Draycote Report W/E 3rd April 2022

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

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Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

Stocking Policy Details of our stocking policy for Draycote is explained on our website www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/about-us-2/stocking-policy/

2022 Prices & details on our pre-payment visit our website www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: Sunday 3^rd April 2022       Rod Av:   5.1       Water Temperature: 7°C

A very misty start to the week Monday, with the fog taking till nearly mid-day to clear. With the fog around in the morning it was much colder than previous days, however, once the fog had been burnt it left a lovely warm afternoon. On the bank Michael Burnett landed 9 fish from Biggin Bay using a Damsel on the point teamed with buzzers on the droppers. Fishing just up the bank at car park 8 season ticket holder Mark Braun landed 8 fish using a sinking line and an orange booby. Out on the boat Stuart Foulds enjoyed a great days sport landing 16 fish using black buzzers on a midge tip line from Biggin Bay. Another boat who enjoyed good sport in Biggin Bay was that of Ian Richardson & Bob Barfoot who landed 16 fish between them. The pair used buzzers under a bung to land their fish, but it wasn’t until the fog cleared and the day warmed the fishing improved. All water season ticket holder Michael Ravenscroft fished for the afternoon landing 7 fish on a GRHE taking his fish from around the Spit and also the Cornfield.

A cloudy day on Tuesday, with the day certainly feeling a little cooler with the Northeast wind. However, these overcast conditions did mean the bank fishing improved. Alec Thwaites fished for a morning landing 6 fish from the Old Pipe in Biggin Bay using a blue flash Damsel on the point and buzzers on the droppers. All water season ticket holder Ken Key also fished at the Old Pipe to land 7 fish. However top honours from the bank went to Draycote season ticket holder Dave Kennel with 28. Dave, fished at Car Park 8 between Biggin Bay and Dunn’s Bay using a Midge tip line with a booby, buzzer and FAB combo with the majority of the fish taking the FAB. On the boats Father and son duo Jim & Richard Hall landed 25 fish on Damsels in Biggin Bay. Tim Grove enjoyed a good day in Biggin Bay using buzzers to land 21 fish a good start to his 3 day package break. All water season ticket holder Ed Douglas landed 33 fish using a team of buzzers on a Midge Tip fishing at various points around the lake from Biggin Bay to Rainbow Corner. Overall a great days sport was had by nearly all the anglers as the rod average for the day finished at 9.3

Where did those warm sunny days go? Calm cool conditions greeted us on Wednesday morning with the promise that the air temperature was going to drop through the afternoon. And still the fish seem to be enthusiastic enough with Biggin Bay being the place to be for most of the anglers. Season permit holder Dave Smith returned 15 fish on a Rio DI5 sweep line and a yellow FAB. Tim Grove was once again on the buzzers, this time netting 18 fish. Ray Rowlings netted a dozen fish. Ray used a couple of different methods, the washing line with buzzers and a FAB on the point, and black snakes on a sinking line, all in Biggin Bay. Matt Pittaway used small booby snakes to great effect by the old pipe in Biggin, netting 15 fish in total. Matt shared his boat with fellow season permit holder Ian Reeve,  who had well over 20 fish. Ian used the small booby snake but also put a washing line to good use with a mixture of buzzers and diawl bachs.

A bit of a shock to the system this morning despite the weather forecasters getting it right, with a strong northerly wind and some quite heavy snow at times. Luckily, the best of the fishing was in Biggin Bay, with those large trees affording some shelter. Tim Grove braved the conditions to net 10 fish on the final day of his 3 day break, all on the buzzer. Mr Ian Watts netted 6 from the bank in Biggin Bay on a wide variety of patterns.. Season permit holder Endi Seglis had 4 fish on lures fished on a sinking line, once again in Biggin Bay.

