Sevenoaks, Ystradowen report 02.02.09

**blanker ben** · 03-02-2009, 17:26

Fished Sevenoaks this afternoon in Ystradowen (just outside of Cowbridge) for a couple of chilly hours after shutting the office due to being snowed out of Merthyr.

Had a few casts before hooking into rainbow number 1 on an orange fritz lure and after a lively scrap of 3 min or so a fresh stockie of about 4lb came to the bank. He was unhooked still in the water and off he went. Cast the same lure to the same spot and within seconds fish number two was on (and he looks suspiciously like fish number 1

) he also gave a good account of himself and was unhooked in the margins and off he went splashing me in the face as he sped off!

Fish number three came about twenty minutes later after changing to a green and white cats whisker which was drawn along the margin. This one fought litter harder than the other two but was quickly on his way back to the chilly depths!

All fish were about 4lb and caught on a floating line with 12ft 6lb leader fished deep and very s-l-o-w! only managed about two and a half hours before the chill started to get me so packed up but not a bad afternoons fishing! (better than whiling the hours away on the beach doing cartwheels after hooking the teenyist pin whiting lol!)

**Goosey** · 04-02-2009, 14:54

Nice report Ben. I also fly-fish as well as sea fish and have caught some of my best fish during the winter. 7 Rainbows on buzzers at White House Mill in Wales, plus closer to home at Stowting in Kent last year, the owner kindly broke the ice with his boat so we could fish more space and caught a couple of nice rainbows virtually under the ice, on bloodworms, another great winter 'fly'. As you say, it beats whiting!

**blanker ben** · 04-02-2009, 17:42

Originally Posted by Goosey

Nice report Ben. I also fly-fish as well as sea fish and have caught some of my best fish during the winter. 7 Rainbows on buzzers at White House Mill in Wales, plus closer to home at Stowting in Kent last year, the owner kindly broke the ice with his boat so we could fish more space and caught a couple of nice rainbows virtually under the ice, on bloodworms, another great winter 'fly'. As you say, it beats whiting!

I managed to leave most of my flies at home which was useful so only had my box of lures but will make sure i'm fully tackled up next time with small nymphs, buzzers etc to give 'em all a go!

Definatly find the rainbows feed better when it's cold and they put up more of a fight than your average whiting! sometimes wonder why i bother with the old sea fishing when 2 - 3 hours fluff chucking turns out to be far more productive than all my winter beach sessions combined!! lol!

**salmon** · 05-02-2009, 01:24

nice fishin, terry an june have got a nice fishery there, used to go there regular before sea fishing become favourite

**blanker ben** · 05-02-2009, 23:31

Originally Posted by salmon

nice fishin, terry an june have got a nice fishery there, used to go there regular before sea fishing become favourite

Lovely place to fish, well looked after and just like fishing in your own back garden! And was nice to actually nice to hook a fish that fought back, in fact, was nice to just hook into a fish!

first time i've had the fly rod out for a while and seeing as the sea's not really producing, might keep the fly and coarse gear out for a bit till things pick up.