Close encounter with the EA and a change of trout catching technique resulted in eight trout

I have only ever fished Bewl Water with a "fly"!  Fly in the broad sense i.e. lures, buzzers, blobs, boobys and dries.  But this year I haven't been fly fishing very well, my best bag to date being five fish. Now that coupled with the fact that I don't like fishing in bright sunlight, especially if the water is warming, reminded me of Henry Ford's famous quote:-

 

"If you always do what you have always done, you always get what you have always got!"

 

So that made me decide to have a try at something different.  Originally I was going to try fishing buzzers on a very fast sinking line but when I saw (on the Windguru website) that the wind at Bewl was going to be quite strong and from the south, I gave that idea up.  Even with a drogue deployed if you are drifting too fast you just will not get the buzzers deep enough.  So as well as taking my fly gear I packed two short spinning rods!

 

So for the first time I signed in at the lodge as an "any method" fisher and set off for the deeper water.  Whilst rigging a rod up out on the open water I had a visit from two friendly souls in a green boat.  Having waved a document at me they announced they were from the Environment Agency and would like to see my license!  They came alongside and I was pleased on two counts, firstly I had my license on me and secondly I like to see licenses being checked and I didn't know they can do it afloat.

The EA ambush some happy fishers next to the overflow tower. Bewl 100% full!

 

Having had the excitment with the EA I decided to bait fish.  Now I am not going to tell you what bait I used, but the trout seemed to find it appropriate because as soon as the bait was twenty feet below the boat "bang" the rod went down and I had my first fish on (yes first cast).  As I landed it I thought if it is this easy I will be gone in a couple of hours!  The second fish I hooked was bigger and caught me out as I had forgotten to set the reel drag at all. The fish took off and the 10lb leader snapped at a knot.

 

I boated the next fish but not before it had broken off the tip of my rod. I was not too surprised at that as since I bought the rod nearly 3 years ago in Malta I had broken the tip twice before.  One  for the bin, I think. 

 

So I switched to a Shakespeare "Ugly Stick" rod and fished with that catching several more fish.  Well, things went a bit quiet during the afternoon fishing-wise but not the wind. It got stronger and stronger, and I was bumping up and down which made the drifting and fishing harder.  I tried a few spots away from the main bowl just to get some respite from the wind, but to no avail.  It was seven in the evening before I finally "bagged up" with eight fish.  They weighed in at 16 pounds 10 ounces so quite a nice bag.

 

So what were my feelings about bait fishing Bewl:-

1. I caught my limit, that was positive.
2. I caught in bright sunlight and strong winds, if I had been on the fly I probably would have caught far less.
3. Playing a fish using a short rod and reel with an adjustable clutch (drag) is too easy and not nearly as satisfying as using a fly road and reel.
4. In terms of introducing people, and especially youngsters to the sport of fishing, it is probably a more sure-fire method.  You only get one chance at a first impression!

Let the scales confirm the story!

 

So to sum up I think it is more challenging to fly fish and therefore more satisfying.

 

Things to do when the weather is too bad for fly fishing

 

Let me first say the weather has to be really bad to stop me fishing.  However sometimes the rivers are "up and out" as my friends in the States say (see the Daily Mail picture above).  This means that the river levels are high and the fishing impossible due to flow rates and water clarity.  It is common place in the States to be able to go on a web site and get the actual flow rate in cubic feet per second. This is starting to be more common in the UK and I go on the web to check what the Wiltshire Avon is up to before I drive 100 miles to fish it. See http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/homeandleisure/floods/riverlevels/

Also lakes and even rivers can be frozen over.  I have managed to successfully fly fish for trout on partially frozen lakes and have fished for grayling on rivers with mini icebergs drifting past.  If the air temperature is around freezing the fly line will stick to the rod or rod rings (called guides in the Americas). This tends to inhibit casting but immersing the rod in the water for a couple of seconds usually unfreezes everything long enough to get a cast in.

 

So for the days when fishing is impractical here is a list of alternative fishing activities:-

• Sort through the contents of your tackle bag(s) and get it ready for the next trip.
• Examine your rods for damage and clean and repair
• Clean and check reels, lightly oil if necessary
• Clean and check fly lines, paying special attention to where and how the leader is joined to the main line.  Replace damaged lines, or if double tapered lines consider reversing them.
• Clean and check all your outdoor fishing clothing, waders, fingerless mitts etc.
• Tidy up your fly boxes and label them
• Tie a few extra flies or if you don't tie have a look at some fly tying videos on YouTube and get tempted.  Flies like buzzers and pheasant tail nymphs are fairly easy to tie.
• Read a fishing magazine, write them a "star letter" and win a fishing rod (like I did a few years ago).
• Join a fishing club and get on their forum.
• Carry out an "inventory check" to see if you need any more tackle.
• Phone a friend and plan a future trip or holiday.
• Start or update a fishing diary or log or you could even start to blog!
• Develop a boasting book of fishing pictures (paper or electronic).
• Read or re-read the fishing books on your shelf, or join a library.
• Practice tying the knots you want to use but have yet to master. See www.animatedknots.com
• Watch advanced casting techniques on YouTube  such as the Snap Tee or Circle C.

So there is plenty to do.  Taking advantage of a "window in the weather" I gave Bryant an american pal a quick lesson at Albury and this was the result!

Then I got really lucky the other day in East Grinstead.  I popped in to the tackle shop to see if there were any trout fisheries in the area that I had not heard of and I met up with a gent who had brought in all his old tackle to dispose of and we ended up doing a deal.  He went off with some of my money and I filled the boot of my car with his tackle (all in front of my very understanding wife)!   I count my blessings.