Wow what a day that was took a good fish home for dinner and returned 6 or so fish. Cats wisker worked well. Cant wait to fish hayscastle again met some nice guys fishing. Best part of your video was watching the fish chase then take.
I am happy to hear from you. I thought something was wrong. Like deserted me. I hope your keeping well. Looks like you could be getting some crap weather like us in the UK. The fishing hear is strange, not the norm. A lot of people are finding it difficult. My self I quite like it. I am learning all the time. Its only a matter of trying to remember. Thanks for the comment David. Really great to hear from you. Take care mate. Shaun.
Nice video again Shaun …sums up what’s going with me at the moment. I thought by now it would be lures all the way to Christmas but the six fish I caught on Saturday all took different flies. A combination of Buzzers, lures….blue flash damsels and two fish on a black snake which I hate casting. So it pays to be adaptable especially when the weather is so changeable. Keep up the good work ….hope to see you again soon.
Just talking with one of the boys and he was out a few days ago. A water near to us called Foxhill. Its a new water, and set up really well. He struggled with most methods, but did really well on the bung. Mind this is his preferred method. I will always say fish with confidence. So that's what he did and it worked for him. But the challenges at the moment I enjoy. Its like proper fishing. Take care mate. Catch up soon. Shaun.
Another top video Shaun, enjoyed that. That Rainbow in the middle of the vid, was a right unit ! Cracking fish. Haycastle is in my list to fish over the winter 🎣 although I say that every year and consumed with Grayling fishing. Lo ok forward to the next one mate 👍
That was one hell of a strong fish. Which we get every now and then. If you ever fancy a go at Hayscastle let me know. It can be a difficult water. A lot of people love it for its quality and the challenge. We have had another new water opened about 2 miles over the hill from us. Foxhill. About 2 acre and good clean spring water. Its creating a lot of interest at the moment, as it would being new. Some good fish being stocked to keep them coming. Justin and myself won't bother with the place until its more established, as its mainly stock fish. Never done the Grayling. A good few of the boys have. Thanks for the comment mate. Shaun.
Honestly Mike I have been doing so much research, trying to get ahead. A lot of time has been put into Deoxygenated Oxygen [DO]. The results which I am finding is not to good. This is from a survey from around the world over the past 6/7 years. We have been doing some work on our water to try and find out more about aquatic life. This will be another, maybe 12 months before we find out the results. But its all good stuff to help us understand, and the more we understand, the more we hopefully can do. Take care Mike. Shaun.
You “Hit the nail on the head” Shaun! Things are definitely changing. Weather patterns more inconsistent than past, fish behaviour definitely all over the place. I’ve not really bothered angling since May! Not caught since then! 😢 Summer conditions wrote off fishing on my local water, in my opinion. Back out this week, 4 visits in 4 days equated to one knock! I’m by no means a good angler, but when I see the catch return book majority blanks then I know it’s just not me! Despite restocking very recently! The “bung” fanatics appear to catching, but I can’t leave the line alone! After 15 minutes I’m bored of the bung! Like you say things are definitely different and changing. All the best! Jon
Yes every water is going to different, but in the main all waters will be effected by the current changes we are experiencing. Our log book is no different. Low numbers and a lot of blanks. But then for a lot of them they are relying on methods and patterns they fished years ago. Not sure if you are aware of the quality of fish coming out on the bung. But there will be a lot of these fish which are not always the best of quality. Due to the bung fishing static and higher in the water. The fish which are struggling are always in the top layers, and move slow. There only real opportunity for food is hanging on the end of the bung. This is why there is more chance of picking these fish up on this method. The better fish for most are lower. There are opportunities as I have said in the video. The mornings, which is more associated with summer fishing. Waters around the country have found following a stocking that the fish have not given us the sport as we are used too. The fishes response can tell us a lot about whats going on with our waters. There are a lot of things going on, some of which I am aware. I am also researching more than ever. What I am finding out does make a lot of sense. The fishing at the moment is very challenging, and every day can be so different. But for us boys we enjoy this sort of fishing. The difference hear is that you could be on your own working through this. For us we often have a few on the water at the same time. This means we can have several methods fishing at the same time. The positive hear is that you will learn more on a tough day. Just enjoy the day what ever. Take care mate. Shaun.