Another cold day here at Draycote Water with a stiff northerly blowing into the lodge. Still some anglers wrapped up warm and ventured out. Draycote regular John Hall took to the bank and fished in the Cornfield where he caught 2 fish on damsels. Season permit holder John Dickens caught 5 fish from a boat in Biggin Bay using a DI3 and a cats whisker. Les Lerigo had 4 fish to the boat during an afternoon session. Les fished tight in to Lincroft Point, using a DI7 and black and green lures.

Avery calm and frosty start To Saturday morning with fish showing very early on around the pontoon and in the harbour. The fish seem to be holding again along the north shore although they are proving a little more difficult to catch. Some anglers are picking fish up from the bottom of Toft Shallows but these seem to be hard on the bottom and are taking lures fished on heavy sinking lines.  Season permit holder Alan Grant caught 6 fish from the bank fishing on Lincroft Point, and said that he found the fish hard on the bottom.. Mike Garner ventured out onto the bank to net a brace on diawl bachs by the Old Pipe in Biggin Bay  Les Lerigo picked up 7 fish from a drifting boat in Toft Shallows on a DI7 and black and green lures. Mr Bishop caught his 4 fish on black lures from various points around the reservoir .

Another cold start to the day, but it did warm up in the afternoon with the appearance of the sun. On the bank Draycote member Jon Crowley enjoyed a good mornings sport landing 7 fish from the Hensborough Bank on size 14 black buzzers. On the boats Richard Walker also fished for the morning taking 11 fish, Richard fished in Biggin Bay and Dunns Bay with a while Damsel Gold head to land 11 fish. However, the best catch came from the boat of Peter Elliot & Lee Patten who boated 37 fish. The pair fished in Biggin Bay using a team of Buzzers fished on a washing line close to the surface to land their fish. All water member Peter Harris also enjoyed some good sport in Biggin Bay put opted to use a booby to land his 9 fish.

This was certainly a week of two halves with regards to the weather, with the colder temperatures experienced towards the end of the week really throwing the fish off their stride. However with warmer settled weather ahead, we should once again experience some great fishing.

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Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

Stocking Policy Details of our stocking policy for Eyebrook is explained on our website

www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/stocking-policy/

2022 Prices & details on our pre-payment visit our website www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: W/E 3^rd April 2022     Rod Av: 7.4      Water Temperature: 10C

Monday saw a misty start to the week due to the cooler temperatures overnight. However, this did not seem to affect the water temperature which was a healthy 11 degrees. It also did not deter the fishing with some good catch returns being recorded from both the boat & the bank. All Water Season Ticket holder Mr Duncan had a particularly successful from the boat whereas, Fishery Manager Jim popped down for quick session from the bank & caught a respectable 8 fish in a couple of hours. Jim’s successful tactic was to fish a washing line static with a Sunburst Fab on the point & buzzers up the cast in Dogwood Bay. The washing line is an excellent method for targeting fish that are sat in the top 3ft of water. As the wind dropped during it was noticeable just how high the fish were sitting in the water column as fish could be seen rising across the reservoir.  The most productive areas of the reservoir for both the bank & boat anglers remain the Netted Bank to the Willows & Dogwood Bay all the way around to the Chestnut area.

With the weather forecast starting to turn colder, anglers were keen to get out on the water to enjoy the great sport that Eyebrook has been offering lately. Eyebrook Season Ticket holders Bill Law and Ian Steele managed a cool dozen each to the boat on a morning session in Mucky Bay. Roy Lewin and Mike Smith done a little better than Bill and Ian in and around the same sort of areas. Other Anglers were doing exceptionally well from the bank areas and are getting some great sport all the way up at the Cow Sheds and even in front of the Stoke Dry Carpark area. Anglers are still reporting buzzers accounting for most of the fish, but they are willing to take Cats Whisker, Damsel Nymphs as well as black and green lures. When the conditions are right, there has even been reports of individuals picking up fish on CDC emerger patterns.

Wednesday felt like autumn was making a comeback. The temperatures have tumbled since the weekend and the forecast of rain (possibly snow) has had anglers reconsider spending time out in the great outdoors. Only a few brave souls ventured out. All water ticket holder and Eyebrook regular, Ian Jobe had a great day out trudging the Bank and managed to bring well in to double figures to the net. Despite the biting colder wind, Ian was tempting fish up to take Hog Daddies and emergers. Todd Passingham put in a long shift out in a boat in adverse conditions to bring half a dozen to the net.

