Draycote Fishing Report w/e Sunday 17th July 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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Week Ending:  Sunday 17th July 2022              Rod Av: 3.1      Water Temperature:  21 °C

A muggy start to the week on Monday after a warm weekend. The water temperature at the start of the day was 21°C and finished the day at 23°C. As a result the fishing was challenging, Husband & Wife duo Debbie & Shaun Gilbert landed a brace in the morning and lost a number of others, using a Di 5 sinking line with olive barred snake and also a black dancer. Draycote member Philip Waters landed 4 fish using a fast sunk line and a lure around the Aerators and B Buoy. Chris Pyke fished using a Di 5 & Di 7 and a cat booby to land 5 fish, with Chris concentrating his efforts around the deeper water at B Buoy C Buoy and Y Buoy.

Another humid “muggy” day Tuesday with heavy cloud, despite the cloud the water temperature remained high starting at 22°C. We had a number of boats out practicing for the AMFC match the following day. One such boat was Fraser Duffy Snr & Jnr with the father and son duo landing 16 fish between them. They fished around A Buoy using a sunk lines with boobies to land their fish. Chris Pyke took the water on the second day of his package break to land 7 fish again focusing on the deep water using fast sinking lines. Another boat out practicing for the AMFC was Jack Vallis from the Royal Navy boat a dozen fish, using a Di 7 around A Buoy and the Valve Tower. As the water warms the Aerators are a great place to try, as the Oxygen brings the cooler water from the bottom and increases the dissolved oxygen levels in the water which the trout love.

A slightly cooler day in terms of air temperature, however, the water temperature was still 22°C which once again resulted in the fish sitting deeper in the water. Wednesday saw the fishery host the Association of Major Fishing Clubs (AMFC) Group 2 match. With 6 teams of 6 anglers taking part for a total of 36 anglers taking to the water. Despite the hot weather they enjoyed some good sport, catching 145 fish for a rod average of 4.14. Winning the match was Invicta with 34 fish for a total weight of 80lb 1oz, second was The Greylags with 33 fish for 75lb 15oz and in third place was Bristol Reservoir FFA with 26 fish for 60lb 12oz. The overall individual was Gary How who was the only angler to land his 12 fish limit at 5.20pm. Gary used a sliding bung and a team of hot head Diawl Bachs underneath it to catch fish at 14ft down. The best other tactics in the match were a 6ft Midge tip with a heavy buzzer on the point and then a team of Diawl Bachs on the droppers. A Di 7 40+ with 2 boobies and 2 nymphs, Di 8 with a Cat booby on the point and then a UV cormorant and a UV Cruncher. The best area in the match was to drift in the deep water from the Valve Tower to C Buoy and then off the Dam wall towards the deeper water around B Buoy. Outside of there match there was also some good catches. Jim Dempsey landed 8 fish in a morning session utilising the rudder. Jim, caught the fish deep using a Di 7 and a half with a black and gold humongous. With his best areas being a drift from the back of the Aerators towards Y Buoy and then around Y buoy. John Dickens also found the fish deep using a black snake on a Di 5 fished out the back to ensure to get as deep as possible.

There was a good north westerly breeze blowing over Draycote on Thursday morning,  with limited cloud cover. As previously reported, the warmer temperatures have moved the fish deeper in the water column and therefore the current fishery advice is to follow them into the depths of the reservoir. Sinking lines are the order of the day, such as DI5’s, DI7’s and the booby basher. Jamie Scott used a DI8 with snakes and a biscuit blob to catch 4 fish. Dave Adkins had 8 fish to the boat using black snakes on a DI7. Dave caught his fish near Y buoy,  and weighed 4 fish in for 14lbs. Andy Miller went out with Will Thomas on a 4 hour guided session and netted 8 fish. Andy and Will caught their fish on a DI7 and olive barred snakes.

Another bright and blustery day here at Draycote on Friday with a bit of colour in the water, mainly at the windward end of the reservoir. Most fish are coming to sinking lines and lures but some anglers have resorted to buzzers fished deep, (about 15 feet) on a midge tip line at the western end of the reservoir. Sam Smith used buzzers on a midge tip line to net 20 fish from Rainbow Corner. Chris Pallot used black and gold boobies on a DI7 sweep line to net 4 fish near Y buoy and lost several more. Debbie and Sean Gilbert used a DI5 with a barred grey snake up near the Valve Tower to boat 2 fish and had takes too numerous to count, but sadly did not convert these. Sean Devlin used snakes and cormorants on a DI7 to net a dozen fish  in the deeper water near C buoy.

Flat calm and bright skies made for a very warm day on the water. However this didn’t seem to affect the fish with the rod average for the day finished at over 6 fish per angler. All water member Rob Edmunds fished with Andrew Scott with the pair landing 20 fish to the boat in a half day using a booby basher with snakes. Sam Edmunds & Sam Smith also used Booby Bashers and snakes to land over 20 to the boat, with Albert Coales also doing well on these tactics. The best area on the day were Y Buoy, B Buoy and also G Buoy in Toft. Draycote member James Alexander landed 4 fish once again in a morning, on buzzers fished in the Aerators.