No, not deserting you, Shaun. Sometimes, I just have more introverted phases. Fishing wise, I haven't managed anything in the UK this year. It's been Norway, mostly rivers and exploring euro nymphing tactics and techniques. Plenty there to keep me off the streets there. My brother is moving to Norfolk, so I'm hoping to do some stillwater fly fishing there on new, unknown waters. I always appreciate your fly fishing input, mate. So, I will continue to follow your experiences despite keeping a low profile at times. Still hoping we could meet up one day and have a session or two together. 😊 Stay healthy and take care Shaun.
The Euro nymphing is really taken off. A good few of the boys are doing this. One of them is got big time into the Tenkra. He is a mate who I used to fish with a lot on the rivers. But he has now moved south. You let me know when ever you come to UK, and I will see what I can do to meet up. Thanks for every thing David. Shaun.
Thanks so much Andrew, I wish I could do more of them. I thought I would have more time on my hands to do so. But it ain't working out for me. Thanks again mate. Shaun.
Thanks Wilson, I do try and put a bit of every thing into the video. Sometimes we may already know of these things. But for a lot of people out there, these can be useful tips. Thanks for the time to comment. Take care. Shaun.
Hi Sean this time last year two small lures fished on a dry line , this year catching on nymphs on a dry line, one friend is catching on unweighted cats whisker no bigger than a wet fly have to keep open mind on fishing regards Ian from merseyside
The best way to approach our fishing, is to understand more about the fish we are fishing, and what is happening in the water which will in turn effect our fishing. Too much to explain on here. I will at some point, hopefully cover this on a video. But our fishing has been more consistent with the more smaller patterns. And occasionally the lure. Thanks for your comment Ian. It is these comments like yours helping us all understand more of what is going on around the country. Take care mate. Shaun.
@@shaunfishes101 hi Shaun went out today and caught on small nymphs again , when I looked at catch returns for the week lots of blanks tithe owner said all using lures , but fish are feeding on nymphs , you have just got to look what’s going on r Regards Ian from Merseyside.
@@ianrobertson9744 Well done Ian. But I am sure for those returning to the water may well see your return and may even try the nymph. I myself have had two trips out this week. I will try different things so that I can keep tabs on whats happening. First trip out the lure failed in comparison to the nymphs. Second trip the lure resulted in one fish and a few knocks. The nymphs I had four fish and lost a few. Best fish trip one on nymph. Fishing over the weed, which is about 5' or 6' down with a steady draw. Fish appeared from nowhere and took the nymph. A cracking 6lb plus. Mind as I told Justin, the fight was not as good as the 3lbers. We think the fish had more red blood cells than white. Another thing we have found out through research. The thing is why would fish be suddenly taken more nymph at this time of year other than lures. A clue could be in there Metabolics. Which makes sense to me given the climate of today. Nice one Ian mate. Shaun.
Hi Shaun fished Hayescastle a few times looking for something a bit more local to Merlin’s bridge as I don’t drive I’ve done puddleduck can you recommend any other stillwaters close by please
Sorry Chris for the long delay on reply, have not been keeping up to speed lately. OK its still a bit to travel, and its towards Hayscastle. If you can go on line and check a water called Foxhill. I have been there and a few of the boys have fished it. I personally have not fished there. The owner is a really pleasant bloke and helpful. As the waters establish I will look forward to fishing it myself. But it is well set up with good Exmore stock. Being a new water it will create a good bit of interest, which in turn means regular stock possibly by the week. Due to this I would advise finding the number and book. I have mentioned this water to several who have each got back to me saying how good the quality of fish. But as you know fishing has its ups and downs. If you do go there I hope you have a great day. But bare in mind this is a new water that has seen a lot of lines. Your approach may have to differ slightly from Hayscastle or Puddleduck. Tight lines. Shaun.
Hi Shaun, I used to hand line often when fishing still water but it doesn't work on a decent size river like the Tongaririo here in NZ. I always play fish off the reel.
Well if your fish are anything like Alex's fish, then yes. But as you know the hand line is common on still waters and we rarely do this amount on the rivers. Not sure if you are aware of the amount of rain we are getting at the moment. But some of your old waters are un fishable. Mind it is closed season at the moment. But Levels are continually high. Tell you what you may miss this place, but I would not mind being over there. Take care Mark. Shaun.
