TBird
New Member
Posts: 29
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Post by TBird on May 12, 2005 8:01:56 GMT -5
Wish I was! However, don't think I'll be able to get down again until a week tomorrow
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Post by FlyBri on May 12, 2005 14:10:36 GMT -5
What a day! Was a tad windy on the upstream section above the road bridge from Harltey Witney but persevered and had a couple of offers on a Bloody Butcher which I failed to secure. As I passed the road bridge over the river and looked under, I noticed 3-4 trout rising consistently in the dark. As the cast was impossible (as it has to be upstream) I left them alone. Proceeded to spook several rising fish with my hawthorn but continued on down to the junction of the back stream - there in the junction I found a trout rising confidently which took my Paradun on the first cast. This was a fish of around 2lb - the largest I've had on the Whitewater. The problem I had was that I had cast to the fish from the side and up on the bank - now I had to secure it and release it. The problem is that yours truly had thought - "not going to bother with my net today as I'm always in the water with the fish so don't need it". In an effort to get to the fish I stepped into the water only to find that the substrate was very soggy and I sank a further 3 foot deeper than I thought - nearly falling in!!! After releasing the trout and realising that I'd just plastered my arm in nettle stings, I managed to struggle out again.
Making my way upstream as I had now run out of time, I once again came upon a couple of trout rising confidently just above the first cattle crossing (nearest to the farm) - there in a pool in amongst the trees they were just asking for my paradun. I obliged and found that unless I planted the fly right over their lie, they would not move the fly. Eventually I got it spot on and was rewarded with a very solid take - this fish felt larger than the first! Unfortunately it came off all too soon and it was time to go...
If anyone is around I'll be back there again tomorrow afternoon. Can't wait...
Bri
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Post by FlyBri on May 16, 2005 3:25:58 GMT -5
Went on Friday and parked at the downstream bridge and walked upstream. After a few casts prospecting on a traditional wet, I changed to a paradun and wandered up the river looking for rising trout. Eventually found a handful rising in a pool just downstream of the powerlines. 10 minutes of casting produced 2 trout - one of maybe 1.5 lbs (stockie) and a wee wild fingerling. After releasing both and having put down the rest of the rising pod, I continued to wander upstream. Came upon the usual suspects which rise under the overhanging trees just upstream of where the back stream splits off the main river. After decorating a few of the trees like xmas with my flies, I wandered upstream to the pool where the river dog-legs round to the right just above where I was. Here a couple of trout were rising confidently and once again a nice 1lber came to the paradun. Moving further upstream there were another group of trout rising well in the shaded pools which are just upstream of the cattle crossing at the farm. Wading up to my chest (nearly!), I made contact on the 'last cast' (you know the last 20 casts which you are trying to make your last cast) on a muddler. This was infact the largest fish I've caught so far - don't know the weight but it was a good foot long or so. Heck of a fight with the line being on the reel and the clutch being engaged for the first time in a while.
Time permitting I'll be back on Thursday for more.
Bri
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Post by DragginFly on May 16, 2005 14:00:54 GMT -5
Hi Guys - went out yesterday for a bit of jungle fishing. My report is on the web site. A bit of a slow day but the jungle was up to par. I am starting to write a tour guide of the river for the web site - a bit like my King Parrot guide. Any suggestions for catchy names for pools and other features on the river are welcome as I'm running out. Tight lines
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Post by Pond321 on May 16, 2005 16:06:54 GMT -5
I went down on Friday the 6th for an hour or so. I fished up from the top cattle crossing right up to the weir. Used the usual paradun and took a couple of fish - only up to about 8 inches but satisfying because it was casting to rising fish. I returned next day and spent most of afternoon and evening on the river. I arrived about 2PM and there was a huge hatch of hawthorns in process. I started at the bottom of the copse stretch. There were several rising fish. For the first time I failed to get any interest in the grey paradun - so given that there were so many hawthorns around I switched to a black paradun and rapidly took 3 fish. Two about 1lb and one about half that. I then got a bit too relaxed and lost the next fish when it snagged me in the cabbages and shook the hook. After losing that fish, I moved up to the pool above the top cattle ford. I fished up the first pool slowly and was quite shocked when a fish rose literally right next to the top of my wader at the top of the pool. I dangled my fly on the surface (literally 