Draycote Report W/E 5th June 2022

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

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 Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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Week Ending:  Sunday 5^th June 2022              Rod Av: 2.5       Water Temperature: 15 °C

Monday dawned with the ideal conditions of overcast skies and a light westerly breeze. A good day for the dries, as season permit holder Kevin Rees found out, netting 10 fish from a drifting boat in various areas around the reservoir. The young pairing of Peter Elliott and Lee Patten fished the washing line method, using a floating line with FAB’s and nemo crunchers to boat twenty fish between them. Ian Richardson and Bob Barfoot had 9 fish to the boat between them, using cormorants as well as dries such as crippled midge and klinkhammers.

A very mixed day with regards to the weather with some very heavy rain showers throughout the day. On the bank Andrew Tasker landed 3 fish on his first visit to Draycote after attending a beginners tuition day earlier in May, a very well done Andrew and we look forward to seeing you in the banks throughout the season. On the boats John Jones landed 7 fish on a Bejesus booby and crunchers landing his fish at Toft and also the Hensborough Bank. Jason Hermon also fished from the boat landing 5 fish on Buzzers in Rainbow Corner. All water member Norman Perkins landed 10 fish using a washing line with a FAB on the point and Diawl Bachs in the middle fishing around the Outlet and the Hensborough Bank.

Great conditions with light winds with cloud and sunny intervals. On the bank Stan Hillman landed 5 fish on a pearly pheasant tail with regular fishing partner Mick Cronin also landing 3. On the boats Jim Dempsey used to Rudder to land 9 fish with small tubes being his best pattern. Draycote member John Dickens used dries to land 8 fish, another season ticket holder who used dries to good effect was Kevin Rees. Kevin fished by Y Buoy using small F flies and other small emerges to land 9. All water member Paul Walker fished with John Falconbridge around the Hensborough Bank and the outlet landing 21 fish to the boat. With FABs, crunchers, Diawl Bachs and Damsels being their best patterns. Mr C Cowan & C Smith landed 13 to the boat using a mix of dries and also washing lining. Mr Tresser fished for the last four hours in a boat for the evening landing 6 fish on a green snake by A Buoy.

Once again at Draycote the conditions for fishing on Thursday were excellent, albeit, with a little bit of sunshine thrown in for good measure. The fish are well spread throughout the reservoir and being caught on a wide variety of patterns. As reported previously there are a number of fish taking a tiny green midge off the top of the water, and these can be caught with either very small patterns or, by pulling a lure through them to knock them off their stride. Tim Joyce and his boat partner Jon Smith did well on black buzzers fished in the bottom of Toft Shallows, netting 13 fish from a drifting boat. Richard Walker caught 5 fish in the aerators using foam daddies on the top and then a DI 6 with black and green snakes. Draycote regular Tony Plummer had a total of 8 fish to the boat, one of which was a rainbow of approximately 7 lbs, which was returned. Mr John Jukes had 6 fish to the boat using red holographic diawl bachs and a montana. Season permit holder Brain Allwood had 3 fish from the bank on buzzers.

Good conditions for fishing at Draycote again on Friday with maybe a chance of a shower later on. On the second day of their 3 day break Both Tim Grove and Jon Smith had a dozen fish to the boat, using small black buzzers in Toft and Alberts Bottom.  Mr D Brooks and Mr M Warren had 3 and 4 fish respectively from the bank using buzzers and FAB’s on Lincroft Point.  Mr J Morgan Parker caught 9 fish from a boat, both on dries and crunchers with a FAB on the point. The father and son pairing of Dave and Mike Lee had 8 fish to the boat between them, all on dries. The Draycote Fly Fishers held the “Gordon Griffiths One Fly Challenge” on the bank on Friday evening which was attended by 9 anglers. Not the easiest evenings for some, but the lads did produce a competition rod average of 2. A great evening was had by all members, with the results being as follows; In third place was Anthony Hart with 2 fish and a finish time of 5:40, in second place was Brian Froggatt with a brace and a finish time of 5:30, and in first place was Stephen Dewhurst with 3 fish and a finish time of 5:25. The club would like to thank Mr Ray Rouse for supplying some quality flies for the competition again this year.