We got rain all winter in Auckland like I've not seen in 30 years here yet the Tongariro stayed low and clear pretty much all winter. A short lived spate in September but back to low and clear when I was down there three weeks ago. Still fished pretty well possibly because the low water delayed fish from running up from lake Taupo?
I totally agree Shaun... Getting that fish on the reel is always far better than hand lining it in... I prefer to get them on reel whenever I can, which is most of the fish I hook... Less risk on any trailing line getting wrapped around any obstructions ie.. Grass, reeds, your feet etc.. Plus it's fun hearing the reel scream too 😂 😂
I praise it enough, but lack doing. But when that strong fish comes along I am on it. The waters you fish really remind me of Hayscastle down here. Big difference is the temp. We are lucky as it is a bit warmer. Mind not sure if it helps the fishing. You have been getting some great fishing over the past few weeks, and getting that double hook up. Had a few of the double hook ups myself over the last month. First one I got snapped and lost the lot. That was on the floating line with a pair of diawels. Second time was on a diawel and an olive nymph on the point. Floating line. Landed both of about 3lb each. Your hover line seems to do you well. I think as our temps drop we will get more on the likes of. Thanks for the comment. I have watched your channel quite a lot actually, the boys do also. Keep up the good work and I will catch up with you soon. Shaun.
@@shaunfishes101 awesome thanks for watching Shaun.. I'll be out fishin tomorrow so fingers crossed we get a few more.. Look forward to your next video too 👍
This is definitely a trend through the country. Or at least were ever Exmoor stock goes, as they are telling us about the changes from each water. But its not impossible fishing. We need to understand what is happening. I have done so much research to try and understand. A lot of it is common sense when we see what is happening around the world. There is far too much to explain hear. But I would hope to put a video out one day when I have all my findings. But for now take each day as a new challenge, and be prepared to change methods. For most of the time it will be slow. But if you are lucky, on the one day the fish could well be up for it.
@@shaunfishes101 it's the same where I fish Shaun. Smaller more imitative patterns seem to do better for more of the year than they used to, and static flies under a bung tend to outfish stripped lures. Stripped lures still often do well after the first few frosts.
@@oldgold5848 Just spoke to one of the boys who was on a new water by us. Foxhill. He said he tried every thing. Ended up fishing the bung with small patterns. Done the job. Mind this is his preferred method. As I always say fish with confidence. And this is where he is confident.
Hi Kevin, Tippet we are still messing around with a good few. But we have not come across any that seems to stand out. We have even started going back to mono. A good few of the boys have been on the mono for several months now and there catch rate has gone up. This we believe to be down to that they can present two or more flies on the cast with no problem. Mono has less problems when it comes to tangles. So it could be that they are presenting more flies to the fish. I my self ain't convinced, as I have caught plenty with a single fly. I have noticed that they are so much more confident when fishing. And I am a great believer in confidence. But what we are using a lot of at the moment. Whychwood ghost, Seaguar, and Frog hair. But remember we have not seen a noticeable difference. The weight of tippet will depend as much on the rod you are using. Fast tip you need 6lb plus. Soft or slow action you could go down to 4lb. Another thing to consider is when we talk Diameter of tippet. Is 0.05 going to make that big a difference. I personally cant see this. Start with a few lower cost ones. Don't think you are getting more for the top end. Take care mate. Keep in touch. Shaun.
Make sure you have good wet weather gear. Forecast looks shit. Mind forecast has been a bit hit and miss most of the time. Look forward to seeing you, and lots to learn.
Pure class, love it!
Thank you so much Rory. I really appreciate this. Take care mate. Shaun.
@shaunfishes101 Thanks for your techniques. I highly appreciate you sharing them.
Wow what a day that was took a good fish home for dinner and returned 6 or so fish. Cats wisker worked well. Cant wait to fish hayscastle again met some nice guys fishing. Best part of your video was watching the fish chase then take.
Ye a good day. But most of them are. Spoke with Ian on the phone, about that issue I have. Will tell you more when I see you next. All good mate.
