Draycote Fishing Report w/e Sunday 12th November 2017
A lovely start to the week on Monday – calm winds teamed with bright skies and cool autumn temperatures. Season ticket holder Ed Douglas fished from the Swan’s Nest with shrimp patterns and crunchers on a washing line to take nine rainbows. Also on the bank was fellow season ticket holder Kevin Rees who also fished shrimp patterns on the washing line but from the old pipe in Biggin Bay. He ended his session having netted seven. Joining Kevin later in the day at the old pipe was Ray Cramp who landed eight on a mix of shrimp patterns and lures. Out on the boats was Mike Murphy who enjoyed great sport anchored off Farnborough Spit. He fished minkies on a floating line & enjoyed great sport with twelve to the net.
A wet day Tuesday put off a number of anglers. However, those who did venture out into the rain and the SE winds enjoyed good sport. Gordon Slack fished from the Swan’s Nest with a combination of buzzer and shrimps to land 10 fish. John Dews also fished on at the Swan’s Nest to land 6 fish including 3 cracking rainbows over 3lb. His biggest tipped the scales at just over 4lbs. Also on the bank was Rodger Kerrison who landed six from various mark around the lake. On the boats Alan Carleton and Wally Beeson enjoyed good sport landing eight to the boat fishing off Farnborough Spit using a midge tip with a minkie on the point, and nymphs on their droppers.
Out on the boats Wednesday Tony Plummer and Colin England enjoyed hectic sport ending with 22 to the boat. They deployed sinking line tactics with a minkie booby fishing at Farnborough Spit. Also doing well in the boats Richard Ellis landed 7 fish using boobies fished on a Di 3 sinking line including a lovely 4lb brown. Richard Bird also fished well from the boat landing eight lovely fish. On the bank, Jude Tuffs and Tony Broadway fished at Lincroft Point to land 8 and 7 fish respectively. The pair opted for washing line tactics. Mr Burns enjoyed a good last four-hour session from the boat landing 8 rainbows on a Damsel nymph fish from the far side down towards the Cornfield.
Thursday saw overcast conditions for most of the day with a North Westerly wind and sport proved to be brisk for many. On the bank Alec Twaites landed 5 fish from the bottom of Toft fishing with shrimp imitations. C J Day fished from Lincroft point with a washing line to land 7. Out on the boats Ed Douglas and Jim Smith enjoyed good sport landing 25 to the boat. Their day got off to a great start when Ed took a 6lb brown from Farnborough Spit. The tactics for the morning were a minkie on the point and nymphs on the droppers. However, around the middle of the day a slight increase in temperature caused the fish to come up in the water with Ed catching on crunchers on a washing line around middle shoal, Jim even managed to catch one on dries. Another boat doing well was Simon Peck and Terry Smith who landed 18 fish to the boat. They located fish tight in along the Cornfield ad found black and green lures on a Di 3 to be the best tactic. Steve Owen and his boat partner enjoyed good sport with over 10 fish to the boat, again using black and green lures on di 3, but they fished around Farnborough Spit. This was once more the location for Mike Murphy who, like Monday, used a minkie on a floating line to land a further eight rainbows. Chris Aubrey and Ian Reeve enjoyed great sport on the last four hour ticket with 16 fish to the boat using snakes and humungus lures on a sinking line over on the Cornfield.
Friday saw a gusty start with a NW wind blowing between 12 and14 mph. Whilst there were only a couple of boats on the water, the banks were well attended. Fish location proved difficult for many, but those who found them enjoyed fine sport. Tony Broadway landed nine taking a fine three pounder for the pot, whilst Lea Tones netted seven which included three fin perfect grown on 3lbs plus fish all with rays in the tail. He fished white & coral pink minkies or black & green goldhead tadpoles on a sink tip line. Peter Elliott & Lee Patten bank fished down in Toft with both fishing cruncher patterns in conjunction with a FAB blob. Peter finished with very creditable 13 rainbows all caught & released and Lee caught nine taking a fine eight fish limit for the pot which was topped by a fine rainbow of 4lbs 2oz.
The overcast skies & light breeze on Saturday saw anglers catching well in the vicinity of the spit using sinking line tactics with minkies. Visiting from Foremark, Ricky Cotterill had a great day in the boat using his own perch fry pattern to land eleven fine rainbows together with some specimen perch! Howard Lambert enjoyed his first introduction to reservoir boat fishing & fished fry patterns under the watchful eye of guide Tom Bird. He was pleased with how much he learnt and can be seen on our Facebook page proudly displaying his fin perfect 4lbs 4oz rainbow. www.facebook.com/FlyFishStore . Off Croft Shoal in a boat Brian Shields also got into the action landing six on a black minkie presented on an intermediate line. Kieron Barnes stayed on the bank & washing lined Hare’s Ear Nymph patterns with small boobies to land nine. Mike Oliver did similar, but stuck to his own Pheasant Tail Nymph pattern on his droppers to net eight. Brian Warwick followed close behind with four nice fish taken & two more returned.
The week ended on Sunday with bright, cold conditions & a biting NNW wind which gusted on occasion in excess of 30mph. This led to most of the boats seeking the shelter of the north shore marks, but the fishing was generally hard for all, but especially so for the bank anglers. Ed Douglas struggled for a brace, but Mr Knight managed four for the pot and Dennis Tidmarsh caught & released five. Out in the boats with the Leicester Disable Fly Fishers, Ian Bradfield proved to be top rod with a seven fish tally. Martyn Price & Dave Hancox also did well in the chilling conditions landing 6 & 3 respectively. Deep tactics with various boobies proved to me the order of the day for most.
With only a couple of weeks left of this season, weather forecasts continue to predict a variety of conditions. With stock levels high & some good feeding ongoing, those of you fortunate enough to be able to pick your moments will benefit from the best of the remaining action.
Weekly Boat Draw
Congratulations to Mr Leaton of Hounslow who is the winner of this week’s free boat draw.
Weekly Stats:
Number Rods: 211 Number Trout Taken: 236 Number Trout Released: 410
Total Catch: 646 Weekly Rod Average: 3.06
Current Fishing Times:
Bank: 07:30 until 1615
Boat All Day: 08:30 until 16:15
Last 4 Hours: 12:15 until 16:15 (Ticket sales available from 12:00)
Gutting Room Closes: 15:45
All Anglers to be off site by: 16:30
Fishery News
Season Permits
There is currently a lengthy list of anglers interested in Draycote Water season permits. Nevertheless, we advise anyone who has an interest to contact us in the lodge to have their name added to it. Telephone 01788 812018
The Fur and Feather match.
There are just a few places left for this year’s “Fur and Feather” 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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