FLY FISHING - COOLER autumn weather has now set in at the Bristol Water Fisheries, and while some days have been bright and sunny, others have been cold and damp.

COOLER autumn weather has now set in at the Bristol Water Fisheries, and while some days have been bright and sunny, others have been cold and damp.

Winds have varied from fresh westerlies to light breezes from the north. The water surface temperature continues to fall and is around 10?C. This has helped clear some of the algae at most of the waters.

At Chew Valley, the bank fishermen are often outfishing boat anglers. The trout are finding food in the very shallowest water at present, which makes for difficult boat fishing. Bank fishermen have found the best fishing from the North Shore and Picnic Areas, Woodford and Villice and Nunnery Point. The fish seem to be feeding on many things, so general patterns such as Diawl Bach, Pheasant Tail and Crunchers are good flies to try.

A bright or flashy thorax or tag often works well. Boats have found fish in the same areas plus around the Island and the picnic areas. Because the fish are in such shallow water they do disappear quite quickly in the brighter conditions. One area that has sometimes fished well is around the jetties, where there have been plenty of fry feeders.

At Blagdon, boat fishing was often difficult this week. As at Chew, the fish have been close to the banks much of the time, and bank fishermen have had some excellent sport.

Depending on wind direction, many of the shallowest areas at Blagdon have been worthwhile. Pegs, Ash Trees and Rugmoor Bay produced plenty of moving fish earlier in the week, and dries and emergers worked well in the cloudy conditions.

Another fishing- mad Bristol Water employee, Blagdon Ranger Phil Kennell, took what could be one of the best fish of the season - a 7lb 12oz rainbow that snatched his Orange Hopper when he had a few hours off the bank at Bell's Bush.

Meanwhile season rods Malcolm Fisher and Rod Newton shared a boat, in the same area, and a fabulous catch that included rainbows of 6lb 3oz, 5lb 2oz, and several more of 3-4lbs plus, and a (returned) brownie of over 5lbs! And Mr Malcolm Parry took a splendid rainbow of 6lb 2oz, also from a boat.

The Barrows are fishing well most of the time from all three tanks. Small flies on floating lines accounted for the best catches.

The rain has started to fill the Upper Lake at Litton, now making it more easily fished. The Lower Lake is still fishing well with nymphs, mini lures and bright gold heads as the best patterns.