team england fly fishing

What a season that was!

Hard to believe that another fly fishing season is now complete - but what an awesome season it was!
Huge pike, enormous trout, monster perch and great competitions.

Vail, Colorado USA for 2016 World Championships

My best bit of news recently is being selected to represent Team England in next year's World Championships in Vail, Colorado.  The Youth Championships were held there this season and by all accounts the venues and organisation are perfect for a match of this magnitude.
My other England Team Mates are Howard Croston, Simon Robinson, Phil Dixon and Andrew Scott, with Paul Page as Manager.

Trout Season

Both Chew and Blagdon Lakes were on fire for the majority of the season.  Once again, massive buzzer hatches brought the fish onto the feed as early as March and the dry fly fishing on Chew was exceptional.  Although the rainbows are always in tip-top condition, it was the size and quantity of the browns that was staggering.
One of my clients, Chris Jarrett, landed a brown of over 14lbs while pike fishing with me in November - the giant brownie took a whole mackerel.
All through the season people were reporting catches of 5lb to 8lb browns - most of which were voluntarily returned to the water.  Which is great news.

Perch on Chew

For the 3rd year running, the perch showed up in large numbers on Chew Valley Lake.  Specimens of up to almost 5lbs were taken - mainly around the jetties and most on the fly. 
Late afternoon in the back end of August through until November was the key time to contact a PB Perch.  I fly fished one day with Ian Gregg and we struggled for perch all day - plenty of pike and the odd trout, but the perch were hard to locate.
Then just as the light started to fade and the wind dropped, Ian had a PB 3:03 perch then with the last cast of the day followed it with a 3:10.

Pike

The highlight of the season has to be my Italian client Enrico Pini's massive 40lb 8oz caught during March on Chew using a fly.  Vern Novy then had a 31:08 a week later and plenty of other pike came to my boat during the course of the fly fishing season.  Pike ranging from 2lb, through to double figures and also several 20's up to 28lbs 8ozs.
But during the Pike Trials, Dave Sproston had a 33:10 on a lure, while I had a 33:00 on a deadbait.  We also had 70 others on both fly, lure and deads from 1st October to mid November.

European Championships

I fished for Team England in Italy for the FIPS Mouche European Championships and had mixed results.  The rain and floods made a couple of my river pegs almost impossible to fish, but I did manage another 1st Place in my Lake Session.  As a team we finished in 8th place overall.

National Loch Style Final

After being the 2014 National Loch Style Champion, I qualified once again for the Final, but this year on Bewl Water.  It was a very tricky and testing venue, with 100 top anglers vying for the 28 places in next season's 2 Loch Style International matches.
Thankfully I finished in 5th place overall and have now qualified to fish the Spring International on Ireland's Lough Lein in May.

Christmas Vouchers for Guided Days

Don't forget that I can provide Vouchers for Guided Fishing Days that make excellent Christmas Presents.  Just drop me an email and I can arrange it for you.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

 

Ian Gregg with his last cast 3:10 Chew Perch
Me with a 33lb Chew Pike
Chris Jarrett's 14lb Chew Brown Trout

2014 National Champion

Just returned from 5 days at Rutland which culminated in me becoming the 2014 National Loch Style Champion!
120 qualifiers took part in the first ever 2 day National Final and all were competing to finish in the top 28 and form the two England Teams for next year.

Day 1 saw no less than 37 limit bags of 8 fish and thankfully I finished top of the pile.  Dry Fly tactics at Gibbets Gorse and Manton Bay was my chosen method and I knew there were better fish; albeit less than in other places, to be caught at the top of the South Arm.  My bag weight of over 18lbs included a grown-on fish of over 4lbs.  Finishing at 1:35pm also gave me a time bonus of 4:04 and a total weight of 22lbs 13 5/8ozs.  My boat partner Gary Haskins also caught his limit by 3:52pm using the same tactics.

Day 2 and I returned to Gibbets Gorse with new boat partner Mike Heritage and we were amazed that we had only 4 other boats for company.  We had 3 between us at Gibbets then nipped across to Manton Bay where I finished my limit bag again by 3:08pm and Mike completed his a little later at 4:53pm.  My bag weighed over 18lbs again and with Time Bonus came to 20lbs 14 7/8ozs.
I finished Day 2 in 4th place while Mike came 8th.

My total place points were 5 which made me 1st place overall and National Champion for 2014.  This is the first time I have ever been National Loch Style Champion and I am very proud to add it to my National Rivers Champion Trophy won on the rivers of Northern England several years ago.

Both Gary Haskins and Mike Heritage also qualified in 6th and 7th places respectively and there were no less than 6 Chew Valley regulars in the Top 10!

Clive Collier presenting me with the National Trophy
2014 AT Team England Qualifiers

Blog Archive

December 2016

January 2016

December 2015

April 2015

August 2014

December 2013

September 2013

February 2012