Hot on the tail of the Grand Max, six anglers returned to Bewl for the annual TWFFS Boat Pairs competition

Met with a brisk and chilly southerly wind and persistent rain, boat partners were greeted and the small flotilla of boats headed for the main bowl

I was partnered with Nick Cox and after an initial long drift from 150 metres off Chingley Point through to the dam without seeing any signs of fish, we decided to seek new water at the top of Hook Straight. As the sun broke through and the wind dropped, we were greeted by a large pod of fish: it was like a different reservoir! We managed a single drift through the pod, landing a fish each, before they moved off to where only the trout gods know. And that was that before lunch

At the break Ian Watts and Danielle Adams were leading the field with four fish, Keith Lawrence and Cane were second with three, and Nick and myself third with two

During the afternoon the sun continued to shine and the temperature rose to a pleasant 20°C. The only problem being the wind dropped to virtually a dead calm

The main bowl held all three boats. We found a small pod of fish around the red 'M' buoy which fortunately remained there to enable us to complete four drifts. With twenty minutes to go, Ian and Danielle were on five fish and we were on six. Keith and Cane were an unknown quantity in Chingley corner but I had seen at least one fish landed. All to play for

The inevitable happened and Ian and Danielle landed a fish close to the dam with fifteen minutes to go. It would come down to the time the first fish was caught

Overall a good, competitive day with with Bewl looking its best in the Autumn sunshine. Successful flies were Orange/Tequila Blobs and Fabs, black foam Daddy and a pink Snake fished high in the water

• Top Pair – Ian Watts & Danielle Adams with six fish (first fish caught at 10.02)
• Second – Graham Morgan Plumb & Nick Cox with six fish (first fish caught at 11:00)
• Third – Keith Lawrence & Cane Lawrence with five fish

Nine members endured the traffic around Tunbridge Wells and a threatening weather forecast to travel down the Brick Farm for this friendly Wednesday event

As it happened the weather gods were kind to us and apart from a short deluge which did put the fish down a bit, we enjoyed a pleasant autumn day at this lovely fishery

We started as always with breakfast rolls before heading off with most anglers focussing on Brick Lake initially. Peter kicked off early with a nice fish on a cormorant, while others struggled, apart from Buster who won the Quantity Cup with 5 perch on Stag Lake

Fishing continued to be difficult although water and wind conditions were good but compensation came at lunchtime with a well stocked raffle and a few beers

By close of play Peter had his three fish with others getting one’s and two’s, mainly of very good quality although Mick Priest did complain about his snake

The afternoon ended in warm sunshine on the terrace with more beers all round in good company

After a gruelling day at Pitsford in pea soup on the Friday, Danielle and Alastair were very pleased to move to Rutland for the TWFFS Midlands trip

On the Saturday we were met with light winds and bright skies so the fish didn’t really switch on for long. We started along Gibbets Gorse but didn’t see a fish, then moved to the woods between Old Hall and Yellowstone, again without success. We then tried the corner of the woods going into Yellowstone and Alastair was rewarded with a fish on a shrimp pattern and another fish was on and off. Following that, we moved to the area in front of the sailing club where there was a lot of fish with takes, plucks and many follows including multiple fish! I had another couple here again with another few coming off. Danielle finally caught her first fish; all on shrimp patterns again. We then moved to just outside the harbour and drifted down to the church around 4.00 p.m. The fish in this area suddenly switched on and I had three fish in quick succession with Danielle catching one again all on shrimp. However, the fish weren’t really having it and I should have doubled the number caught with lost fish, follows and takes with no hook ups and so the first day finished:

• Alastair - 6 fish
• Danielle - 2 fish

Day 2 was very different with cloudy skies and heavier winds. A little windy but pretty perfect but the fish didn’t play ball! We started the day drifting down to the church but the fish had disappeared, so we moved back to Yellowstone and drifted across the same corner and further into Yellowstone where we found feeding fish I had three and Danielle two on colour and shrimp patterns. We then moved to the sailing club where again there were a lot of follows and I had another one but the sailing club decided to have a race through the middle of where we were fishing so we moved off and tried Whitwell. We started the drift just before the bay and again lots of fish and I had numerous plucks and multiple follows but then we hit heavy weed.

