Draycote – Eyebrook – Thornton

Meet Ifor & the fishery staff.

With the fisheries facing unprecedented cost increases for the 2023 season, we will during November be holding open days at each of the fisheries, Draycote, Eyebrook & Thornton to explain how were aiming to mitigate some of those increases, and yet maintain our stocking numbers and the rod averages your used to seeing at Draycote, Eyebrook & Thornton

We will also have details of our 9 membership options across the three waters including our popular “All Water Membership” which allows you to fish all three waters.

Come along and meet Ifor & the fishery team, discus our aims for 2023 over a hot drink and mince pie

The first open weekend will be at Draycote

Draycote Lodge.

November Saturday 5^th 2022 & Sunday 6^th 2022 from 10.30am to 2.30pm

Fishery Staff attending Ifor, Tom & Alan

————————————————————————————————————————————-

Eyebrook Lodge

November Saturday 12^th 2022 & Sunday 13^th 2022 from 10.30am to 2.30pm

Fishery Staff attending Ifor & Lloyd

————————————————————————————————————————————–

Thornton Lodge

November Saturday 19^th 2022 & Sunday 20^th 2022 from 10.30am to 2.30pm

Fishery Staff attending Ifor

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

Visit our Fisheries Websites: www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk   www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk  www.flyfishthornton.co.uk

Online Shop: www.flyfishstore.co.uk      Tuition & Guiding: www.flyfishtuition.co.uk

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

2023 Stocking Policy Details of our stocking policy for Draycote is explained on our website www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/about-us-2/stocking-policy/

2023 Membership Options visit our website www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/about-us-2/season-permits/

Week Ending:  30^th  October 2022              Rod Av: 5.2    Water Temperature:  13°C

The works on the new overflow at the Hensborough Bank are due to start this Monday 24^th October. While the works are being completed there will be no access through to Rainbow Corner from the Sailing Club side.  We ask that all anglers enter and exit via the Farborough Dam barrier.

Sailing Club. There is a very busy sailing regatta at Draycote on the weekend of the 5^th and 6^th of November. Anglers should be aware of this when booking boats on these dates.

After heavy overnight rain Sunday, Monday remained dry in the most part with just a brief shower in the afternoon. Steve Radcliffe fished from a boat on his own landing 7 fish. Taking 5 of his fish drifting down the Farborough Dam wall using a Midge tip line with a black lure. With the other 2 fish coming from P Buoy on a floating fry pattern. Jason Lowe also fished down the Farborough Dam wall using small snakes and also suspender minkies to land a dozen fish. While his friend and Draycote first timer Tim Acton landed 7 using the same tactics but from a different boat.

A bright day Tuesday with light winds coming from the South, however, the sun did not put the fish off with a great rod average of 6.2 fish per angler. With both the bank and the boat anglers enjoying good sport. Tony Broadway used a Snowbee buzzer tip with a minkie to land 10 fish. With Colin Day landing 8 fish, Colin took three fish on Pheasant Tail Nymphs (PTN) in Biggin Bay. With 2 more coming from the Cornfield on the PTN with the final 3 taking minkies at the Hensborough Bank. On the boats the good sport continued with season ticket holders Martin Foster & John Vyse landing 22 fish to the boat. The pair fishing along the Farborough Dam using a floating line and a black snake and landed fish up to 6lb. Ian Richardson fished with Bob Barfoot enjoying a “lovely day with lovely fish” landing 15 to the boat. Fishing around J Buoy, S Buoy and T Buoy using cormorants and mini snake on the point. John Pearson & Mike Nolan landed 13 fish to the boat from around T & Y Buoy. John Jones opted to go with a minkie and a FAB fishing near P Buoy to land 10 fish on a fast glass.

A very blustery day on Wednesday with the odd light shower thrown in for good measure. The rod average came out at an impressive 6.8, with lots of fish being caught on lure patterns and popper fry. Mr Robert and Mr Brian Miller caught a total of 11 fish between them on pink snakes fished on a DI3 line. Season permit holder Mr Peter Harris had 17 fish to the boat using white snakes fished on a DI3 line and commented on a great day out. Mr M Francis and Mr A Moore had 14 fish to the boat between them using a wide variety of patterns such as hoppers and humungus. John Kirk caught a total of 10 fish on snakes, pink blobs and black midas.

A wet start to the day, put thankfully this cleared by mid-morning, leaving some great conditions with overcast skies and a light ripple with he sun even making an appearance in the afternoon. Once again the excellent fishing we have seen recently continued with a rod average of over 7 fish per angler. All water member Paul Havard landed 8 fish fishing out in the open water. Using an intermediate line with cormorants and a black and green booby. Kevin Hart fishing with John Hoskins enjoyed a great day boating 28 fish. They used a mix of methods with some fish coming to floating fry while the rest took Humungus. With the best areas being N Buoy, P Buoy, Draycote Dam and Lincroft Point. Ed Douglas boated 20 fish using a 12ft Midge tip with a weighted humungus on the dropper and a booby snake on the point from various marks across the lake. Peter Elliot fished with Lee Patten with the pair using a variety of methods to land their 34 fish. Peter opted for snakes while Lee using some snakes but also got them on dries.