Interesting and informative as always Shaun. Thanks for the update mate and take care. :)
I am happy to hear from you. I thought something was wrong. Like deserted me. I hope your keeping well. Looks like you could be getting some crap weather like us in the UK. The fishing hear is strange, not the norm. A lot of people are finding it difficult. My self I quite like it. I am learning all the time. Its only a matter of trying to remember. Thanks for the comment David. Really great to hear from you. Take care mate. Shaun.
Nice video again Shaun …sums up what’s going with me at the moment. I thought by now it would be lures all the way to Christmas but the six fish I caught on Saturday all took different flies. A combination of Buzzers, lures….blue flash damsels and two fish on a black snake which I hate casting. So it pays to be adaptable especially when the weather is so changeable. Keep up the good work ….hope to see you again soon.
Just talking with one of the boys and he was out a few days ago. A water near to us called Foxhill. Its a new water, and set up really well. He struggled with most methods, but did really well on the bung. Mind this is his preferred method. I will always say fish with confidence. So that's what he did and it worked for him. But the challenges at the moment I enjoy. Its like proper fishing. Take care mate. Catch up soon. Shaun.
Another top video Shaun, enjoyed that. That Rainbow in the middle of the vid, was a right unit ! Cracking fish. Haycastle is in my list to fish over the winter 🎣 although I say that every year and consumed with Grayling fishing. Lo ok forward to the next one mate 👍
That was one hell of a strong fish. Which we get every now and then. If you ever fancy a go at Hayscastle let me know. It can be a difficult water. A lot of people love it for its quality and the challenge. We have had another new water opened about 2 miles over the hill from us. Foxhill. About 2 acre and good clean spring water. Its creating a lot of interest at the moment, as it would being new. Some good fish being stocked to keep them coming. Justin and myself won't bother with the place until its more established, as its mainly stock fish. Never done the Grayling. A good few of the boys have. Thanks for the comment mate. Shaun.
Hello butty, great video, as usual, so much good sense, stay well mate.
Honestly Mike I have been doing so much research, trying to get ahead. A lot of time has been put into Deoxygenated Oxygen [DO]. The results which I am finding is not to good. This is from a survey from around the world over the past 6/7 years. We have been doing some work on our water to try and find out more about aquatic life. This will be another, maybe 12 months before we find out the results. But its all good stuff to help us understand, and the more we understand, the more we hopefully can do. Take care Mike. Shaun.
You “Hit the nail on the head” Shaun! Things are definitely changing. Weather patterns more inconsistent than past, fish behaviour definitely all over the place. I’ve not really bothered angling since May! Not caught since then! 😢 Summer conditions wrote off fishing on my local water, in my opinion. Back out this week, 4 visits in 4 days equated to one knock! I’m by no means a good angler, but when I see the catch return book majority blanks then I know it’s just not me! Despite restocking very recently! The “bung” fanatics appear to catching, but I can’t leave the line alone! After 15 minutes I’m bored of the bung! Like you say things are definitely different and changing. All the best! Jon
1000 fish gone in, fishing bound to improve at Ynys, top and bottom ponds.
@@mikejames663 yes, stocked recently to bring up to 1000. Fingers crossed it improves. Fish being very picky at the moment
Yes every water is going to different, but in the main all waters will be effected by the current changes we are experiencing. Our log book is no different. Low numbers and a lot of blanks. But then for a lot of them they are relying on methods and patterns they fished years ago. Not sure if you are aware of the quality of fish coming out on the bung. But there will be a lot of these fish which are not always the best of quality. Due to the bung fishing static and higher in the water. The fish which are struggling are always in the top layers, and move slow. There only real opportunity for food is hanging on the end of the bung. This is why there is more chance of picking these fish up on this method. The better fish for most are lower. There are opportunities as I have said in the video. The mornings, which is more associated with summer fishing. Waters around the country have found following a stocking that the fish have not given us the sport as we are used too. The fishes response can tell us a lot about whats going on with our waters. There are a lot of things going on, some of which I am aware. I am also researching more than ever. What I am finding out does make a lot of sense. The fishing at the moment is very challenging, and every day can be so different. But for us boys we enjoy this sort of fishing. The difference hear is that you could be on your own working through this. For us we often have a few on the water at the same time. This means we can have several methods fishing at the same time. The positive hear is that you will learn more on a tough day. Just enjoy the day what ever. Take care mate. Shaun.
