Draycote Water fishing report week ending Sunday 8th September 2019
Tel: 01788 812018
This week has heralded what now appears to be a distinct seasonal weather shift as we enter into that autumnal period. Cooling air & water temperatures, combined with a good westerly based airstream (albeit rather gusty at times), led to some tremendous top of the water sport for many. Every day of the week has angler comments on the catch returns referring to catches on daddy patterns. Standard patterns have worked as have the daddy-hogs, but the detached foam body varieties- especially the orange version- have clearly been the pattern of the week. Angler numbers and catch rates have both increased this week with 301 rods netting a total of 1334 trout – representing rod average for the period of 4.43.
Whilst boat anglers prepared to engage in long drifts across open water in search of shoals & pods of roving rainbows in the waves have caught well, it has also been good to see a significant rise in sport being enjoyed by those on the bank. Toft, Cornfield and Lin Croft have all provided consistent bank angler sport. Many fish have come to dries & daddies fished blind with few actually showing. Numerous anglers have also commented on their experiences of having to ensure that teams of nymphs are kept in the top foot or so to get any reaction. Similarly, good numbers of bank anglers have been encountering feeding fish tight to the shoreline with a quiet, non-wading approach proving to be the best strategy.
As ever, there have been highlights. Afloat on Monday, & fishing “dawn to dusk” as ever, were dry fly fanatics Jim Smith & Ed Douglas. They enjoyed fine sport to dries throughout the day especially into the evening when fish fed in any wind lanes & came blind to their offerings when presented in the slick or especially on the ripple edge. Bob’s Bits in reds & clarets, together with hoppers accounted for most of their fish with both anglers ending the day with over 20 each to the net. Kevin Rees also fished his own Bob’s Bits variants for a 17 fish day taken mainly across the middle. Eugene Hughes was back up from London for a day on the water & chose to spend the morning on a Di3 with a mini humungus following up with dries on drifts across the middle in the afternoon when he felt the fish had come right up. It proved to be a good call as he enjoyed regular action throughout the day ending with over 25 rainbows to the boat. Rod Wilson stuck to his rudder tactics & lures for the day and a 4lbs 8oz beauty was the best of the 6 for the pot he took with a further six returned. Tony Broadway experienced good bank sport on Tuesday with a ten fish tally to a washing line & cruncher set up. Testament to the marginal shrimp feeding, Brian Allwood caught 7 on the bank casting his own bespoke patterns “into any wind lane & just holding on!” Bob Smith joined the action on the Cornfield & Lin Croft too and also netted 7 on his black diawl bach, black cruncher & shrimp combination. Wednesday was a quiet day at the venue with few anglers and smaller catch returns against a 2.5 rod average. Mick Bubela did do well though with an 11 fish tally in the boat.
Tony Broadway & Colin Grainger were both on the banks early on Thursday with Tony alternating between his washing line/cruncher set up and dries. He excelled once more with a 13 fish total. Colin fished Pheasant Tail Nymphs ending with 4 taken and a further 3 caught & released. Owen Rivett was very pleased with a 4lbs rainbow to a black buzzer in his 4 fish catch whilst Dave Kennell & Eddie Mitchell netted 9 grown on rainbows to nymphs presented on a midge tip from C & B buoys. Bob Smith bank fished Lin Croft again on Friday morning with the same nymph/shrimp set-up but substituted his middle dropper for a nemo cruncher in the brighter conditions. He enjoyed what he later described as a “Great Day” with plenty of action throughout and ten rainbows caught & released. Out on the water in the boats those who were covering large areas, particularly across the middle, were finding fish prepared to take daddies fished through quite substantial waves. Jonathon Wood shared a boat with Alex Urquhart and enjoyed some hectic action to the daddies culminating in 15 to the net. Jon later messaged “Just another thank you for fishing at draycote truly appreciate it. Worth the 4am start and 360 mile round trip. Pulling fish from nowhere in the wave was great fun”. Guide Lee Henfrey was also afloat on a four hour guide which resulted in 16 rainbows to the net which came to a team of two detached foam bodied daddies trickled through big waves on drifts over open water.