Friday dawned bright and breezy with the wind due to get up as the day progressed. Whilst the Farborough Dam is fishing well, and it has produced some great catches, the area around the Valve Tower, the Hensborough Bank, Rainbow Corner and Toft Shallows are also producing. Season permit holder Andy Lilley had 14 fish to the boat using barred olive snakes around the front of the pontoon and in Rainbow Corner. Young Ian Reeve and Colin Grainger had 18 fish between them using diawl bachs and blobs fished on a floating line. Season permit holder Mark Thistleton concentrated his efforts off the front of the lodge and netted 14 fish from a drifting boat using snakes fished on an intermediate line. Mr Mark Birch and Mr Rupert Taylor had over 20 fish to the boat using olive snakes and cormorants. Draycote regular Dave Smith used mini snakes and tubes fished on a DI3 to net 5 fish from the Farborough Dam.

A very wet start to the day on Saturday morning with a light south easterly breeze. Despite a very off putting forecast,  the wind speed was below 12 mph all day with overcast conditions across the reservoir. Once again Draycote is holding it’s own with a rod average of 5.9 and good catches coming from quite a few different areas on the water. The hottest spot on the reservoir is definitely The Farborough Dam, closely followed by Lincroft Point, The Valve Tower and the Hensborough Bank. The fish are feeding on fry now and have been here for some time. The best patterns to use have been snakes, minkie boobies, humungus and floating fry patterns, all fished in the top couple of feet of the water. Stan Hillman and Mick Cronin took to the bank to net a dozen fish between them from Rainbow Corner and the Valve Tower, with one fish tipping the scales at 4lbs 8oz. Mr Jason Herman and Mr Simon Allen had 17 fish between them on popper fry patterns and snakes and commented that they caught fish from “all over the reservoir”. Mike Garner and Ian Ross said much the same thing having caught 10 fish in total on fry patterns fished on intermediate lines.

Sunday started dry with again a light south easterly breeze. These conditions reigned for most of the day except for a strong westerly squall that came through in the afternoon. Many anglers are concentrating their efforts in the top few feet of the water with lure patterns as they should, but some anglers are still having some success with nymphs and dries fished on a floating line. Stan Suddick is a good example of this as he boated 9 fished yesterday, all on hoppers. The Peregrine Fly Fishers took to the water yesterday with 6 anglers. The team had a total of 50 fish between them with two of them using both black and red diawl bachs to good effect. Mr Tim Simpson caught half a dozen fish using black boobies whilst drifting around N buoy. Sunday regular Jon Crowley caught 7 fish drifting from J to T buoy on black sparkler boobies fished on an intermediate line.

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

2023 Stocking Policy Details of our stocking policy for Eyebrook is explained on our website www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/stocking-policy/

2023 Membership details Visit   www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/season-permits/ for details of our 2023 membership options

Week Ending:  30^th October   Rod Av: 3.1  Water Temperature: 12c -13C

Monday Mr Blackwell on his first visit to Thornton caught 7 on fry patterns, Thornton member A Wilson fished an orange booby to catch his 8 fish with anglers fishing 100 yards off the wood and into the Markfield arm

Tuesday with the best forecast for the week all the boats were out. Cats whisker, cats whisker snakes, booby, blobs and diawl bach were the best patterns fished on a variety lines from a floater down to a DI7. P Walker caught 8, David Button fished in front of the main car part with an orange booby to catch his 4 trout, Paul Martindale fished snake to catch his 8 trout with K Cowen fishing a booby also landing 4 trout

Wednesday anglers opted to fish the morning session. G Weatherdon caught 7 for his mornings visit.

Thursday and another mild if wet during the morning October day. Anglers again concentrated their efforts across the main basin towards the wood and into the Markfield arm. J Reynolds caught 5 for his mornings visit on a cut throat cat on an intermediate, Richard Price continues to catch on his silver minkie booby catching 5 for his mornings visit. R Dunster & P Wrigley caught 16 for their visit.

Friday a quiet day with most of the anglers opting to fish the morning session with Chris Sayer fishing a booby in front of the wood catching 4 trout

Saturday proved to be the best day of the week with a 5+ rod average. Most opted to fish a DI 3, 5 or 7 with booby and snake patterns. B Sibley and M Clay caught 20 trout between them, Jan Webber caught 6 with R Swinfield & S Zeleny boating 7. Mark Hunt with the mild weather opted to fish cdc catching 7 for his visit

Quiet day on Sunday with the few rods that were out finding the fishing challenging compared to the day before, R Smith fished a black booby on a DI5 to catch his 2 fish.

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

2023 Stocking Policy Details of our stocking policy for Eyebrook is explained on our website

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

2023 Membership options visit our website www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/season-permits/

Week Ending: Sunday 30 October 2022       Rod Av:  2.4           Water Temperature: 11-12°

Eyebrook Season extended to 20^th November 2022 – The Eyebrook season will be extended to 20^th November. We will be operating a reduced boat fleet, only 10 boats & wheely boat with bank anglers limited to the Dam Wall, Harrison’s corner, netted bank down to Robbo`s Cabin. We recommend you call the lodge & prebook.

Monday was an extremely quiet day on the Reservoir with only a few of anglers out. Dave Ewing fishing a last 4-hour ticket caught 2 fish from the Main Basin on Popper Fry & he also had plenty of interest in the Dries.

Tuesday was a busier day with fish being caught from both the boat & the bank. It was a bright clear day with a gentle west-south-westerly breeze. Eyebrook Season Ticket holder Dave Etty caught well off the bank, landing 5 fish on Corixa & Fry patterns down by the Chestnut. On the boats, it has been imperative to cover as much water as possible to locate the pods of fish that are moving around the Main Basin. The fish are still occupying the uppers layers with anglers catching on anything from Dries down to Fry patterns on an Intermediate. All Water Member John Duncan had a very productive day landing 9 fish from the Main Basin. John started on a washing lined floater & changed midway through the day to an intermediate & he caught on both methods. Another angler who enjoyed a productive day was regular visitor John Webster who was out targeting Eyebrook’s larger predators with his fly rod. John landed 4 Pike, 2 mid-doubles, a high double & a twenty which is an excellent return.