@@shaunfishes101 so very true mate.
No, not deserting you, Shaun. Sometimes, I just have more introverted phases. Fishing wise, I haven't managed anything in the UK this year. It's been Norway, mostly rivers and exploring euro nymphing tactics and techniques. Plenty there to keep me off the streets there. My brother is moving to Norfolk, so I'm hoping to do some stillwater fly fishing there on new, unknown waters. I always appreciate your fly fishing input, mate. So, I will continue to follow your experiences despite keeping a low profile at times. Still hoping we could meet up one day and have a session or two together. 😊 Stay healthy and take care Shaun.
The Euro nymphing is really taken off. A good few of the boys are doing this. One of them is got big time into the Tenkra. He is a mate who I used to fish with a lot on the rivers. But he has now moved south. You let me know when ever you come to UK, and I will see what I can do to meet up. Thanks for every thing David. Shaun.
Smashing video again shaun 👌
Thanks so much Andrew, I wish I could do more of them. I thought I would have more time on my hands to do so. But it ain't working out for me. Thanks again mate. Shaun.
Great video and information thanks
Thanks Wilson, I do try and put a bit of every thing into the video. Sometimes we may already know of these things. But for a lot of people out there, these can be useful tips. Thanks for the time to comment. Take care. Shaun.
Hi Sean this time last year two small lures fished on a dry line , this year catching on nymphs on a dry line, one friend is catching on unweighted cats whisker no bigger than a wet fly have to keep open mind on fishing regards Ian from merseyside
The best way to approach our fishing, is to understand more about the fish we are fishing, and what is happening in the water which will in turn effect our fishing. Too much to explain on here. I will at some point, hopefully cover this on a video. But our fishing has been more consistent with the more smaller patterns. And occasionally the lure. Thanks for your comment Ian. It is these comments like yours helping us all understand more of what is going on around the country. Take care mate. Shaun.
@@shaunfishes101 hi Shaun went out today and caught on small nymphs again , when I looked at catch returns for the week lots of blanks tithe owner said all using lures , but fish are feeding on nymphs , you have just got to look what’s going on r
Regards Ian from Merseyside.
@@ianrobertson9744 Well done Ian. But I am sure for those returning to the water may well see your return and may even try the nymph. I myself have had two trips out this week. I will try different things so that I can keep tabs on whats happening. First trip out the lure failed in comparison to the nymphs. Second trip the lure resulted in one fish and a few knocks. The nymphs I had four fish and lost a few. Best fish trip one on nymph. Fishing over the weed, which is about 5' or 6' down with a steady draw. Fish appeared from nowhere and took the nymph. A cracking 6lb plus. Mind as I told Justin, the fight was not as good as the 3lbers. We think the fish had more red blood cells than white. Another thing we have found out through research. The thing is why would fish be suddenly taken more nymph at this time of year other than lures. A clue could be in there Metabolics. Which makes sense to me given the climate of today. Nice one Ian mate. Shaun.
Hi Shaun fished Hayescastle a few times looking for something a bit more local to Merlin’s bridge as I don’t drive I’ve done puddleduck can you recommend any other stillwaters close by please
Sorry Chris for the long delay on reply, have not been keeping up to speed lately. OK its still a bit to travel, and its towards Hayscastle. If you can go on line and check a water called Foxhill. I have been there and a few of the boys have fished it. I personally have not fished there. The owner is a really pleasant bloke and helpful. As the waters establish I will look forward to fishing it myself. But it is well set up with good Exmore stock. Being a new water it will create a good bit of interest, which in turn means regular stock possibly by the week. Due to this I would advise finding the number and book. I have mentioned this water to several who have each got back to me saying how good the quality of fish. But as you know fishing has its ups and downs. If you do go there I hope you have a great day. But bare in mind this is a new water that has seen a lot of lines. Your approach may have to differ slightly from Hayscastle or Puddleduck. Tight lines. Shaun.
Hi Shaun, I used to hand line often when fishing still water but it doesn't work on a decent size river like the Tongaririo here in NZ. I always play fish off the reel.
