Bewl Water: Good news, the bubbles are on!

Here is the latest report from Janet at Bewl:-

 

The fish have remained about 25ft - 30ft down in the water and are still fairly difficult to catch. The water temperature has dropped to 18c over the last few days which may mean some improvement and " The Bubble" is now on which will give plenty of good sport in the Main Bowl. Rod average for the week was a very good 3.80.

CATCH AND RELEASE IS SUSPENDED UNTIL THE WATER TEMPERATURE COOLS DOWN FOR A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME.

The Main Bowl is the best area for boat fishing whilst best bank areas are Chingley and the Dam Wall where the water is deeper.

Successful flies have been Buzzers, Minkies, Cormorants, Diawl Bachs and Boobies.

The Bewl heat of the Sierra Pairs Competition took place on Sunday 6 July. Winners were Rob Barden and Adrian Necci with 16 fish for 42lb 15oz including time bonus They had caught their fish by 12.20pm. Conditions were challenging but 8 x 2 man teams caught 97 trout giving an outstanding rod average of 6 fish.

 

Well done Rob and Adrian! 

 

I am pleased to hear that the bubbles have been turned on.  Let me explain.  In the deep part of the main bowl there is a pipe on the bottom of the reservoir through which compressed air can be pumped.  This is allowed to escape into the water at 3 or 4 locations where the air rapidly expands as it bubbles up.  This aerates the water to some degree but more importantly it brings cooler water to the surface together with the food which was down deep and the trout love it.  The currents on the surface are quite strong, almost like a whirlpool in reverse and it is not easy to fish, but when you get a fish on it can be very exciting as you are playing the fish and the currents.  I remember the first time I drifted across the bubbles. I was a bit concerned as to what would happen in the maelestrom of currents!  I need not have worried the boat floated over them and got pushed away.  Now I have to try and remember what techniqes I used for fishing the bubbles and try to get some photos showing the amazing currents.                                              

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.

 

English Fly Fisher Upsets Barmaid and goes on to Win International Fishing Competition!

You will see from the previous post that having been fishing most of the previous night we did not “rise and shine” till around 10 am.  Then we set off for a bit of sightseeing and lunch.  We lunched in St David’s in a pub called the Bishops.  I said I would treat everyone as they had been providing for me throughout the trip.  So I ordered the food and drinks from the barmaid.  After we were sitting down outside waiting for our meal Andy said to me “Well you really upset the barmaid”!  In all innocence I asked how and why?  Andy said he wasn’t sure but I had said something.  Now I wasn’t sure if he was kidding me or not but the others all joined in support of him.  I said I would go and apologise but I couldn't as I didn’t remember which bar maid it was.  Finally Andy came up with the conclusion that I had called her “luv” and apparently Welsh culture does not allow for terms of endearment from men when talking to strange ladies.  I still think I may have been wound up!  

Andy has a new toy, a “selfy stick” that allows him to take numerous pictures of himself.

I try the Selfy Stick for myself!

Ian made sure we visited some wonderful places. This is the Blue Lagoon where Red Bull held a diving competition.

We concluded the day by fly fishing a small still water fishery called Hayscastle.  I suggested making it an international competition with the Welsh team consisting of Ian and Andy and the English team being Rowland and me.  The Welsh lads jumped at it and were soon thrashing the water in bright sunlight and a cool breeze.  It wasn’t long before Andy using an intermediate line and a cats whisker had his first fish.  I tried a damsel nymph (as there were hundreds hatching) and then worked my way through my fly box using floating, intermediate and sinking lines as appropriate all to no avail.  Meanwhile Andy had his second fish and then lost another.  Almost in desperation I put three buzzers (chironomids) spaced at around 3 feet apart under a strike indicator (also called a bung). On the point I had a heavy white headed red buzzer given me by one of my fishing pals in WA, USA.  I cast out and let it settle and bang I had a good fish on.  Ten minutes later, having banked that fish I was into another and a few minutes after sorting that one I was into a third and the English were in the lead!  Rowland and Ian were still struggling to hook up but Andy kept getting takes and pulls but failed to keep the fish on.  When our watches indicated the competition was over Andy, on stripping down his gear discovered that he had been fishing with a cats whisker with a hook that was missing a bend and a point.  NICE ONE ANDY!

Well the four of us don't fish on Sundays, we go to church, and that was a lovely experience too with the friendly congregation at Milford Haven.

Fished Pitsford Reservoir today with 3 young grandchildren

Having stayed last night with my daughter and family at Milton Keynes I took Morgan (10), Jacob (8) and Imogen (6) fly fishing at Pitsford Water.  It was cold and misty when we set out and the SAT NAV got us to the Fishing Lodge at Holcot in around 40 minutes.  The Warden in the lodge was most helpful and let me have a 4 fish ticket for £17.00.  He checked the wind and recommended a suitable location together with black and red buzzers (chironomids).  He even gave us the combination to the padlock on the fisherman's car park barrier!  There were midges in great clouds like smoke near the tree tops so I felt sure that buzzers were the right choice.

