Thursday 10th April 1st session on Chew

I managed to get home from work a little earlier than usual so decided to go Fly Fishing for the first time this year. Barrow Tanks is just up the road from where I live (15 mins away) but can fish very hard with fish sometimes only responding during the last 30 minutes before dusk. Chew Valley Lake is only 20 minutes away and I had a lot of sucess there last year both from the boat and bank, the fish are a better size as well. So off to Chew it was and I got there just after 4 p.m. Its £16 to fish from the bank from 3 p.m. to dark and you can take 4 fish. I had intended to fish off the Lodge bank but due to the wind one of the Rangers suggested I go right around the far side on Wick Point. No idea where this was but managed to find it after a 15 min car journey stopping half way and asking for directions. When I got there the wind was up and more or less in my face and it was cold. Rangers advice was to fish a medium or sinking line with an Orange Blob and then Buzzers as droppers. One guy was leaving when I got there, he had 2 fish which were caught at 8.30 a.m. and then nothing all day...hmmmm. Another guy also turned up, he had been fishing at Blagdon Lake all day and caught 2 pike! He said he had not seen a trout caught. Ah well. After a quick chat discussing tactics he suggested I set up a flaoting line with a 15 foot leader and that way f the fish came up in the water I would just have to change the Orange Blob to a Booby. The water was quite deep close in so not much point in killing myself trying to cast out into a facing wind. I was fishing by 4.45 p.m. and had my first take just before 5, the other guy was walking the bank looking for a more sheltered spot when I hit into the fish (I think he was surprised). After a good scrape the rainbow was netted, and went 4lb 2oz on the salter spring balance, lovely and caught on the Orange Blob. I persevered in the cold wind, the other chap went home about 7 p.m. fishless, just after he went I moved down where he was (as it was deeper) and had a fish second cast, Orange Blob again and it went 3lb 4oz. By 8 p.m. I was too cold and it was getting dark so headed home. By 9.15 p.m. I had the fish cleaned and cut up into 5 portions, put in the freezer and had a shower. Chew is a great water and glad I made the effort. Here are the fish just before cleaning...

Might try and get back one evening this week, if not it's a Club Match on the Sedges Fishery Easter Sunday.