Well if your fish are anything like Alex's fish, then yes. But as you know the hand line is common on still waters and we rarely do this amount on the rivers. Not sure if you are aware of the amount of rain we are getting at the moment. But some of your old waters are un fishable. Mind it is closed season at the moment. But Levels are continually high. Tell you what you may miss this place, but I would not mind being over there. Take care Mark. Shaun.
We got rain all winter in Auckland like I've not seen in 30 years here yet the Tongariro stayed low and clear pretty much all winter. A short lived spate in September but back to low and clear when I was down there three weeks ago. Still fished pretty well possibly because the low water delayed fish from running up from lake Taupo?
I totally agree Shaun... Getting that fish on the reel is always far better than hand lining it in... I prefer to get them on reel whenever I can, which is most of the fish I hook... Less risk on any trailing line getting wrapped around any obstructions ie.. Grass, reeds, your feet etc.. Plus it's fun hearing the reel scream too 😂 😂
I praise it enough, but lack doing. But when that strong fish comes along I am on it. The waters you fish really remind me of Hayscastle down here. Big difference is the temp. We are lucky as it is a bit warmer. Mind not sure if it helps the fishing. You have been getting some great fishing over the past few weeks, and getting that double hook up. Had a few of the double hook ups myself over the last month. First one I got snapped and lost the lot. That was on the floating line with a pair of diawels. Second time was on a diawel and an olive nymph on the point. Floating line. Landed both of about 3lb each. Your hover line seems to do you well. I think as our temps drop we will get more on the likes of. Thanks for the comment. I have watched your channel quite a lot actually, the boys do also. Keep up the good work and I will catch up with you soon. Shaun.
@@shaunfishes101 awesome thanks for watching Shaun.. I'll be out fishin tomorrow so fingers crossed we get a few more.. Look forward to your next video too 👍
Yup, autumn fishing used to be lures or sunk daddies, and you used to see fish chasing the flies to the bank. Rarely see that now.
This is definitely a trend through the country. Or at least were ever Exmoor stock goes, as they are telling us about the changes from each water. But its not impossible fishing. We need to understand what is happening. I have done so much research to try and understand. A lot of it is common sense when we see what is happening around the world. There is far too much to explain hear. But I would hope to put a video out one day when I have all my findings. But for now take each day as a new challenge, and be prepared to change methods. For most of the time it will be slow. But if you are lucky, on the one day the fish could well be up for it.
@@shaunfishes101 it's the same where I fish Shaun. Smaller more imitative patterns seem to do better for more of the year than they used to, and static flies under a bung tend to outfish stripped lures. Stripped lures still often do well after the first few frosts.
@@oldgold5848 Just spoke to one of the boys who was on a new water by us. Foxhill. He said he tried every thing. Ended up fishing the bung with small patterns. Done the job. Mind this is his preferred method. As I always say fish with confidence. And this is where he is confident.
@@shaunfishes101 yep, confidence is important, that and concentration, but the fishing has certainly changed
Haia shaun, what make and strength is the tippet please(novice).
Hi Kevin, Tippet we are still messing around with a good few. But we have not come across any that seems to stand out. We have even started going back to mono. A good few of the boys have been on the mono for several months now and there catch rate has gone up. This we believe to be down to that they can present two or more flies on the cast with no problem. Mono has less problems when it comes to tangles. So it could be that they are presenting more flies to the fish. I my self ain't convinced, as I have caught plenty with a single fly. I have noticed that they are so much more confident when fishing. And I am a great believer in confidence. But what we are using a lot of at the moment. Whychwood ghost, Seaguar, and Frog hair. But remember we have not seen a noticeable difference. The weight of tippet will depend as much on the rod you are using. Fast tip you need 6lb plus. Soft or slow action you could go down to 4lb. Another thing to consider is when we talk Diameter of tippet. Is 0.05 going to make that big a difference. I personally cant see this. Start with a few lower cost ones. Don't think you are getting more for the top end. Take care mate. Keep in touch. Shaun.
Hi mate. When i come up next weekend i can teach you how not to lose you fish. Just joking of course. Take care Shaun !
Make sure you have good wet weather gear. Forecast looks shit. Mind forecast has been a bit hit and miss most of the time. Look forward to seeing you, and lots to learn.
See you then.@@shaunfishes101