Wednesday brought with it bright, clear skies & a light southerly wind that increased to a strong, gusty southerly by mid-afternoon. Boat anglers spent the day conducting long drifts across the basin & were rewarded with some steady sport throughout the day. The fish were again, high up in the water column & despite the bright conditions, there were plenty of fish caught on dries. Regular visitor Paul Polito had a very productive session getting into the fish straight away & catching steadily throughout the day. By the end of his session Paul had landed 9 fish on Suspender Hares Ears. Shaun Higgins also had a good day on the dries, landing 5 fish on Foam Daddies fished static. With the forecast of mild weather looking set to continue, the excellent top of the water fishing at Eyebrook looks set to be prolonged.

Thursday morning was met with light rain & a gentle south westerly breeze. The rain stopped by late morning & the gentle breeze gave way to a moderate breeze by mid-afternoon which brought with it sunny intervals. The reservoir, as predicted, continued to fish well to the dries with All Water Member Mark Hunt having another very productive day, landing 16 fish on CDC’s & a small Popper Minkie. Mark landed some cracking fish which including a beautiful, fully finned Rainbow between 4 & 5lb. Filming for an episode of Fishing TV Draycote Manager & Fishing Guide Tom Bird caught very well on CDC’s. Knowing how finicky the trout in the Main Basin had become, Tom fished very small patterns to overcome the tentative fish. Elsewhere, regular angler Nigel Woolnough caught down by the area of the Chestnut. What was extremely interesting was that when he spooned his fish, he discovered that they had been feeding hard on small Damsel nymphs. Even though Damsels are associated with the height of summer, Damselflies can spend anywhere from 2 months to 3 years as nymphs depending on environment conditions.

Friday & another mild October day, our water temperature at 12c -13c is mild for the time of year. Dries, dries & more dries were the order of the day with fish taking small buzzer off the surface. Ian Jobe opted for a day on the bank catching 5 trout from the Chestnut stretch of bank. Ricky Cotterill fished a midas catching 7 trout to 3lb8oz but reported lots of fish coming short to the fly. All water member J Duncan returned for his second visit of the week & caught 9 trout. Mr Ewing also fished dries, again reporting lots of missed takes but still went on to net 10 trout. Excellent dry fly sport as we enter the last few days of October.

Saturday brought with a wet start to the day, once the rain had passed it turned into a glorious late October day. Unfortunately, the fishing wasn’t as good as the days previous despite a good number of fish moving at times. Top rod on the day was Eyebrook member B Margery catching 7 to 3lb2oz during his morning session finding the fish in Harrison’s corner and out of the netted bank.

The reservoir fish well on Sunday, there is still plenty of fish to be caught from the area of the Main Basin. Eyebrook members Neil Shilton, Dave Etty & Bill Livingstone all had productive days. Neil landed 5 fish from his float tube targeting the deeper laying fish whereas, Dave & Bill targeted fish in the upper layers & were rewarded with 17 fish to the boat. The fish in the upper layers can be caught by fishing very small Dries or small nymphs on a washing line & the deeper laying fish can be caught on a Intermediate or Di3 with white fry patterns.

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

Visit our Fisheries Websites: www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk   www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk  www.flyfishthornton.co.uk

Online Shop: www.flyfishstore.co.uk      Tuition & Guiding: www.flyfishtuition.co.uk

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

 Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

2023 Stocking Policy Details of our stocking policy for Draycote is explained on our website www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/about-us-2/stocking-policy/

2023 Membership Options visit our website www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/about-us-2/season-permits/

Week Ending:  23^rd October 2022              Rod Av: 5.3     Water Temperature:  13°C

The works on the new overflow at the Hensborough Bank are due to start this Monday 24^th October. While the works are being completed there will be no access through to Rainbow Corner from the Sailing Club side.  We ask that all anglers enter and exit via the Farborough Dam barrier.

A wet windy start to the week but thankfully the rain did stop just before the anglers started to get out on the water. On the bank Draycote member John Dickens landed 5. John fished the Swans nest in the morning to land 3 fish before heading up to the Tower Bank in the afternoon. Catching the fish on a black and gold humungus on the point and Diawl Bachs on the droppers. With the best of John’s fish tipping the scales at 4lb 8oz. On the bank Draycote members Bob Smith & Ian Richardson enjoyed a “good day” even in the windy conditions. With the duo landing 15 fish to the boat. With the best patterns being Minkie Boobies, Popper Fry and Snakes. Taking fish from Farborough Spit, P Buoy and the Hensborough Bank. Mr Lawrence fished in similar area from a boat to land 10 fish but didn’t comment which flies caught him the fish.