I turned the boat round to drift through the same area just as some person having a mid-life crisis decided to fall of his kite surf right on top of the fish!

The fish scattered so we moved to try in front of the church again with Danielle catching two in quick succession on shrimp patterns to end the day:

• Alastair - 4 fish
• Danielle - 3 fish

A thoroughly enjoyable couple of days

It was with some trepidation that the six anglers who were scheduled to fish this event viewed the weather forecast in the preceding days. A wind speed of 27 mph, gusts of 35 mph and rain up to 7.5 mm put the viability of the event in some doubt

However, a South-Westerly wind would provided some shelter in Hook Straight and we knew from the BBFC Boat Competition the preceding week, that this area certainly held fish. So with a cry of “I love wind” from some quarters, the event went ahead

After drawing for boat partners, the small flotilla of three boats headed down Hook Straight. Fortunately, there was some shelter and fish were found at Pine Bay and in the middle of the straight

We returned to the lodge for lunch and amidst the talk of tactics, overboard reels and, of course, the weather it was clear that Ian was leading the way with a very creditable 10 fish landed

Unfortunately, the wind increased after lunch and fishing was close to impossible. A few follows and fish on and off but no further fish reached the net. The day concluded with a welcome pint in the Elephant’s Head

The final tally was:

• 1. Ian Watts with 10 fish
• 2. Dave Crouch with 4 fish
• 3. Graham Morgan Plumb with 3 fish
• 4. Mick Priest with 2 fish (1st fish caught earlier than Nick’s)
• 5. Nick Cox with 2 fish
• 6. Alastair Garner who unfortunately blanked

Three members fished this mid-week event. The weather was fair with sun and cloudy intervals and a sometimes brisk breeze. Jim Streeter provided us with expertly cooked breakfast rolls and suitably sustained the three of us set to work. Having the fishery to ourselves, there was plenty of room and plenty of choice. Unfortunately, one of us had to leave almost immediately due to a family emergency (which we hope has had a positive outcome). The two remaining members worked hard on fish that were showing occasionally but which remained stubbornly uninterested in anything we presented. By lunchtime, Peter had managed a single fish on a semi-submerged mayfly imitation and Mick Priest had a frustrating morning with a number of half-hearted plucks and knocks but no positive takes. The decision was made to have another hour after lunch and if nothing had changed, the beer at the nearby Neville Crest & Gun was a far more attractive proposition; and so it transpired! Despite the hard fishing, as ever, the day was enjoyable and our concerted efforts were rewarded by cooling pints in true TWFFS manner

Only two members attended this event. Arriving in Maldon we were greeted by roads closed for a Ride London cycle event but we managed to find a parking space and walked to the Wetherspoons pub, the Rose & Crown for have breakfast. This was just after 9.00am and one customer was partaking of a pint of Stella! Tempting, but a little too early

We arrived at the fishery and made our way to Home Water to be faced with a crowd of paddle-boarders, so quite a bit of this lake was out of bounds for fly fishing for the whole day. We walked around the far side and tried our luck there but the water was not very good, with lots of algae and weed. We decided to make our way to Rook Hall lake. Here the water was clearer, with lots of fish rising and a few anglers taking fish. A lady had been fishing successfully at Chigborough for a few days but the day we were there said she could not work out what they were taking. You could see the fish close in and rising to the surface

Andy put on a couple of CdC’s, also a Booby with two Cormorants but fish had a look and turned away. Suzanne had a single CdC and caught a fish. We moved around the lake to get out of the breeze. The day was warming up with plenty of sunshine and the occasional cloud cover. Eventually Andy had his first fish on a Buzzer and then a second on a black Cormorant

There was plenty of birdlife on, over and beside the lakes and we heard a cuckoo. The only trouble walking around Rook Hall lake was the large number of geese and the huge amount of their droppings!

