We went to Syon Park yesterday afternoon, just for the fun of it and the glorious weather. We had a chat with the keeper, who said the best place was beyond the bridge. This was quite a long walk for Ernie, but he managed well by walking slowly.
We both set up on the far bank not far from the bridge. I took only my seven foot rod and just a few flies. We saw only one fish caught on the opposite bank. Ernie started with a sinking line and soon had a tug but that was all and he kept on getting caught up with the weed. There was a lot of this blanket weed on the surface and over the bottom but the water was crystal clear. He eventually went to his floating line and got less weed problems but did get drift problems from the wind dragging the line on the surface. He eventually caught a fish on a Stonefly, which we put back as no one was looking.
For myself, nothing not even a tug. I tried several flies and even got right under a small oak tree. Being under the tree was quite dangerous, with the risk of getting caught in it, which I managed four times but did get the fly back each time.
In the end I got a little chilly with the breeze and decided that it was time to go at 5:00.
