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- Опубликовано: 9 сен 2024
- Last trip of 2023 for me and Thursday's rain meant I had a bit of a drive around the various Crediton beats to find somewhere clear enough to fish. I ended up on the Taw at Taw bridge. I managed to catch a few fish on the nymph and on the dry fly which was a nice way to finish the season.
Many thanks to everyone who has watched the videos and liked and subsribed and especially to those who have left a comment. Hopefully I'll be back for some more outings next year. Catch you later.
Thanks for the wonderful videos, Chris. Here in the eastern US (Maryland), we are seeing the same unfortunate decline in insect life and the inevitable negative impact on fish. It seems to be both a combination of changing climate and pesticide use. Thank you very much for sharing these stream videos.
Judging by the comments Brian it appears to be the same everywhere. We like to think we're such a clever species developing all these pesticides and insecticides etc.. as Jeff Goldbloom put it in Jurassic Park
YEAH, BUT YOUR SCIENTISTS WERE SO PREOCCUPIED WITH WHETHER OR NOT THEY COULD THAT THEY DIDN’T STOP TO THINK IF THEY SHOULD.”
Excellent video you caught some nice fish to end the season.
Well done Chris at least you caught to finish the season, my rivers are all in flood and more rain due Monday, I think the poor hatches are solely down to mans pollution and the saddest thing is no-one will put a stop to it, all the stones on riverbeds here are coated in brown muck yet 30 yrs ago they were clean. I would just like to say thank you for the effort you put into giving us these lovely videos. ATB Mike
Cheers for all the encouragement this season Mike, sorry to hear that yours is going out on a bit of a whimper. Still, you had some great fish this year, so there's nothing wrong with resting on your laurels. Can you keep fishing your rivers for Grayling?
Hi Chris,. Thanks for a wonderful insight to the beuty of this river. I went to the fishing shop in Crediton today and H' pointed me your direction. Im going to join the club - cant wait. Thanks again
Many thanks, Paul. we're very lucky to have a fly fishing shop in Crediton, and Howard has probably forgotten more about the club waters than I'll ever know! If you join in time, I'd recommend coming along to a few of the river work parties (dates on the club website). It's a great way to learn about access, parking, beat boundaries, etc.. and a chance to talk tactics with some of the old hands. I've learnt a lot from them.
Chris
Well done Chris you really pulled that one out of the fire - some nice fish too. I agree with your assessment of the season and of the general degradation of the rivers. Intensive farming has a lot to answer for. Governments will do nothing about it preferring to take the easy route, throw their hands in the air and blame nebulous concepts like climate change. We anglers have longer term eyes and can see there is more to it than just that. I fished my local in the 1960s, it was a far nicer river then. Farming has destroyed the banks, made them dangerous and cut most of the river off from its floodplain with all the scouring and invertebrate destruction than results from canalised, unnaturally fast flows.
2023 was probably the worst season I have ever had although it was completely my own fault. A cold spring with very low water, constant east coast sea fog, Baltic winds and no sun. I hardly fished although those who did go out did catch some.
I only ever fished my local river which by June was on its bones and never really recovered until a few weeks ago.
To be honest I just lost my fishing mojo in May and have yet to find it again.
God knows what will happen next season. I was talking to a club member the other day. He was out last weekend on the top beat I usually fish and tells me half the river is now unfishable and choked with streamer weed. This has exploded this year, no doubt due to high nitrate and phosphate levels. Plants do to grow at that rate unless you feed them well!
I'm looking forward to the close season! See you in 2024, raring to go! You have done a great job with your channel this past few years and deserve more support. 😊😊
One of my biggest regrets, Fred, is that I didn't fish more when I was younger. If someone had told me at 15 that when I reached 50 that flies like black gnat, dark olives and bwo's would be virtually extinct on our rivers, I wouldn't have believed you. How can this have happened so quickly? People constantly talk about how we need more data, more studies, etc... but everyone knows where the problems are, they're just too scared to stand up to the money. Greed always trumps the environment.