Saturday morning dawned with cloud cover and a very strong north easterly wind. Apart from the odd angler, most chose to ply their trade along the leeward shore, fishing in the Cornfield, Toft Shallows, Alberts Bottom and Biggin Bay. One angler who did venture out into the wind was season permit holder Mark Thistleton, who ended up boating a dozen fish on a pink snake over Y and A buoy. Mark Braun caught 14 fish drifting in the Cornfield on a black booby. Dave and Mike Mee caught 7 fish between them using dries such as shipmans buzzer and klinkhammers. Wayne Propert caught his 7 fish using black buzzers in Toft Shallows. Andy Lilley went and fished from the bank for only a couple of hours and managed one from Lincroft Point.

Heavy rain both through the night and today has put paid to many angler’s day out on Sunday here at Draycote water. However, there were a few brave souls who ventured out in a torrential downpour this morning, possibly heading for the north shore and at least a bit of relief from the weather. As the rain eased up, season permit holders Chris Bobby and Leanne Frost put a dozen fish in the boat, all on dries. Jon Crowley had 11 fish during a morning session. Jon was drifting from Y to B buoy and along the Hensborough Bank using a washing line and buzzers, as well as a black and green lure on a sinking line.

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

Pre-Payment
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Week Ending: Sunday 05 Jun 22       Rod Av:  2.5       Water Temperature:  15 – 17°C

As the Building work continues at the Harrisons corner area of the dam, we are still asking our customers to come to the lodge via the Alec Lane gate.

The week started with excellent conditions for fly fishing, a nice gentle ripple with a good amount of cloud cover. Fish were caught from both the boat & bank with either washing lined nymphs or dries being the percentage methods. Season ticket holder Dave Etty had a productive session from the bank, taking 6 fish & having numerous other chances up by the Cowshed down to the Chestnut. He finished his session down in Sam’s Dyke where he witnessed the fish feeding hard on damsels. All water season ticket holder Ed Douglas had an excellent day from taking a high number of fish from various locations, all falling to very small Olive Emergers. Ed attributed his success to a mobile approach, fishing from a drifting boat & not leaving his dries sat too long on the surface. The benefits of fishing from a drifting boat at this time of year should not be underestimated as you are covering more water in the attempt to locate fish & you are constantly fishing fresh water in front of the boat. As the day drew to a close the first batch of jelly fry was observed seeking shelter around the pontoon.

Tuesday was a challenging day with the fish feeding hard on the abundant natural food items available to them. What was also apparent is that in their search for food the fish are beginning to migrate further down the reservoir from Mucky Bay to the Cowshed & over to the Willows & Stoke Dry. Having said that, there are still fish being caught in Sam;s Dyke but not in the numbers that they were. Washing lined floater with small nymphs or fishing small olive dries still seem to be the best methods. All water member Andre Russell had a very productive day out in his float tube, adopting a mobile approach he landed 12 fish on buzzers & nymphs. Day ticket angler Mark Woolnough also adopted a mobile approach fishing small olive dries from a drifting boat & took fish from Sam’s Dyke, Mucky Bay & Robbo’s Cabin. The bank is still producing with Mr Jennings taking 7 fish on emerging midge patterns.