On Saturday we welcomed Jim Chernikeeff to the venue for the start of a three day guided trip with Tom. Jim was over from Australia and, on the recommendation of a friend, was determined to incorporate the top of the water Draycote sport he had been told about into his trip. Under Tom’s guidance & watchful eye he indeed experienced some of Draycote’s finest action first hand catching consistently from all over the venue on dries, daddies & teams of nymphs. Such was Jim’s enjoyment that he is looking to come back over again in the spring for the buzzer hatches! Also afloat on Saturday were the civil service HASSRA Angling section for their annual championship with seven teams of three from all over the UK competing. Many had chosen to make a break of it and had sneaked in a few pleasure/practise days in advance & match day saw the North East team of Mike Bramham, John Hepdell & Nigel Wall victorious with 19 fish total totalling 39lbs 13oz. Neighbouring North West took the runner up prize with David Hay representing Scotland taking the best individual slot with an 8 fish total for 18lbs 13oz. The best fish of the event came to the rod of organiser Ash Robertson with a 3lbs 8oz rainbow taken across the middle on a detached foam bodied daddy. Scottish Power were also afloat for an annual event with 22 anglers competing against each other. Brian Donald took top individual with his 4 fish limit for 12lbs. Special congratulations though to Len Hicks with the biggest fish. He also used a foam daddy to tempt an immaculate fin perfect rainbow of 4½lbs – a great way to celebrate the fact that it was his birthday! Richard Denny boat fished with Bob Holland & had some great sport to dries across the middle, a couple in Rainbow Corner plus a couple down in Toft. They finished their session with 20 to the net. Hugh Benham was also in action on the dries & hoppers. Fishing out of Biggin & across the middle on a wind that had swung around into the north, he took a fine 4 fish limit with a further 8 returned. Best of the day’s action was enjoyed by Graham Willis & Brad Gifford who concentrated on Toft & Cornfield with daddies & dries all day to end with a grand total of 40 rainbows caught & released. We also held a beginner’s tuition day on Saturday hosted by Andy Miller, assisted by Lee Henfrey. After a brief morning “classroom” session followed by a casting lesson, the afternoon saw the eight newcomers to the sport putting their newfound skills to the test on the banks of the Cornfield. Good sport was experienced with fish coming to foam daddies & daddy-hogs and hopefully our newcomers will themselves now be “hooked”! The next tuition day with available spaces is in October and can be booked at https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/shop/tuition-beginner-courses/
Saturday into Sunday was clear & cold. Dawn on the reservoir saw it shrouded in heavy fog for a while. This was soon followed by clear blue skies & bright sunshine and an almost flat calm. Nevertheless there were still trout prepared to take dries, although many anglers commented on the frustration of many fish coming short because of the bright, flat conditions. Neil & Dean Shilton managed 8 & 4 respectively to dries and George Leaton, who also landed 4 to dries in the morning, proudly displayed a photo of what appeared to be a terrific 4lbs+ rainbow in his net which he caught & released off the Cornfield. A limited ripple developed enabling Richard Slater & Nick Dunn to drift the middle with daddies & big reds. They had a great session to end with 13 & 14 respectively. Ian Reeve fished the Hensborough Bank with daddies to net 9 rainbows and Messrs Frazer Duffy Snr & Jnr spent the day afloat together landing 20. Frazer Jnr won 11-9! Kasidit Leoviriyakit took heed of all the foam daddy action. He fished off J buoy & along the Farborough Dam with the orange body variant which brought him a 15 fish total.
Some mixed weather is forecast for this coming week and it is anticipated that the good fishing currently being experienced will continue. Meanwhile, we await the postman with a delivery of more daddies!!
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. This week we have a special offer on our guides top patterns for Daddies which can be found by following https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/offers/
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.
COMPETITIONS During September.
Association of Major Fishing Clubs. Saturday 21st September 2019.
Weekly Boat draw
Congratulations to Wilbur Leoviriyakit from Bristol, the winner of this week’s free boat draw.
Weekly Stats:
Number Rods: 301 Number Trout Taken: 361 Number Trout Released: 973
Total Catch: 1334 Rod Average: 4.43
Current Fishing Times:
Bank: 07:30 until 19:45
Boat All Day: 08:30 until 19:45
Boat Part Day: AM 08:30 until 14:30 PM 14:30 until 19:45
Last 4 Hours from: 15:45 until 19:45 (Ticket sales available from 15:30)
Gutting Room Closes: 19:15
All Anglers to be off site by: 20:00
Tight lines,
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