I hope you have a better season next year, I've missed your relaxing videos. 👍
Fabulous
What a lovely video to finish the brown trout season with Chris...fantastic!...thanks for all you share with us...tight lines if you get the chance to fish for grayling over the autumn/winter months...and maybe tie up a few more nymphs for next season....all the best
Many thanks for following along this season, a couple of Grayling trips planned, some fly tying, and then onto river bank work parties. Next season will be here before you know it🤞
A great series Chris; watched most if not all of the programmes; just you narrating and gurgling rivers, bird sounds and so on. There are probably many reasons why our rivers, insect life have changed in the UK, global weather change being a major one I think; but natural habitats, native plant disappearance and dense, unmanaged tree canopies stopping sunlight essential for fly & aquatic life (I think Sawyer mentions this as a vital in his book) and so on, to name but a small few reasons...but for now, we hope March 2024
This is the problem, isn't it? There are so many things affecting our streams. The biggest factors for us are modern farming practices and sewage releases, but you could also add the things you mention plus signal crayfish, road run off and all the washing powders, soaps and liquid we use. Some buffer strips along our banks would be a good start, but as ever, there's the question of who pays?
God I miss our fishing trips. Look after that hat for another year. Great videos mate, speak soon.
We need to sort out a whole day next year, our last trip was a bit rushed to say the least. The hat is still going strong👍
Thanks for sharing your season and thoughts with us Chris :)
In the end, a good session, Chris. Really bonny brownies so eager to please! It's so handy to have the EA levels for a range of local rivers on your phone, last videos I did were in places where the bulk of the rain had missed bizarrely.
Taw looks pretty as a picture with that majestic flow of clear water. I reckon insecticides in farming have a lot to answer for, its unusual to have bugs splattered over your windscreen after a long car journey these days. On a couple of local urban rivers the upwinged fly seem in better nick than out of town. I managed a mad hour on dry fly at the end of my last session, which was a welcome change from the streamer. Good luck, soon be March again!
👍
Yep David, if you coat the countryside with insecticides, pesticides, herbicides, etc, then it's eventually going to have the expected effect. I have a box full of imitations that are now just used as general search patterns. Very sad.
thankyou also for the vids all the best .see you next time
Nice one Chris. It seems like when you think all is lost, something seems to turn up. What a nice way to end the season.
Look forward to seeing your escapades again next season, until then I’ll have to watch all the old ones again.
Cheers, Alan, maybe I shouldn't admit it, but I'm not averse to watching the odd one back myself during the closed season🙂
Thanks Chris, its been a pleasure. From Cork City Ireland👍
Cheers, Martin, if you don't listen already, this is one of the best fly fishing podcasts around IMO
Ireland on the Fly open.spotify.com/episode/20pVP5ZLGINRz4KDdZkTXz
Thank you for all your videos Chris. Entertaining and informative and great watching. Please keep them coming.
Cheers, Richard, having bought all the gear, I think my wife wouldn't let me forget it if I gave up making these videos. In other words, I will definitely keep them coming👍The filming/editing is actually quite good fun (in moderation of course).
I've really looked forward to every one of your videos in '23 and '24 will be no different.
Many thanks for making them so enjoyable Chris!
Thanks for watching Mike and for taking the time to comment through the season. Looking forward to filming some more next season.
A good end to the session 👍
The thanks should be all ours Chris. You have inspired me to plan on fishing further afield next season and in particular to have at least a couple of days in the West Country. Thanks for all time spent in publishing a fabulous series of videos and for the hours of enjoyment you’ve given me.
Excellent 👍 I hope the conditions are favourable for your trip. Nice to think that I've now encouraged a few anglers to come and fish our West Country rivers.
Great video Chris my club river is the same, the fly life has been decimated and this year the fishing has been very poor when the river hasn’t been in flood.
It's a bloody shame, Roy. I was really hoping this year to find a proper hatch of fly and show off a bit of entomology knowledge. I even bought a macro lens for the gopro to get some footage of the hatching insect. Sadly, I never found the opportunity to use it.
