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Post by bennachie on May 30, 2005 17:29:35 GMT -5
I'm with PB on this one. Alcohol and fishing just don't mix. Save the Burgundy 'till later.
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Post by FlyBri on May 31, 2005 2:36:15 GMT -5
I personally couldn't give a toss about the wine & line thing... Back to the river: anyone going to use our temporary access to the Loddon - it's only until the 12th June which isn't far off. I'm trying to figure out how and when I can have a pop at it (that's presuming it's worth having a pop at!).
Anyone managed it yet?
Bri
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Post by DragginFly on May 31, 2005 3:12:59 GMT -5
I personally couldn't give a toss about the wine & line thing... Back to the river: anyone going to use our temporary access to the Loddon - it's only until the 12th June which isn't far off. I'm trying to figure out how and when I can have a pop at it (that's presuming it's worth having a pop at!). Anyone managed it yet? Bri Brilliant day yesterday on the Whitewater. The concrete pillars are back on the agenda as is the Glide. Report will be up on the web later. Tried the Loddon a couple of years ago and aim to get out there tomorrow. to see if its improved any.
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Post by ben wynde on May 31, 2005 10:08:40 GMT -5
Did not manage to get out to the Whitewater this week. The Old Man invited me to fish with him on his syndicate water. He is a member of the Frensham Fly Fishers who have a significant chunk of the River Wey in the Tilford area. The fishing was OK with the mayfly in full swing and in a couple of hours I had caught and released four nice browns. Lost another which was head and shoulders above the rest and which I had stalked.
Must admit that towards the end of the session I was becoming increasingly frustrated. I concentrated on a stretch that was c. 600 yards long and in this stretch there were only a very few spots where you could even get a fly into the river casting upstream from the bank. To compound this wading is not allowed. Now I am not the most accomplished caster but I fare OK on the Whitewater. I am not after closely mown turf. What was really irritating was that a lot of this water was inaccessible as a result of the tree canopy. Whilst merely an irritation to the angler this condition is potentially quite serious for the health of the river as it cuts down the light entering the river, discourages plant growth, reducing the available habitat for invertebrates and fry, to name but two - not an ideal situation. This river in effect is not being managed other than bunging in stock fish a couple of times a season. The members do a good job of monitoring water quality with gammarus ‘indicator’ populations (the river has had some significant pollution in the recent past) and invertebrate sampling but I can’t see that they are managing the habitat at all.
So all in all I am really beginning to come round to the RichardW husbandry point of view. I also see how lucky we are on the Whitewater. At the end of the evening Dad asked me what I thought of it. I told him I thought that for a private syndicate looking to manage a river themselves they had far too much water to maintain. It’s up to them what they do now but he went away mumbling something about the WTT.
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Post by JayP on May 31, 2005 10:24:37 GMT -5
So all in all I am really beginning to come round to the RichardW husbandry point of view. I also see how lucky we are on the Whitewater. At the end of the evening Dad asked me what I thought of it. I told him I thought that for a private syndicate looking to manage a river themselves they had far too much water to maintain. It’s up to them what they do now but he went away mumbling something about the WTT. Ben, why do you think i've joined your stretch off the Whitewater! Cheers JayP
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Post by DragginFly on Jun 1, 2005 9:23:34 GMT -5
So all in all I am really beginning to come round to the RichardW husbandry point of view. I also see how lucky we are on the Whitewater. At the end of the evening Dad asked me what I thought of it. I told him I thought that for a private syndicate looking to manage a river themselves they had far too much water to maintain. It’s up to them what they do now but he went away mumbling something about the WTT. Don't forget guys - we do need to look after our river so please try to get along to the working parties over winter. We are currently getting around eight members out of thirty helping keep the river in good shape. If we could get more down it could be even better. The tasks are sorted out according to everyones abilities so no problem if you are not as fit as you once were. At one working party last winter we had five lads down of whom four were invalids but still managed an incredible amount of work. Its a great chance to meet up with other members, compare notes, see the river in another light and learn its subtleties. Paul guarantees good weather every time. Went out to the Loddon today. Only my second visit ever and like last time the conditions were less than ideal. Counted exactly two maylfy, one olive, one sedge and some caenids (?? I'm no entomologist but they were little white things) coming off the water. Spotted one fish in broken water which I thought was a trout and almost got him to take a paradun. Just as he was about to take he saw me and sauntered off. Saw him again later and it was just a chub.
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Post by Pond321 on Jun 1, 2005 16:33:12 GMT -5
Hi All,
My update from last week. I took Thursday & Friday off work as the mayflies were in full force.........
I spent most of my time downstream from the Hatchgate Bridge. There were huge hatches of mayfly and the trout were going crazy. I took seven fish on the Thursday and eight on the Friday (including 1 chub). All on a dry mayfly. All of the fish were over 1lb apart from a couple on Friday that were a little under. It was really quite amazing fishing. At one point I was fishing the pool above the hatchgate. I was rummaging in my pockets looking for a lighter and my fly drifted down past my legs – where it was immediately taken by a large stockie. There was a huge splash and the rod was almost pulled out of my hand. Downstream fishing but truly unintentional………<br> I took two fish that were over 16 inches and appeared to be wild (quite silvery, lots of red spots and perfect fins). One of them had a decidedly hooked jaw. All of the other 1lb+ fish were stockies – but some had marks on their jaws that looked like they had been hooked and released several months before. It looks like the stockies over winter quite well.
All in all these were the best ever days I have experienced whilst trout fishing – it truly is an excellent river!!! Bri – it would be good if we all met up for a beer – I can do most Fridays in July – also never came back to you about the flies but a bulk order of size 12, 14 &16 paraduns (grey) would be interesting…….