A cool start to Tuesday with the temperature only reaching 3°C when the staff arrived onsite just before 7am. However, once the sun got up higher it was a lovely autumn day with light winds coming from the East. Despite the bright conditions the bank fished well with a number of anglers catching. Tony Broadway used a Grey Minkie to land 5 fish taking 3 from the Tower Bank, one from the Swans nest and then 1 off the Cornfield. With his best fish a cracking rainbow of 4lb 8oz taken from the Cornfield. Mick Cronin landed 9 fish from the Tower Bank on suspender minkies with the best being a rainbow of 4lb 2oz. On the boats Gary Russell landed 7 fish from N Buoy using a olive snakes fished on an intermediate. All water members Ian Leech & Kevin Counihan landed 17 fish using snakes with P Buoy being their best area. Paul Walker fishing with John Falconbridge landed 29 fish with four of them being over 4lb. The pair used midge tip lines with mini snakes to land their fish. Alan Masters fished over Middle shoal near P Buoy using a midge tip with an olive snake and a white minkie to land a dozen. With some cracking fish amongst them of 4lb 3oz and 3lb 10oz and commented “fish in cracking condition”

A blustery overcast day Wednesday with the wind coming from the East. However, the blustery conditions did not put the fish off with the rod average finishing for the day at 8.1 fish per angler. On the bank all water member Norman Perkins enjoyed a great day landing a baker’s dozen. Landing his fish from the Cornfield and the Swan’s nest using either a weighted snake or a booby snake on the point and then buzzers on the droppers. On the boats Draycote member Jon Crowley fished for a half day landing 7 fish. Using black and green snakes drifting from B Buoy down to the Draycote Dam and Rainbow Corner. John Poote & John Golding landed 12 fish to the boat using popper fry and minkies. The pair finding the fish around S Buoy, Farborough Spit and P Buoy. The best catch of the day went to the boat of Ian Richardson & Bob Smith who landed 38 fish to the boat. Their tactics was a 3ft RIO Midge Tip with a small, weighted snake on the point and cormorants on the droppers. Their best drifts were around Farborough Spit and then off the Farborough Dam wall towards J & T Buoy.

Thankfully we missed the very heavy rain Thursday morning that Eyebrook & Thornton received, however we did receive the rains about 11am-1pm which cleared in the afternoon leaving some sun. Once again the lake fished well for the anglers enduring the rain with a 6.0 fish per angler rod average. Draycote member Peter Elliot & Lee Patten enjoyed a fantastic days sport landing 27 fish to the boat. Taking 4 fish each with the fish weighting 6lb 2oz, 5lb 4oz, 3lb 11oz, 4lb 1oz, 4lb 2oz, 5lb 1oz, 3lb 7oz & 4lb. Some fantastic weights all taken on snakes fished on fast intermediates. Rod Wilson & Jim Dempsey used the rudder to great effects landing 20 fish, again including some cracking fish of up to 5lb taken on intermediates and snakes drifting down the Farborough Dam wall and off S Buoy and Croft shoal. John Dickens landed 19 fish taking the majority pulling but also managed to land fish on dries. Draycote member Mike Ravenscroft landed 6 fish in a last four hour boat session commenting on “fantastic fish up to 4lb, all grown on”. Kevin Hart fished with Andy Birkett with the pair boating over 20 fish using snakes and fry patterns. Andy and Kevin said that they encountered fish everywhere they drifted the boat.

Friday was a very wet and windy day here at Draycote, and by the looks of things, everywhere else in the country as well. Those who braved the conditions were in for a great day with good returns coming from a wide variety of areas on the reservoir. Andy Birkett and Kevin Hart took to the water once again using lures to bring over 20 fish to the boat. Fishery staff member Michael Hanlon and his boat partner Will Hunt had a grand total of 27 fish to the boat using flies such as snakes and cormorants around T buoy and Croft Shoal. Mr Tony Marchant landed 7 fish on minkies fishing around Lincroft Point and commented on a “Great Day Out”.

Saturday started bright and sunny with some cloud cover moving in through the afternoon. Good returns are coming from both the boat and the bank at the moment, and there is a good spread of fish throughout the reservoir. Ruth and Tony Kirk caught 7 fishing from the Hensborough Bank using fry patterns. Season permit holder Paul Walley used popper fry patterns and minkies to net 5 fish from the bank at the Swans Nest. Stan Hillman used lures from the bank to net a total of 7 fish from the Tower Bank. Out on the boats Dave Kennell caught over 20 fish using white minkies on a slow glass line. Draycote first timer Mr J Lowe netted 9 fish and lost 4 whilst fishing along the Farborough Dam. Alec Urquhart and Eddie Mitchell had 20 fish to the boat between them. The Pair fished around B buoy and P buoy using minkies in both olive and white, with Eddie returning a brown estimated at about 5lbs. Andy Birkett ventured out for the last day of his 3 day break and caught a total of 24 fish. Andy used humungus boobies fished on a DI3 off Lincroft Point.

Well the rain Sunday morning had the fishery staff thinking they might need to start building an Arc, as there was heavy rain for most of the morning. As a result there was only a few hardy souls who took the water. Although, the rain did easy off later in the day leaving some sun in the afternoon. On the boats Simon Roberts enjoyed a good day landing 9 fish on fry patterns. Draycote member Martyn Hancox fished for the last four hours landing 4 fish from the boats again on fry patterns. Andy Miller hosted a very successful bank beginner tuition day, with the 4 participants landing 5 fish between. To see pictures from the day visit www.facebook.com/flyfishstore with the 2023 dates just released today.

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

2023 Stocking Policy Details of our stocking policy for Eyebrook is explained on our website

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

2023 Membership options visit our website www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/season-permits/

Week Ending: Sunday 23 October 2022       Rod Av: 2.6            Water Temperature: 13°

It was a clear, bright start to week with a gentle southerly that built throughout the day to gusty, strong southerly by mid-afternoon. The fish remain high up in the column & were caught on Dries & on the Washing Line. The Main Basin is still producing good numbers of fish with Dogwood Bay being particularly productive on the day. The fish could be seen feeding on Fry throughout the day in & around the weedbeds from the lodge down to the Hawthorns. All Water Member John Duncan had a very productive day, landing 16 from this area. Tony Tibbert & Stuart Billesdon also had a productive day, landing 12 to the boat, most of which came to the Dries.

