November 19th Chew Vally lake

So having lived in many villages so close to Chew Valley Lake for most of my life and even bird nested there in my young youth I finally fished there for the very first time. I’ve been there with fly fishermen friends and at one time even thought about fly fishing for the big perch that swim there.
I met with Andy Cowley 30 years ago, he and I were members of the Avon Preservation and Restocking Society. We used to net local lakes and transfer fish from one club fishery to others. Thinning stocks and developing other new fisheries. Even netting Chew and other pools close to there.
I moved on to work around the world and Andy training to be a dentist and we lost touch.
We had been talking to each other for a few years after a chance meeting on the Bristol Avon and it was him who kindly invited me to share a boat with him guiding me on Chew.
We arrived at 8am and had one of the most leisurely cooked breakfast’s in the fishing lodge.

Soon we were out in the boat each having one rod fishing dead bait and spooning with the other. Andy is well prepared with a echo sounder and we found the features with his expert knowledge that he has of Chew. He has caught some truly great fish from there.
He caught 2 jacks from a couple different area’s on a spoon, while I was taking in the view of Chew from a boat. There was little and variable wind. At times the lake was just like a mirror and flat calm. Andy had seldom experienced such conditions.
Time just went so fast and soon the evening sky was casting a beautiful image on the heavens, which was reflected in the lakes surface.
We moved to an area where the depth was 19ft then went to 25ft but in a very tight area, it could have been a road with deep sides . My dead bait was only in the water for 5 mins when it started to twitch and then off it went. I struck into a pike that I thought was just a jack but eventually showed it’s self as a mid double at 15lbs 9oz.
That was that for the day, although a 30lb+ pike was caught and a 37lb fish the day before.
I’m looking forward to next Friday when we start again and it’s Andy’s first strike on the dead baits. Lets hope it’s a 30lber for him.