Latest News
15th January 2012 by Tony Perks
Went down to the river for a few hours with the river just clearing down after rainfall, and was a good couple of feet up since my last visit. Myself and Nathan fished Beat 1, link ledgering worms into the deep hole on the outside bends, Nathan Taking a Lovely Chub of just over two pounds, and a small out of season brown, Myself ..........not so good all I caught was a tiny Bullhead which managed to swallow the 4" worm and hook itself in the top lip with a size 10 hook!! Plenty of rattles on the tip which i put down to small grayling, minnows or maybe roach.
18th December by Peter Coleman Smith
Fished Beat 2 today, 1-2.30pm. Weather cold and bright, river high and coloured. I took a while to locate the fish but by the time I left I'd caught an out of season brownie of 11", grayling to 10" and chub to 17", all on trotted sweetcorn. The fish were in terrific condition, one of the chub leaping twice before coming to hand, something I've not experienced before. A nice trip to end the year.
18th September by Tony Perks
After being a member now for almost 2 years and not managing to fish myself, I have finally found time to make the short trip along the lane. I fished Beat 1 on Friday afternoon, and fished float and free lined worm, for 3 Browns biggest around 11 inches, 2 small Grayling both only 4 inches and a lovely Chub that must have been pushing 2 pounds - see photo. The weather was lovely and the river was still very low even after the rain recently, with some fish rising to what to my eyes look like small olives. All fish were in top condition and put up great scraps all except the Chub which was rather limp and came straught to the net!
15th July by Nigel Andrews
Having attended the recent habitat improvement working party on the Kennels Beat, I decided to try that part of our water, since I had never fished the stretch before. The day was warm and sunny with a slight breeze; I fished from about 1030 to 1500. The water was reasonably clear and had quite a decent flow rate.
There were a few mayflies showing, so I decided to fish ‘dry’ with one of these patterns. The day was however, quite unusual, because no fish appeared to be taking off the surface; however, I persisted with the dry fly and after ten of fifteen minutes I caught a decent brown trout of about three quarters of a pound. After a little while with no further bites, I changed to a small weighted nymph. During the rest of the fishing period, I had several takes from (I assume) small fish but no further luck with landing anything of any size.
During the morning, I worked my way down-stream through the tunnels to the aluminium footbridge and ate my lunch there.
This beat of the river is very beautiful and challenging, there are some very deep pools and steep banks. There is still a lot of the dreaded Himalayan Balsam showing along this beat and I must have spent as much time pulling this up as fishing.
About 25 yards downstream of the tunnels, a large tree has fallen across the river and in several places overhanging branches need to be removed; an HIP on this beat would be very welcome. Also, noting the depth of some of the pools, the steepness of the banks and dense vegetation, I think it would be a good idea to clear the occasional entry/exit point and chop some steps into the bank.
Although not the most fruitful of visits, it was a most enjoyable trip and I feel very privileged to be a member of CAA with such a great river venue to enjoy.
19th June by Bernie Price
Prior to the Himalayan Balsam pulling session last Wednesday I had a very brief wander through Beat Five on the Ozzleworth Brook in the hour or so before we started. I fished exclusively dry fly until the last pool before the Wooden Bridge when I switched to the klink and dink. In that short spell I managed eleven Browns with all but two coming to the dry - I lost a good nunber too as many decided to go airborne, especially in the tight spots and shallow runs. That hour whet the appetite for a return visit at the weekend and again I started at the bottom of Beat Five and then worked on up through to the top of Beat Six. A dozen feisty wild Browns came to hand, five to the dry fly on the lower beat and seven, mostly to the nymph, from the upper beat. The odd May was still coming off but the trout were not really interested and instead seemed to be preoccupied with the smaller food items on offer. Succesful patterns included a black klinkhammer and a beaded gold ribbed hares ear nymph. These beats are wadeable along their entire length at present and look resplendant with slow deep holes and shaded areas bathed in dappled sunlight interspersed with lively, bright and sparkling runs full of swaying ranunculus - magic!
16th May by Peter Coleman-Smith
Walking to the river it was cold enough for my breath to show. Under the trees a thorough reccy revealed nothing rising and fair numbers of dark sedges about. Just below the concrete bridge a small PTN and black dry combo yielded a nice grayling (well over 12"), then working upstream a trout and couple more grayling. In a deep pool I hooked and lost a much better fish (chub I think). About 10am I saw mayfly emerge through the film (huge, I'd forgotten just how big they are). Fishing blind with a big pale klinker then provoked violent takes and I ended with 6 browns, all in the 10-12" range. I really enjoyed it. LRA was very low and the fish jittery (loads came off or didn't connect). I spent some time pulling balsam, lots coming through now. Under a largely blue sky the Gloucestershire countryside looked fantastic.