Thursday felt like the dead of winter again. That cold North Easterly was causing a few waves down at the pontoons in the morning and then we were hit with a flurry of snow before we even got a chance to sort boats out for a few individuals looking to go out for a day on the water. With a North Easterly wind, Anglers can still find relatively calm water to fish in around the Sam’s Dyke are or even close in on the Rutland bank between Stoke Dry and the Willows. Flurries of Snow continued to hit Eyebrook throughout the day making uncomfortable conditions. Our intrepid anglers decided that they would happily leave the boats at the pontoon and venture out on to the bank. After a few hours of battling the elements they both came back in. On this day, the fish won, but only because the weather helped them.

Friday started off Bitterly cold again and due to the rain and the construction work for the new spillway. The main track up to the lodge was yet again impassable due to the mud on the track. We strongly encourage all visitors to Eyebrook to use the Alec Lane gate for access.

The wind has lightened up a little from what was originally forecast the day before but even an 18mph wind coming out of the North East can be quite rough at the lodge end of the lake. When there’s a wind like that, Sam’s Dyke and tight in against the wooded areas of the Rutland bank can offer refuge for anglers willing to battle the biting cold wind. David Fisher Finally managed to put 5 fish in the boat after battling the Elements on the day. He started off over by the Willow tree in the morning and finished up in Sam’s Dyke in the afternoon. David seemed to time everything perfectly by coming off the water for a warm cuppa, a few minutes later the weather unleashed merry hell on Eyebrook. None of us could believe the snowfall that appeared on the 1^st April 2022.

Saturday morning was bitterly cold, but we had clear skies and a light wind on the lake. Gary Mickley was first in the door and raring to get out on the bank. He was then closely followed by a few of our regular Pike anglers who decided they would have a nice hot coffee before heading out on to the water on such a cold morning. Martin Blakeston was the morning boatman and reported that it was a little bit difficult to get the boats started due to the freezing temperatures. The harsh weather was intermittent throughout the morning, but by the afternoon, the weather started to make a pleasant change. Andy Tatman and His Dad Paul popped out for a bit of fishing and asked for a bit of guidance. Fishery manager Jim hopped out in a boat with them for an hour or so and helped with leader set up and fly selection and managed to get them to slow down the retrieve enough for those buzzers to fish effectively, resulting in Paul landing 2 fish in a short session and Andy missing a couple. They both thoroughly enjoyed themselves and were grateful for the staff looking after them. Despite the cooler air temperatures, the water temperature has remained at 9 degrees which kept the trout feeding on the abundant buzzer hatches around the reservoir. The general pattern has seen the fish are feeding slightly deeper in the water column during the colder mornings; coming to straight lined buzzers & lures fished slowly. Then as the air temperature increases throughout the day they are moving up & getting caught on the washing line on either the nymphs or buzzers on the droppers & the FAB on the point.

On Sunday we hosted an inter club bank match which saw 16 members from our 3 reservoirs take to the banks. A friendly & sociable competition that was fished to specific rules where the prizes were awarded for the largest & smallest fish caught. The winners were Steve Lawrence with lovely Rainbow of 3lb 13oz & Ian Jobe with a well-proportioned Rainbow of 1lb 10oz, each taking prizes for their respective catches. The competition was very successful with all anglers catching & everyone enjoying themselves. In addition, our resident instructor Andy Miller hosted a Tuition Day for 5 would be anglers. Under Andy’s tutelage all the participants went through the “peaks & troughs” of learning to cast a fly & through their hard work & application, coupled with Andy’s knowledge & experience; they caught a few between them at the end of the day. Eyebrook member Neil Shilton had a great day out in his float tube recording a very high catch return from various locations & All Water members; Adam Gumby & Steve Jordan had an equally successful day from the boat fishing close in at Dogwood Bay. The fish have remained relatively high in the water column all week with the most productive method being washing lined nymphs or buzzers with a FAB on the point. The key has been to fish your flies slow to static & where possible, fishing slightly across the wind & allowing your flies to swing around on the breeze. It is also worth noting that a mobile approach will maximise your chances of catching be that from a boat or the bank as demonstrated by Neil Shilton’s success from his float tube.

