The eagerly anticipated TWFFS Fur & Feather event at Lakedown was well attended by 23 members. As a traditional thank-you to our members, the society covers the cost of food on the day. It was good to see new and old faces chatting over coffee and breakfast rolls

Conditions were dry but chilly along with a light easterly breeze. An easterly breeze can often mean difficult fishing - I learnt the well used phrase 'When the wind is from the east the fish bite least' from my Dad in the very early years of my fishing experiences. That said, many of our attendees did their very best to debunk the old saying with a good number having landed 2 of their 3 fish in the first half an hour or so. Then the old saying bit back and early confidence travelled away on the easterly but not so for all. If your name was James then the gods smiled. James Gardner landed a fabulous brown trout from Lake One, and James Dench was in the lodge with his 3 fish bag before 11 o'clock. Others like me toiled away until the 1 pm finish. Pleasingly most but not quite all had caught fish but we had worked hard for them

All were now looking forward to lunch and a beer in the warmth of the lodge. Splendid it was, with much banter about the morning’s fishing and who might have won the coveted Fur & Feather trophy. The result was close with only 6 oz separating the winner and runner-up. In the end a single fish of 8 lb 14 oz, the brown trout caught by James Gardner, won the day. It also meant that James had retained the trophy having won it in 2021. Keith Lawrence with 3 fish was runner-up and just 6 oz behind James. James also bagged the Brownie Shield for the biggest brown trout caught in 2022 (another trophy he retains from 2021!). Congratulations to both James and Keith. Full results are listed below

A very well supported raffle raised £200 and will help the Society continue supporting events such as these in 2023

Finally our thanks are due to Cathy Mockford for providing our splendid breakfast, lunch and her famed lemon drizzle cake. Also our thanks go to Jamie, Ted and the Tap Room crew at Lakedown for giving us another memorable day

Results

• 1. James Gardner - 1 fish - 8lb 14oz
• 2. Keith Lawrence - 3 fish - 8lb 8oz
• 3. Neil Osmond - 3 fish - 8lb 4oz
• 4. James Dench - 3 fish - 6lb 12oz
• 5. Mark Tremain-Coker & Ron Lewis - 3 Fish - 6lb 8oz

Total fish caught 36

Four members travelled in anticipation to this usually productive fishery. The weather gods ignored their expectations and arranged for copious quantities of rain in the preceding few days, so much that the lake was quite badly coloured and had overflowed into the nearby brook. Nil desperandum: each applied themselves to the circumstances of murky water, overcast skies and persistent drizzle. It was decided to release all fish on this occasion. By lunch, Mark had netted and released two fish fishing nymphs and a FAB, washing-line style and Nathan had lost one; John and Ian were fishless. Moving to different swims in the afternoon brought two more fish for Mark and Nathan was congratulated in netting a fish after a number lost on previous outings. Sadly, conditions continued to be challenging and John and Ian remained fishless. Last casts were made at 4.00pm at the end of a tough day but we shall look forward to future days in the knowledge of how good an on-form Elinor can be

Final results were:

• 1. Mark Tremain-Coker 4 fish
• 2. Nathan Tremain-Coker 1 fish
•    John Dunmall 0 fish
•    Ian Watts 0 fish

Five intrepid members turned out at a very depleted Bewl Water for this trophy and Championship event. The weather conformed to its dreary forecast of cool breezes and rain. The water clarity was almost nil thanks to the recent heavy rainfall on the extensive areas of mud exposed by very low water levels. Prospects were not good and it was notable that our three boats made half of the total fleet out on the water; even the any-method anglers had obviously abandoned hope! A morning’s concerted fishing in various locations resulted in only one fish by lunchtime (an unlucky fish taken on a trailing fly when motoring to a new drift and therefore not counted). Rain set in and sandwiches were eaten in the warmth and dry of the men’s changing room. Returning to a cold and wet afternoon on a water that had little chance of producing fish was not an attractive proposition and the vote was unanimous in abandoning further efforts. Sadly, the Nigel Turner trophy will not be claimed this season. Each of the day’s hardy anglers will receive two Championship points for participating but as no fish were legally caught, no places were achieved

• Nick Cox
• John Dunmall
• Bob Holland2 well-deserved Championship points each!
• Peter Thomason
• Ian Watts

Two well-deserved Championship points each!

That’s fishing!

There was a very good turnout by TWFFS members for the rescheduled Society sponsored Summer/Autumn social event at Brick Farm trout fishery. It was good to see many members supporting the Society and one of our local trout fisheries

The weather was perfect, a very mild 17 degrees, a gentle south-westerly breeze with cloud and occasional sunshine and a small chance of a shower. Fishing at Brick Farm had seen much improvement after the hot summer of 2022 with cooler water temperature and higher levels of oxygen in the lakes getting trout moving and feeding

Brick Farm regular Ray Burt was into fish quickly on the new Spring Lake, James Dench also catching fish on Stag Lake. Newish member Simon Gregory was also out of the blocks quickly with 3 fish on Brick Lake, one of which looked to be an early contender for biggest fish of the day. Unknown to them all was my lovely wife April quietly going about her business on Well Lake with a mini Cats Whisker lure. She hooked her first fish and I was close by and happy to help her with netting it. April was keen to try and net the fish on her own and then we got a first glimpse of it - a cracker of a fish. Prudence took over and the help with netting was accepted. Cautiously she played the fish until it was ready to come to the net, a lovely fully finned and good sized rainbow. What a first fish for her - it turned out at the weigh-in to be exactly 5lb - superb!