15th May by Bernie Price
Matt and I fished Beats Two and Three at Avening Green this morning but the timing of our visit meant that we were a little early for the Mayflies, certainly at the beginning of the session anyway. Rising fish were in evidence but they were few and far between. We wondered if this was the result of the cooler temperature or if the fish had gorged the previous day on Mays. Casting to likely spots or to where fish had shown resulted in two Browns coming to hand quite quickly, both to a black klinkhammer. After this early success we struggled somewhat until we reached one of the deeper pools further around the bend - Matt spotted a struggling Mayfly which swiftly disappeared as a hungry Brown took advantage of it's predicament. That prompted a change to a Mayfly imitation and with the change came an upturn in our fortunes. Mays began to show in greater numbers and the response from the Trout was similar. We fished through and up to the weir pool above the footbridge, casting at rising fish (and missing many) as we went. All tolled we had accounted for sixteen Browns between us. The most successful fly was a lightly dressed size 12 ginger and grizzle wulff fished dry or in the surface film. We left the river at about eleven thirty by which time a fair few Mays were coming off and a chance encounter with Ian Mackenzie confirmed that he was also taking advantage of the hatch!
PS - Himalayan Balsam is showing in these beats so please pull as many plants as possible as you fish your way though.
30th April by Bernie Price
Had a wander through tunnels today and on up into the Kennels Beat. What surprised me was how Trout were stationed in such shallow water in places - it took a lot of patience to find the right vantage point then deliver a 'right first time' cast in an attempt to drop a fly with sufficient slack tippet to allow a decent drift and at the same time avoid lining the fish or picking up drag too soon. Suffice to say I managed a less than fifty percent success rate! I had five Browns from the weir pool on the bend above the treatment works, ranging from five inches to ten inches and all in immaculate condition - since we removed and staked the tree that was impeding casting, this pool has become a real gem. The river is in tip top condition, albeit very low, and I got so preoccupied with the sights and sounds that I didn't photograph any fish. The usual kingfishers, dippers and ducks were present and a pair of woodpeckers gave me a noisy reception when I rounded one bend. Fish were showing on the surface through all the beats and I did manage to get a snap of the resulting rings from a rising Brown... now that gets the adenalin pumping. All in all I had eight Browns and one Grayling to the dry. Top fly was again an Olive Klinkhammer in a #16. The bee keeper was tending his hives when I got back to the car and a quick chat with him was interesting - he said he's taken over 30 pounds of honey off already this year, which is a month sooner than normal... and I had watched a solitary Mayfly struggling on the surface earlier - it makes you wonder whether the Mayfly hatch will be advanced this year too? Tight Lines all.
24th April by Bernie Price
Having just read PC-S and JJO's report from yesterday I can relay a very much similar morning. I fished with Matt from about eight to just after eleven on Beats Two and Three. The weather was much cooler than of late with a definite chill to the wind but that did not seem to deter the Trout from taking off the surface and the steady trickle of olives helped to focus their attention a little too.
We both exclusively fished dry, using olive klinkhammers and sight casting to rising fish, although Matt's first wild Brown came out of nowhere to engulf a fly pitched at a rise half a yard or so further upstream - a swift photograph and it was was quickly released. Rising fish were present throughout the Beats and despite our best efforts at the so called long range catch and release technique a few did stay on to make the morning most enjoyable. Three wild Browns came to my fly and two to Matt's, plus one out of season Grayling. Like Peter and Jon, we also took in the sights and smells that makes this time of year so special - the fish were a bonus. Unlike previously there was no further evidence of litter or poachers during this trip.
23rd April by Peter Coleman-Smith
Jon Ogborne and I travelled to the LRA together and while he fished the top stretch of the Berkley water (he's a member there too) I tackled the CAA's Damery Beat. The river wasn't as clear as I'd expected but was cool and low. I saw the odd rise every 10 minutes or so though nothing regular. Midges, occasional olivea and sedges were on the water. By 11am I'd caught four brownies on dries (to 12.5", all in very good nick) and had another on a GRHE nymph. I'd missed and lost others. A challenging session on another beautiful morning. Wild garlic was in full bloom, campion in bud - and the Himalyan Balsam beginning to sprout, though still a bit small to be pulled up.