Fishing not easy for us but an enjoyable day. We finished at about 5.00pm hoping the roads on the route to our hotel in Maldon would be open. They were not and we had to wait a while to get special permission to travel up Market Hill – the only car to do so. Coming home on Sunday we used Google Maps and successfully avoided more road closures around Maldon and Chelmsford on the third day of the cycle race.

Result

• 1. Andy Stoner with 2 fish
• 2. Suzanne Stoner with 1 fish

Nine members fished this event at the attractive and peaceful Powdermill reservoir. Seven opted to fish from the dam and two shared a boat for the day. The weather was kind with light breezes and an overcast sky with just an occasional hint of light rain: perfect fly fishing conditions! This reservoir has a very good mayfly population and we were fortunate to have sporadic hatches during the day which kept the fish holding near the surface. Over recent weeks, a variety of methods and flies had proved successful and so it was on this day with fish coming to dry flies, nymphs and to lures when they were not actively surface feeding. Floating and intermediate lines were the order of the day

By lunch, Ian Watts had caught his limit of six fish and all but one of the party had taken fish. By the end of the day five of the party had bagged up and two more had almost achieved their limit by catching five fish. The boat fishing pair both bagged up, enjoying a gentle day drift fishing and silently cruising on an electric outboard between drifts

A very pleasant day was enhanced by April Heasman’s generous contribution of a variety of cakes and hefty helpings of bread pudding. There were also generous donations of prizes for the raffle which was held at lunchtime which raised over £50 for Society funds: thank you to April and all the prize donors. A good day was celebrated by a convivial refreshment at the nearby Queen’s Head in Seddlescombe

Results

• Ian Watts - 6 fish for 12lb 8oz
• Bob Holland - 6 fish for 10lb 11oz
• Mick Priest - 6 fish for 10lb 11oz (Bob Holland had the heaviest individual fish in his catch and was therefore placed higher than Mick)
• Graham Morgan Plumb 5 fish for 10lb 8oz
• Micky Heasman 5 fish for 10lb 7oz
• Andy Stoner 5 fish for 8lb 15oz
• Buster Heasman 3 fish for 4lb 11oz
• Dave Crouch sadly blanked
• Peter Thomason with six fish (as a season ticket holder he was allowed to return fish and chose to do so)

Six members and one guest attended our second midweek event of the season. The wind was north-easterly and quite cold with the occasional sunny spell. It was good to see Alan Dean who had not fished since before Covid. Three wives were also at Spring Hill: Mrs Stoner, Mrs Dean and Mrs Heasman (April didn’t fish). Buster Heasman brought along his neighbour, Kenny, to fish. A friend of Mr and Mrs Stoner’s, Geoff Denney, who had not visited Spring Hill for over 20 years, turned up for a short while

Most of the anglers went to the main lake whilst Andy Stoner went to one of the brownie lakes, and Buster to another brownie lake. Not having any luck, Andy tried the main lake. Whilst fishing a swallow was seen over this lake, skimming the surface. Green woodpeckers could be heard and a few buzzards and red kites were seen flying overhead

There were a few fish jumping and showing near the surface. Peter found the method to catch fish and was successful using a sight indicator with a single buzzer. By lunchtime he had caught two and released one. Paul Osborne moved to the dam end where the wind was blowing and caught two using the same method. Andy used a sight indicator and was concerned that his leader was not sinking properly. So, close in to his fishing platform, he jigged the end of his floating line to make the leader sink and a fish weighing nearly three pounds took the buzzer. Andy held tight, managed to pick up his fishing rod and catch the fish!