Sunday saw Draycote host the Scierra Pairs with 10 teams competing for 2 places in the final in on Lyn Brenig in Wales. A very warm day with temperatures hitting over 30 degrees, thankfully there was a breeze to cool the anglers slightly. Winning the Scierra Pairs, Albert Coales & Mathew Griffiths who fished by G Buoy in Toft using a Booby Basher with a black snake booby and an olive snake booby allowed to sink for 20 seconds before using a figure of eight retrieve. With their bag wight for 12 fish tipping scales at 32lb 4oz. In second place was Rob Edmounds and Andrew Scott who fished at A Buoy and also G Buoy using similar tactics to Albert & Matt. Fishing outside the competition was John Crowley who caught 7 fish using a DI7 line with minkie boobies. John caught his fish in the area of deep water between B buoy and The Valve Tower, and along The Hensborough Bank. Richard Walker used the same tactics to net 5 fish from the area around A buoy.

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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Week Ending:  17^th July       Rod Av: 3.4      Water Temperature: 20c+ – 23c

Monday and the start of the hot weather that’s forecast with our water temperature at 20c+ Not many anglers out with most fishing the morning session before the heat of the day pushed the temperature upwards. Bob Menhams fished over the deeper water in front of the main carpark with an intermediate & yellowish damsel pattern catching 4 trout by 11am. Pete Hunt fished a fast sinker with a bejesus booby catching 5 for his visit from the deeper water in front of the dam

Tuesday everyone fished the morning session up to 3pm with the deeper water best with intermediate down to sink 7 with booby, Dawsons olive patterns. Colin Chambers & Ian Leach both caught 4 trout for their mornings visit with Ian commenting a number of fish would follow the fly to the surface but not take.

Wednesday a quiet day rod wise. Howard Davies went up the Thornton Arm fished a sink 6 to catch his 3 trout.

Thursday a busier day with nearly all the boat out. It proved t be the best day of the week so far returning an average of 4 Most rods fished the deeper water with a few venturing up the Thornton arm in search of the damsel feeders. Again, intermediate to sink 7 lines caught fish with damsel, cormorant, cats whisker, booby and snakes. Richard Price fished a white minkie booby to catch 9 for his mornings visit, with P Hunt catching 7 on a booby. Ian Brearley fished all day with a cormorant and booby to catch 11. Ian Leach and K Counihan caught 8 for their visit on buzzer and cats whisker.

Friday & fortunately a bit of cloud & a good breeze made it quite tolerable out on the water, surprisingly at sunset there was a noticeable temperature drop. Again a mixture of lines from an intermediate to a fast sinker with diawl bach, damsel & booby. Mal & Dave Ravo caught 5 for their visit with John Bevington & Chris Sayer catching 3 each for their part day session. P Walker fished the deeper water in front of the main car park & dam finding the fish willing to take a damsel & diawl bach recording a double figure catch. Water clarity remains good

Saturday and all of the anglers opted for the morning session. Surprisingly some of the fish caught were much higher in the water than expected, Lee Henfrey was out guiding & commented the trout they caught were between 3 & 4ft down. The Harwood family caught 10 for their mornings visit catching on buzzers & cats whiskers.

Sunday & a very quiet day as the 1^st day of the hot weather was forecasted. Surprisingly the trout were higher in the water than expected with G England reporting fish moving on the surface with some taking the blue damsels. He set up a washing line & caught 6 trout.

We seem to have two layers of trout, the larger triploids have gone deep & generally not feeding with the smaller triploids 1lb8oz to 1lb14oz within the top 5 feet still feeding & happy to take a fly. With a rod average of 3.4 for the week its proof our stocking policy of smaller triploid rainbows during the summer works.

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/

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

Week Ending: Sunday 17 Jul 22       Rod Av:   3.5          Water Temperature:  23-25°C

The week started as last week ended, with high temperatures & not a cloud in the sky. With the water temperature sat at 23°C, those who did venture out were in for some challenging conditions. All Water member Ian Jobe threw caution to the wind, well he would have if there was any wind about & decided to head out over deeper water. Armed with years of experience of fishing Eyebrook in these type of conditions Ian set up his Di7 Sweep & headed out in his float tube to the Tower area. In a relatively short session Ian landed 9 fish to 4lb & plenty over 3lb, which is a great effort in the conditions. Getting his flies deep was the most important factor, hanging his flies between 10 & 20ft Ian had a lot of interest. Often this would result in a sharp pull or a positive hook up. With the hot weather due to continue, getting your flies down to where the fish are is going to prove critical to your chances of success.

