Cheers, Kenneth, maybe this season, I'll qualify, and the option to specify no mid roll adds will become available. I expect there'll be some hidden clause that won't allow it. When you think of all the free advertising they get from the millions of little channels like mine, it does seem a bit naff that you have no control over them.
Well fished Chris, nice to get a few on a dry. What a lovely beat. I fished the Taw for the first time on the 21st, had four fish all on a nymph. Saw a good fish rising on the top pool of the upper beat, but put him down, to much drag. Fished the Yeo on 22nd, had a good 11 inch fish and managed to get a few on dry klinkhammer. Apart from the clay pigeon shoot it was nice and peaceful. Been on the Culm today, didn't realise how high and fast the river was until i arrived. Fished a nymph below a wool indicator and managed a trout of 12 inches and a surprise Chub of 13 inches. Lost another then broke the top section of my rod, bugger. First time i have done that in 60 years. Saw a few hawthorns, olives and grannoms. Tight lines Paul
Cheers Paul, nice to get some reports on our rivers, there are some big chubb in the Culm although the best I've had was about 1 1/2 lb other members have had far bigger specimens. I must get up there this season. Hard luck with the rod, I hope you can sort it out. I'm sure the conditions will improve soon, perhaps we're heading for a bumper May/June?
Another good video Chris. I share your pain with regard to this so called spring. Only been out on the Duchy once so far, let’s hope things improve soon. It’s a shame that our Devon rivers forum seems to have died a death. Terry
Hi Terry, I keep looking to see if there are any new posts, it got to the point where the only posts were my videos so I stopped putting them up. It is a real shame , the forum was a great source of information back in the day. Chris
well done, odds stacked heavily in favour of a blank! its not just me that fails to get 4 pounders on the streamer!🤣 well done re dry fly, I've only caught on streamers and nymphs so far
Cheers David, 4 ouncers more like😆 I do wonder what might have been if I'd known about streamers 40 years ago, I might have ended up not fishing anything else.
Ironically when their on the dries hard it’s the easiest method of all I’ve found. Except I dont find it very much because I’m always bunging nymphs on lol
Great video, Chris. Just shows a bit of patience and perseverance can bring a few fish, I would have probably had one look over the bridge and gone home !😁
Hi Ben, funny you should say that, I met Gary in the car park and he took one look at the river and decided to drive on to the Bray and burn some passport tokens. It was high but clear and he did quite well apparently.
Well worth setting the Cornish pasty aside to go for that trout on the Klink Chris! Very slow start up here in the North East. Water has been quite high and is very cold, but hopefully things will take a turn for the better soon. Thanks for posting non the less.
Well done for getting out and catching when everything's against you. I've wanted to fish The Taw since I read Tarka the Otter when I was a kid, but Devon might as well have been Delhi for the chance I had of ever getting there, so watching you will have to do for now.
It is a lovely river and my favourite beat of the Crediton club water. My one regret is that I didn't fish it years ago when the fly hatches were much better than they are now.
Shared pain also from N Yorks, most rivers unfishable due to height. Over 0.6 metres and very coloured. Even too high for wet flies . Also freeze the ar** off you 😱
Yep it's pretty poor all round, I did manage a few fish on dry fly on my little moorland stream on Tuesday but even that was a lot quieter than usual. I have a friend who wants to have a go at fly fishing and I keep putting him off. If I take him out in this he'll think I must be mental for always going on about how fantastic fly fishing is!
It has been a tough start to the season here in the southern Alps as well. Constantly cold and wet. I got bored of indicator nymphing and had a couple of nice browns on the streamer yesterday and finally got something to rise to a dry fly to catch my first proper Marble trout. Therefore, I can't complain, despite the high water, wind and cold rain!
Lovely bit of river. I’ll have to try the Taw. I fish the passport beats but coming from cornwall haven’t got past the Tamar yet. Very similar start to my season. The only rising fish turned out to be an out of season grayling. Of up to my beloved river Tees we’re I learnt to fish (still learning) next week 🤞
Be aware Mathew, the Tees has not made a good start. Water high, river cold and as for Chris, the weather has been much the same up here. Very little hatching this past week
Sounds like a lot of untapped potential Matthew, we used to switch between Salmon, Seatrout and brownies depending on conditions on the Teign. The trout fishermen were never looked at as harming the Salmon stocks as the season closed long before they started spawning.
@@chrismatthewsflyfishing7724 They grumble about two things. The possibility of catching parr, and I quote “there’s no such thing as a brown trout, they’re all sea trout that haven’t run to sea yet” . The trout I have caught are beautiful. Maybe I’ll just brave the storm and take my dry fly outfit next time..
Well it's a new one on me Matthew, I'm not sure why catching an adult Salmon or Seatrout is OK but you mustn't catch the juveniles? A recent study in Scotland showed that only 5% of the smolts that they tagged made it out to sea (nobody is sure why). Now I've not actually caught a definite Salmon parr for years but if I did then the chance that it might be one of the lucky ones to return to spawn seems rather low. That's assuming the act of catching it caused it any harm in the first place?