Finally – tried the loddon on Tuesday. There were loads of mayfly coming off but I did not see a single fish rise. I was using a six weight which seemed massively heavy after the 3 weight I have been using all year on the Whitewater…….. I tried a mayfly nymph in a few likely looking pools but no joy. Not convinced there are many trout in the stretch – and it is bloody hard to fish as it is overgrown and wading is frankly dangerous…………………….
Cheers
Jon
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Post by JayP on Jun 4, 2005 13:33:43 GMT -5
If you park at the Hatchgate bridge be aware theres a dead deer in the undergrowth that STINKS! my first day on this section and 5 fish with the biggest going 14ish inches, 2 on an olive klinkhammer, 1 on a elk hair caddis and the last two on detached body mayfly. Bit of a nightmare casting as wind gusting to 20MPH + dirty water after yesterdays rain but enjoyable day with a sparodic mayfly hatch. Cheers JayP
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Post by FlyBri on Jun 6, 2005 7:09:19 GMT -5
Bri – it would be good if we all met up for a beer – I can do most Fridays in July – also never came back to you about the flies but a bulk order of size 12, 14 &16 paraduns (grey) would be interesting……. I talked with Ben at the Thornton social and he's keen to meet up for a beer and a chat too. How abouts the first Friday night in July - Friday the 1st? RE the flies I already went ahead and ordered a bunch of paraduns and clinks from Chris and saved a small fortune - still have plenty to go round and am catching well on them as you may have read. PM him if interested or perhaps some of the other guys would be interested too? Bri
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Post by FlyBri on Jun 10, 2005 3:09:13 GMT -5
Had a few hours yesterday afternoon to spend on the river and was trying out my new 6ft 5wt Fenwick Fenglass (yes fiberglass) rod, reel & line. Parked at the most upstream bridge and walked the few hundred yards up casting as I went. Had a few takes in various pools but nothing that stuck. I also noticed a lack of mayfly now and the rises although still coming, were few and far between in comparison with the last few weeks.
Failing to land a fish I wandered back to the car and went for my usual casting under the road bridge trick. Again a couple of takes which I failed to keep on.
By this point I have to say I was starting to lack confidence in my new outfit (worrying that perhaps the extra give in the fiberglass was making it harder to set the hook), but telling myself that only a bad workman blames his tools I persevered downstream. Walking to 'dead cert bend' I really started to notice just how low the river is now - and the vegetation is getting a little out of control in certain runs - especially from the junction of the back stream up to dead cert bend. Casting in the water here would almost guarantee hooking a lily pad or reed.
Dead cert bend lived up to it's name and a nice stockie trout with a notable predator wound came to hand and was released. Wandering only a few feet up the next run my paradun was gulped down by a hungry chub who put up a spirited fight - this is where I found real virtue in fiberglass- the rod was almost bent double and allowed me to really feel what was going on (more so that the graphite rod). It was also in this confined casting space that the 6ft rod came into its own.
Coming up to the first cattle crossing I cast into the reeds and a little dace grabbed the fly but came off before I could haul his mass to shore (both ounces of it). Then in the same pool I cast into the funnel of water coming over the rocks from the pool above and a little wild trout grabbed the fly. Perhaps only 5-6" a pretty little fella who was released again.
At this point I noticed that one of my favourite dark pools adjacent to the cattle sheds on the farm has been 'removed' by someone removing the obstructions which formed the deep pool and gave the fish shelter. Not once rise here today. I wandered up to the foot bridge on the farm casting underneath and once again a couple of takes was met with no tension on my raised rod tip.
Feeling rather downhearted I wandered back upstream to the car but stopped to cast t a rising trout in a deep pool above the farm. Finally I was into a nice trout which I feel may have been wild by his vivid markings and full fins - of around 1lb.
This was a god day really... 1 stockie, a chub and 2 wild trout (one which was a good size for a wildie)... but I can't help but feel down because of the comparison of how the river fished (and perhaps how I fished) today in comparison with 2 weeks ago.
I hate the mayfly I have decided... they spoil you and ruin all chance of satisfaction from a perfectly good days sport on the river!
May try to get back this evening.
Bri
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Post by JayP on Jun 11, 2005 12:39:16 GMT -5
My second outing on the Whitewater today and an early start greeted with bright sunshine and a mayfly hatch. Small wild trout everywhere snaping at everything, tally for the day 8 small wilds and 4 larger going to about 1.5 lb. Have to say if we have no significant rain soon the whitewater looks like it could dry up . Cheers JayP
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Post by FlyBri on Jun 14, 2005 10:28:57 GMT -5
Anyone around for a beer and a chin wag this Thursday evening? If enough of us can make it then we can organise somewhere central to make it convenient.
Bri
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Post by Pond321 on Jun 15, 2005 4:34:57 GMT -5
Hi Bri,
Yup - dpending on location. I live in Reading but will be putting a couple of hours in on the river tommorrow evening.
Cheers
Jon
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Post by FlyBri on Jun 15, 2005 9:07:44 GMT -5
Jon (and anyone else interested)
I too will be going to the river tomorrow night for a couple of hours. Shall we say a beer at 8pm in Hartely Witney (pm me your mobile number)?
Bri
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Post by FlyBri on Jun 17, 2005 2:44:32 GMT -5
Had a brief hour on the river before grabbing an ale with Jon at the nice pub which is just a few hundred yards from the top of the beat - nice to finally meet you mate!
Fished badly but added to by the shooting new growth around the banks which are fly magnets. Caught 3 wildies up to maybe 3/4lb and a small chub. No noticable hatch from 7-8pm but a few fish were rising up the farm stretch as always.
Bri
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