Tuesday brought with it overcast skies & a very light ripple caused by a gentle south westerly breeze which remained consistent throughout the day. Despite a water temperature of 23+ fish were still feeding hard on the abundant adult Damsels in relatively shallow water. Resident Guide Andy Miller took out Jim Marlow on a short, guided session. They headed straight out to Mucky Bay & Jim had a great day, landing 10 fish, all of which came to the Blue Foam Daddy. Fish were also caught along the weed beds on the Leicester bank into Sam’s Dyke & further out in the Main Basin fishing over the deeper water. Regular angler Tim Shepherd had a very productive Last 4-hour visit, landing 6 fish in the Basin fishing his Di 7 from a float tube. These two very different methods seem to be most productive; Dries over the weed beds or fishing deep in the Main Basin. The bank preparation work over at Harrisons to Robbo’s is now complete which has opened a large area that can be fished off the bank that gives access to deep water relatively close in.

The warm weather continued Wednesday & the anglers seemed to concentrate their efforts fishing over the deeper water of the Main Basin. Fast Sinking lines such as Di 7, Di8 & the Booby Basher seemed to be the order of the day, with those fishing the deepest being the most productive. There was a lot of fish taken on the Hang, so it was imperative to stop your retrieve as the flies travelled up towards the boat. It also paid to vary the retrieve & at what point the flies were Hung, as this would invariably induce a take. The Damsel hatches are still prolific around the weedbeds from around mid-morning & there are still fish around the weedbeds which is testament to how much food is in them. Additionally, our summer stocking policy (see link at the top of the page) seems to be paying dividends with our rod average for this time of year being particularly healthy.

Thursday was still very warm, although there were light breeze & overcast skies. Fish were still caught deep in the Main Basin, but there was also fish caught on dries; CDC’s, early on before the surface layers of the water got too warm. When fishing deep it has been imperative to get your flies as deep as possible & to fish the Hang. When trying to achieve depth, not only is it important to cast as far as you can so that the line sinks to its maximum potential, but we can also shorten our leader. By reducing the distance from our fly line to our flies or the top dropper, it enables the flies to be pulled down deeper by the sinking fly line, especially if we are fishing a booby. Fishing a single booby on a short; 5 – 6 ft leader at this time of year, when the fish are sitting deep, can be absolutely devastating. It is fished on a slow retrieve, with the occasional long pull & pause, to illicit a response from the fish.

The bright, clear skies returned for Friday & what was a gentle breeze from the South had stiffened to a northerly by the afternoon. As previous days, fish were still caught in the Main Basin over the deeper water. However, what was different from previous days some fish were caught mid-water on a washing lined fast glass. There is absolutely no doubt that most of the fish are sat deeper down the water column & as they ascend in the search of food or descend back down to the more comfortable water they were getting picked off. With the water temperature stabilising at 23 degrees, the fish are not sat cruising at 2ft down; they will move up from the depths, do what they need to do until they become too uncomfortable & then they move back down to the cooler water. The Northerly wind in the afternoon, had made the mid to upper layers of the water column more tolerably to the fish. The more recent stocked fish, in line with out stocking policy, are also more resilient to temperature than fish off a larger stamp. Mr Pattinson & Mr Eckard had a very productive day landing well into double figures, fishing over the deeper water of the Main Basin.

Saturday was a busy day at Eyebrook with 15 boats out practicing for Sunday’s 6 x 4 Competition & a cluster of pleasure anglers which included Andy Miller who was out on a 2-hour experience session. Andy hosted father & son, Harry & Teddy Ellis, who had a great time hooking & catching several fish using an Olive Barred Snake in the Main Basin, which was a great effort given the conditions & in such a short space of time. Well done, Teddy. Of those practicing, fish were caught at various levels of the water column & on various lines; Booby Bashers, Di 7 Sweeps, 6ft Tips to Floaters. The best area seemed to be the deeper water of the Main Basin with fish falling to Dries, Nymphs, Blobs & Boobies. Season Ticket holder & regular Float Tuber Neil Shilton spent the day in the Main Basin, around the Tower area & was rewarded with 12 fish which was a great effort given the conditions. All of Neil’s fish were taken on a Booby Basher fishing very deep.

Sunday started with a light Southerly breeze & a relatively clear sky which developed into light cloud cover by early afternoon. With the water stabilising at 23 degrees, it would be interesting to see how the Reservoir would fish for the latest round of the 6 x 4 Series. 52 anglers took to the water & 239 fish were caught which gave an excellent rod average of 4.6 given the conditions. To yield such a rod average in the middle of July, in the weather conditions present, is testament not only to our summer stocking policy of stocking slightly smaller triploids, but also the hard work of anglers, well done to all. Fish were caught on a variety of methods; from washing lined tip lines to pulling lures on anything from a Fast Glass to a Di7, fish were caught at a variety of depths. One angler who targeted the deeper lying fish was Neil Cohen. Neil fished a team of heavy buzzers on a 6ft tip line to great effect, landing 12 fish which is a great effort. Well done, Neil. The best areas remained the deeper water over the Main Basin, with most of the boats conducting long drifts from the Tower & Dogwood Bay on the southerly breeze.