Wednesday was a busy day with us hosting the England Disabled Fly Fishers (EDFF) Floating Line only competition. 19 anglers took to the water & they caught 55 between them giving a healthy rod average of 2.9. Congratulations goes top rod on the day Neil Hodgson who had 9 fish & Dave Porter took the Frank Roberts Trophy for the biggest fish with a beautiful rainbow of 2lb 11oz. Well done to all participants, it was great to see you all & we look forward to seeing you all again. There was fish caught all around the reservoir from both the boat & bank & anglers reported that there were plenty of fish moving all over. However, tempting these fish was easier said than done. One angler who managed to work them out was Mr Woolnough who used a Split Wing Olive Dry to tempt 14 fish on what proved to be a challenging day. Other successful methods were once again a washing lined floater with small nymphs & lightweight buzzers up the cast & fishing a single yellow owl Dry Fly. One of the benefits of fishing a single fly is that you can concentrate on the presentation of that fly & fish that one fly correctly, which can make all the difference when targeting tricky fish.

A challenging swirling wind made things slightly tricky for the anglers on Thursday. Eyebrook member Neil Shilton fished in his float tube in the main basin to land 4 fish. On the bank Andrew Famer fished at the Willows on the Rutland Bank to land 5 fish. However, it was the boats that produced the best results. All water member Paul Havard landed 5 with all of them taking the tequila booby fished on the point as part of a washing line set up. Paul landed 1 from the Island while the other 4 fish came just down the bank from the Willows. Colin Smith & Craig Cowen enjoyed a good days sport landing 18 fish to the boat taking fish from various points all across the lake with a washing line a FAB and then small olive dries taking their fish. All water member Ed Douglas landed 12 fish taking them from Mucky bay and in the main basin on a small hopper and small CDC patterns.

Quite a gusty wind Friday coming from the Northeast meant that the Leicester bank was a little coloured, meaning the bank anglers fishing headed over to Mucky Bay or the Willows on the Rutland bank. Tim Shepard fished for the afternoon at the willows to land a brace on dries. Mr Critchley fished on his final day of a 4-day break from the bank and landed 3 fish from Mucky Bay. On the boats all water member Mark Hunt used small CDC dries and also an adult blue flash damsel to land 7 fish from Sam’s Dyke and Mucky Bay. Fellow all water household member Rob & Sam Edmounds used Damsel patterns fished just under the surface in Sam’s Dyke to land 9 fish in a morning session. The best catch of the day went to Ed Douglas who once again used dries to land his fish. Ed, landed 18 fish drifting from the Rutland Bank into open water and also in the Main basin from the netted bank. With grunters and small hoppers taking the majority of Ed’s fish.

The gusty, cold North Easterly wind continued Saturday which had by now, coloured the majority of the Leicester Bank. Anglers venturing out from the bank stuck to the clearer, sheltered Rutland shoreline & they all were duly rewarded with everyone catching. Season ticket holders Bob Margery & Malcolm Thompson both had productive morning sessions catching 4 & 6 fish respectively. From the boats Sam & Rob Edmunds’s, accompanied by Albert Coales, had a very productive day catching over 20 fish between them. There has been plenty of fish moving up & around the surface in most areas but getting them to take has been the challenge. It will pay to adopt a mobile approach & be prepared to ring the changes in order to find the successful pattern of the day. Damsel patterns just under the surface have taken a few fish. So to have small CDC emerging patterns; Yellow Owls, Grunters, Hoppers have also accounted for a few fish either fished dry on the surface or wet just under the surface.

Sunday brought with it a stiff North Easterly breeze with heavy rain which lightened as the day progressed. Amongst the anglers to venture out were the Alex Booth Fly Fishers who had 12 anglers fishing the Alex Booth Memorial club match. It was a tough day with the 12 anglers catching 24 fishing, giving them a rod average of 2. Congratulations to Riccardo Saccone who was the top rod on the day with 10 fish. Riccardo caught his fish in & around the clearer water in Sam,s Dyke, stroking back a Tequila Booby on a Di 3 just under the surface. Given the blustery weather conditions, this was an exceptional return & just goes to show the importance of fishing a method to suit the conditions rather than trying to make the conditions suit the way you want to fish. Season Ticket holder Neil Shilton also had a productive day from his float tube netting 4 fish & having numerous other opportunities. The forecast for the week ahead indicates some better weather to come which should increase the amount of surface activity at Eyebrook.

