Draycote Water fishing report week ending Sunday 24th November 2019
The final full week of the season, with the fishery closing this coming Saturday 30th. Overall a moderately busy week for the time of the year with a total of 214 anglers visiting the fishery landing a total of 592 trout for a rod average of 2.8.
The week started with a lovely day with light winds from the North, along with fantastic late autumnal sunshine. A perfect day for the fishery to host its end of season fishing event. This is a day where invited guest who have helped the fishery over the year are taken out fishing under the watchful eye of a member of the fishery team. Overall 10 guests took to the water all with varying levels of experience from seasoned anglers all the way to complete novices. A great day was had by all who took to the water with the 10 guests landing 35 trout. Some great fish where caught on the day with Dave & Rebecca from the Sailing club both landing fish of 3lb 8oz. However, the best boat on the day with fish numbers went to Rebecca & David from the Rangers fishing with Andy Dermot from Eyebrook. Andy set the pair up on the new RIO Fathom Deep 6 line with two boobies and caught the fish back drifting around P Buoy over middle shoal. On the bank season ticket holder Ian Richardson enjoyed great sport, from the Swan’s Nest in Toft. Using a midge tip line with a Minkie & Mrs Simpson, Ian landed 7 quality Rainbows. Another angler who landed 7 fish was Jim Hall who used Crunchers to land his fish.
Freezing overnight temperatures on Monday, resulted in a very hard frost Tuesday morning with ice on the pontoon and boats. This sudden drop in temperature meant the fish dropped off the feed slightly with lots of reports of pulls and knocks but not lock ups. After a slightly delayed start to the day for the boat anglers Jude Tuffs & Dave East enjoyed a good day’s sport. The pair boated 9 fish from the shoals both Musborough & Middle using boobies on sinking lines. Jude landed a fantastic fish which weighted in at 6lb 4oz taken on an olive booby at middle shoal near P buoy. Fishery Manager Tom Bird fished with Ed Douglas with the pair landing 15 fish. The best area was in Toft using a Di 5 forty plus teamed with a white snake booby.
A slightly warm start on Wednesday, however, as the day wore on it certainly didn’t feel like it, as the gusty winds from the South East added a real chill to the day. This cold wind did once again knock the fish off the feed, and the best sport was to be found in the first hour before the wind chill took hold. The boat of Martin Foster & John Vyse landed 6 fish and lost 4 all on snakes including a fantastic 4lb rainbow. Dave Bailey and Alan Cooke used boobies and hares’ ears fished tight against the overflow to land 7 fish taking most of them in the morning. Once again Fishery Manager Tom Bird & Ed Douglas took to the water in a boat this time landing 8 between them, with Toft once again being the hotspot with lots more pulls and interest. The best catch of the day came from the bank to season ticket holder John Dickens, John fished on Lincroft point to land 8 fish. It was a Di 3 sinking line with a black Minkie on the point and a FAB on the top dropper that caught John his fish with 6 of them taking the Minkie.
The wind remained in the East, Thursday with once again a cold feel to the day although thankfully the rained stayed off. Season ticket holder Ian Richardson used a midge tip line and a Minkie to land 8 fish from the corner of the Hensborough bank. Fellow season ticket holder Bob Smith used the same tactic as Ian to also land 8. Although Bob, started at the Swan’s Nest to take 3 of his fish before moving up to the Hensborough bank to join Ian. Out on the boats Eddie Mitchell enjoyed a great day’s sport landing 12 fish, Eddie opted to drift along the North shore picking up all day. Eddie used a Di 5 sinking line with snakes to catch his fish with the Cornfield and Lincroft being the main hotspots. Top fishery guide Lee Henfrey spent his day off out on a boat with season ticket holder Jude Tuffs. The pair landed 15 fish using Di 7 & Di 8 sinking lines with Olive snakes. They found the fish at various points around the Lake, but it was over the shoals they found the best sport.
It was a warmer start to the day Friday, until the cold rain arrived later in the day. On the bank Ifor Bullock landed 7 fish all on a bloodworm pattern fished on the point around the Swan’s Nest. Season ticket holder Colin Granger also fished the Swan’s nest to lake 4 fish. On the boats all water season ticket holder Dave Smith boated 4 fish from Toft using foam daddies on a sinking line. Chris Sayer landed 7 fish on the boats using a Di 7 sinking line and snakes. Chris found the fish around P buoy and the Hensborough bank. Another, angler who found a DI 7 the key to success was Mark Hunt who boated 7 fish using a grey minkies. The best spot for Mark was in Toft, then along the Farnborough Dam wall. Fishery staff member Kevin Hart & season ticket holder Rodger Kerrison, also, found the Farnborough Dam wall to be the hotspot landing 5 of their 8 fish along it.
