Welcome to the home page of Chris Bowman Fishery Management.
Chris is a Registered Member of the Institute of Fisheries Management, a Professional Anglers Association Registered Coach and Angling Writer.
Here in Cumbria Chris offers guided trips and tuition on what William Camden, a sixteenth century historian, described as: " The most noble River in the County", the river Eden. The river Eden is a very special place, its SSSI and SAC status recognises and protects its rich diversity of wildlife and landscapes. Chris not only introduces anglers to the prolific grayling shoals and more elusive big chub of the river, but also the unique history, geology and wildlife of the garden that is Eden.
As well as offering angling and angling coaching on his own and other fisheries Chris's fishery management consultancy offers advice and practical assistance with all aspects of fishery and freshwater management just click on the fishery management link below to find out more.
On the Border rivers recent frosty weather and lower water conditions has produced some excellent grayling fishing conditions and on Tuesday 19th February 2008 Chris took time off from taking people grayling fishing on Cumbria's River Eden to visit the Kirkwood beat of the river Annan; a recognisance mission prior to a 3 day residential Grayling School he will be running at Kirkwood with owner Anthony Steel and Cumbria Fly Fishing’s Glyn Freeman in November. He landed four grayling including a brace of 2 pounders; at 2lb 3oz and the best weighing 2lb 10oz (below).
Chris had this to say about the session:
"Although I had fished the stretch for chub some years ago landing fish to over 5lb, I had never fished Kirkwood for grayling and when, after the success of the resedential Salmon and Sea Trout Schools on the river Annan; Kirkwood's owner Anthony Steel decided to run a grayling school along with my colleague AAPGAI instructor Glyn Freeman and myself, I thought that, at Anthony's invitation it was time to reacquaint myself with the stretch. The Border Rivers have been running virtually brimful since the New Year, but for the week prior to my visit to Kirkwood we had experienced hard frosts and more importantly no rainfall, the river was crystal clear, ideal conditions for reconnoitering and I spent all of the morning climbing trees, gaining the high ground, peering into the river and generally paddling and poking around reacquainting myself with the stretch, this time with grayling in mind. There were several area's I fancied but the first was little more than a deeper depression in a long shallow stretch, it had no really outstanding features but something kept drawing me back to this slower paced area of darker water in a stretch where I could see every stone on the bottom across the whole width of the river.
It is always exciting to fish a new stretch of river or fish for a new species and although I had fished Kirkwood before and have caught many hundreds of grayling elsewhere, this was the first time I had targeted the species on the Annan. Knowing that the Annan is capable of producing grayling well in excess of 3lb, I could feel a child like excitement and anticipation of what might be to come welling up inside as I waded perhaps a third of the way across the river for my first cast. I began trotting a 6AAA Avon float set at around 4 1/2 feet complete with two red maggots on a size 14 hook through the stoney bottomed swim with the aid of the 13 foot float rod and centre pin. First trot down the float buried quickly and I was into an obviously good fish that was sending head shaking jags up the line to the rod top. It never deviated from the line I had been fishing two thirds of the way across the river as it swam upstream towards me, it drew level with me and then continued upstream, the excitement started to rise as I realised this was a bigger fish than I had first thought. It was at this point excitement hit fever pitch as the fish began to gyrate in the flow and I caught my first glimpse of a fish that looked to be over two feet long. Just as quickly sanity was restored as I realised I had hooked a salmon kelt, perhaps the child like excitement got the better of me, perhaps I just need glasses, but for a few seconds I thought I had hooked a truly huge grayling. I dropped the rod top to see if it would shake the barbless hook free but I had to play it for a while longer before I could reach down and remove the hook from the very tip of its top jaw, as I did so I held the the rod along side the fish and with its snout at the butt ring the fork of its tail was level with the base of the reel seat. This distance was later measured at 28 inches which would mean that in its prime, prior to spawning it may have weighed in the region of 8 to 9lb; now after the exertions of procreating the species I would put it at perhaps 6lb. This imposter had albeit for a few brief seconds, tricked me into thinking I had hooked the mother of all grayling, as I watched it swim away wearing the silver coat of a well mended fish I wondered if it might go on to fool some early season salmon angler into thinking he had hooked a springer or may even be one of the few that reach the sea and return to spawn again.
Composing myself I returned to the grayling fishing and next trot down in exactly the same area I had hooked the silver imposter the float buried again and I was into another good fish that felt decidingly grayling like and with good reason; this time it was a grayling and a nice one to, it proved to be 2lb 10oz on the scales, a lovely fish. After a couple of photo's and having returned the fish I was ready for my third cast of the day and once again when the float reached the magic spot it was third time lucky and I was into another grayling, a lovely fish although a bit smaller than the last at 2lb 3oz. The swim went quiet after this and I went off in search of pastures new and although I landed two more Kirkwood grayling of around 1 3/4lb and 1lb, nothing matched the excitement of my first three casts in search of grayling on the river Annan."
The Kirkwood grayling school takes place between 26th & 30th November, for more information contact Anthony Steel on 01576 510200 or aisteel@aol.com with information soon to be found on the Kirkwood Cottages and Real Farm Holidays website www.Kirkwood-Lockerbie.co.uk in the meantime click on the angling coaching link below or contact Chris at the address below.
Chris Bowman Fishery Management
Crosshill Cottage, Blackford, Carlisle, Cumbria
CA6 4DU
Tel: 01228 674519
Email: chris.bow.fish.man@tinyworld.co.uk
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