Bratton Water’s stature as a first class brown trout water is growing with some stunning fish being tempted. Chay Boggis visited the fishery and had a fine bag of trout to just over five pounds. Successful tactics were a white dog nobbler fished close to the surface with a fast erratic retrieve. Nick Hart and top angling photographer Henry Gilbey paid a recent visit to the fishery and their work should appear in a top trout fishing publication this spring!
Stillwater Trout anglers are enjoying some great sport at Blakewell Fishery where Peter Shazell landed a 4lb brown trout and Justin Phillips and fine rainbow of 6lb 6oz.
The latest from Nick Hart at Exe Valley. These cold calm winter days are great for the winter fly fisher!
Always good to see new faces on the lake and today Andrew, John, Simon & Roger took the trip from Cheddar on a cold January morning. I got the boat out for a bit of ice breaking and the guys nailed some fish. Rogers were camera shy but the 4 of them landed 19 fish with John taking the best bag of 5 at 19lb 8oz with Andrew on 5 for 17lb. All sorts of tactics used including lures and nymphs with sink tips & floaters. Thanks for visiting guys and hope to see you again.
Colin Oram bagged himself a stunning spade tailed 14lb 8oz Rainbow trout from Exe Valley Fishery caught using an Olive Classic FM on 7lb leader . The fish gave a spirited 15 minute scrap; no surprise with a tail like that!!
Blakewell Fisheries first competition for the year will be Sunday the 29th January 2017. This is sure to be a popular event with every chance of a big double figure rainbow like the ones pictured below caught during the Christmas Competition.
To secure your place email Blakewell on [email protected]
Wistlandpound Fly Fishing Clubs winter challenge match at Blakewell fishery saw twelve members competing . All members caught their four fish limit by early afternoon with those who bagged early enjoying socializing with fellow members. Winner of the event was David Eldred with four for 10lb 1oz. Matt Kingdon was runner up with 9lb 10oz and Colin Combe third with 9lb 3oz. David Richards landed the biggest fish a quality brown of 3lb 5oz. Biggest rainbow weighed 3lb 3oz to Colin Combe.
Whilst it is still winter and we may get an icy blast or two before the spring arrives it was hard to believe that spring was not starting to arrive as we walked to the water. Green shoots of blackthorn on the hedge and daffodils emerging from the soil. The sound of a song thrush drifted through the mild air. I chatted with fishery owner Richard Nickel about the forthcoming salmon and sea trout season. It will soon be upon us once again daffodil lined river banks, summer migrants swooping over the water and with luck that tightening of the line as a salmon seizes the fly!
With mild conditions it was never going to be a challenging day and most anglers caught easily. I caught my bag using a bead headed black and green tadpole, a varied retrieve proved effective. After completing my bag I took a stroll around the lake chatting with fellow club members. I was also shown a few fascinating behind the scenes projects including a project to restock freshwater pearl mussels into the Torridge. We were also shown future generations of stock fish. A 2lb rainbow takes around 15 months to rear and a 10lb fish 3 years.
Danny Ford and James Wiggleworth had a great days fishing at Bratton Water banking these stunning fish. The pictures really say it all!
Zyg Gregorek continues his globetrotting adventures achieving yet another milestone as he describes below!
Well done Zyg looking forward to meeting up at the lure fishing weekend at the end of February.
Hi All
Having recently returned from North Carolina, on my latest quest to catch a Roundscale / Hatchet Spearfish. This was my fifth attempt in the last four years.
I decided to try North Carolina, after contacting several skippers, I picked Dan Rooks on Tuna Duck. Dan has fished the area for nearly 20 years and was very knowledgeable on the necessary identification patterns. He was very willing and wanted to help our expedition. Despite adverse weather conditions surrounding Hurricane Ermine, of the many Marlin caught during the four days only two of the fish were positively identified by Dan as Roundscale Spearfish. Thank God. Mission accomplished.
All fish were photographed and released.
Following the skippers report to the IGFA and photographic evidence. I can now confirm and am very proud to say I finally caught the Roundscale Spearfish and have now caught all the known Spearfish species, Long Billed, Short Billed, Mediterranean the elusive Roundscale. I believe I am the only person to have achieved this feat.
In addition following the capture of the Roundscale Spearfish I have achieved the coveted IGFA Royal Billfish Slam with 12 different species.
If you try hard enough you will achieve.
Best Fishes
Zyg
I have heard a few whispers of fine ray catches by shore anglers up Channel on the Somerset coast. Kevin Legge and Craig McCloughlin paid a visit to a shore mark after dark and landed several ray including a specimen blondes of 13lb 9oz for Craig and a 12lb 10oz blonde for Kevin.
James Atkinson was thrilled to get the New Year off to great start landing his first spurdog of 8lb 7.5oz. This just a few days after landing a 20lb 9oz cod off Minehead.
My friend Danny Ford dropped a me a Facebook message to say he was visiting Bratton Water; would I like to join him. Whilst I had not got time to fish I had got time to pop down for a chat and a catch up. On arrival the lake was mirror calm with the trees and reeds casting reflections across the still-water that was punctuated by the pleasing rings of feeding trout.
Danny was casting a line from the Dam and fishing a team of small buzzers very slowly watching the tip of the line intently for any movement that could indicate the deception of a wily trout. Danny pulled a fine prize from his trout bag a stunning brown trout of around 6lb. Its flanks were decorated in crimson spots. its tail was full, a perfect brown trout that would please any angler.
We chatted about fish, waters and prospects for the coming year. I told Danny I wanted some action shots and for a while he struggled to get a take. This is so often the way with trout in small still waters, Danny had caught three trout within his first hour and had taken a short rest to find that the fish had stopped feeding. Eventually after half an hour of varied retrieves the line drew tight and Danny played a beautifully marked brown trout to the net.
Danny undoubtedly went on to catch his final fish of a five fish limit bag. We talked briefly of flies and concluded that one of the most important aspects of fly is that the angler has confidence in it. Danny carries a small selection of flies on most outings and has total confidence that he can catch on all but the hardest days.
