Isn’t it great when the things you love best come full circle? In a world lurching around like a drunk who’s lost his car keys, there’s something comforting about an old favourite fishing spot. Angling, after all, is so often that doorway back to a more innocent world. It’s a portal where grown-ups can feel like little kids and little kids can feel like experts.

A sunny swim and a bright silver roach- spring is finally here!

I won’t bore you with the details of my recent ups and downs, but when things seem beyond our control it’s priceless to be able to find that quieter place to escape to. And just this last week, three generations of Garnetts have enjoyed a trip to Feneck Ponds- which has to be one of the best places to go fishing in and around Exeter.

Coarse and fly fishing at Exeter Angling Association’s Feneck Ponds

Often forgotten by those who hurtle past the nondescript entrance to Star Barton Lane, Feneck Ponds are just a stone’s throw from Exeter’s suburbs. And yet once you’re there they feel a million miles away. This impression of seclusion is only enhanced by the world’s worst access track. The fact that my dad wouldn’t dare take his car up it tells its own story. No blame here- it’s just that with such messy weather these days, the road gets totally churned up by winter floodwater.

I’ve written about Feneck Ponds before- it’s such a nostalgic place and alongside other Devon haunts it features in my book, Crooked Lines. Like the godawful access track, it hasn’t always had a smooth life, but the good news is that it’s still lovely and semi-wild and feels back to its best.

As soon as proper spring weather arrived, I treated Julia Garnett to an Exeter AA season ticket at the bargain price of a fiver (see exeteranglingassociation.co.uk for various day and season tickets). Everything about the place is an adventure- even that bumpy access track, which sends my daughter into fits of giggles while I grit my teeth. The other thing she always asks if if there will be feneck foxes- I see your logic there, Julia Garnett.

For such a small pair of ponds, the sport is refreshingly varied, too. On my last visit, I couldn’t resist packing a fly rod alongside Julia’s appropriately pink little rod and flashy reel. I figured that most of the session would be spent making sure she was tangle free and catching tiddlers- but a fly could be flicked out in an instant even if the odd free minute was all I got.

It was predictably hectic. Julia caught a shedload of rudd and skimmers. She always wants to take these home as pets, for some reason, and I have to explain why we can’t do this. Meanwhile, I managed to pick off lots of rudd and roach on the fly setup! This was beyond simple when flicking out a tiny Pink Shrimp into the melee she was creating with handfuls of maggots. However, in the afternoon sun there were rises everywhere- and I got some some gorgeous fish by casting well out into the pond, with a Red and Peacock Spider especially deadly.

Stacks of these beauties at Feneck Ponds! All you need is some sunshine and a fly rod.

I used a small blob of floating putty to improve bite indication for this- which barely floated, but quickly showed any little dibs or touches. S0metimes you get a solid pull, but the rest of the time, fish like roach can be rapid biters and need an instant strike. They fought beautifully on an 8ft four-weight rod, too, and I even added a couple of hybrids when the fly sank deeper.

The only slight frustration was a missed carp when we went for a look at the larger, second pond here. I always break up the sessions with Julia by taking a walk. A good shout, seeing as four-year-olds are not possessed of endless patience. A couple of nice fish were up on the surface- and so I switched to a large, size 10 Black and Peacock. I probably should have taken off the indicator, because it was this that the first fish went for! It was probably just as well I didn’t hook a carp, because when I next looked up, Julia was some distance away, attempting some sort of tadpole trawling operation.

Small spiders or a beaded Pink Shrimp (pictured) worked beautifully for rudd, roach and hybrids- you can stock up on these flies from my online shop- or contact me for bespoke orders!

Tench, alibis and carp on the fly

The next visit was with John Garnett- and we hatched a cunning plan. Under the premise we were “doing some garden work” we did a quick bit of lawn cutting around frantically packing some tackle and heading to the ponds. My dad will be 80 this year, so these shared trips are more precious than ever. My planning was fairly last minute, it must be said! I’d taken some pole bits and leftover bait from the weekend match, as well as the obligatory fly rod.

My lack of prep was no concern because the fish were free-biting. We selected a swim on the first pond, purely on the basis that it looked pretty and would get plenty of sun after a cold night. A bit of loose feed and they were queueing up for us- gorgeous silver roach and skimmers, along with rudd. Caster was the best bait for quality samples.

Things then slowed down before we found some better fish. I could tell when the first crucian was hooked from the series of jagging little circles it swam, a lovely dizzy feeling on light pole gear. I’m still after a Feneck crucian on the fly; judging by the amount of buzzers hatching by noon, I’m confident I’ll eventually get one.

True Crucian? Pass! Certainly a pretty fish- and the smaller of Feneck Ponds seems carp free.

John Garnett then hooked a tench that gave a magnificent battle, hammering out the elastic and almost transferring his rig into a load of weed. With a bit of encouragement, though, it came out and we admired it in awe. These are lovely fish and it’s crazy how hard even a modest one battles.

By this stage, I’d grabbed the fly rod and was casting towards the middle of the pond to pick off some rudd I’d seen basking. No indicator needed this time- they were right on the surface. In these circumstances, a light spider pattern that just about sinks works a treat. Excellent fun, but I must admit, with just an hour left to play and the sun well up I was thinking about those carp on the larger pond.

