Draycote Fishing Report w/e Sunday 22nd October 2017
A week dictated by the extremes of exceptionally windy autumnal weather. The aftermath of ex hurricane Ophelia wrote off Monday, as regards any prospects of boat fishing, and Storm Brian prevented any boats from being allowed out on Saturday. Although wind speeds dropped overnight, Sunday was also extremely rough & gusty & boats had to be restricted to the top half of the reservoir. Nevertheless, although not easy, some good sport was enjoyed by many to both boat & bank during this reporting period with some fine specimen browns & rainbows coming to net. The week saw 231 anglers visit the fishery returning a rod average 2.2.
Despite no boats being allowed out, seven hardy souls did venture out onto the banks on Monday. Best of the bunch was season ticket holder Kevin Rees who managed six rainbows to his own shrimp patterns in Rainbow Corner about the only fishable location that day!
Conditions improved on Tuesday & both boat & bank anglers got amongst fish. On the bank Tony Broadway landed eight of the twelve he hooked fishing nymphs & shrimp patterns at various spots along the north shore. Concentrating on the overflow, Peter Allen netted seven using Pheasant Tail Nymphs & Black Buzzer. Enjoying his regular morning boat, Ron Blackwell had a nice brace including the best fish of the day, a 4lbs rainbow. Craig Cowan & boat partner Ian Dobbie fished the Draycote Water main dam, as well as J buoy, for a joint total of nine.
A wind change into the east together with overcast skies & occasional drizzle on Wednesday appeared to be the catalyst for excellent sport that day. Norman Perkins fished a blob in conjunction with diawl bachs from the bank & caught ten whilst Y0usef Dar & Mike Oliver battled it out all day, mainly in Biggin, on Pheasant Tails propped up with small boobies, ending their session with a very creditable seventeen apiece! In the boat Tom Johnson stuck to the fry feeding theme & fished Boobie Minkie for seven rainbows. Willie Cairns fished Minkies down in Toft & also found fish, bringing six to the net by the end of his day. Top of the returns for Wednesday though was Mr Francis who fished drifts from half way down Biggin Bay to D buoy. He utilised a traditional team on a floating line to land a total of fifteen. Most came to a Zulu on the top dropper with others taking a slightly weighted Red Tag on the point.
Good sport continued for many into Thursday, with John Hall in particular, having a tremendous bank session on Lin Croft. He soon established that the rainbows were happy to hit his black & green lures & proceeded to catch a four-fish bag for the pot with a further thirteen caught & released. It was nice to have Andy Birkett & boat partner Brent Vinall back on the water & they similarly concentrated their drifts in the Lin Croft area. Fishing a combination of small Hare’s Ears, size 14 diawl bachs in conjunction with floating fry, they brought eleven & eight respectively to the net. Friday saw a change to a strong south westerly but it proved to be very good for the bank anglers. Brian Allwood weighed an eight-fish bag for 17lbs 12oz, released a further four & also lost five in play. He fished buzzer in Biggin Bay. Kevin Rees also stayed on the bank & netted eight as did John Dickens, both fishing shrimp patterns. Meanwhile, also in Biggin, Dave Adkins stuck to his tried & tested Pheasant Tail Nymphs and also caught eight, all of which he released. The boat anglers on Friday were finding it harder than the bank boys but Messrs Lind & Williamson found four each on big lures fished deep & reported loads of fish lost. Andy Birkett & Brent Vinall ended their boat fishing break on Friday too, but not before their small diawl bachs had accounted for another ten rainbows.
Sport was then effectively halted with the arrival overnight of Storm Brian. Although centred on coastal areas, it still brought inland wind speeds well above safety levels together with gusts in excess of 50mph and, as such, no boats could be allowed out. It unfortunately put the dampeners on the Army Angling Federations end of season boat weekend with us although 15 of them decided to bank fish, Rainbow Corner was really the only reasonable bet in terms of fishable water, but only nine trout were recorded for the day.
