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Angling Report - May 2005

Mid April to Mid May 2005

The winds continued to blow from the North and East for most of March and into April, most days have been sunny and dry and have felt quite cold, however the water temperature is slowly rising. At present it is 13C, this has resulted in much more surface activity with large hatches of Hawthorn fly.

On the 16th of April Chris Buttle from Penrith caught the best fish this month, an overwintered rainbow of 14lb 3 oz on a Cats Whisker.

Three friends T. Clayton, A Walker and R Hopper visited Bessy Beck on the 18th April and between them caught and returned 100 Rainbows mainly on Bloodworm.

On the 28th April Arnold Patefield had a good afternoon catching 27 fish on a Black Buzzer many of these fish were between 4 and 5lbs.

Tom Clayton returned to Bessy Beck on the 3rd May and had 25 fish the largest 8lb 2oz., all of these were caught on Bloodworm.

On the 14th May local angler David Carne had 22 fish in an afternoon on Buzzers.

With the water temperature rising and the days longer the best time is morning or late afternoon. Bessy Beck is open until 9.30 p.m. every day but Monday.

Good flies for evening fishing are Deer hair Sedges or Black Klinkhammers.

Re History, Bessy Beck gets its name from a very kind woman, who lived in Newbiggin on Lune, she used to take water from the beck and do her washing there. In the year of 1685 October 23 she was burned alive for treason. Elizabeth Gaunt had given shelter to a man, given him money to make his escape from the government who were trying to capture him for his part in an abandoned plot to assassinate King Charles II. James Burton although guilty of the crime gave evidence against Elizabeth Gaunt so that he would be granted immunity from prosecution.

In fact, he received a pardon as a recompense for his treachery and she was burnt alive for her charity. Directly after her death a huge storm burst upon England, a sign they say of Gods anger at the burning of an innocent woman.

The man who condemned her was Judge Jeffreys, a cruel and brutal man who is related to Shelley on her grandfather’s side.