John's Fishing Blog

I'm looking forward to going into the Tight Lines Studio "Bothy" to chat over my recent Cayman Islands trip with presenter Keith Arthur.
We will be watching footage from the trip, where I caught bonefish, tarpon and a host of other species on the fly rod.

Little Cayman really is a wonderful location and a tropical island paradise - the fishing is great too!

We will also be discussing thoughts on the coming trout fly fishing season and talking about the methods most likely to bring success.
The show goes out on Sky Sports 3 at 6:00pm this Friday, 9th March 2012.

Back from Tasmania

My trip to Tasmania was truly awesome.  I have always felt, from my previous visits, that Tasmania had the best stillwater trout fly fishing in the World and my feelings have not changed one bit.  In fact, having driven all over the island on my travels, I now know that there are a multitude of lakes and rivers to fish - not just the better known waters of the Highlands region.

The Gum Beetles didnt put in much of a show during the sunny afternoons, but as soon as the cloud covered the sun, mayflies (known there as Duns) hatched in their thousands.  Early morning and late evenings gave us opportunities for tailing fish in the margins, while the sunnier days helped us to "polaroid" fish in open water.  These are techniques that we simply do not encounter back home.

We even had some time for a sea fishing trip out from Port Arthur aboard Steve Gilbert's boat Moonshine.  We were after Tuna, but due to calm seas, they were elusive.  We did get 6 hits and 2 Albacore to the boat, plus a heap of Gurnard, flathead, perch and striped trumpeter to baits fished 300 feet below the boat!

But it was the rivers that were the real eye openers.  Huge wild trout from tiny streams and creeks - wild rainbows and browns from tumbling rivers as clear as the river Test.  I caught my biggest ever wild brownie from a river no wider than a minor road.  Keep your eyes out for it in Trout Fisherman magazine as they have the exclusive in pics and words next month.

www.lexusflyfishing.co.uk now fully updated

The Lexus Web Site is now fully operational and updated for the 2012 season.

Download an Entry Form for Individuals or Teams from the site and follow the progress of each and every match as it unfolds throughout the year.

The first Individual Heat is at Llyn Llandegfedd in South Wales this coming Sunday, 11th March 2012.  Llandeg has been fishing it's head off since opening day and loads of overwintered rainbows are being caught.

It's not too late to enter this Heat, just email lexus@johnhorsey.co.uk to reserve your place.

What a great day John Synnuck and I had yesterday on Chew Valley fishing for pike.  We had over 100lbs to the boat, but this almost paled into insignificance by the magnitude of fish taken on the day.

For the very first time in a day on Chew, there were not one, but two 40lb specimens landed.  Also, no less than seven 30lb pike and a whole host of 20 pounders and loads of mid to upper teens.

The best of the bunch weighed in at 41lbs 4ozs and was taken from Woodford Bank.  Phil Wakeford also had a 40lb fish from a boat.  Neville Fickiling at last broke his Chew 30lb duck with two 30lb fish in a day!

With water temperatures between 6 and 7 degrees C, the Chew pike must have kept feeding all through the Winter months.  I saw several pike swirling on the surface chasing roach and this activity is more akin to what I see in the Summer months.

Dead baits such as mackerel, smelt, herring and blueys accounted for the majority of fish.  Lures have been taking a few, but the vast majority of pike anglers that visit Chew Valley fish nothing but baits, so I would expect this type of result.

John's first fish of the 2012 trials was a solid 17lb 04oz lump, while my first fish of 2012 tipped the scales at 22lbs 4ozs.

The first 3 days of trials have produced at least a dozen fish over 30lbs and now 2 over 40lbs.  The weather is now changing from low to high pressure and the temperatures are already dropping - hopefully this will not stop the pike from feeding - I am out tomorrow, so watch this space ................