Culm 2/4

[Pete Tyjas]

I had the pleasure of having a fish with Toby M on Thurs. We decided on the Culm and agreed to meet at 10am at the service station at the Tivy junction of the M5. I got there way early at just after 9.30 and wasn't surprised to see Toby casting on a piece of grass by the car park. He gets as excited as me and I had a sneaking feeling he might be there early.

We headed to the CFFC stretch and headed to the bottom of the beat. As ever we just shared a rod and took it in turns to fish likely looking pools. Toby started off and worked the water well but it quickly became apparent that a cool wind and early start weren't really going to excite the fish a lot. We carried on up a bit and I managed to line a "oncer" that rose. Grannom and LDO's tried to make an appearance but this was just briefly and as the wind stopped for a few seconds.

We fished with a NZ dropper and Toby had a small one out of a pool that came off just as he was brought in. We decided to keep walking and just fish and keep an eye out for risers. Toby spotted one that I cast to be he didn't want to bite. I headed up stream a little and snipped off the nymph. I cast into a slow run against a bank and a fish hit immeadiately. It looked like it was a bigger one than we both thought but I was still happy to land a 12 incher.

Just a tiny bit further we watched a fish come right on the feed and move up to a seam at the head of a pool. Toby got him to rise but just slightly mis timed but it was exciting stuff.

We didn't realise the time and carried on for a tiny bit but decided to have lunch just after 2. We thought we might head upstream but another member was fishing so as Toby is Taunton FFC member so we jumped in my truck and headed further upstream. The river here is really picturesque, smaller and shallower than where we fished in the morn but with a bit of sun we thought we might see some hatch but nothing at all. We carried on for a bit and Toby had a nice 10 incher from a pool that looked like it might offer more but didn't!

That was about it for us but it was really good fun and to have a look at a new piece of water.

[paul]

Having heard that Little and large were going to be smashing it to bits on Thursday, I decided to go elsewhere today. I went to the Salmon hutch stretch of the Yeo. About 5 min after I arrived, so did another member- a new guy interested in the various parking spots on ouir beats as he can't make the rivere walk day.
2 minutes later, Mike weaver drove up, clearly a little bemused that his chosen site foir the day had gone.

He claimed to have only been out twice so far, each time for barely 2hrs and each time for only six fish- but 'thats all you can expect at this time of year'! I wish!

Prospects looked good; it was definitely much warmer; I'd forgotten my thermals and the water still didn't seem cold- mind you my natural insulation is well above British Standard requirements.

I walked right down to the confluence with the Culvery and, as is my wont, threw a few casts downstream into the big pool that cannot be accessed from below. Third cast yielded a beautiful 11" er- right where I was expecting it under the far bank. I thought it was going to be the first proper day's fishing. The runes on the bridge stanchion were good, the chicken entrails I had fried for breakfast were delicious and not too bloody so I carried on in great hope.

Sadly that was my first and last fish of the day, so four hours later I popped into Howards on my way home. Helen and Kistrie were just as excited obout their new computer controlled cash register, complete with 'open all hours ' coin draw askistryie had been over her first fish at Blakewell!