Lighter winds greeted the anglers Saturday and as a result of the improved conditions the rod average jumped up to just under 4. On the bank N & M Hollingshead landed 5 fish using Minkies and snakes in Biggin Bay and at Lincroft point. On the boats M Lewandowski and his boat partner enjoyed a great day on the boat landing 15 fish with a big white lure including a fantastic fish of 6lb 5oz. Chris Discombe landed 10 fish on a white snakes fishing around M Buoy off the Hensborough Bank. Lee Henfrey once again took to the water on his day off this time with Michael Hanlon with the pair landing 7 fish. They found the fish in Toft, Hensborough and Lincroft point with a Di 7 sinking line and a mix of different coloured snakes.
On Sunday, the fishery hosted its annual Fur & Feather competition with boat pairings fishing to a 12 fish kill limit with the heaviest bag winning a fantastic Christmas Hamper. With very light, in fact a flat calm for most of the morning and a rise in air temperature it promised to be a good day. The event was very well supported with 64 anglers in the match and 1 pleasure boat on the water. At the start of the match most of the boats headed down towards Toft and around Farnborough spit with the rest heading up towards the outlet and Hensborough bank. At the end of the match there were two bag limits caught, one from fishery guide Lee Henfrey & boat partner Cameron and the other from Rob Edmunds & son Albert. After the weight in it was Lee & Cameron who had the heaviest bag of fish tipping the scales at 30lb 8oz, a great bag of fish. However, as Lee is a member of staff, we don’t allow him to take the prizes so taking home the great Christmas hampers was Rob Edmunds & Albert. Their 12 fish weighted 29lb 6oz, so it was a close weight between the two boats. Rob and his son Albert in an act of sportsmanship give one of the hampers that the pair had won to Lee & Cameron, which was greatly appreciated by all the staff here at Draycote Water and just shows the atmosphere at these great end of season matches. Both boats fished in Toft near the Swan’s Nest to find the fish with Rob & Albert using olive snake boobies fished on either a Di 3 or Di 8. While Lee & Cameron used Olive snake boobies and white snake boobies on Di 7 40+ lines and caught fish at all depths. In second place and taking home two bottle of wine each with 11 fish for 28lb 13oz was Derek Moore and Felicity Appleton who also fished in Toft using White Minkie boobies on Di 5 sinking lines. In third winning the Quality Street was the father and son duo of John & Sean Hanlon beating a number of pairs who had caught more fish with a cracking bag of 9 fish for 24lb 9oz. Their best fish was a 4lb 12oz rainbow. John & Sean moved around the lake a lot, fishing Middle Shoal, Toft, Farnborough Dam & Cornfield, they too opted for sinking lines and snakes. The biggest fish of the match went to John Parnham who landed a cracking brown of 4lb 15oz. John took home a lovely bottle of Port for his capture. Overall the day was a great success with no boat pair blanking, overall the 32 boats caught 169 fish for a rod average of 2.6. The quality of some of the fish that came to the scales was amazing with lots of high 3lb fish and a number of 4lb. Outside of the match Mark Hunt landed some 4 cracking fish from the bank at the Swan’s nest using a washing line on a RIO midge tip with he majority of the fish taking the FAB on the point.
As we enter our final week of the season, we expect the great fishing to continue with the mild forecast for the week. Why not get out one final time and try and sample for yourselves the amazing quality fish coming out of Draycote water at the moment.
2020 MEMBERSHIPS
For anyone who is interested we do have some availability for season tickets for the 2020 season both at Draycote and also on our popular all water season ticket. Here is the link to the prices www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/prices/season-permits/ and to register your interest please email lodge@flyfishdraycote.co.uk
Fishery Tackle Shop & Online Shop at www.flyfishstore.co.uk
Stocking SAGE, RIO, VISION, REDINGTON, WYCHWOOD, GREYS, SNOWBEE, FULLING MILL, FARIO, LOON, FISHPOND and STREAMWORKS
Demo SAGE, Vision & Redington rods & RIO fly lines for you to take out and try. Call the Draycote lodge for details
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.
Weekly Boat draw
Congratulations to Mr Tony Kirk from Tamworth the winner of this week’s free boat draw.
Weekly Stats:
Number Rods: 214 Number Trout Taken: 303 Number Trout Released: 289
Total Catch: 592 Rod Average: 2.8
Current Fishing Times:
Bank: 07:30 until 15:30
Boat All Day: 08:30 until 15:30
Boat Part Day: AM 08:30 until 13:00
Last 4 Hours from: 11:30 until 15:30 (Ticket sales available from 11:15)
Gutting Room Closes: 15:00
All Anglers to be off site by: 16:00
Tight lines,
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