Tuesday brought with it bright, clear skies & a flat calm for the entirety of the day. This made the fishing very challenging as there was not a lot of water being covered by drifting boats searching for the pods of fish in the Main Basin. Fish could be seen moving across the Basin but getting to within casting range of those fish was proving to be easier said than done. There was fish caught however, All Water Member Peter Harris, fished a White Snake on an Intermediate Line 100m off the Dam Wall & landed 5 fish & Kate Royce landed 7 fish from the Main Basin, which is a great effort given the conditions.

There was a more substantial breeze on Wednesday that started as a northerly but swung round to an easterly as the day progressed. This made locating the fish in the Main Basin somewhat easier than the previous day. Fish were still caught high up in the water column with Dries, on the Washing Line & Intermediates seeming to be the more productive methods. Season Ticket holder Neil Shilton had a very successful day in his float tube. Throughout the day he was able to land 18 fish on White Minkies from various locations around the Main Basin. His most productive area was just outside the Buoy Line of the Harbour where he was able to intercept fry feeding fish moving to & from the Harbour area. He had some cracking fish with many over 3lbs. Another Season Ticket Holder, Keith Johnson caught well from the Bank, up by the seat on the windward shore fishing terrestrial patterns. Keith managed to land 4 fish in a short session. Elsewhere, the boat anglers in the Main Basin reported a lot of interest with many fish swirling at their flies but not taking them. When this happens in the future it is worth scaling down your setup by fishing the same patterns but smaller & by using a finer diameter tippet. By doing this you should see the fish feeding more confidently & turn them swirls into takes.

The weather on Thursday was extremely damp to say the least. The early thunder & lightning had passed through by 0800hrs, the heavy rainfall however, lasted until mid-afternoon. There was still fish caught during the heavy rain, Neil Hodgson & his boat partner braved the elements & were rewarded with 10 fish to the boat, taken from the corner of the Dam, up by Harrisons. Later in the day, once the heavy rain had stopped, All Water Member Mark Hunt ventured out for a short session & managed to land 6 fish, all on dries: small CDC’s.  Mark was conducting long drifts across the Main Basin & not only caught after targeting moving fish, but he also had fish coming up blind to his flies.

It was a damp still morning on Friday with a very light northerly breeze. As the day progressed, the rain intensified & was persistent until finally abating by late afternoon.  Those that did brave the elements were rewarded with some excellent fishing. During the rain Chris Moses landed 10 fish on a white snake from the basin & All Water Member John Kirk landed 6 fish on Hoppers & Crunchers. After the rain, the Dries really did come into their own. All Water Members Mark Hunt & Roger Kerrison both caught very well on the Dries, landing 9 & 7 fish respectively. Mark used a single CDC whereas Roger found Foam Daddies & the Midas to be his most successful patterns.

It was a better day Saturday weatherwise & the reservoir continued to fish well with plenty of fish still feeding in the upper layers. Those fishing on the surface with Dries caught well, as did those fishing subsurface using fry patterns. Tim & Paul Polito had 12 between them on the Dries & also reported plenty of swirls & bits of interest. Mark Glister however, had 8 fish on a white Humungus just under the surface. Another angler to do well on the Fry Feeders was Season Ticket holder Neil Shilton. Neil caught 14 fish from his Float Tube using a Minkie on a Di 3. The Main Basin, on a whole, remains the most productive area & localised hotspots within Basin, seem to fluctuate on a daily basis as large pods on fish continue to maraud around the Main Basin.

Sunday saw us host the Eyebrook 2022 Fur & Feather. The day started with rain that, at best, could only be described as torrential. The heavy rainfall persisted until early afternoon when the weather finally broke & the skies began to clear resulting in a sunny & bright afternoon. The Fur & Feather is a pairs competition that was fished to a 12 fish limit under fishery rules. This year saw 42 anglers take to the water in very challenging & wet conditions & by late morning, it had already broken the resolve of some. The anglers that remained found the fish in a very temperamental mood, unlike the previous days. Given the extreme variations in the weather & the subsequent fluctuation in the Barometric pressure this was to some degree, unexpected. A special congratulations goes to Sam & Rob Edmonds who were the winning pair on the day with 10 fish, which given the conditions is a great effort. Roy Lewin & his boat partner Mike Smith were second, beating Bob Margery & Steve Lawrence into third by 15oz. Well done & thank you to all those that entered.

Eyebrook Season Extension. We are very pleased to announce that Eyebrook will remain open beyond the previous end of season date of 31 Oct 2022. The revised end of season date is now Sunday 20 Nov 2022. During this period we will be running a reduced fleet of 10 Boats + 1 Wheelie Boat & bank fishing will be limited from the Lodge, along the Dam, through Harrison’s Corner & up to Robbo’s Cabin. This in an extremely exciting opportunity given that the Reservoir has never been boat fished in November before. So please call the Lodge on 01536 770264 to

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

2023 Stocking Policy Details of our stocking policy for Eyebrook is explained on our website www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/stocking-policy/

2023 Membership details Visit   www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/season-permits/ for details of our 2023 membership options

Week Ending:  16^th October   Rod Av: 3.1      Water Temperature: 12c -13C

Monday, with the forecast for strong winds most anglers booked later on in the week. How wrong could the forecast be, the strong winds never came with only one angler Bob Menhams fishing up to 12.30pm. Bob caught 3 fishing 60yds off the corner of the wood.