18 inches away from my wader) and the fish rose to it. I missed the strike because I was so shocked!!! Just goes to show how close you can get to a fish when you are quiet....It was not a bad fish either - between 8 and twelve ounces. After that I spent the rest of the day above the top bridge, where I took a couple of small fish. I have now decided to focus on the stretch above the top bridge and have set myself a target of a 1.5LB plus fish from the stretch. It is hard to fish but I am sure (in fact, following my session two days ago - I am bloody definite) that there are some good fish on the stretch. My roll casting is improving every trip I make, but fulling mill are still going to have one of their best years ever given the amount of flies I am getting through...... So last Friday I managed to snatch a couple of hours above the bridge. I took a few smallish fish on the first stretch before losing a larger fish on the first slow pool. It was by far and away the most vigorous fish I have hooked on the whitewater and spent more time in the air than in the water before it slipped the hook. d**n!!!! It was not that big though _ doubt it would have gone a pound. Last Saturday I spent a couple of hours on the same stretch. I was fishing the bottom of a slow pool when I noticed a fish rising at the top of the pool under a branch. There was absolutely no way to cast up the pool to the fish, so I snuck on to the opposite bank, poked my rod through the trees right above where the fish was and had a go at a bow and arrow cast. The pool had virtually no current and it took the fly about 30 seconds to drift back down the yard or so level to my feet. I was just above to lift it off, when an absolute best of a trout slowly hove in to view, looked at the fly for five or so seconds then slowly sucked it in. I struck and all hell broke loose before the trout dived in to the roots at the base of the tree and snapped me. I reckon the fish was 2.5LB. Bugger!!!! I was only using a 3 wt rod and 3lb tippet and I could not hold the fish. I will return with a stronger tippet this week.... I also absolutely hate leaving flies in a fish, it is the first time in yonks that this has happened. I managed another fish of about 12 ounces a few yards further up which is the best fish I have had from the stretch to date. I am slowly working out where the lies are though so expect to manage one of the larger residents soon. Ken - I have christened the first gravely stretch above the top bridge Duffers Run because it is quite easy to manage a couple of small fish there. Incidently - I went for a walk down by the river pang a couple of nights ago. It looks a like a lovely river. Does anyone know who has the fishing on it? Finally - anyone had a stab at the loddon?? I walked up one stretch that was rather like a canal. Did not look very trouty to me..........
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Post by FlyBri on May 17, 2005 4:29:53 GMT -5
Yes I was wondering about the Loddon too - I see we have a permit to it but haven't actually seen the stretch of river. Perhaps Ben has had a shot at it?
Bri
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Post by ben wynde on May 17, 2005 5:37:21 GMT -5
Monday 16th May. Not a promising outlook with cold blustery wind and persistent rain. However this was to be my only opportunity to fish for the week so it was a case of getting on with it. The river looked bright and clear but dormant with no apparent activity and very little evidence of any hatch. Working my way up the copse I had a couple of slashy rises that came to nothing. I did spot my first mayfly for the year but even these didn’t appear to move the fish.
I spotted a determined riser just upstream of the telegraph pole footbridge, tight into the bank. I crawled my way to a point just downstream of the footbridge and tried to think of how I was going to cast to the fish. After a few fruitless attempts to get the fly anywhere remotely close to where I had seen the rise it all came good and the Klinkhammer was taken by a 6” trout that was quickly bought to hand a released. I was pretty chuffed.
Then I think I may have solved something that has been bugging me for a while. The pool at the top of the copse where the river emerges from the woody run has been one of my most productive spots in the past. It is also special to me as it is the spot where I caught my first ever Whitewater trout. This year it has been barren. Anyway I gave this spot a go and was enjoying my usual lack of success. As I gradually extended the cast it was coming more into the ‘zone’ but also flirting with the roots that guard the entrance to the pool. As usual I had caught the roots so I waded upstream to retrieve the fly. As I reached over to unsnag the fly I heard a big ‘gulp’ from within the roots, rather as if something was getting into the water in a hurry. My next sensation was one of something quite solid swimming quickly between my legs as it made its exit downstream! Think I may have found a minks hidey hole. Will pass this on to the bailiffs.
After this the rest of the evening was bound to be a bit anticlimatic. Wrapped it all up with another small wild fish taken on an emerging mayfly from under the roadbridge by the farm.
