Westcountry
06-20-2010, 03:35 PM
My friend Bill and I got the nod to go and fish a couple of miles of small Somerset stream that is not often, if ever, available. In fact we don't know the last time anyone got to fish it and we doubt the owners bother themselves. We got this offer because we are the among the very few daft sods who turn out to do habitat work on the river ( where is the smiley for two saints!)
The directions we were given were a touch vague - "Start in the village and just keep going upstream". We didn't really want to start in somone's garden so we wandered up until we came to this weir which looked as good a place to start as any.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4867a.jpg
While Bill faffed around catching not much (after getting a 10 incher first cast!) I took pictures of flowers.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4869a.jpg
We both opened our attack with small klinks but only little things wanted to play. I did kick some better fish (including some grayling) out of the weeds while wading so we both changed to a nymph under a big klink.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4871a.jpg
This new approach brought some better fish (biggest about 12") but it lacks accuracy when it comes to water like this. The very narrow channels under each bank held some good 'un's but we didn't really do it justice.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4876a.jpg
I don't know about you but I always get an urge to just lie down in water like this!!!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4877a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4878a.jpg
A nice fast run and Bill shows me how to do it.
Cast.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4883a.jpg
Strike.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4884a.jpg
Play?
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4885a.jpg
To hand.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4886a.jpg
Another.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4888a.jpg
My house (in my dreams).
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4896a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4899a.jpg
Looking down some bouldery water, I blanked in this :oops:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4900a.jpg
A nice one (the leader has got tangled up, I'm not fishing with the nymph 6" under the klink!)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4901a.jpg
Another good spot.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4908a.jpg
As the afternoon went on the fish came more and more to the dry. So we changed back to small klinks and did away with the nymph. This worked well for an hour or so but then they started to come short for no obvious reason (at least to us) so we called it a day :)
Walking back to the car we were treated to the sight of two peregrines circling high over the valley which rounded the day off nicely.
Andy
The directions we were given were a touch vague - "Start in the village and just keep going upstream". We didn't really want to start in somone's garden so we wandered up until we came to this weir which looked as good a place to start as any.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4867a.jpg
While Bill faffed around catching not much (after getting a 10 incher first cast!) I took pictures of flowers.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4869a.jpg
We both opened our attack with small klinks but only little things wanted to play. I did kick some better fish (including some grayling) out of the weeds while wading so we both changed to a nymph under a big klink.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4871a.jpg
This new approach brought some better fish (biggest about 12") but it lacks accuracy when it comes to water like this. The very narrow channels under each bank held some good 'un's but we didn't really do it justice.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4876a.jpg
I don't know about you but I always get an urge to just lie down in water like this!!!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4877a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4878a.jpg
A nice fast run and Bill shows me how to do it.
Cast.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4883a.jpg
Strike.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4884a.jpg
Play?
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4885a.jpg
To hand.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4886a.jpg
Another.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4888a.jpg
My house (in my dreams).
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4896a.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4899a.jpg
Looking down some bouldery water, I blanked in this :oops:
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4900a.jpg
A nice one (the leader has got tangled up, I'm not fishing with the nymph 6" under the klink!)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4901a.jpg
Another good spot.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/coynea/Westcountry%20Rivers/IMG_4908a.jpg
As the afternoon went on the fish came more and more to the dry. So we changed back to small klinks and did away with the nymph. This worked well for an hour or so but then they started to come short for no obvious reason (at least to us) so we called it a day :)
Walking back to the car we were treated to the sight of two peregrines circling high over the valley which rounded the day off nicely.
Andy