The swims at the near end of the lake, especially, have reasonable casting space here and I was raring to go after spotting the odd cruiser. Rather than launch a long, risky cast, however, I knew it would be better to wait for one to get closer into range, where I had a better chance to be accurate and stealthy. I had only a four weight rod, like the last time, but had stepped up to 5.5lb/ 0.16mm line.

I managed to fluff the first clear shot- and a pair of fish sulked off, clearly unimpressed that the fly landed right on the head of the first. However, minutes later, another carp came within range. This time, I managed to land my Black and Peacock more convincingly. If anything it went further to the side of the fish than I wanted, but in a split second, the carp clocked my fly and turned on it greedily. After a blur of gobbling lips and a sideways strike, fly line pelted out into the lake.

At first, I just let the fish run hard. It was a little hairy on the four weight, but I managed to steadily gain line and the runs got less strong. One thing you can do with a strong running fish is to put the rod tip under water- the added drag of the water adds some extra shock absorption, while a low rod brings the middle and lower rod into play to exert extra stopping power. Often if you hoist the rod skyward, this spells danger because fish don’t like being pulled to the surface- they’re much less agitated when allowed to battle deeper.

Soon enough, I managed to tire the carp and steer it into the landing net. It was a lean, golden common carp of four pounds. By Feneck Ponds standards, not a bad one. No other tackle will give you the same fight as a fly rod- and it’s hard to beat that feeling of having fooled the fish with a natural insect imitation.

Should you fancy a crack at coarse fish, or indeed trout, this year, do check out my guided fishing page above. The options here in Devon and Somerset are endless, whether you want to catch wild trout, bass or carp on the fly.

Tench fishing and added tension!

Another favourite spot this time of year is the Tiverton Canal. As much of a nomad as I am in my fishing, I simply can’t resist hitting repeat for these tench every spring. Sport can be hit and miss early on, admittedly, but they are such beautiful fish. My next column for Angling Times will cover some pleasure fishing shortly- but suffice to say that the tench are already biting. Sellick Bay is perhaps the classic and I managed a brace on a very chilly afternoon in the company of Keith and Lee Armishaw of River Reads, as well as some rudd and perch. Worm over chopped worm and groundbait was the best option- and with quite a cold spring so far, the key area seems to be the deeper water around two-thirds across.

Would it be a good omen for my next match along the same stretch with the Tivvy crew? In a word, no! I was pegged well away from the fancied swims and instead got drawn along the sheltered section, near the Scout Hut. The section was squeaky tight, with just one tench caught all through- by my neighbour, Ken Pemberthy, in the first hour, so it was pressure on. Sitting in the unfamiliar position of first in the league, I knew I had to buck my ideas up to land some points.

An end peg always helps- and in the absence of bigger fish on the worm line, I got busy with regular pinches of loose feed and shallower rigs after spotting some rudd topping. It paid off nicely- and after a couple of little blades I found some better samples on single maggot. With about two pounds or so of these at the halfway mark, I fancied I might manage decent points- but kept trying worm every so often, all the same.

On about the three hour mark, I finally got a bite across on the tench rig. It was a weird one; a sort of slow lift and take-a-walk sort of bite. I struck and something accelerated hard! At first, I wondered if I’d foul hooked a tench, such was the speed. Until the culprit came into view- a pike of about three pounds thrashed the surface and I said a quick and slightly obscene fisherman’s prayer.

Luckily for me, it was lightly hooked and after another pacy run or two I bundled it into the net. Phew! In the final weigh in, I was off the pace in terms of the top places, but 2.7kg (about 6lbs in old money) gave me a section win and another ten points to stay top of the league.

At which stage, I will make no predictions whatsoever because I am the Tottenham Hotspurs of the Tivvy league! In other words, I get some good results but generally manage to trip myself up in the final reckoning, with several second-place finishes in the league and cup final to my name. Everything crossed for next time. Either way, it’s a hugely enjoyable series- the best match fishing in Devon as far as I’m concerned, with a real mix of venues and thirty or so regulars who are good anglers but always the friendliest of company.

Trout and Missing Keys!

To round off this blog, there are two other bits of news I’m keen to share. First up, I’ve been out  again with filmmaker John Deprieelle and Rodney Wevil for Turrall Flies. This time, the aim was to capture fly fishing action with loch-style tactics at Fernworthy Reservoir.

While the fish seemed reluctant to come close to the bank, we persuaded plenty to come and grab a wet fly. Keep an eye on the Turrall Flies website and my YouTube channel for highlights of a busy session shortly!

You’ll also find a useful video on learning how to cast a fly rod, complete with useful tips that will help anglers of all ability levels. Short of booking a fly casting lesson, it’s possibly the next best thing if you’re newish to this art:

Finally, in non-fishing news, I’m also enjoying making music at the moment with my new duo “The Missing Keys”. A mixture of piano, vocals and guitar, we play a wide selection of soul, jazz, blues and pop, with originals and covers alike. If you like real music as opposed to X-Factor junk, do give us a listen!