Well done getting a few fish Chris this really has been a dire spring. We have not had as much rain up here, but the cold east winds have been incessant and unpleasant. I fished once during the whole or April! It has to warm up soon surely?
Let's hope so, I manufacture bee hives for a living and the whole season just seems to be on hold. The hives we keep at work are miles behind where they were this time last year.
hi Chris, fishing dire in mid wales as well with very few flies about and fewer fish so nothing rising at all, been out twice and nymphed which I dislike anyway but did have a 9in brown and then got busted by a huge trout which came straight up out of the water back down one lunge and gone but it was in the 4-5lb range so my 4lb tippet never had a chance. Not bothering again until things warm up and fish are looking up but I will be watching for your next video. ATB Mike
Thanks Mike, dire is the word for it, you can see by the lack of content on youtube from the usual suspects that everywhere is the same. I remember 2012 being a wet year but I'm sure the fishing was better than this!! The lack of fly life just seems to be getting worse each year, if you see half a dozen flies come off then that's the hatch.
@@chrismatthewsflyfishing7724 yes I too had noticed the lack on youtube and I just drove past the river and its high and brown so well knackered; the few olives I have seen have drifted along without any interest from fish.
Hi Kenneth, thanks for watching, the rod was a Wychwood river and stream 7'6" three weight. I also use an 8' four weight on our Crediton streams and I expect this would be the most common setup amount the club members.
Hi Chris, thank you for your lovely videos. Question please, what is your fly line and rod match up ? your fly line runs out very smooth with only one or two casts. Do you over weight your fly line to your rod? thank you.
Hi Myles, the rod is a Wychwood river and stream (now discontinued) and the line is a Maxcatch economy that retails for all of £4! They are both 3 weight so not overlined but on my 6' 6" 2 weight I do use a 3 weight line as it seems to cast better. On these small streams I want a setup that allows me to point and shoot as it were.
Another excellent video, Chris. Well done for sticking with it in muddy water conditions, until it cleared a little allowing you to fish a dry. What fly line do you use? It seems to cast well, lies straight and floats well. Keep up the good work.
Hi David, the fly line is a maxcatch economy in moss green, it came as a free gift when I purchased a rod from them ( costs about £4 but you have to buy more than one)I have to be honest it casts better than some premium lines that cost more than 10x as much. Not what the major manufacturers want to hear I suppose but there you have it, I do treat it with Snowbee line slick a few times each season.
@@chrismatthewsflyfishing7724 Thats exactly my experience! All my floating lines are maxcatch economy from line rating 3 up to 7. No more paying 50 quid for a flyline when I can have 5 or 6 for that!
@@chrismatthewsflyfishing7724 Yes. I think same lines as snowbee myself. Like them they are lovely and supple but seem to cracking after a season or so. Maxcatch definitely produce some snowbee products.....some of the reels are EXACTLY the same!
Hi Trevor, it's a 7' 6" three weight, I've had a few goes now at doing a "what I use " type video but they never seem to come out right? I must try and sort it this season, the trouble is I keep forgetting the things I want to say!
@Chris Matthews Fly Fishing Hi Chris. I thing you're better when your chatting. You often drop in the flies you are using. Could you drop in your trusty x length y weight?
I'll try 👍 but the excitement of fishing often throws a spanner in the works. I will do a tackle talk video this season and try to add in some rod and line weights to the videos but it doesn't change much.
You did well. I decided to go on Dee again today.....only two tiny trout but kept accidentally catching out of season grayling up to 2 pound, which were going mad for grannom. My local river however, looks like yours and its always a bit of late starter but id expect to see rising fish by now, but nothing. Ive a feeling May will be crap........
More rain for us Friday, I'm starting to sound like a broken record! I hear dartmoor calling, the water will be high but at least it won't be coloured (we'll hopefully not).
@@chrismatthewsflyfishing7724 Nearly always heavy rain coming on a Friday or Saturday ay 🙄 ......haven't you got any wild trout moorland lakes near you or is that not your thing?
We have Meldon reservoir but the sides are very steep so not much casting space, I have fished it occasionally though. Fernworthy is stunning and I should fish it more often but Ill always be a river angler at heart. I would add that when conditions are against me on a river I can usually find the odd taking fish whereas on a lake if its dour I find them utterly uncatchable.
@@chrismatthewsflyfishing7724 I've got some amazing mountain lakes near me. Probably slightly prefer rivers, but if I could only fish wild lakes this season, I wouldn't be unhappy........weekend set to be heavy rain......well ofcourse it's the coronation and a bank holiday........British weather ay.....lovely when you working in the week......shite at the weekend!! Can't wait to I retire or win the lottery.
Hi Carl, I've amended my post as I think monotonous was the wrong turn of phrase. I think it's a hang up from my younger days fishing stocked lakes where getting your limit meant you could spend all day casting and pulling in at high speed! I've had some wonderful sessions on Fernworthy especially during the coch y bondu beetle falls. I must try and get up there this season but alas I say that every year about multiple places. As you say lottery win definitely required!