Draycote Water weekly report week ending 23rd June 2019
Tel: 01788 812018
Weather Forecast: We’re often asked which weather forecast we use. In our experience the BBC regional forecast can be very inaccurate. We tend to lose a lot of customers based on these, and therefore have started using more localised weather apps such as XC Weather or Windguru. These can be downloaded to your phone or computer, and using our post code of CV23 8AB, will give you a dedicated, more accurate forecast for Draycote water. Just as an example, as I write this report the BBC has forecast thunder storms for this morning, and the real conditions for fishing are dry, overcast, with a light southerly breeze, nigh on perfect.
Tom Bird fly fishing Tip: Make sure you check out this weeks special offer of flies for the washing line, at the bottom of our report.
We’ve had a very busy week here at Draycote with the build up towards the Angling Trust Competition. We fully expected the fishing to drop off after the pressure of the country’s top competition anglers on the water, however this didn’t seem to happen. There have been some great catches all week coming from the boats, with the bank anglers also enjoying some fantastic sport. On the bank Alan Grant fished in Rainbow Corner to find lots of fish hitting pin-fry, which can be difficult to catch. However using small lures Alan did manage to tempt 5 of these cracking silver fish onto the hook. Out on the boats season ticket holder Dave Adkins fished around D Buoy and Dunn’s, landing 14 on snakes fished on a Di 5 sinking line. He landed some cracking quality fish with his 6 taken for the pot going 15lb 12oz. Another angler who found the better fish was rudder man Rod Wilson who landed 20 fish on a green rabbit snake fished over the open water around the middle. Rod’s 4 fish taken for the pot tipped the scales at an impressive 13lb 6oz. Chris Discombe enjoyed good sport landing just short of double figures around the valve tower. Chris found the key to his success was to use a black lure and buzzers, and commented that “the fish were full of snails”. Like Rod Wilson, Steve Barby used the rudder through the middle to land some cracking fish in his 9 fish haul, but found it wasn’t until the afternoon they really started to pull.
Near perfect conditions on Tuesday meant that there were fish feeding all over the lake for most of the day. Season ticket holder David Holding passed comment that “you could walk across their backs out there, but they proved challenging to get onto the hook”. On the bank Richard Walker found that pearly pheasant tails fished for the pin-fry feeders worked well, landing 4 in dunns before taking another 3 from the cornfield. Gordon Byers & Tim Grove used a very small sparse Damsel pattern from a boat around Biggin Bay to net 14 fish to the boat. Ed Douglas commented that he found the fishing challenging on the dries with so much natural food on the water. Although a small F Fly did take 10 fish for Ed before the rain in the afternoon got the better of him. Proving great minds think alike Kevin Rees also stuck to dries all day to land 9, and like Ed found that an F Fly was the key to getting positive takes. In house guide Lee Henfrey took season ticket holder David Holding out for a boat session.. Taking 9 fish to the boat, Lee found the method for the day was to fish a washing line with a small FAB on the point with Diawl Bach’s on the dropper. With the flashback green cheeked Diawl Bach from fulling mill proving to be the top pattern.
Another good weather day on Wednesday once again meant lots of fish feeding high in the water. Season ticket holder Martyn Price landed 7 fish drifting through the middle on a washing line with a booby on the point and then a mix of Diawl Bach and crunchers on the droppers. Gordan Byers & Tim Grove found that a Cut Throat Cat was to be their top pattern for the day landing 18 fish to the boat including some cracking silver tailed fish. Fishing a washing around the middle and Rainbow Corner to A buoy Kieron Thomas & Bob Jones landed 20 fish to the boat. Another boat using similar tactics was Jim Venning and M Linton from Northern Ireland who boated 14 fish. In House guide Lee Henfrey once again took to the water guiding this time for 8 hours with John Lewis & his friend David. The pair enjoyed great sport using a washing line with a FAB and then 2 nymphs on their trusty #5 & #6 sage rods. Lee found the lads several fish around X buoy and then T buoy later in the day. Towards the end of the day the lads did also land a number of good fish on an olive snake fished on a floater.
A trickier day for the most part on Thursday with sun and strong winds than the previous days meant that the fish that had been feeding hard out in the middle dropped down in the water. For the third day in a row Lee Henfrey took to the water guiding with John and David. After a long day on Tuesday and tough conditions, it was back drifting snakes through the middle that got them into some great fish. Brian Moore enjoyed a good mornings sport fishing snakes out the back of the boat around the top end of the lake, drifting from the top dam wall out over the open water using an intermediate line. Season ticket John Dickens also used back drifting snakes with olive again being the top colour to land 15 fish. Lee Pattern and Peter Elliot found a lot of fish, landing good number down the Farborough Dam and them around the corner into the Swans nest. They used a mixture of cormorants and blobs fished on a long midge tip.
