Morning punters. I'd like to get your collective opinion on something that happened over the Christmas break:

Having not wafted a fly rod in anger since the end of September, I reached desperation levels and decided to take a look at a local 'small stillwater', just to get out of the house, maybe get me string pulled a few times and so on.....
Last time I fished the place in question (which is many years ago admittedly), I recall there being a limit to the number of anglers being permitted on at any one time - I think it was around the dozen mark - and a rule which stated that you were not allowed to occupy one 'peg' for more than half an hour.

On my visit, by 11am there were 17 anglers on the water and just about every fishable spot on the water was occupied. The vast majority, maybe 80% were fishing flies static under a float. Some anglers had seat boxes or chairs and were sitting there rooted to the spot. No-one was catching and I didn't want to fish that method, so I fished nymphs at various speeds on an intermediate line, which worked well for a while until it was time to move because the small patch of water in front of me was temporarily exhausted.

Problem was, because the place had reached saturation point, no-one wanted to move because there was literally nowhere to move to, so there was this daft situation where people were just camped on one spot, watching floats like coarse anglers, wondering why they weren't catching. I had a chat with a couple of them and suggested that if we all move around a bit it might stimulate some interest, but they tended to regard me as if I was trying to 'nick their peg'. Weird.
After another hour I beggared off home, couldn't be ersed with it. Thought about having a word with the fishery manager but at the end of the day, he's just trying to make a living isn't he?

Has anyone come across this sort of thing before, and what did you do to overcome the problem? I didn't want to make a pest of myself, but in the end there were 16 of them just sitting there. Surely there's a better solution than just not going again?

M

__________________
The sun pushed dark spokes of melt and sparkle
Across the fields of hoar. And the river steamed -
Flint-olive.


http://northcountryangler.blogspot.com

Vote with your feet and don't go back, shame but there you go. I only fish bigger waters now, and no such problems with those.

Shame is with this mild winter the big ressers are not still open .
I fished Grafham a day or so before New year when it closed as a fishery ,whats the difference on a mainly rainbow fishery from December and January.
The fish are there ,they are mostly triploid ,and are often in superb condition .

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Andy Wren
Winter grayling taking a year off !
Claret not just a great dubbing colour!

Goes without saying! Stocked stillwaters aren't really my scene but I was glad to get out in the fresh air for a few hours...... I just find it hard to believe that some people go and do that every weekend! Do they not get p1ssed off?

__________________
The sun pushed dark spokes of melt and sparkle
Across the fields of hoar. And the river steamed -
Flint-olive.


http://northcountryangler.blogspot.com

Sorry I've thankfully not come across this to that extent but I've seen it done by a couple of people at my two local still waters. I think if it happened at one of those the manager of one who is a keen fly angler and coarse angler would say something,oh I do hope so. I am honestly not the best of anglers but I do like to go out and try and that includes walking around the waters.

Get a job where you work shifts & then go during the week.
I fish several extremely popular small stillwater & generally on a weekday there are only half a dozen or so anglers on them.
Quite often (especially this time of year) I have the fishery to myself most of the day.

I stopped fishing small waters like that a long time ago but I would have fished between each of them in turn space allowing. Catching fish from where they were sitting sends a message much greater than a discussion. If they moan tell them they are supposed to be fly fishing not course fishing. If it was a mixed fly and bait fishery I would ask if I could cast out between them as they would be fishing in their desired way with bait and it would only be manners.

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Don't worry, be happy.
Sandy
Carried it in full, then carry it out empty.

Sounds like my experience of Bank House, not the box seats and bungs, but the lack of options to try a new bit of water because of 'peg-hogs'. It was a Winter weekend but most pegs were occupied. The only catching was going on in one corner in the shade. I believe there are rules regarding how long you can stay on one peg but it wasn't observed. I haven't been back which is a pity because I enjoyed the surroundings and the wildlife.

SharkeyP

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Often thinks not travel widens,
Stay at home the Trout obliges.

Can't say that I've ever come across that - but if I did, I'd take the view that I was the one out of step, and in future go somewhere where the done thing is more to my liking.

All too easy these days, so called fly fishing. People sat on boxes or seats, stools etc, fishing under bungs or wet lines with static boobies etc. Very reluctant to move or even change method. Then they moan if they don't catch. Been happening now for years. I have turned up at day ticket waters only to find them packed, I just go home or find somewhere else. Again I've been lucky that I've been able to fish mid week. I usually avoid weekends an bank holidays, unless on a big venue.