Thank you for all your great videos throughout the season. You have caught some good fish in difficult conditions. It’s probably time to get out the fly tying vice or possibly try for some winter grayling. I look forward to seeing you on your local waters next season. ATB David.
Cheers David, I've got a couple of Grayling says booked and the fly boxes need a good sort out👍
Nice one Chris, Hope to see you on the Cherrybrook or Blackabrook even, next year .
If things go to plan Richard I think that could be a distinct possibility 👍 I like the sound of the higher reaches of the East Dart from your forum post.
Thanks fpr another great video Chris. I'm already counting the days until March,. Will tie some of the patterns you've posted but look forward to more of your videos in the New Year,
Thank you Peter, the Whickhams did the trick again for me on the Taw. Highly recommended.
Hi Chris, where fo you get your capes from and can they do the range of 12-20 hackles sizes. I've been buying the Whiting 100's but its quite an expensive way of doing it@@chrismatthewsflyfishing7724
I've got some Metz capes from many years ago and they just keep going👍 the modern Whiting capes are quite frankly amazing fly tying capes, if you can afford one ( even the "cheaper" pro grades are amazing) or even half a cape they will probably last the average tier a lifetime. Big investment though!
Cheers from Peter in Maine USA. I really enjoy you and your videos. I love your commentary and your voice. I am so glad you make these videos and it is an honer watching and listening to you. I live on a pond and I am after 30 plus years seeing real aquatic insect decline. This makes me very sad. I am disabled now but I was a fly fisherman for years and loved it with friends and my sons. May god bless you and keep you and all those you love and are under your care. I hope to watch next year, and yes it does seem a ways off. Thank you very much.
Thank you for your kind words. Now the long wait begins. Us fly fishers are nothing if not optimistic, so perhaps next year will see an improvement.
What a beautiful and productive little stream the Taw is …well done Chris ..I really enjoyed fishing along with you…👍
Nice end to your season with some lovely fish, all the best for the closed season and roll on spring. It’s concerning about the fly life, it really feels like it’s only on the radar of a few people. Who knows what can be done. Fair play to you for highlighting it from your own experience and yrs fishing these rivers.
Many thanks for watching 👍 it does feel as if the plight of our rivers is getting more into the public domain. More monitoring of these indicator species has to be the way forward.
Another well made video Chris. Thanks. I look forward to seeing you next season.
Southern Alberta, Canada.
Nice to see you out for a last cast. I tried a couple of days ago, but the river was just a little too high and coloured to be fishable. I still tried, but I only saw one tiny fish rise the whole day. if it doesn't rain tonight I will go out again tomorrow. We have until the 6th to fish for browns, and until the 31st to waste our time chasing salmon. This hasnt been the season I hoped for after a great start, but there's always next time.
Let's hope next year is a bit more "normal," but I'm not holding my breath. Still, you had some cracking fish early doors👍 I'll keep an eye out for a last video if the weather plays ball for you.
A great season all in all Chris. Thank you for sharing it with us, it's been a pleasure spending time on the water with you. Our season in Victoria, Australia has just started and I am looking forward to spending more time on the water this year. I have set myself a goal to fish a different river each month. Like you I mainly fish the dry fly but I think I'm going to give the Spiders a try, especially on our faster water. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. All the best to you and yours from Down Under.
Many thanks Steve, you may have come across this already but if your interested in North Country spiders have a look at this channel
ruclips.net/video/UDh1yQJpJ5w/видео.htmlsi=9jP3oqxEMhJ83h-5
This guy knows his stuff👍
Smashing, thanks I will have a look@@chrismatthewsflyfishing7724
Hi Chris enjoyed the shots taken from the bank camera at 2m:15secs and 11min :20 secs, Gives a different perspective to the viewer. Thanks for all your posts throughout this very up and down season. Will you be back at the bench over the Winter? Cheers,
Thanks for watching this season, Peter. I have tried to get a few more angles this year. Just shooting from the chest mount is easier but not as interesting, IMO.
I'm not sure yet about any tying videos. Most of the patterns I fish are already out there tied by people like Davie Mcphail, and you're not going to better that👍
Thanks for all your efforts Chris. It’s good to see other waters. Maybe next season some of the Fishpal waters.