I set one 7 weight rod up with a strike indicator (known as "the Bung") and 3 buzzers spaced 3 feet apart with the heaviest on the point.  Then I cast it a far as I could and gave the rod to one of the children having instructed him to lift the rod if the orange "bung" disappeared.  I then set up a 5 weight rod with a short leader and a piece of wool as a pretend fly.  I then gave them casting lessons on the grass holding the rod horizontally (Joan Wulff style).  Having got them use to the rod and lines combined action we graduated to the water with proper overhead casts. Morgan the 10 year old soon mastered the technique and I was able to show him how to shoot line.

The sun came out and there was nothing showing on top and nothing taking buzzers below in our area so I decided to change tactics.  Removing the buzzers and the bung I put a large cats whisker fly on the point and having cast it as far as I could gave the rod to Jacob (8) and told him to count to 30 and then retrieve.  This he did and then the others took their turns after I had cast out for them.  The sun became quite warm and we had just about given up on the fish cooperating when Jacob gave a shout as something was pulling on the line.  The trout came to the surface and flashed its silver sides before disappointingly throwing the hook!  This bit of action improved interest and morale for a bit but eventually Imogen negotiated a departure and we headed off home via McDonalds!

We will definitely be back to Pitsford.

Bewl Water Fishing Report 1 August 2013

Having been away from Bewl for over 8 weeks (mainly in the USA) and knowing the weather in the UK has been warm I read last weeks fishing report with interest. I reprint it here as I know fishers from across the globe are interested.

Picture courtesy of "fishactive.com"

"Cooler weather over the last week has improved the fishing at Bewl. The fish are not as deep and have spread out across the water. Anglers have been catching at a depth of about 10ft rather than the 25 ft during the last few weeks.

This week's rod average is an excellent 3.58. Brown trout are beginning to show, especially at the end of Hook Straight. A brown of 6lb 8oz was caught and released.

Best areas for boats are the Main Bowl, the cages and the end of Hook Straight. Bank fishing is still challenging and the deeper water off of Chingley is the best place to try.

 

Successful flies have been Buzzers, mini lures, Cat's Whiskers, Minkies, Minkie Boobies and Sparkler Boobies.

An early reminder that no boats are available on Wednesday 18 September when the Annual Grand Max competition will be taking place.
Water temperature 20 degC, water level 85.5%"

So I might be tempted to give it a go!

Rattlesnake Lake, WA, USA: Deep Water Fly Fishing Techniques!

Mark with his truck and "pram"

 

I met a real gent yesterday and he very kindly gave me a “master class” on how to fish the bottom of a deep lake with Buzzers (Chironomidae) using a fly rod.  Mark had responded to my request for guidance on the Washington Fly Fishing Forum and he proved to be a star.  He gave me some buzzer patterns, loaned me a reel with a fast sinking line and gave me one of his special homemade plummet weights.  Now recently Mark had been fishing Rattlesnake Lake regularly and his special method had been delivering the goods big time, which was why he suggested we fished there.

Mark concentrating on catching!

Mark was fishing from his fully equipped 8 foot “pram” and I was in my less fully equipped float tube.  Mark and his pal had developed this particular fishing approach because a bit of arthritis had cramped their casting style and they still wanted to fly fish.  The method was to use a team of two buzzers with a small shot crimped to the leader just above the flies and measure the depth exactly by attaching the plummet to the bottom fly.  Mark had put depth markers on the main line using white nail varnish (his wife’s I hasten to add).  The first thing that rapidly became apparent to me was that you need to be anchored to work this method and keep the flies right down.  Having tried holding position with my fins and failed as it was quite breezy Mark came to the rescue producing a 5lb dumbbell from the bottom of his pram (I said it was “fully equipped”) and I attached that to 45 feet of nylon cord I had brought with me and I used that successfully as an anchor!

Mark gently sucked the stomach contents out of one fish and showed me what they were feeding on.  Buzzers!

Anyway to cut a long story short Mark managed 5 fish and I caught zero.  So how do I explain that?

Well here goes:-

·         Mark had a fish finder

·         Mark’s anchor was a bit longer than mine so he could fish deeper

·         I was using a 6 weight rod and Mark was using a 3 weight set up so his rig was more sensitive than mine

·         Mark really concentrated hard on detecting fishy activity whereas I was distracted by the joy of just being there

·         Mark is well practiced at this method

Mark was disappointed with his 5 as he normally catches shed loads!  Although I was clearly outfished I was delighted with the day for the following reasons:-

1.       I had met a really nice guy

2.       I had been fishing

3.       I had learnt a new technique to try on the deep reservoirs in the UK in the summer when the water warms up and the fish go deep.

4.       I didn’t sink and have to swim and I learnt that I can anchor a float tube and fish provided I have a dumbbell with me.

 

 

And when it was time to go and I got cramp in my right leg (and could only paddle round in circles) Mark came to the rescue and towed me back to the launch ramp!  A real star!

 

Some of the buzzers in the plastic container were still alive, have a look at this short video clip.

 

 

 

 

Now to get on with stripping “popcorn” off of 300 square feet of ceiling!