January Lechlade Trip

Cold and bright, north westerly breeze.............you could have been mistaken for thinking that fishing would be good today.

I arrived at the lakes and there were two rods bent over....a good sign you would say....

Then a boat returned to the shore....someone had bagged up already and it was only 9.15.

I started the day confidence high, ice formed on the rod, but continued to work my way around my favourite swims......

Alex H turned up and started to giggle at the lack of the fish on the bank, however as time went by it was obvious that the fish had gone completely off. In true Lechlade style the odd fish was caught, but the fishing was really really tough.

We decided to set about using the boat, working our way from buoy to buoy. This did not work......to well.....Alex managed two fish but the struggle went on. We then tried every method and fly under the sun.....boobies, lures, bloodworms, muddlers stripped deep, gold head daddies......even some odd flies never fished before were used.

We moved back to the buoy near the house, and after another hour of whipping the water to a foam, i got my first fish, a nice 6lber.........A blank day avoided, always the first task of any fishing adventure.

Alex left for the day and I continued until dusk, this is where the fun started.

I fished from the bank near the house, and within 10 minutes had a fish on......could this be my first ever double rainbow (despite fishing at lechalde for 3 years)??

5 casts later.....this fish took me down to the backing twice, after a huge fight, this fish was finally landed.....and was bigger than the last, surely I had broken my double duck.

Then 10 minutes later on the same fly again, another huge fight, and it was difficult to see in the dark, however into the landing net popped a 6-7lb brown. Safely returned I called it a day after losing another. The light went altogether and I finished the day very happy with a 6lb, 10lb 6oz and 11lb 8oz rainbow and a 6-7lb brown.

Awesome