Thank you Paul, so many streams I'd like to fish, and I definitely fancy some of the Tamar tributaries. There are just so many streams, so little time, no fly fishers should have to work, IMO.
Nice one, Chris.
I went over to the Otter on Saturday morning and found it the same colour as you found the Culm!
The problems you mention are everywhere, as far as I can tell, and I reckon its speeded up a lot in the last 8 years or so.
I think your right Ben, one of the problems with having an evolutionary defence based on sheer numbers is that when the numbers start to decline your bound to reach a tipping point eventually.
Thank you so much Chris. I look forward to every one of your videos - they are always a joy to watch. I would love to one day find myself in Devon with a fly rod and try just one of the lovely streams you are lucky enough to have as your locals. Will we see any fly tying vids in the off season? Like those too. In Estonia where I am at the moment our trout season closed Sept 15 but we have access to some rivers for the salmon and seatrout season which is open until end of November. I will be trying my luck tomorrow in fact. Cheers and here's to a quick winter.
Thanks for watching Michael, I'm sure the fishing in Estonia must be pretty special. It is a sad but true fact that we're fishing in one of the most nature depleted countries in the world in England.
I might do some tying videos, but the problem is that all the patterns I use have already been posted by tiers far better than me🤔
Brilliant thanks Chris. You got out lots more than me this year but I have had some lovely days including a fantastic week up on the Tees. You encouraged me to go and fish my local river Camel for trout earlier this season and I have done. Turns out it’s a good little stream despite the grumblings of the old fellas. Look forward to next years vids.
Excellent Matthew, glad you managed to get out on the Camel despite the "old fellas". Were many Salmon caught from there this year? They seem to have been in short supply this season.
There’s been five or six that I know of. Quite a few sea trout. I’m going to keep trying especially now the trout season has finished. I found one so far this year and swung everything I had passed it’s nose. My flying C actually touched it, it wizzed around the pool and then went straight back to its lie. I’ve put quite a few hours in and only ever hooked one. In 5 years of trying. It’s getting to the point where I’m reluctant to spend valuable fishing time chasing salmon.
I caught a few from the Teign when I was younger, but there were a lot more about in those days. The thing that always drew me towards wild trout fishing in rivers was the entomological side. Matching the insect being taken by the fish is sadly going the same way as the salmon numbers these days.
Thanks for that Chris, your videos are great, so good just to hear your voice and the sounds of the rivers with no silly effects, music etc. I like to think that our rivers will evolve, as climate has changed, but more emphasis needs to be put on how landscapes are managed, I saw a slurry tanker spraying so close to the Cuckmere the other day and the forecast was for torrential showers. It did rain, but luckily not too heavy, so I think the river had a narrow escape. By the way do your rivers have Sea Trout and Salmon runs? Ta again for putting out your footage.😊
Hi Peter, The Taw was once a famous Salmon and Seatrout river. In fact, hotels like the Fox and Hounds at Eggesford were famous holiday destinations for those seeking silver tourists.
You can always tell when heavy rain is forecast in our area because everywhere stinks of slurry! Our rivers just can't take all the extra nutrients we dump in them.
@@chrismatthewsflyfishing7724 Thanks Chris. Look forward to seeing a Sea Trout on your line sometime!!
Thanks once more Chris. You ended up having a decent session, some lovely trout. Not much been hatching on the River Leven this season, the River Devon as always had much more fly life but certainly no intense hatches either.
Watching you're videos inspired me to give it a go, still work in progress! See you next season.
Was it the trusty Wickham doing the business for you again?
Hi Davie, the lack of fly life appears to be country wide looking at various forums and youtube videos. All a bit sad really, but we can only work with what we've got, I suppose.
The first few fish took an olive sparkle dun but I switched over to the Whickhams for some faster water, and as usual, it didn't disappoint. There's a danger of me becoming a one fly man!!
Thanks Chris, it’s been an entertaining season. We share your frustration with the decline of river life.
