoned Micky as he was catching his second fish and then phoned me to say that he had caught his six fish on a floating line with two buzzers – all before 11.00am. Andy decided to walk to the bay. The weather turned to a north-westerly wind with hailstones and very cold. On the way round, Andy stopped to talk to Dave who had caught three fish but was struggling with the cold north-westerly. Andy changed to a floating line and Peter very kindly loaned two buzzers, one of which Peter said was very successful at Draycote Reservoir. So, Straight Line Nymphing Stoner got smashed and lost Peter’s successful buzzers!! Sorry Peter but it was a great take

    Micky joined us in the bay and we put back lunch until 1.30pm so that hopefully Micky could catch his final two fish. We stopped for lunch and a refreshing cuppa. Micky and Peter left at lunchtime, Peter because he had caught his total and to give his back a rest and Micky to go home to prepare an authentic Indian meal

    Dave and Andy persisted in the awful conditions of very strong winds and hail and eventually caught, in Dave’s case one more fish and in Andy’s five more fish. There were plenty of fish in the bay but because of the weather the fish switched off. Then, when the sun came out and a hatch of buzzers, they switched on. Dave eventually caught his limit and left. Andy switched tactics with a deep, single fly and caught his limit

    A good but, in some cases, trying day's fishing in a lovely location which has a short season

    Results for the day:

    • 1 - Peter Thomason - 6 fish - 13lb 2oz
    • 2 - Andy Stoner - 6 fish - 11lb 12oz
    • 3 - Dave Crouch - 6 fish - 11lb 0oz
    • 4 - Micky Heasman - 4 fish - 8lb 9oz

    The best fish, a 5lb 2oz Rainbow with a length of 21 inches, was caught by Alan Dean - Well done Alan!

  • Bewl Water (bank fishing)

    23rd March 2019 · Report by Graham Morgan Plumb


    13 Anglers met at the lodge on Saturday including Mark Tremain-Coker’s daughter, Niamh. The reservoir was full and opening day on 21 March had proved to be very successful and hence optimism was high. After a breakfast of bacon rolls at the new café next to the lodge, the lucky thirteen boarded a water taxi for Ferry Point. The taxi service was kindly provided gratis by Phil and the Bewl Water staff team

    After drawing walk-off numbers, half the anglers headed east towards Dunsters Bay; the other half heading south towards Monty's Seat

    It soon became evident that the fishing was not going to be as opulent as on opening day, probably not helped with by a cold north-easterly wind which made wading chilly and hindered casting. Where I was fishing (close to the ferry landing stage), a few fish were being caught – some on green and black lures (now known as an Alan Dean after that member's particular success on opening day) and some on Blobs

    At lunchtime, from the Ferry Point/Monty's contingent, Micky Heasman and Russell Bell were leading the field with 4 fish apiece. However, from the Dunsters direction, Ray Burt already had his 8 fish plus four released. A single multi-coloured Booby had done the majority of the damage for Ray. After lunch, Andy Stoner had to depart for a theatre date, Ray Burt decided that he had done enough and Mark and Niamh decided to take the taxi back and try their luck at the Playground with the hope that the wind would be kinder

    In fact, the wind did drop slightly after lunch and the temperature increased. This made the fishing more comfortable and those anglers who had struggled in the morning were soon into fish. As the afternoon developed it became evident that Blobs of various colours on intermediate lines was the way to go although, bucking the trend, Micky Heasman caught a full bag on a particular black and green lure

    At 16:30 we returned by water taxi to rendezvous with Mark and Niamh for the weigh in. The full results are provided below and I think everyone agreed that the day had been a good one. The thirstier members decided to adjourn to the Brown Trout for a refreshing pint or two

    • 1 – Ray Burt - 8 fish - 19lb 13oz
    • 2 – Graham Morgan Plumb - 8 fish - 19lb 10oz
    • 3 – Dave Crouch - 8 fish - 19lb 0oz
    • 4 – Micky Heasman - 8 fish - 18lb 14oz
    • 5 – Russell Bell - 8 fish - 18lb 10oz
    • 6 – Ian Watts - 8 fish - 18lb 0oz
    • 7 - Mark Tremain-Coker - 8 fish - 17lb 15oz
    • 8 - Nick Cox - 8 fish - 17lb 10oz
    • 9 - John Hancock - 8 fish - 17lb 6oz
    • 10 – Mick Priest - 6 fish - 12lb 11oz
    • 11 – Alastair Garner - 6 fish - 12lb 5oz
    • 12 – Andy Stoner - 0 fish (ceased fishing at lunchtime)

    Niamh Tremain-Coker also had several nice fish but decided to fish Catch and Release on this occasion

  • Rib Valley Fishery, Hertfordshire

    Date 16th March 2019 · Report by Micky Heasman


    With up to 50 mph winds predicted for the day the six TWFFS anglers that said yes to the trip were wondering if the day might be better spent watching the rugby in a nice pub somewhere. If England were the team you supported then Wales and Scotland finished any hope of lifting them the Six Nations trophy. But the fishing in difficult conditions did not disappoint

    The day started well with all of us meeting at a super cafe in Ware - aptly named “Ware to Eat”. The breakfast did not disappoint but next time I think the smaller breakfast is the one to order - Alan and Ray made the wiser choice. With much expanded waistlines we headed off to the water

    With a strong and very gusty SW wind one bank offered the best chance of getting out a decent line. Floating lines were the order of the day and fish were taking small lures and buzzers. Points would be awarded for the best 3 fish bag. The end of the lake closest to the fishing hut proved to be the most productive. Alan Dean and Andy Stoner made good starts with Alan landing what looked to be a very good sized fish - read on to find out how good. Andy Stoner was first to his 3 fish and then moved on to catch and release. After 2 fish I moved to the opposite bank to give fishing into the wind a try. Difficult to get a line out but fish were moving very close in and very quickly my 3rd fish was caught unfortunate for me was that it was the smallest in my bag. All of the subsequent fish on catch and release were at least 3 lb - yep you've heard it all before - ha ha

    All had good catches by lunch and we agreed a 3:30 finish so we could pop to a local pub to see what was happening with the rugby - no more on this except to say well played Wales and Scotland (deja vu Russell!) - what a game that turned out to be

    A very enjoyable day - thanks to all

    Results

    • 1 - Graham Morgan-Plumb - 3 Fish - 8lb 4oz
    • 2 - Alan Dean - 2 Fish - 7lb 13oz
    • 3 - Micky Heasman - 3 Fish - 6lb 13oz
    •    - Peter Thomason - 3 Fish - 6lb 13oz
    • 5 - Ray Burt - 3 Fish - 6lb 7oz
    • 6 - Andy Stoner - 3 Fish - 6lb 3oz

    The best fish, a 5lb 2oz Rainbow with a length of 21 inches, was caught by Alan Dean - Well done Alan!

  • Chalybeate Springs Trout Fishery

    Pairs Challenge Round I 9th March 2019 · Report by Scott Benton


    It was a an extremely windy day but lots of fish were caught and really good fighting fish too. Six pairs took part in this match

    Peter Thomason and Keith Nicholson won the day with Graham Morgan Plumb and Andy Stoner second, Ray Burt and Mark Tremain-Coker were third

    Junior partners Eddie and James did well catching 3 between them

    • 1 - Keith Nicholson & Peter Thomason
    • 2 - Graham Morgan Plumb & Andy Stoner
    • 3 - Ray Burt & Mark Tremain-Coker