Tuesday, a good forecast saw all of the boats out with anglers fishing various areas of the reservoir with floating lines down to DI7 with diawl bach to fry patterns. Keith Cowen caught 6 on cats whisker snake booby. Roy Allen bought his 11yr old daughter fishing for the first time catching 5 on a black booby, Dave Mee caught 6.

Wednesday a quieter day with a freshening breeze. P Moore caught 5 for his mornings visit with John & Ian Thomson catching 5 also.

Thursday damp, foggy morning with little wind. Richard Dayman fished a DI3 to catch his 14 trout fishing the main basin. Ian Leach found fish moving at times down the Markfield arm by the tern rafts but these fish were difficult to tempt with Ian & his boat partner catching 3

Saturday was a perfect autumn day, warm, light winds & great day to be out on the water. And an excellent day with a rod average of 4+ for the day. Keith Cowen caught 10 for his visit on a black sparkler, Jan Webber caught 12 on a DI7 and booby patterns. Mark Hunt caught 15 with 9 on a DI3 and minkie but in the late afternoon with a few fish moving fished a floater and cdc to catch 6. David Woodall fished green and brown buzzers all day catching 5 for his visit.

Sunday and an inch of rain fell with only two anglers venturing out in the afternoon once conditions improved, it wasn’t easy with Karen Thompson managing to catch 1 trout

We are desperate for the rain therefore shouldn’t complain too much when it comes, its ridiculously mild for late October with the water temperature between 12c & 13c. Good rod average of 3.1 for the week with fish taken on floating lines & dries to fast sinkers & booby although the anglers who fished on a floater down to a DI3 enjoyed best success

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

Visit our Fisheries Websites: www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk   www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk  www.flyfishthornton.co.uk

Online Shop: www.flyfishstore.co.uk      Tuition & Guiding: www.flyfishtuition.co.uk

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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:  16^th October 2022              Rod Av:  4.1   Water Temperature:  13°C

Monday, saw the fishery host the Troutmasters after it being absent from the venue for a number of years due to Covid. There was 38 competitors fishing, with the numbers reduced due to the fisheries being unable to run qualifiers due to the pandemic. The match is split into two 3 hour sessions with all competitors fishing both the boat and the bank. The bank was split into 4 zones. Zone 1 was running from the Swan’s Nest to the Willow Tree in Toft, Zone 1 the other side of Toft (Grey’s Barn) up to Dougie’s gap, Zone 3 from Dougie’s Gap to the Old Pipe & Zone 4 the Old Pipe to the Dam at the Valve Tower. The anglers are then draw into bank zones that they either fish in the  morning or afternoon. With  place boats being awarded for the winner of each bank zone. Then the same on the boats, so if you won your bank zone you would get 1 point and the same with the boats. In the morning the best area was Zone 3 and Lincroft point with David Hoppe landing 11 fish. David, used a small weighted white snakes fished on a 12ft Airflo Slow tip and a figure of eight retrieve. On the boats Trevor Davies won the boat session landing 7 fish, using snakes. There was also a cracking fish on 5lb 3oz caught from Farnborough spit also on snakes. In the afternoon the wind picked up making the fishing more challenging, with the best area being Zone 4 on the bank with Trevor Davies winning the session up there using small snakes. Overall it was Trevor Davies who was crowned the 2022 Troutmasters champion winning both sessions giving him an overall points score of 2. Outside of the match we had a few other boats out on the water. Draycote season ticket holder John Dickens used white boobies on Di 3 & Di 8 sinking lines to land 11 fish. Fellow members Colin Granger & Pete Allen fished down in Toft using a team of cormorants to boat 15 fish between them.

A cool start to Tuesday with the air temperature starting at 3°C with very light winds and clean bright skies. However, these conditions certainly didn’t seem to put the fish off with he rod average for the day finishing at 5.89 fish per angler. Draycote member Tony Broadway from along the Tower Bank enjoying a great 4 hours landing 8 fish. Tony, used a Snowbee buzzer tip with a Grey Minkie to land his fish with the best being a 4lb Rainbow. On the boats Craig Cowan & Ian Dobbie landed 23 fish. The pair used snakes on fast intermediate and Di 3 sinking lines, with their best area being J Buoy to Farborough Dam. Kevin Rees did well landing 6 fish in tricky conditions sticking to his trusty dry flies, with Bob’s Bits being his best fly. All water member Ed Douglas landed 2 fish using a 12ft Midge tip with a weighted snake and a Minkie. Landing his fish off the Hensborough Bank and then around J Buoy. Gwenallt Ifan who arrived for the first of his two day break packaged enjoyed a “great day”. Using popper hoppers to land 7 fish with he biggest being a 4lb overwintered Rainbow. Gwenallt, landed his fish from Biggin Bay, Lincroft and N-Y Buoy going over Musborough shoal.

A calm start to the day with the wind coming from the South with overcast skies in the morning before the sun broke through later in the day. On the bank Colin Day landed 5 fish, 2 from the Tower Bank on the minkie before the wind changed. Colin then moved to Rainbow Corner and landed 3 on white humungus. Also landing 5 from the bank was Mick Cronin while his fishing partner Stan Hillman landed 4 fish with the pair landing them from the Tower Bank and the outlet. On the boats Draycote members Ian Reeve & Colin Granger landed 11 fish between them. The pair used black and green snakes on the point with cormorants on the droppers to land their fish. With the best areas being Y Buoy and over the Aerators. All water member Steve Orton landed 8 fish using a white cutthroat minkie booby fished with a very slow figure of eight retrieve. The boat of Keith Allison & Bob Sharp enjoyed good sport landing 15 fish. Keith landed his on popper fry patterns and also small gold fry imitations, while Bob used popper fry and also a silver sedge. Gwenallt Ifan taking to the water for his second day of his package break, again enjoying a good day landing 13 fish. Gwenallt, used black humungus boobies and daddies to land his fish in Biggin Bay and N Buoy. Roy Anderson down from Scotland landed 18 fish all on Minkies around the Tower Bank, D Buoy and Dunn’s Bay.