Haven't tried the Loddon - on the must do list.
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Post by FlyBri on May 18, 2005 3:30:26 GMT -5
Was wondering what folk would think of clubbing together and buying in bulk some of the 'usual suspect' flies to save money when decorating hampshire with Orvis handywork? Gawd knows I'm getting thru paraduns at a rate of noughts!!! Chris would probably oblige at a reasonable rate Bri
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Post by DragginFly on May 18, 2005 16:53:46 GMT -5
Bri I tie my own but a couple of hints to lose fewer flies: Use small hooks (#16s and #18s dont catch on branches as easily but you might have to wait until after the mayfly season) and use strong mono tippet like Stroft. Fish don't mind 4X (0.18mm) tippet and at that size Stroft is 8lbs BS. So you can yank a bit harder to get the flies out of the trees (but dont use your rod - pull straight on the fly line with your hand). I also have a fly retriever - a piece of coat hanger attached to some cord. You hook it onto the branch and pull on the rope so it comes close enough to retrieve the fly.
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Post by FlyBri on May 19, 2005 11:43:21 GMT -5
MAYFLY time is here good and proper lads! Went today and after taking a couple of small wild brownies on a GH nymph in the first pool upstream of the first road bridge, I wandered downstream and noticed a good hatch of mayflys being knocked off as they landed on the water. As there were an abundance of trout taking just downstream of this road bridge and indeed underneath it, I thought I'd tie on a mayfly dry-fly and give it a shot. Unbelievable! They were mad for it! The result was a large brownie in fine condition taken from mid way underneath the bridge (a cast I'm particularly proud of!). Photo to be posted soon.
I then wandered downstream and began to pick off many of the large brownies with various large mayfly imitations. I tried all sizes (even huge ones) and many colours - they took them all!!! The result was 10 brownies with sore mouths and one fly fishermen with a very big grin!!!!! In addition to the 10 I took, I must have had another 4 on which got off within the first 5 seconds and a further 15ish which took but I failed to secure the hook into.
My advice is to get out there NOW and take many mayfly dries with you. Make sure they are not sparsely tied as I found that with the amount of takes I was getting, they were getting quite a drowning so they need to be very bushy to survive. Off to Orvis I go yet again!
Bri Toasting my finest days fishing to date as we speak!!! ;D
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Post by Pond321 on May 19, 2005 16:50:22 GMT -5
Excellent!!! Interesting though - I was fishing the top stretch tonight (farm up to top weir) - saw a few mayfly coming off but not that many trout rising. I covered the few fish I saw rising with a mayfly and they ignored it!!!!! I did however take 2 'lucky trout'. These were fish that took out of the blue when I was making preliminary casts to a rising fish to get the range etc – guess they had probably been snacking all day on the mayfly. Took them both on a size 14 paradun though. Looking forward to tomorrow. Will try down at the Hatchgate Bridge in the slower stretch I think.
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Post by FlyBri on May 19, 2005 19:30:25 GMT -5
Slightly sh1t faced now but here's the photo promised anyhoo: Bri hic...
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Post by Pond321 on May 21, 2005 5:18:16 GMT -5
I went yesterday. There were MASSES of Mayfly hatching off. Huge rises all over the place - but a lot rose only once. I was so excited that I fished badly and manged to (ahem!) fall in....... Took 3 fish - 2 about 1lb and one about 3/4lb. Lost 3 fish - you have to give them a little longer to turn down before you strike when using such large flies. As soon as the rain stops this moring i will be nipping off down the river again........
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Post by FlyBri on May 21, 2005 5:44:26 GMT -5
BUGGGERRRRRRRR!!!!!! I now fear days when I have 10 fish... From such a high to such a low - I've now been given the weekend to produce a very important proposal on a subject I'm not familiar with for a client I don't know and for a partner who i'd rather not know...
Grrrreat no fishing for me then... Bri
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Post by Chris on May 21, 2005 5:51:09 GMT -5
Was wondering what folk would think of clubbing together and buying in bulk some of the 'usual suspect' flies to save money when decorating hampshire with Orvis handywork? Gawd knows I'm getting thru paraduns at a rate of noughts!!! Chris would probably oblige at a reasonable rate Bri Brian - send me a PM on this if you're still interested.
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