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Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

Stocking Policy Details of our stocking policy for Thornton is explained on our website www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/stocking-policy/

Week Ending:  3^rd April   Rod Av: 6.8   Water Temperature: 9c+

Monday and another day when buzzer, diawl bach, cruncher and damsel patterns caught the majority of the trout. The bank opposite the lodge, wood and down past the lonesome pine continues to produce but with the water temperature creeping to 10c+ fish are starting to move across open water. L Ford caught 9 for his mornings visit, all water member P Walker fished buzzer and diawls to catch his 30 trout with Thornton member Bob Menhams catching 10 on buzzers and damsel during his 3 hour morning session. Keith Cowen had another excellent day catching 12 on damsel and cats whisker.

Tuesday and a similar day to Monday, all water members P Mee and H Wood caught 20 for their visit on diawls and buzzer. M Litchfield fished a washing line, booby on the point, diawl bach on the dropper to catch his 10 trout. Russ Martin fished the bank for 4 hours, catching 4 trout opposite the lodge. Thornton member H Davies fished a standard black buzzer to catch his 10 trout with D Leavesley fishing the afternoon session with damsel and buzzer to catch 7 trout to 3lb13oz. Long leaders and fish the flies slowly was the winning method.

Wednesday and a rod average 10. A Iliffe & R Morton caught 8 for their mornings visit fishing opposite the lodge. P Mee fished with Malwina and had an excellent day on buzzers with B Deeley finding a sink 5 line worked best for him as he caught 11. Water clarity is good with the water temperature 10c. We saw the first of our larger grey black buzzer on the water, as their numbers increase the trout will turn more and more onto the buzzer

Thursday, snow showers, stronger winds & freezing temperatures saw everyone cancel apart from Tony Lorrimer who was rewarded with 20 trout, deservedly so considering how cold it was, with all of his trout taken on his rabbit fly patterns.

Friday and an ever so slight improvement to the weather. Not surprisingly our water temperature has dropped to 9c+. Most angler reached for their sink 3, 5 & fast sink 7 lines although J Jessop & P Hopkins caught their 24 trout at the lonesome pine fishing a floating line with fab and diawl bach. Chris Sayer caught 21 and his boat partner A Warren caught 11 for their visit with S Fairgrieve catching his catch on diawls and buzzer. Water clarity is good.

Saturday with a -3 greeting the anglers & the pontoon frozen it was nearly 9am before the boats went out. Most headed for the corner of the wood & down towards the lonesome pine with A Lilley & G England finding fish on their very first cast with a standard black buzzer helping them to their catch of 40 fish to the boat. They also offered advice to G Parsons & I Parsons helping them to catch a trout apiece on their first time fly fishing. Jan Webber made a point of trying various areas of the reservoir, the tern raft, green bay catching his 8 fish on booby with members M Clay & B Sibley boating 12 trout between them.

Surprisingly at 7pm with our water temperature at 9c & air temperature at 3c we had our first good evening rise of the season. With warmer temperature and increasing buzzer hatches it will only get better & better of the season video on our facebook page  www.facebook.com/FlyFishStore

Sunday and another cold frosty morning with anglers having to wait beyond 9am for the pontoon to thaw. Nearly everyone headed towards the corner of the wood and lonesome pine with Szymon Zabrzenski & M Vickers boating 17 with most of Szymon taking an olive buzzer. S Paranha & L Lawrence caught 9 for their visit with Peter Wurm catching 6 for his mornings visit. Another reasonable evening rise with Simon & John Crane catching 5 for their late afternoon evening visit.

Water clarity is good.