Sat/Sun 16/17th April by Billy Dickson
I managed to escape to the river twice this weekend. Saturday afternoon, I fished through Huntingford and the bottom half of the Kennels beat. Weather warm and sunny, river clear and now very low. Caught 6 trout to 11" and grayling of 11" and 12" on Huntingford, mostly on small nymphs. 5 coming from one pool. Then waded through the tunnels and caught two trout (8" and 10") on a dry Adams in the bottom part of the Kennels. Nice to see some bigger grayling this year. There was a large group of older teenagers next to the weir pool, having a BBQ and more than a few beers. A mixed group of both boys and girls. They certainly were not fishing, and as long as they took their rubbish home, were not doing any harm.
Sunday, I had an hour after lunch below the Wooden Bridge. After a chat with John West who was down checking on the mink rafts, I walked down to the cattle lick and fished back up to the bridge. There were a few LDOs about and the odd fish rising. I caught 3 trout to 11" - two smaller trout on nymphs and the larger one on a dry Adams. I need more practice in casting around corners before fishing this beat again. Unfortunately, I found another Mepps like spinner just after I started fishing. This was identical to the one found last week on Beat 6. The Mepps was attached to some trailing nylon, which was at least 10lb strength. It was found towards the middle of the beat. Looks like the poachers are extending their territory. Not good news.
Saturday 9th April by Billy Dickson
I had an hour or so on beat 6 (above the Wooden Bridge) in the late afternoon. The temperature was almost 20 deg and I fished in shirt sleeves. Rather alarmingly, I found a large Mepps attached to some trailing nylon in the water immediately above the Flight Pool. The large treble hooks really damage small/medium trout, and a few hours spinning in the stretch above the flight pool could decimate trout stocks up there. Worryingly, I did not get any takes in the bottom section of that stretch, but things picked up in the upper section. I finished up with two trout of 6" and 8" on dry flies, and two more were hooked and lost on nymphs.
9th April by Bernie Price
I decided on an early start this morning and so made my way to Avening Green for just after seven. I slid into the river just below the bridge at Beat Two and although there was a hatch underway when I arrived very little surface activity was evident. I began running the klink and dink through a few pools taking a number of out of season Grayling but the temptation to fish the dry coupled with the desire to stay away from the Grayling got the better of me pretty quickly. I switched to the light olive klinkhammer and made speculative casts as I progressed up up the beat. One missed take and an acrobatic display that resulted in a lost fish was all I had to show until a corner pool which swept under a willow revealed a feisty inhabitant in the shape of fin perfect wild brown that also went airborne but fortunately stayed on. A quick snap in the sunshine to capture it's beautiful colours then carefully released. A couple more pools were tried but that was the end of the action so I climbed out and headed back to the car, more than happy with the outcome of the morning. I bumped into two other members on the river too - both also happy to be enjoying the scenery, the fishing and the weather... the river is definitely beginning to warm and the trout are looking up - my previous trip saw eleven wild browns of varying sizes come to hand which bodes well for the future. On another note, since the Riverfly Partnership induction day, I have looked differently at my tyings, certainly favouring smaller (more 14 and 16) and more immitative patterns... it seems to be working too. I have included a couple of photographs to illustrate. Tight Lines all.
26th March by Billy Dickson
Two bites at the cherry today. Thinking that I had to look after the kids for most of today, I got up earlyish and had an hour at Damery from about 8am. The water was low and clear. I fished quickly up through Damery catching a good 12" grayling on a small goldhead, and a few more tugs. Getting home, I discovered that plans had changed and I had another few hours to play with. So after breakfast, I went back down and fished through Huntingford between about 11.30am and 1pm. Missed a good trout in the first pool above the bridge, and then enjoyed fairly consistent sport. Finished up at the railway tunnels with 9 brown trout between 7" and 12", all but one on a small nymph. the other on a dry fly. There were a few olives around and a few fish splashed at my dry towards the end of the beat. Really nice spring day. River could do with a bit more water. Great start to the season
25th March by Jon Ogbourne
Tony Reddiford and I snuck off work early on Friday to catch the couple of hours before sunset on the rivet, but spent over an hour sat in a static traffic jam on the M5 watching the sun get lower and lower. We eventually got on the river bank by about 5.45pm with an hour max to fish. We chose our pools with care. I opted for the run up to the tump by the electricity sign on beat 2. Even though it had been a warm day nothing was rising and soon it was cool enough to see my breath. I tried with a DHE, encouraged by John who we had met in the car park and had caught 2 brown trout on a dry, but as the light faded I switched to a nymph resulting in two nice 10" fish. By the time I passed the tump it was too dark to see the indicator klink. Very glad to have spent even fleeting hour in LRA although I wish some of the nymphs that were in evidence in the riverfly survey would hatch when I'm in the river!
