I bought a EA fishing licence at the start of the season, though of course living in Gods own land I don’t actually need one. However I thought that I might end up in Wales sometime over the summer, and also I travel a lot for work so having the option to thrash the water seemed attractive.
As good as it gets aesthetically at Barrow 3
I was down Bristol this week (and have a whole week there coming up) so nipped up to the Bristol Water “Barrows” reservoirs. Also known as the tanks. I don’t know if I have been to a more unattractive fishing spot but the water is very clear though weedy about 5 or 6 yards out from the concrete embankment.
I went to Barrow 3 first as it was next to the car park. I barely seen a fish move just acres of flat water so had a wee cast of the wall near the inflow pipe halfway up the left-hand side ( its a bit whiffy here too ). I put on a mixed cast of Damsel nymph, Diawl Bach and Bibio Hopper on top dropper ginked up. But most casts were catching thick weed from the band of weed out from the edge.
I gave up and moved round to what looks like a boat launching ramp on the roadside. There were fish moving a good way out here so I put out a few casts and thought I detected one subtle tug. The BW guy came along to check permits and in our chat was saying over 1500 fish to 2lb had recently went in as well as another couple of hundred 3lb fish.
As he spoke a fish rose right behind him about 6 yards from the ramp. I swapped to a dry cast of Bibio Hopper, Brown Klinkhammer and CDC and Elk Sedge.
Still had nothing but I was able to cast right round in a big wide arch. One the right-hand side I was surprised by a swirl by my flies and I lifted to be met by solid resistance. A fish was on – it then started head shaking violently and I could feel a distinct grating sensation on the line. Then suddenly the line came pinging back at me. My cast was a tapered leader to 8lbs fluorocarbon then a 6-pound leg and finally 4 on point. The line snapped at the 6-pound section taking the Klink and sedge with it. I can only guess the fish took the Klink but why the breakage and what size the fish was I have no idea.
To be honest that was the excitement for the night for me. I went over to Barrow number 2 on the other side of the A38 but despite moving a lot to cover the very few rising fish I saw I never got a touch on anything. I tried swapping to a blob and a wet fly on top dropper but still had nothing.
Tell you what though, it doesn’t half get dark early at night down there- couldn’t see a thing at the back of half nine.
