Wednesday 24th of September saw nine anglers from Tunbridge Wells Fly Fishing Society visit Brick Farm. With the usual good-natured banter abound we tucked into mugs of tea, coffee and cracking breakfast rolls before heading out to the various lakes. The weather was blustery with a mixture of sunshine and light cloud cover. The impact of a long hot and dry summer was evident though with very low water levels, the lowest I’ve seen at Brick Farm. The water levels on Well Lake, Stag Lake and Brick Lake were manageable but Spring Lake, the newest lake, was challenging with many of the jetties standing out of the water

The fishery contacted us to let us know they were going to stock before our visit and they also introducing new fish on the day of our visit. Despite their best-efforts to liven up the fish with the new stocking the fishing was tough, the fish had obviously not read the script! On Brick Lake, Peter had early interest with fish following the fly. Following a change in tactic, he caught a couple using Diawl Bach fly pattern on a very slow / static retrieve. Mick swapping to a similar tactic also caught a couple of fish by lunch. Meanwhile Steve managed to catch a couple by lunch on Stag Lake fishing into the wind, twitching a black lure through the weeds. Richard also had a couple on Stag Lake following Steve’s success. For the rest of us there was limited success and plenty of casting practice!

Following lunch, we returned to the lakes with renewed optimism - we are fly fishers after all. That said, our optimism may have been slightly misplaced. Mick, Richard and Steve managed to bag up, for the rest of us it remained somewhat challenging, some single fish bags and a few bags remained empty – mine included!

Many thanks to all who attended and Brick Farm for making us very welcome. Despite the hard fishing conditions it was a very enjoyable day shared in great company

The Tunbridge Wells Fly Fishing Society assembled for a midsummer points match at Lakedown Trout Fishery, a venue renowned for its tranquil setting and superbly maintained spring-fed lakes. The day delivered excellent conditions for fly fishing and an ideal environment for socialising members

The event attracted a healthy mix of long-standing, new and junior members, thirteen in total. Participants were met with a gentle south-westerly breeze increasing in the afternoon, partly sunny with scattered clouds, and ambient temperatures at approximately 19°C

Fishing was conducted from the bank under fishery rules, with total catch weight determining standings. Several members reported success with black or white lures, such as Cats Whiskers, and Diawl Bach nymphs. A standout 6lb rainbow trout caught by Ian Watts underscored the fishery’s reputation for high-quality stock, while James Dench completed his bag shortly after 10 AM

Lunch at the on-site taproom provided an opportunity for members to catch up, share tips, and enjoy refreshments in a relaxed setting. Washed down with the wonderful Lakedown beers and of course a raffle accompanied by the 'Randomiser' and echoes of “Put it back, put it back

The event was warmly received and marked another successful entry in the Society’s angling calendar. Lakedown Trout Fishery once again proved a fitting host, and members departed with renewed enthusiasm for the coming fixtures

The results were as follows:

• 1. Ian Watts - 10lb 4oz
• 2. Dave Crouch - 9lb 6oz
• 3. James Dench - 7lb 12oz
• 4. Peter Thomason - 7lb 0oz
• 5. Mick Priest - 5lb 4oz
• 6. Simon Gregory - 4lb 14oz

Congratulations to the competition winner, Ian Watts

Our regular early season visit to this quiet and attractive reservoir saw a good turnout of nine members to fish during mayfly time. The weather was warm, bright and sunny and the water was very clear – not usually conducive to catching but the fishing went extremely well. All but two members chose to fish from the dam or the natural bank; Bob Holland and Peter Thomason took to the water and found fish distributed all round the reservoir. Mayfly were evident, not in great numbers but sufficient to encourage fish to take dry patterns as well as nymphs and wet mayfly patterns. Nearing the end of the day, a number of members resorted to lure tactics to complete their bags. Catching was steady and all had bagged fish by lunchtime when we enjoyed a magnificent Victory cake cooked and perfectly decorated by Paul Bassett-Huckstep to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe day. A raffle assisted by our Chairman’s amazing randomiser (scandaliser? tantaliser?) app was also held

Fishing continued until 4.30 in the afternoon with more fish coming to the net. The results testify to the excellence of the fishing and the quality of the fish. A total of 50 fish were taken, including 6 x 6-fish bag limits and there were no blanks

The day was concluded in traditional TWFFS manner by welcome cooling pints in the nearby Queen’s Head at Sedlescombe. All in all, a very good day!