Sunday saw some subsidence in the winds which dropped to just within safety limits. However, it was directly in the west with powerful gusts. Boats were allowed out but for safety, had to be restricted to the west of a line from the harbour to Lin Croft Point. A lot of boats tucked themselves under the shelter of the Draycote dam and Rainbow corner, but some did brave the elements and venture into Biggin bay, which seemed to be partially sheltered at the upper end near D buoy. The difficult conditions meant that only 46 fish were caught on Sunday, dropping the rod average to 1.1. A tough day all round, particularly for the Army lads, some of whom had travelled quite a distance to get here. There were some successes on the bank, with Draycote regular Mick Cronin catching 5 fish from the Tower bank on minkies. Another bank angler, Mr R Hyde, caught 6 fish in Biggin bay on black buzzers.
Season Permits
There is currently a waiting list for season permits here at Draycote water however, we strongly advise anyone who is thinking about having a season permit to contact us and have their name added to the list as soon as possible.
Telephone 01788 812018
Weekly Boat Draw
Congratulations to Mr John Dews of Coventry who is the winner of this week’s free boat draw.
Weekly Stats:
Number Rods: 231 Number Trout Taken: 206 Number Trout Released: 307
Total Catch: 513 Weekly Rod Average: 2.2
Current Fishing Times:
Bank: 07:30 until 18.00
Boat All Day: 08:30 until 18:00
Boat Part Day: 08:30 until 13:00 – 13:00 until 18:00
Last 4 Hours from: 14:00 until 18: 00 (Ticket sales available from 13:45)
Gutting Room Closes: 17:30
All Anglers to be off site by: 18:15
Season Permits
There is currently a waiting list for season permits here at Draycote water however, we strongly advise anyone who is thinking about having a season permit to contact us and have their name added to the list as soon as possible.
Fishery News
The Fur and Feather match.
This year’s Fur and Featherâ match will take place on Sunday 26th November 2017. The match is a pairs event (fishing with your own boat partner) which, as usual, will be fished to reservoir rules (but rudders will NOT be allowed). The event will be fished to an eight fish limit (normal permit prices apply) together with a special discount boat price of £15 per boat (reduced from the normal £24.50). Fishing hours will be 9-4pm due to the reduced daylight. This will equate to a cost per angler of £36.50. The winning pair will win a Christmas Hamper each. Second & third prizes will be wines & spirits with port for the largest fish. Boats can be booked in the normal way at the lodge or by phone on 01788 812018.
Boat Cleanliness:
Our hard pressed team strive to maintain the boats to a high standard of cleanliness. Anglers are kindly requested to respect their endeavours by keeping their vessels shipshape & litter free. Particular attention should be paid to avoiding the unnecessary practise of pulling muddy anchors on board. These should be shaken clean before being lifted into the boat. Your assistance in this matter will be most appreciated.
Guiding & Tuition:
Why not take your own fishing further with a day out on the water with England Internationals and fishery staff Lee Henfrey or Tom Bird. Whether you wish to get to know the water better, or hone a particular skill, our guides can help to improve your catch rates. Visit the website www.flyfishguiding.co.uk for more information or book a slot by calling the lodge on 01788 812018.
More up to date information
Keep up to date with the latest catches and fishing posts from our in-house fishery ranger and guide Tom Bird, by following him on Facebook. Tom has been catching some great fish this season and posting pictures of the fish as well as a light write up on how he has been catching them.
Trout Masters
Draycote has joined the Troutmasters Competition. Entry forms can be found next to the booking out sheets. You will need a member of staff to countersign your entry. Good luck!
Early Morning Anglers
Due to a number of complaints from the residents of the houses by the main Draycote gate, could all anglers arriving early in the morning please keep noise to a minimum level, and if waiting for any more than a few minutes, please switch off your engines. The main gate is open from 7.30am
Tight lines,
The Draycote Team
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