Friday dawned bright and sunny with cloud cover rolling in about lunchtime. The bank anglers enjoyed some terrific sport down in toft and along the north shore. Season permit holder Bob Smith netted 19 fish from the bank on black buzzers and diawl bachs and commented on “a very good day”. Keith Hughes, Richard Walker, Gordon Slack and Colin Grainger all produced good returns, but no notes of tactics or areas are available at this time. Mr J Sherwell netted 4 fish from the bank on buzzers. Season permit holder Paul Walley took a brace from the bank on buzzers in toft. Visiting us form the north east, Gordon Byers and Tim Grove had 21 fish to the boat from across the outer markers on a mixture of buzzers, diawl bachs and dries. The intrepid pairing of Jim Smith and Ed Douglas netted 15 from a drifting boat on dries, (the crippled midge strikes again) at various points in open water. Dave Kennel and Eddie the super sub Mitchell netted a dozen fish from the boat and commented on a fantastic day. In house guide Lee Henfrey and staff member Michael Hanlon ventured out for a days sport to net 42 fish between them from a drifting boat. Their method of choice was a DI5 and snakes.
Saturday had a bright start and looked an excellent day to be out on the water. Draycote regular George Leaton netted 11 fish from a boat in Toft on buzzers fished deep. Sean Gilbert had 18 fish to the boat on a DI5 and snakes and commented on the excellent quality of the fish. Saturday regular Jim Dempsey netted 9 fish on the rudder whilst Melvin Severn took 8. Both anglers thought that the fish were sitting quite high in the water for such a bright day. Mr Butler and his boat partner had a bakers dozen to the boat on DI5’s and DI7’s and a silver lure.
The weather forecasts for Sunday were a bit gloomy, but it looked like the ideal day for fishing with heavy cloud, a light breeze and little or no rainfall. Martin Moore took to the water to net 11 fish from a boat on olive buzzers and diawl bachs. Keith Harding and Mike Clarke commented on “the fabulous fishing.” They used a combination of DI5’s and snakes, and a floating line and buzzers to net 33 fish. Both anglers said that some of the fish ran to 4lbs in weight and were “bars of silver”. Richard Walker and Paul Davis boated 13 fish using a “tiger snake” down deep. The lads weighed in 8 fish for 26lbs.
Disabled Anglers
Draycote has a wheelie boat for hire, which includes a ramp and hydraulic lift for wheelchair access. To book the wheelie boat call the lodge on 01788 812018.
Fishery Tackle Shop & Online Shop
Draycote has a tackle shop at the fishery stocking SAGE, RIO, VISION, REDINGTON, WYCHWOOD, GREYS, SNOWBEE, FULLING MILL, FARIO, LOON, FISHPOND and STREAMWORKS products with demo SAGE, Vision & Redington rods & RIO fly lines for you to take out and try.
We also have an online shop. For all you anglers who might not be aware www.flyfishstore.co.uk is the online store for Draycote and the whole of Fishery Management (UK) Ltd. During the 2019 season we will be looking at doing weekly specials offers on the website. The Fishery Management (UK) ltd guides top flies for all venues for the washing line that can be found on the online shop https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/offers/”
COMPETITIONS During June
27th June 2019 – Alex Booth Fly Fishers Charity Match contact Roy Lewin via 07762 746825
Weekly Boat draw
Congratulations to Mr John Marriott from Swanwick in Derbyshire, the winner of this week’s free boat draw.
Weekly Stats:
Number Rods: 248 Number Trout Taken: 184 Number Trout Released: 717
Total Catch: 901 Rod Average: 3.6
Current Fishing Times:
Bank: 07:30 until 22:00
Boat All Day: 08:30 until 22:00
Boat Part Day: AM 08:30 until 15:00 PM 15:00 until 22:00
Last 4 Hours from: 18:00 until 22:00 (Ticket sales available from 17:45)
Gutting Room Closes – 21:30
All Anglers to be off site by: 22:15
Tight lines,
The Draycote Team
Follow Us on
facebookwww.facebook.com/FlyFishStore
twitter www.twitter.com/FlyFishStore