When we stopped for lunch Paul left and Micky left to go to lunch with some ex Fidelity colleagues, returning later. Alan also decided on an early finish. Kenny stayed at the main lake, preferring not to tackle the steep climb up to the fishing lodge. Whilst having lunch, a nice variety of birds were seen on the feeders: goldfinch, long tailed tits, blue tits, a blackcap, sparrows, robins and blackbirds

Peter returned to the main lake and soon caught his last catch and release fish. Micky and April stayed on the main lake and tried using dry flies. Andy eventually caught a second fish by using traditional methods. Buster had tried natural patterns but eventually went to the dark side and caught a 3lb fish using a white and yellow booby tied by his brother Micky. Kenny had a fish on at the dam but it got off

Great to be back at Spring Hill which was looking really good. Difficult fishing but great company. Being a Wednesday this is not a points event, not even for attending, so many thanks to all who turned out

• Alan Dean - 0 fish
• Andy Stoner - 2 fish 5lb 3oz
• Buster Heasman - 1 fish 3lb 1oz - Best 2lb 15oz
• Kenny - 0 fish
• Micky Heasman - 0 fish
• Paul Osborne - 2 fish 3lb 8oz - Best 2lb 0oz
• Peter Thomason - 2 fish 5lb 1oz - Best 3lb 1oz

A terrific turnout of seven pairs arrived at Chalybeate springs to fish the first round of the Chalybeate Pairs competition. After record recent rainfall the weather was unseasonably warm with temperatures forecast to be in the high teens with bright skies and as we found out throughout the day, the wind couldn't make its mind up and seemed to be in our faces no matter where we fished. You all know what's coming now - yep! It was a difficult day for us

The 2024 pairings are as follows:

• Micky & April Heasman
• Scott & Eddie Benton
• Simon & Christopher Gregory
• Peter Thomason & Ian Watts
• Jo Harris & Keith Lawrence
• Bob Holland & Ron Lewis
• Andy Stoner & Mick Priest

We fished on a three-fish take followed by three-fish release format with bonus weight awarded for catch and release. There was also an additional bonus weight for any fish caught in the designated 'Joker' round

As mentioned earlier it was a tough day with none of our pairs managing to get into catch and release fish nor where any fish landed in the 'Joker' rounds

Our leading pair after round 1 is Peter Thomason & Ian Watts who landed three fish each. Scott Benton and son Eddie are close behind landing five fish. Currently in third place are Keith Lawrence & Jo Harris who landed three fish. Special mention for Jo who worked hard all day under the helpful guidance of Keith Lawrence and got her reward with a fish two minutes before the end. Also a very well done to Christopher Gregory who partnered his Dad, Simon, and fly fished for the very first time landing his first ever rainbow trout and thoroughly enjoying his day

A big thank you to Jim Streeter for looking after us once again

Results after round 1:

• Peter Thomason & Ian Watts - 13lb 1oz
• Scott & Eddie Benton - 11lb 5oz
• Keith Lawrence & Jo Harris - 7lb 3oz
• Bob Holland & Ron Lewis - 6lb 6oz
• Andy Stoner & Mick Priest - 6lb 4oz
• Simon & Christopher Gregory - 4lb 3oz
• Micky & April Heasman 2lb 9oz

With some bonus and Joker fish in round 2 this could rapidly change. I look forward to seeing our pairs at Chalybeate in September for Round 2

Four members attended this re-arranged fixture to one of our favourite small reservoirs on a beautiful spring day (one of the very few!) when Powdermill was looking at its best

Tactics from the dam varied from DI7 and black and green lures, to floating lines and similar nomads. Peter led the way in the morning on the latter, and following a very pleasant lunch in the spring sunshine, finished with his 6 fish by 2.15pm when a suicidal rainbow followed his fly halfway up the dam, retreated then came back for more

Andy kept fishing deep with considerable success while Keith stuck to his corner and ground the day out with his team of cormorants, catching his last fish just before the final whistle at 4pm

So a fine day concluded with a visit to the Queens Head in Sedlescombe to sample their excellent Harveys brew

The final results were:

• Keith Lawrence - 6 fish 13lb 7oz
• Andy Stoner - 6 fish at 12lb 12oz
• Peter Thomason - 6 fish at 12lb 4oz
• Russell Bell - 3 fish at 6lb 8oz