Challenging conditions greeted the anglers on Thursday with very light to no wind all day and bright skies after the morning Fog had cleared. Draycote member Bob Barfoot landed 3 fish from the Tower bank first thing in the Morning but struggled once the sun broke through with no wind present. On the boats Ian Lang used fry patterns and snakes to land 9 fish with the largest being a cracking rainbow of 3lb 8oz. Draycote members Ian Richardson & Bob Smith fished in a boat with the pair landing 13 fish between them. They used a weighted snake on the point and cormorants on the droppers to land their fish with the best being a 5lb Rainbow. Mr Butler out in a boat landed 16 fish on a Zonker Booby. Ken Warner fishing with boat partner Calum used popper fry and perch snakes to land 16 fish to the boat. All water member Ed Douglas fished around Lincroft point and J Buoy landing 20 fish. Ed, used a 12ft fast tip with a weighted snake and a black and gold humungus on the dropper.

A fairly calm start to the day here at Draycote on Friday saw a total of 25 rods take to the water from both the boat and the bank. Once again the bank is fishing reasonably well with Peter Elliott catching 5 on various patterns, netting fish up to 4lbs in weight. Season permit holder Paul Walley also took to the bank to net a brace on minkies. Out on the boats Young Dave Adkins netted a total of ten fish using olive snakes fished on a DI3 line. Dave concentrated his efforts around J buoy and the Farborough Dam. Mr Graham England also boated 10 fish using popper fry patterns and olive snakes. Fishery staff member and in house guide Lee Henfrey ventured out in a boat to net a grand total of 19 fish. Lee used a fast glass line and either olive or white snakes and fished the Farborough Dam, P buoy and Lincroft Point.

A blustery day here at Draycote on Saturday, with the wind blowing out of Rainbow Corner and down across the reservoir. Overall the rod average was pretty good coming in at 3.4, with a good spread of fish being caught across different areas. Mr D Priestly and Mr P Mabbott had over 20 fish to the boat between them using popper fry and snakes at various depths. Mr Blythe caught 10 fish on a DI7 line and cats whiskers drifting from B down to X buoy. Season permit holders Rob and Sam Edmunds used olive snakes on sinking lines to net 20 fish from the Farborough Dam, P buoy and the Valve Tower.

Sunday dawned bright and calm with the promise of the wind blowing in a south westerly direction from mid morning.On the bank the Draycote Fly Fishers Association fished its Autumn Bank pairs. The event is the final club match and was well attended by the members. Will Hunt used black and gold Humungus to land 6 fish. While Mark JJ fished at the Tower Bank using minkies and Diawl Bachs to land 3. On the boats Jon Crowley landed 11 fish drifting from B Buoy out towards X Buoy using black and olive snakes on a fast intermediate. All water member Rob Edmounds fished with Colin Fincham with the pair landing 22 fish, using sinking lines with tubes and also snakes. The pair also landed some cracking fish of 5lb & 7lb. Ed Douglas enjoyed a good days sport landing 17 fish. Ed used a 6ft fast intermediate midge tip with a black and gold humungus on the dropper and a booby snake on the point. Finding the majority of his fish in the open water to the right hand side of Croft Shoal.

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 16 October 2022       Rod Av:  3.5      Water Temperature: 14°

The week started with a cool, northerly breeze that brought clear skies for most of the day. Despite the bright conditions, the reservoir fished very well with fish getting caught on the Washing line with Red Holographic Diawl Bachs on the droppers & also on the Dries; Foam Daddies, CDC’s in the open water & Popper Minkies around the weedbeds. Mr Nesbitt had a very productive day, landing 14 fish on the washing line, whereas All Water Member landed 12, all of which came to the dries. As the water cools, the thermocline will reposition itself & we could start to see the fish drop down the water column. Over the recent days it has really been noticeable that the cooler weather has begun the fry feeding in earnest with fish seen charging into the abundant amounts of fry that gathers around the weedbeds.

Tuesday brought with it clear, bright skies & a gentle westerly breeze which on occasions subsided to a flat calm. This made the fishing somewhat challenging given that the fish in the Main Basin are still heavily podded & drifting boats were not covering a lot of water. The fish remained in the upper layers but were reluctant to feed on the surface due to the bright skies. Those fishing subsurface were more successful than those fishing on it with the washing line being particularly effective. The Foam Daddie has proven to be a great fly to be fished on the washing line, whether that is a top dropper with a small FAB on the point or as a point fly with small holographic ribbed Diawl Bachs on the droppers. Cormorants on slow intermediate has also been a good method & will continue to take fish in the coming weeks. It is worth noting that the Cormorant is also very effective in a Size 12 & scaling down fly size can often ensure that fish continue to get caught throughout the day. All water member Kevin Counihan landed 8 fish, most of which were on the Cormorants. Whereas Tony Fox also had 8 fish on what was a challenging day, proving that there are plenty of fish to be had.