Results:

• 1. Micky Heasman – 5 fish for 13lb 6oz (best fish 6lb 6oz)
• 2. Keith Lawrence – 6 fish for 10lb 12oz (best fish 2lb 8oz)
• 3. Equal placed Bob Holland and Dave Crouch also with 6 fish for 10lb 12oz but their biggest fish weighed less than Keith Lawrence’s
• 5. Ian Watts – 6 fish for 10lb 2oz
• 6. Mick Priest – 6 fish for 10lb
•    Buster Heasman – 5 fish 8lb 12oz
•    Kenny Kemp – 2 fish 4lb
•    Paul Bassett-Huckstep – 2 fish 3lb 5oz
•    Peter Thomason – 6 fish (as a Powdermill member allowed to return fish, none were weighed in)

Five pairs entered for the 2025 Chalybeate Pairs trophy held on Easter Sunday 2025. Fishing conditions on the day looked perfect. Overcast with a light East/North Easterly breeze with a chance of light rain which duly arrived whilst we were setting up rods and enjoying our breakfast rolls. To introduce some fun into the day I once again themed the event on an old school favourite cartoon series called Wacky Races. Each pair drew a team name based on the cartoon cars and characters. It straight away brought some laughs and interest to the proceedings. Team and character names are listed below

1. Team Car - The Arkansas Chuggabug 'driven' by Luke (Martin Wright) and Blubber Bear (Bob Holland)

2. Team Car - The Boulder Mobile 'driven' by the Slag Brothers - Rock (Micky Heasman) and Gravel ( April Heasman)

3. Team Car - The Buzzwagon 'driven' by Rufus Roughcut (Andy Stoner) and Sawtooth (Paul Osborne)

4. Team Car - The Mean Machine 'driven' by Dick Dastardly (James Constantine) and Muttley (Peter Thomason)

5. Team Car - The Army Surplus Special 'driven' by Sergeant Blast (Jo Harris) and Private Meekly (Buster Heasman)

Each angler could catch 3 fish and release 2 fish. with C&R fish counting as 2lb toward the bag total. Added bag weight could be gained by catching fish in the teams allocated Joker round where any fish caught during this round would gain an extra 2lb to their total bag

On the starter's whistle we were off and almost instantly the Arkansas Chuggabug took the lead with a fish hooked and landed by Bob (Blubber Bear) in the first few minutes. Hot on their tail was the Mean Machine with Peter (Muttley) Thomason also landing a fish quickly. Then James (Dick Dastardly) Constantine added some turbo charge to the Mean Machine by quickly landing all of 3 fish and then his 2 catch and release fish. The Mean Machine was out in front in the early laps. The boulder Mobile driven by the Slag Brothers Micky (Rock) and April Heasman (Gravel) were keeping in touch with the leaders with 4 fish. Also in the chasing pack were The Buzzwagon with Andy (Rufus Roughcut) Stoner landing fish and his co-driver Paul (Sawtooth) Osborne also adding to their bag. The Army Surplus Special with Jo (Sergeant Blast) Harris and Buster (Private Meekly) Heasman struggling to get off the start line in the early part of the race

The Chalybeate Race track was proving to be fast with plenty of fish moving and all methods working well. Fish were being caught in the allocated Joker rounds and Peter (Muttley) in the Mean Machine made a decision to get into the pits early and wait for their allocated Joker slot. The Arkansas Chuggabug with Martin and Bob (Luke & Blubber Bear) also used the tactic by coming in early for lunch. Rock Slag (Mick Heasman) landed 2 fish in their Joker round. Peter (Muttley) Thomason caught his final fish in their Joker slot (a nice 2lb plus brownie) which meant The Mean Machine was in the lead at the halfway stage

All the cars came into the pits for lunch and to discuss tactics - could the Joker slots after lunch help change the race for Bob and Martin in the Arkansas Chuggabug and Jo and Buster in the Army Surplus Special? A Joker Fish for the Arkansas Chuggabug - a small wild brownie landed by Martin (Luke)

So all the 'drivers' in their Wacky Cars crossed the finish line at around 3pm and the final result follows

1st Place - The Mean Machine 'driven' by Dick Dastardly (James Constantine) and Muttley (Peter Thomason)

Total Bag Weight (Including Bonus Weight) - 23lb 8oz

2nd Place - The Boulder Mobile 'driven' by the Slag Brothers - Rock (Micky Heasman) and Gravel ( April Heasman)

Total Bag Weight (Including Bonus Weight) - 21lb 12oz

3rd Place - The Arkansas Chuggabug 'driven' by Luke (Martin Wright) and Blubber Bear (Bob Holland)

Total Bag Weight (Including Bonus Weight) - 20lb 10oz

4th Place - The Buzzwagon 'driven' by Rufus Roughcut (Andy Stoner) and Sawtooth (Paul Osborne)

Total Bag Weight (Including Bonus Weight) - 19lb 5oz

5th Place - The Army Surplus Special 'driven' by Sergeant Blast (Jo Harris) and Private Meekly (Buster Heasman)

Total Bag Weight (Including Bonus Weight) - 10lb 13oz

Congratulations to the Winners of the Chalybeate Pairs trophy for 2025 - Dick Dastardly (James Constantine) and Muttley (Peter Thomason) in their Mean Machine

We also raised £50 on a raffle to go towards Club Funds and the Biggest fish pot of £10 won by Peter Thomason (Muttley) was very kindly donated to our Hospice in the Weald fund

Our thanks to Jim Streeter for hosting us on the day

Cars and drivers will return in 2026 for another whack run for the trophy