19 March by Peter Coleman-Smith
Glorious spring sunshine 19 March: I fished Damery with Jon Ogborne on Saturday morning. It was frosty initally (my rod rings kept freezing) but the air quickly warmed in the bright sun. Using my little book rod was a treat after a number of months launching lug worms and 6oz leads into the BC. However, Oggy showed me the way it should be done - catching over a dozen fish on a nymphs, including some lovely wild trout. Curiously (and hopefully a fluke) despite fishing hard not a fin stirred in my vicinity and the various goldheads and PTNs I tried provoked nothing more than derision. I didn't blank though. In one swift run a spirited 11" brownie seized the size 10# klinkhammer on my leader. After 5 or 6 jumps I brought it to hand and had my first fish on a dry for the year. Excellent sport.
2nd January 2011 by Bernie Price
Jon Hall and I met at Avening Green for a morning session in search of a New Year Grayling today. Following a small spate due to snow melt early last week the river looked in perfect condition, flowing with a renewed pace that the extra water brings at this time of year and with a clarity that was still slightly grey but definitely promising. Peering upstream from Avening Bridge a Grayling rose about half way up the straight... a good omen we hoped. We set off for the pools above the cable marker on beat two, both of us rigged up with short leaders and twin size 10 czech nymphs in pink and tan. Jon was first into a fish, a Grayling of about four ounces, surprisingly taken from a fast run at the head of one of the deeper pools. Not where we expected to catch given the temperature but this set the scene for likely holding spots for the rest of the morning as fish seemed to be stationed in the shallower water. Soon afterwards Jon took another Grayling, well over the pound mark and in excellent condition. I followed with a couple of Grayling of my own but nothing above eight ounces. All our fish came to deep fished czech nymphs despite the odd rising fish showing periodically to distract us. We fished through the remaining pools up to the footbridge before doubling back to beat one. Both of us enjoyed success here too and once again there was the odd rising fish to be seen but not consistently enough to persuade a switch to the dry fly. However, a change of colour (from tan czech nymph to orange) brought a change in fortunes as the catch rate stepped up and I took my best Grayling of the day from the 'S' bends, a fish nudging a pound and a quarter. A quick photograph and it was returned, none the worse, soon to be followed by its twin. As I met up with Jon for the walk back to Avening Green bridge a quick glance back at the pools we had not long waded through revealed yet another rise... it made us wonder, whether perhaps we should have put up the dry fly and had the odd speculative cast or two... ah well, there's always next time.
Tight Lines for 2011 to everyone.
1st January 2011 by Peter Coleman-Smith
A balmy 7 degrees, light wind and overcast sky tempted me to the LA. I found it in good nick, clear and fairly low, with foam along the edges telling the story of recent snow-melt. The fish proved hungry for corn fished slow and deep. A leash of grayling (all between 12" & 13"), brace of chub plus a nice roach and an aggressive trout made for a great trip. I missed other takes (a competent coarse angler would have grassed many more fish). Dippers and wrens were much in evidence as were a couple of grey squirrels.
12th December by Bernie Price
I took a trip to the LRA today, the first for some weeks due to a combination of weather and other things, and it felt good to be back, despite the ice cold and foggy start. I began just before nine o'clock on the first bend by the new fence at beat one. The usual pools were lined but to no avail, nothing stirred save a couple of noisy Dippers that kept me company for a short while. I fished through the first bend, and the second and was just entering the straight when a speculative cast saw the Klinkhammer dip below the surface and a half hearted lift met with splashy resistance... a small Grayling of maybe four ounces had taken the suspended size 14 beaded hares ear nymph and had saved the day, so it seemed. I moved on through the beat with nothing more to show until I got to the pool by the small weir. Off with the Klink and Dink and on with two heavy Czech Nymphs (size 12 shrimps in beige and pink). First cast and a Grayling twice the size of the first came to hand... then nothing. After a few more fruitless casts I climbed out and walked to the stone bridge at Avening Green and beyond. I was joined there by Jon Hall, welcome company indeed. The fishing was definitely better on this beat and so we leap-frogged each other through the pools and up to the run just before the footbridge where the last of my fish obliged to the pink shrimp. Jon had persisted with the Klink and Dink and I with the Czech Nymph, both of us fishing short but deep. We had taken 14 Grayling including several quality fish between us before we stepped out of the river and made our way back to the car - an excellent session and far better than the way it had looked at the start. A glance at the watch whilst sipping a welcome cup of coffee revealed that all was done and dusted by twelve thirty on what had now turned out to be a beautifully clear and sunny Winter's morning.