Very entertaining Chris.A strange question but what diameter is the pipe lagging used to keep the landing net floating.I have a similar wooden net,and if correct I think it's a great idea.
It's a while since I added the foam (it's lasted really well), but I'm pretty sure it was 35mm x 9mm. This might be a useful watch
ruclips.net/video/4viv8wcATV0/видео.htmlsi=4lV74teksQmHcrI4
It is an advantage to be able to rest the fish in the net while you sort yourself out👍
Chris in an age where you can hardly find a double tapered line with discrete colours, its timely to debate both of these issues. I have the opportunity to test how easily trout are spooked as the river I fish is sometimes just a foot and less deep. Light lines in descrete colours, rule the water. And at and above aftm 4, go for a double taper, and you will not have to stress yourself with a wf variant trying to make a silent unsplashed cast. So many of the very good fish are being left spooked and unhoocked by these factors.
The intimacy and meditative experience of fishing small streams is undercommunicated, its electric, and brings you into another realm...
That sounds like some very demanding fishing Tom. Your right that fly lines all seem to be weight forward these days, when I was younger we always had dt so we could turn them around when one end was worn out. I see that people are returning to silk lines for a really delicate presentation.
Not even worth throwing a big streamer around in a slack on the first river, Chris? Or were there no slacks in the maelstrom? Good to see you got stuck into a few on the Tawe. Any plans to chase the Lady of the Stream over the winter?
I did think about it, Laurie, but I find streamer fishing to be a bit tiring to do all day. There might have been a few slack areas to try, but as it was my last day, I wanted to catch some on the dry 👍
Nice video Chris. Its been a funny season...........regards hatches, no hawthorn flies or indeed any of their relatives, the heather fly on the mountain lakes. Having said that, there was an incredible anount of Grannom early season and also one of the best mayfly hatches ive ever seen in my lifetime on my local river, so not all doom and gloom. Theres less trout on my rivers, no doubt due to pollution but i also think a big culprit is cormorants and gooseanders. However, trout appear to be getting bigger.....perhaps due to less competition as fewer?
I ended the season on a high yesterday, as I know i wasnt flyfishing, but spinning i hooked a 1 pound brown trout, then a 1 pound seatrout and a decent seatrout of over 3 pounds. I've also had 2 river trout on the fly over 1 pound and a wild lake trout of a pound and a half this season, which coming from an area like yours where the trout are generally small, I can't really grumble!
Get on the grayling. Although my favourite fish is the trout, i never get that sadness of the season ending, as living close to the dee well it doesnt......i just move onto catching grayling ( some big ones too ) which will readily take a dryfly right through autumn and sometimes even in winter.
Sounds like a great end to the season Carl, thanks for all your input this season. I have heard that cormorants and goosanders are a problem on the Dart system, but I don't see many of them on the Crediton waters. It could well be that we will see fewer but larger fish due to signal crayfish, but of course, they also harm the invertebrates. But we can't blame them for the decline in the land bred insects that is primarily down to the vast amount of insecticides applied to the countryside each year.
@@chrismatthewsflyfishing7724 It was Chris. It's been an awful seatrout season so very pleased.
Shame most of the season was a let down! Still have 2 weeks left of brown trout fishing on the high lakes here in North Wales......
I see a lot of fish eating birds and there's a big momentum to see action now. But I'm kind of like you in thinking that the biggest damage is by pollution and habitat destruction. I also think it's bad PR for game angling and kind of reinforces the stereotype of game anglers ( many of whom shoot ) of it being a so called ' blood sport ' when if it's strictly catch and release, I don't think it really is. I sometimes think it would actually be better if flyanglers distanced themselves, rather than the general call to stand together with shooters.
Start worrying when there's no fish eating birds in the rivers as that means there's not enough left for them to make it worth while!
Looking forward to Dee grayling now and also of making it down to Usk again in early spring and fingers crossed I actually get to fish the river this time! I could have gone again in summer, but I want my first fishing trip on Usk to be perfect early spring dryfly for what it's famed for .....big 3 pound plus fish taking march browns! Us anglers live off hope and I can't wait!
I'm sure you have plans for next season. Cheers