There’s nothing quite like catching a trout on flies you’ve tied yourself. So, when an opportunity arose to get off work early on a Friday, I decided to have a run out to Manningford to try out a few new winter flies I’d been tying over the last few weeks.
It was a grey, overcast day with a strong wind and the ground was very muddy underfoot after the heavy rains over the last few weeks. The water was choppy with the wind and with the temperature around nine degrees, it felt very much like a winter’s afternoon. After purchasing a two fish ticket, for a very reasonable £25 (well, reasonable where I live anyway), I tackled up with simple set-up; floating line, twelve foot leader and a single fly and set out onto Manor Lake, the larger of the two lakes at Manningford.
I started with an apps bloodworm I’d tied a few weeks ago, thinking the trout may be lying deep due to the conditions. I fan-casted the margins to start with, gradually lengthening the line out into the lake. I was counting down the fly, giving it plenty of time to hit the bottom on this relatively shallow lake, and retrieving with a slow figure of eight with the odd fast twitch. After twenty minutes, I’d had no interest, so decided to change tack.
The water was very coloured, probably due to the heavy rain, so I opted for a black humungous variation I’d tied the previous week. It had a bead at the front to take it down, a black body wound with a pearl rib and specks of silver running through the black marabou tail.
I started with a long countdown, again thinking the fish would be deep, and mixed up the retrieve. After ten minutes, there had been no takes so on the next cast I started the retrieve as soon as the fly hit the water. Immediately, there was a take and the rod bent into a fish. However, it felt wrong and as I got the fish into the bank it wriggled free. No matter, I’d found the approach. They were up higher in the water and they wanted a fairly quick, jerky retrieve.
I had a few more casts without anything and couldn’t help thinking the fly was getting down too quickly. I checked in my box and changed it for a similar fly but with a red thread head, rather than a bead. First cast out and a few quick sharp pulls and the rod bent into a lovely silver, 2lb trout (which I got to the bank this time). I cast out again immediately and hit my second 2lb rainbow straight away.
The killer fly (today):
Catch and release
Having caught my two fish, I decided to spend an hour or two on the catch and release section. This part of the fishery falls between the two lakes and alongside the River Avon. Hidden among the trees there is a long thin section which, with a flow of water running through it feels a little like a small river, and then a wider pool at the end. With the wind sheltered by the trees, it was very calm and still.
I started at the end with the wider pool, trying a small black nymph but without any luck. I then switched to one of the most natural flies I had in the box, a hares ear I’d tied myself. I wandered round the small pool trying every spot and little nook and cranny with no interest. Before I left, I decided to try the thin section. There was a flow on the water, so I tried to fish it like a river, dropping the fly in and letting it drift across the current with a few little twitches. I moved down the stretch and saw a shadow of a small trout lying stationary in the middle of the stream. I flicked the line out two-three metres in front of the fish and let the fly float round to it. As I thought it was getting close, I gave the line a few little twitches and watched, happily, as the trout surged into motion and gulped in my fly. It was only a little rainbow, probably not even 1lb but it was a good feeling nonetheless. I continued this approach, targeting the fish I could see and had a couple of bites but no more fish. No matter, a very enjoyable afternoon and caught fish on my own flies.
General conditions – Cold, overcast and windy
Wind direction – South Westerly
Flies that worked – Black Humongous, Hares Ear