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

Can we remind members & day rods of our pre payment policy for 2022 details are on our website www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending:  5^th June      Rod Av: 6.2      Water Temperature: 16c

Our water temperature is excellent for the time of year at 16c and were seeing good numbers of trout feeding on small midge and the first of the pin fry

Monday with fish moving off and on all day anglers were catching trout throughout the day with good numbers in front of the dam wall. Two very different approaches worked, #14 #16 hares ear, buzzer, Sedgehogs cast directly at feeding trout and then stripped as fast as you could, or single #14 #16 emergers, dries, shuttlecocks cast 6ft in front of feeding trout and fished static allowing the trout to move onto the fly. Andre Russell float tubed catching 13 trout, B Morris caught 5 with P Wurm fishing the evening rise with #16 owls hooking 9 but only landing 3, never the less, exciting sport.

Tuesday was overcast in the morning with showery rain, surprisingly cool at times. Trout continue to feed on huge hatches of tiny midge, buzzer & reports of pin fry especially in front of the main dam. Lots of fish reported coming short to the fly or hooked & lost. Dave Pritchard for the morning session landed 1 but lost a further 7 trout. Phil Mee & Steve Faregrieve returned 9 for his mornings visit.

Wednesday & better conditions with trout moving from in front of the lodge, across the main basin, Dam & into the Markfield Arm. Float tubers A Russell, Steve Frakes & Rik Dunnett all caught good numbers of trout fishing in front of the main dam, their method was to fish a sedgehog , buzzer, diawl, damsel, cruncher or booby, throw at the fish, pull away creating wake, the fish chased. Andy Hubbard & Tony Bokenham caught 15 on damsel, buzzer & snake patterns. Diawl Bach worked for S Wilson & D Dyer helping them to their catch of 23 trout. Thornton Member David Hussey fished the last 4 hours in front of the main car park catching 5 on buzzers.

Thursday with trout again to be seen feeding across the reservoir with anglers reporting good numbers of fish down the Markfield arm. A mixture of small dries and emergers to nymphs & buzzers caught fish, with some reporting better sport on a static fly whilst other caught by stripping the flies through the surface. Ian Brearley and S Higgins shared a boat catching 40 trout between them with some falling to a daddy and Sedgehogs. P Wrigley and R Dunster caught 15 with buzzers helping the Harris father & son catch their 11 trout. Tony Lorrimer fished his successful rabbit patterns picking fish up all over the reservoir.

Friday a cool blustery east wind greeted the anglers. Despite the weather anglers reported fish willing to take a dry or chase a small muddler through the surface with a good number of trout reported down the Markfield arm with D Skudder catching 5 on a small muddler pulled quickly through the surface for his mornings visit.  Tony Smith fished the last 4 hour session catching 4 on dries with A Capener fished a washing line catching 7 on a small green buzzer. Dries such as the Orange Daddy, small H&H Sedge caught a number of trout with Lee Henfrey catching 20 on a midas. Trout are high in the water & are prepared to chase a fly pulled.

Saturday another morning with a cool fresh easterly, although it didn’t affect the fishing with a rod average of 8.1 for the day. Mixture of methods caught fish from muddlers, dries to booby. Jan Webber caught 9 for his visit on orange cats whisker & booby, T. Michalak enjoyed an exciting day fishing a daddy muddler with trout eager to chase his muddler through the wave catching 12 for his visit. Mark Hunt stuck to his tried & tested dries sedgehog & F Fly catching 21 for his visit.

Sunday a very quiet day due to the bank holiday festivities & the poor forecast. Anglers missed out on an excellent days fishing with Gary Owen fishing the afternoon session down the Markfield arm catching 28 on dries between 2.30pm & 8.30pm, excellent fishing.