I’ve just spent the four days of Cup Weekend at Stawell and managed some fishing at Lake Fyans. We understand the lake has had regular stockings leading up to this week’s Oceania competition and my friend Phil and I have never seen it so good! We also had an early morning session on Sunday at Wartook but it was bright, sunny and no wind. We only saw a couple rising too far out from the wall to cast to. Besides, with Fyans fishing so well we just couldn’t drive past it.
Phil and I fished Fyans on Saturday, Sunday and Monday evenings and again for a short session on Tuesday morning. Saturday and Sunday were the pick of the days weather-wise. Phil and I fished off the wall on Saturday and besides a couple of redfin, Phil also got a nice trout. On the Sunday we each landed a 2lb rainbow – Phil’s was on a mudeye pattern and mine was on a Shaving Brush. I’d seen a fish jump clear of the water but beyond my casting range so I thought I might be a chance on a dry IF I could get it out as far as I could in the right area. Sure enough about 4 or 5 casts later this rainbow absolutely nailed the fly. I was pretty rapt to catch my first trout at Fyans – and on a dry!
On Monday evening the wind had got up a bit so we fished where there was more shelter. Phil had seen a fish rise in front of him but hadn’t got a take and I was to his right upwind with a nymph under a dry. Again, about four casts later there was a subtle take on the nymph and a lovely 2lb rainbow took off. The fish was in great condition and pulled very hard, making several runs and dives before coming to the net. Phil also caught a rainbow just under 2lb, again on the mudeye, and right on dark he caught a 6lb tench! I’d never seen one before but it was huge.
Phil into a good fish.
On Tuesday we only had a couple of hours fishing and the wind was blowing hard onshore which made casting tough. You almost had to time it when the wind dropped off a bit to cast! At about 8 am Phil had just walked over to ask whether we should move? I suggested we give it another 30 minutes – I just had a feeling I might catch one. The very next cast I actually managed to land a nice straight cast out on the water, and as I stood back admiring it the line took off and I was onto a 1.5lb rainbow that must have grabbed my small green/ gold Woolly Bugger on the way down. A great way to end the trip!
