Chew Valley - 17/02/07

[BaggieRich]

Can anyone explain to me exactly why those unplanned, impromptu trips always turn out to be the best sort? Maybe it's because there's no expectation caused by the build up to a planned trip. Maybe it's because the fishing just feels better cause you're simply pleased to be out there. Whatever the reason, when my mate Duncan phoned me on Friday and asked if I wanted to try for pike at Chew Valley the following day I was only too pleased to take him up on his offer.

It turns out that you can only fish Chew Valley for pike for a couple of weeks every year, and even then only by applying for tickets in advance. Duncan and two of his mates had planned a trip up there, only for one of them to drop out at the last minute, meaning I had the opportunity to step in and have a days fishing for free! Hurrah!

Unfortunately, a "stupid O'Clock" start was required and by 4:45am !!!! I was on the car park of Sainsburys in Exeter to meet Duncan and his mate for the longish drive up to Bristol. By about 7am (Following a slight detour, and some problems finding the place we wanted to fish) we were setting up and starting to settle down. Well, I say settle down, myself and Duncan's mate Al were starting to settle down, but Duncan had first a pike of about 3lb followed quickly by a 2lb brownie in the first 15 mins. Hmmm, maybe this was going to be one of "those" days.

We were fishing on the southern edge of Nunnery point, with the breeze blowning into us and slightly from the east and I got to say I was loving it. It's a lovely place to spend some time, and just what the doctor ordered after the stupidly early drive up there. Unfortunatley the fish didn't seem to agree and 6 rods between the 3 of us went without a bite until after mid day. We had been geeting small little runs without any hooks up (which I was told must have been smaller trout) when one of my alarms went in a more positive way just after lunch.

I lept up and stood by the alarm for a few seconds before the line slowly started to pull off the reel, so picked it up, wound down and with a swift lift of the rod, I was in. It felt a decent fish to begin with having yanked the rod a few times, but after that it became a very tame battle and so imagine my surprise when a 3-4lb brownie came to the net. It was a very pretty fish and a few anglers from the car park even came over to have a look. How proud was I?

Unfortunately, Duncan was eager to get the fish back so I didn't manage to get a photo, but it didn't matter. I was chuffed to bits, although not the target species it was probably the biggest brownie I'm ever likely to catch so it was job done as far as I was concerned.

It must have been about 1 O'Clock when we next saw any action of note. Duncan had moved to the next swim when one of my rods went off again. The fight felt a touch different to the trout and I was hoping for a pike to even the score up, but was just as pleased when another trout came to the net, this time just a fraction smaller than the first, but still a decent fish. This time I managed a photo (but on Al's camera. I'll have to wait for that!) and again it was a beautiful fish.

An hour of pretty much nothing followed so, we decided on a move, packed up and trecked back down towards the road. It was perfectly timed as it turned out, as just as we we finished setting up the bivey it started to rain.

A lot of swaping baits over then followed and it was a small herring which produced the next action again on my rod. This time there was no doubt. The alarm screamed as the fish took off with the bait and so I imediately wound down a lifted into a much better fish. It had a couple of runs and even managed to lift it's head clear of the water a couple of times to reveal itself as the target pike. I was fishing in a quite small swim with reeds either side of me, so I had to be quite careful in bringing it to the net. Duncan waded out with the net in the end and I was mighty relieved when he slipped it under a jack pike of about 7-8lb. A quick photo and he was away, but not before Duncan had shown me how to handle these magnificent fish. It was fin perfect and fully worth the wait.

And that was it. I packed up at about 5pm and made the long journey home. As far as I know, no more fish came in so I'd beaten these pike boys at their own game! Not that it'll even be mentioned again you understand!

Chew Valley is a beautiful place and one I think we'll be back at the next time it opens it's shores to the pike mob!

Sorry about the lack of pictures, but I forgot my camera, so I'll have to wait for the shots I did get.

[pingu]

sounds a cracking day rich
well done
hope you manage to get those pics up

dave

[wellyfish]

great read rich and well done with the trout and pike

[Norfolkboy]

Well done Rich, sounds a great day! Look forward to seeing the pics.

[perch_king]

well done mate looking forward to the pics

[robm]

Well done Rich beating the pike boys and a great report its a cracking venue Chew and unlike most of the trout waters open to Pike fishing it still keeps producing the big fish.
I made the trip myself the 1st year it opened and had just 1 pike at 8lb but i saw 2 dead Perch by where you get in the boats that were the biggest Perch i have ever seen they must both of been 5 lb plus.
If you do go next year try to book a boat it opens up a whole lot more water there are plenty of features such as river beds and roads beyond casting distance that are the hotspots.

robm

[baitmaster]

well you can,t argue with a freebie can you baggie well done on the fish looking forward to the pics good write up

tightlines
kevin

[Greenheart]

Great report Rich & well done on the Trout & Pike. Chew Valleys a cracking venue, but a bit big to explore in a day. In fact it's sheer size is very daunting if you have never fished there before. I know there's some massive pike in there as i've had some big fish swirl at my trout flies when i've been fly fishing there from a boat. I even saw a 38lb fish caught on a fly a few years back when I was fishing a regional Civil Service Fly fishing competition there. One awsome fish. All I ever manage is a few Jacks when Trout fishing, but i've been thinking about tying some Pike flies & having a few chucks with them. Especially after watching Henry Gilbey on the Discovery channel, pike fishing at Chew. The Fishing lodge doe's a great breakfast too...

[geejayy]

nice 1 baggie, worth getting up for

[Twiddler]

cracking report Rich ......great to hear you have come over to the dark side too.......sounds like we will have to pass the crown on to someone else now