Having survived the latest storm, but knowing that the river was not quite ready for a visit, I turned to our trusty Reservoir today with my fishing buddy Tony.
I have to say (as would Lou Reed) that it was perfect day there, with almost no wind, and sunshine almost all day, so it didn't feel cold at all. Positively idyllic as you can see.
There was only one thing missing - fish.
We only saw 1 rise during the whole day, and there were none of those big trout lurking beneath the trees which were so tempting and frustrating a few months ago. I confess that it didn't help that I trod on my reservoir rod before I'd even started fishing, while I was taking this picture - I hope you appreciate it. Luckily I had brought a normal fly rod with me, so I was able to make a few casts with that - until I snagged a tree, and while trying to pull free, I snapped that rod as well :-(
Undaunted, I turned to my third rod (doesn't everyone carry two spares?) but I admit that being a Tenkara rod, it was not ideally suited for casting into a reservoir, but I still enjoyed trying. Needless to say, I didn't catch anything, and sadly neither did Tony, despite his extensive experiments with Spey casting. We still enjoyed the day, but can't help wondering where all the fish are.
According to the Catch Returns, only one member has fished it since the mid-December work-party there, when we opened up the near end. In fact only 1 fish has been taken since it was stocked in October. I suspect those stats may reflect some under-reporting, but even so, there should be loads a fish in there.
If you do happen to have visited in the last month or two, and forgot to put in a Return, please let me know - we really do need that data. If you haven't yet been, and while the river gets back up to unfishable levels for a while, It should be worth giving it a try, even if it's for a bit of long-range casting practice that you can never get on the river. Again, please let me know how you get on, even if you don't land any trout.
Oh, and don't forget to take a spare rod - or two.
Tight Lines
PeterB
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