Coloured water at the shoreline3 April 2006
We weren’t sure how full Bewl would be after a second dry winter, but were pleasantly surprised to find it had been substantially re-filled to at about 70% full. The pumping had coloured the water, but it was not too bad three metres out from the shoreline. Out on the reservoir, I could see my flies two feet down, but not much more, but it was enough for the trout to locate them.
The weather forecast was fairly accurate with a mix of sunshine and cloud cover. The wind was a nor-westerly around 13 mph, but gusting a lot heavier at times.
I tackled up with a Cortland camo intermediate and 18ft leader with 3 flies; a cormorant on the point, a black pennel on the middle dropper and a #16 pheasant tail nymph (ptn) on the top dropper. Colin also went for an intermediate with a 9-12ft leader and a cormorant on the point with no droppers.
We started a drift in Hook Straight from the cages to the main bowl, but had no takers and saw no sign of fish.
We then drifted from the bottom of the dam to Chingley Wood. Just past the tower, I felt a couple of faint tugs and then another. I struck and had a fish on the top dropper, the #16 ptn.
Closer to Chingley Wood, I had another pull, but missed it. When we were near the corner of the dam, I turned round and made a cast back into the wind and had a good take as soon as the flies landed, but the hook did not set.
We started another drift from just behind the towers. This time Colin had a fish on a Montana.
I had another take which did not connect just before we reached Chingley Wood. A couple of minutes later, I stood up in the boat to ease my backache and drew the flies up steadily before re-casting. As the top dropper reached the surface, a trout slashed at it twice, missing both times before it saw me and dived.
It then got very gusty for a while and I managed to lose my leader under the boat, trying to change flies.
Colin wanted to try a drift along Bewl Straight, so we made a start from Chingley Point. After a few minutes, I had a good take and a lively trout of well over 3lbs shook its head and jumped before diving beneath the boat. It took a flouro green bead-head damsel. I managed to draw it out, but it kept running off and then shooting under the boat. I eventually had to pull part of the 18ft leader into the rings to keep the line tight. The trout rushed out again, the connecting knot from the heavy top section of the leader caught in a rod ring and the leader parted at the next dropper knot. I was trying to free the knot by pointing the rod at the trout, so it was my fault.
By this time, we drifted into the bank, so I tackled up again and started the same drift again. This time we went further into Bewl Straight and I hooked a very lively little trout around 14" long with a perfect tail and fins. It jumped and dived with real tenacity, giving me the best fight of the day. It was well hooked though and came to the net with the leader well and truly tangled up. It had taken the ptn on the top dropper too.
Coloured water at the shoreline
It was charming to watch the great crested grebes performing their mating ritual as we fished alongside them. The weather had warmed up considerably by the afternoon, but we were still plagued by gusty winds at times. Somehow, my leader got blown out of the boat twice in the afternoon and under the boat or propeller whilst I was changing flies on the drift.
Because of the gusty conditions, Colin had elected to stick to one fly and a relatively short leader on his intermediate line. I think it was a mistake as he had far fewer takes.
Gusty weather
I had several more takes which did not connect, before another fish was hooked for a while before it managed to shake the hook out.
We would have gone for another drift there, but a couple of boats must have seen us catching and anchored up in the middle of the drift, thus ruining the drift. We had another drift at the dam and had a couple of tentative takes, but nothing solid.
One of the boats anchored at Chingley point moved on, so we managed a very short drift there. Just after I hung the flies after the first cast, I started to re-cast and felt an almighty tug. The line flew off in a heap, so I stripped it back and sure enough, there was a fish on the end. Unfortunately, it only stayed on for a few more seconds before getting off.
I tried the hang on the next cast and again had a take, but this one failed to connect. On the next cast I hung the flies for a good 30 seconds and this time it worked. This fish weighed 2lb 12oz and took a cormorant fly on the point. By now Colin had had enough and we were both ready for a Cobra and curry, so we motored back to the lodge.
Weighing up, we talked to a couple of other anglers who experienced a similar day. One had had 3 fish, including a magnificent 8 pounder with a spade for a tail, the other had taken one fish on a lure. The first angler had taken his fish on small nymphs.
We tried cormorants in the morning with no interest, but I did get some interest in it in the afternoon. The most consistent fly for me was the little ptn.