All the lakes were producing early fish but unfortunately not for all anglers. New member Mike O'Lone had three on and off - unlucky. Others too were struggling to get any takes. Ray Burt was first to get the 4 fish bag - well done Ray. I managed 2 from Well Lake - no biggies though. A mention of our only junior member on the day, Cane Lawrence: Cane had 2 fish from Well Lake with his dad Keith close by, who had none. Cane had the early bragging rights but they didn't last as Dad caught and passed him in the afternoon. 3 fish to 2 at the close. Next time Cane!

Lunch was taken at 12.30pm and Danni and the team served us all a delicious chilli with jacket potato and then home-made Victoria sponge, fruit or chocolate cake for dessert - I confess to sampling 2 of them. A raffle was held and raised a fabulous £175 for Society funds

Three anglers had managed to get 4 fish by lunch - Ray Burt, James Dench and Simon Gregory - well done to all three. A few others were on 3 and then the rest on 2's, 1's and 0's. All were hoping for better in the afternoon. The weather remained good but fishing seemed to get a little harder with only the occasional fish coming to the net. What was great to see was the support that our more experienced members were giving to any newer members that were struggling. I was pleased to see the spirit of TWFFS in giving support to other members so alive and well

We finished the fishing at 4pm and enjoyed a little further refreshment back at the lodge. We then completed the weigh-in to establish who would have the best bag and the best fish on the day. Two fish were obvious contenders for best fish one to Simon Gregory and the other to April Heasman. April's fish was heavier by 14oz. Well done April!

Best Fish:

• April Heasman - 5lb 0oz rainbow
• Simon Gregory - 4lb 2oz rainbow

Best bag of the day was a very close affair with Simon Gregory pipping Russell Bell by just 1oz - very close indeed with commiserations to Russell and well done to Simon

Top 6 results and bag weights - this was not a championship event so no points awarded towards the club championship

• 1. Simon Gregory 4 Fish - 10lb 3oz
• 2. Russell Bell 4 Fish - 10lb 2oz
• 3. Mark Tremain-Coker 4 Fish - 9lb 7oz
•    James Dench 4 Fish - 9lb 7oz
• 5. April Heasman 3 Fish - 9lb 4oz
• 6. Ray Burt 4 Fish - 7lb 9oz

21 Anglers on the day and 43 fish landed giving a rod average of just over 2

A big thank-you to Simon and April for donating their winnings to club funds

TWFFS also gives well earned thanks to Danni, Phil and the team at Brick Farm for a wonderful day with them. We look forward to a return soon

Eleven anglers, including one guest and two junior members, travelled to Eyebrook reservoir for a day’s loch-style fishing. The day dawned as a beautiful early autumn day. The bright sunshine may not have been the best for angling but did lift the soul

After drawing for partners, we set out across the southern end of the lake (lodge end). It was good to see that the water level had not been as badly affected by the hot summer as had other reservoirs

The format was catch and release with the time of the first trout caught to be a decider in the event of a draw. Latest information was that the fish were in the top of the water and that very much proved to be the case with most anglers opting for a floating or midge-tip lines

At the lunch time stop, Keith Lawrence was leading the way with eight fish caught across the middle of the lake

The afternoon continued as per the morning with anglers using the westerly wind to drift from the bank out to the middle and sometimes across to the trees on the far bank. Fish were spread out although the dam area was remarkably quiet fish-wise

Black and claret hoppers accounted for the majority of fish although dries were used with success as the afternoon progressed and the brightness of the sun lessened. This included an estimated 4lb rainbow caught by Russell

The final scores were:

• 1. Keith Lawrence 13 fish
• 2. Graham Morgan Plumb 9 fish
• 3. Mark Tremain-Coker 8 fish
• 4. Alastair Garner 7 fish
• 5. Ian Watts 6 fish
• 6. Russell Bell 4 fish
• 7. John Dunmall 3 fish
• 8. Cane Lawrence 1 fish
• 8. Ray French 1 fish

Nathan Tremain-Coker did not land any on this occasion but unluckily lost several during the day

Rob Toptalo also caught 9 fish but as a guest angler, is not eligible for points

All agreed that this was a good day fished in lovely weather

After weeks of record temperatures and drought conditions sending trout into total torpor, six members set off in pursuit of carp on this well-established coarse fishery. Having gained experience over the past season, we quickly brought the fish onto the feed on mixtures of dog and cat biscuits and good sized carp were cruising within easy casting distance. Although feeding well, they showed a degree of traditional cyprinid caution and experiments with different biscuit and natural insect fly imitations were needed before inducing confident takes. Although the day was cut short by a welcome but fearsome thunder storm which flooded the homeward roads, all but one of the party had fish. A total of 19 carp were netted and gently returned. Weights ranged from 6lb to over 18lb and three members of the party achieved personal best weights:

April Heasman caught her first ever carp on the fly with three fish, two in double figures with the best fish weighing 13lb 1oz

Keith Nicholson had three fish, two in double figures and a personal best ghost carp of 9lb 1oz

Gary Collins netted a magnificent seven fish, the heaviest being a common carp turning the scales at 18lb 7oz (some tussle on a fly rod!) and a personal best grass carp of 15lb 7oz

Elphicks is a pleasant fishery with a convenient on-site cafe. The swims where we fished around Kettles Lake are mostly open and amenable to fly casting. We can thoroughly recommend this to anyone who is seeking an alternative fly-fishing experience whilst summer trout are almost uncatchable

This mid-week event was attended by Ray Burt, Martyn Gray and Peter Thomason. The fishing at this attractive and well-maintained fishery started well with fish being caught on the larger Mill Lake on floating lines and Cruncher nymphs. Other fish were taken on intermediate lines and Snake flies. As is often the case on small fisheries, takes became less frequent as the morning wore on and Martyn and Peter had to work hard to add to their morning bags. Also, as is often the case, Ray had completed his five fish limit by then!

The day ended with Ray with his five fish, Martyn with four and Peter two. All fish were of good quality, nearing three pounds weight and hard fighting

An enjoyable day in pleasant surroundings and good company

Six members of TWFFS fished Powdermill reservoir with two opting to fish from the bank and four from boats. The weather was hot and sunny with little cloud cover.

In the morning Mick Priest was the most successful having bagged fish from the bank by one o’clock. Several methods were employed but if memory serves correctly one of the most successful was twiddling Crunchers back slowly in the ripple, that method accounted for three of the five fish. James Dench shared a boat with Gary Collins and picked up the biggest trout of the day in the morning weighing in at 4lb 8oz. Between them they landed four fish by lunchtime. Bob Holland and I sharing the other boat were less successful, Bob landing one fish using Irish wet fly patterns whilst I perfecting the art of long range release

In the afternoon fishing did pick up and by the end of the day James, Gary and Mick had all bagged up with six fish apiece. There were more mayfly coming off the water, Bob landing a further three fish on Grey Wulff patterns. I continued to perfect hooking then executing long range release along with Buster Heasman who also had a hot challenging day fishing from the bank

All in all a great sociable day with good company even if the fishing was a little challenging (for me at least). A welcome pint afterwards in the Queens Head at Seddlecombe rounded of a very pleasant day

Results for the day were:

• 1. James Dench 6 fish 18lb 8oz and heaviest fish of the day at 4lb 8oz
• 2. Mick Priest 6 fish 11lb 0oz
• 3. Gary Collins 6 fish 10lb 2oz
• 4. Bob Holland 4 fish 6lb 6oz

Buster Heasman and Neil Osmond nil fish but 2 Championship points each for attending

Nine members fished this trophy and Championship event at Bewl. The general consensus was to fish the bank from Ferry Point to Monty’s Seat and to Dunsters Bay. Unusually for a bank holiday weekend, the weather was warm with bright sunshine; combined with clear water, this did not provide the most propitious of fishing conditions as demonstrated by the final results!

All participants tried a wide variety of techniques on lines from floating to DI7 and takes were very few and far between. By lunchtime only three rods had fish in the bag and one or two rods had either lost a fish or had takes but no hook-ups. The afternoon session continued in the same desolate vein for most

The day ended with just three rods having fish and five rods blanking. The winner of the day with a very creditable performance was James Dench with four fish. James thus retained the Dave Clarke Cup for another year plus 12 Championship points. Runner-up was Gary Collins whose one fish earned 10 Championship points and third place also with one fish went to Ian Watts with eight Championship points. The remainder of the field earned two Championship points each and a well-earned accolade for persistence and good cheer!

Fishing is not wholly about catching and this day proved the point with good company and Bewl Water in its prime springtime array

This event is the first competition in the TWFFS calendar. Ten members attending, including two lady members, April Heasman and Kim Marsh. Also attending was a member we have not seen for some time, Alan Martin. Danni at the fishery provided breakfast rolls and cake

Not the best conditions to fish: a strong south easterly breeze with gusts of about 20mph and very bright sunshine which pushed the fish down

There are four lakes at Brick Farm. None of us caught out of Spring Lake. Most successful lakes were Brick and Well. Jon Dunmall caught a nice four inch swan mussel on a bloodworm. By lunchtime Keith Lawrence had caught his four fish and afterwards helped Alan with the bung method. Over lunch we held a raffle which raised £50.00 for the Club funds

We finished fishing at 4.00pm and the results were as follows:

Joint first were April Heasman and Keith Lawrence, both with a weight of 7lb 10oz. They were followed by Micky Heasman with 7lb 2oz. Joint fourth were Mike Marsh and Keith Nicholson with 4lb 4oz, then Andy Stoner with 3lb 6oz

April also caught the biggest fish, a rainbow weighing 3lb 12oz, on a rubber legged daddy

Thanks to everyone who attended the first event, and to Danni and her colleagues at Brick Farm for looking after us so well