The wind for Wednesday started off as a gentle southerly but developed to a moderated south westerly by mid-afternoon. There was good cloud cover all day which suggested that the fish that were still sat in the top few feet of water, would be more inclined to feed off the surface. For All Water Member Mark Hunt the fish truly obliged. Mark fished Popper Minkies across the open water of the Main Basin & landed 20 fry feeding fish which is an excellent return. The fish clearly recognised the Popper Minkies as a likely food item & were happy to take them, even in areas where you would not expect to find fry feeding fish. Other All Water Members Ian Jobe & Clive Moore also had a productive day in the Main Basin, landing 14 fish between them. We hosted the annual England Disabled Fly Fishers (EDFF) Fur & Feather today which was a reduced hours match, with the first 2 fish weighed. It saw 12 anglers take to the water & between them they caught 34 fish. Congratulations goes to Sean Higgins who was top rod on the day with a weight of 3lb 9oz. Mark Goodge & Sean Higgins opted to return to the water after the match & added another 8 fish in a very short session.

Thursday greeted the anglers with a millpond, flat calm that remained for the entirety of the day. This made locating fish very challenging as those who wanted to fish on the drift did not cover much water at all. Those that did locate them caught well on a variety of methods & flies. The key was to keep your flies high up in the water column & ring the changes with flies. Paul Ledbrook & his boat partner did exactly that & recorded a return of 11 fish which is an excellent given the conditions. They caught on Foam Daddies, Fry patterns & FABs, with their most consistent area in front of Robbo’s cabin.

Friday was a reasonable day’s fishing with some anglers still picking up fish on dries whilst the majority were finding better sport on fry patterns. Dave Porter & T Ward caught 11 for their visit as did L Johnson & all water member Paul Walker who fished a fab & diawl bach to catch his. N & P Ledbrook fished daddies, minkie & cats’ whisker to catch their 15 trout. Out in front of the pontoon towards Dogwood & the Bell you can watch the trout feeding on the fry, valve tower to Harrisons & along the netted bank continues to produce. Anglers drifting across the main basin are picking up fish on daddies & fry patterns.

The reservoir continued to fish well on Saturday with most fish getting caught on Fry patterns. Slow intermediates seemed to be the most effective line, coupled with a Cat’s Whisker or a weighted Humungus. Mr H smith had a very productive day landing 11 fish on Cat’s Whisker, whereas Season Ticket holder Mick Farrell landed 8, fishing a White Humungus just under the surface on a Slow Glass Intermediate. The Main Basin is still the most productive area with long drifts across proving very successful. There remains a good number of fish in front of Robbo’s Cabin & there are plenty fry feeding fish across the open water.

It was a bright clear start to Sunday with a gentle southerly breeze. The skies remained clear for most of the day & despite the bright conditions, the reservoir fishing very well. The fish remained high up in the water column & were caught on a variety of methods. The common factor amongst those that caught well was the Foam Daddy. Whether it was a point fly on the washing line or fished as a Dry, the Foam Daddies featured heavily on the catch returns.  All Water Member Mark Hunt landed 16 fish in a very productive day, using Foam Daddies during the really bright spells & CDC’s on the occasions when there was some cloud cover. It just goes to show how important it can be to make subtle changes when there is a slight change in the conditions. Elsewhere, Eli Snyman used the Washing Line to great effect, landing 11 fish on a morning session. Eli’s cast was a Foam Daddy on the point & he fished a Diawl Bach & Cormorant above it. Resident Guide Andy Miller hosted a tuition course for 4. They all had a great time going on to catch 6 fish between the 4 of them which is a great return. Well done to all. The Main Basin remains a very productive area, all the way through it, up to Robbo’s Cabin.

Fur & Feather Sunday 23^rd Oct :

1,         The 2022 Eyebrook Fur & Feather will be held on Sunday 23rd Oct.

2,         Contact will be made this coming week for payment. The price is £83.50 per pair which includes 2 x 6 fish Tickets & Boat costs. Members can use their season tickets & will just pay for a member’s boat.

3,         Timings. Bacon Cobs will be served from 0745hrs & Competition times will be 0830 – 1630hrs. Hot soup will be served after.

4,         There is still a few boats available, for bookings please call the lodge on 01536 770264.

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:  16^th October   Rod Av: 2.7     Water Temperature: 12c+

Monday Thornton fly fishers fished their seniors competition, Martin Vernon won with 4 fish to 6lb3oz with Richard Maycock taking the heaviest fish at 2lb7oz Norman Moore caught 7 on orange lures with Carolyn Brown fishing an orange daddy and taking 2 fish

Tuesday with a good forecast we had a busy day on the water. P Wrigley & R Dunster caught 15, Dawsons Olive caught 3 fish each for P Cox & P Hunt. Greg Weatherdon caught 10 on booby, blobs and damsel with fish been caught from all over the reservoir with reports of a good evening rise along the stones during the last hour

Wednesday Steve Meachem on his day off fished Thornton using a midge tip and buzzers to catch 8. P Hunt & J Thomson caught 7 on diawl bach and a green & black booby with J Hives and Sam Fielder catching 6 for their visit.

Thursday and a rod average of 5.0 for the day with anglers catching on a mixture of patterns from G&H Sedge, diawl bach, shipmans buzzer, booby, cats whisker & minkie. P Broad caught 10 for his visit with P Mee & P Fitch both catching 6 trout

Friday and another change to the weather with the wind starting to increase with the rod average dropping to 2.1. J Reynolds fished the afternoon session catching 8 on cats whiskers on a sink tip line in green bay. The windier weather continued into Saturday with a brisk south westerly. Member J Webber fished a black UV booby to catch his 11 trout. Members of the Fly Boys visited Thornton with most catching 3 trout.

Sunday a calmer autumnal day, with local angling club Thornton Angling Club fishing their single fly competition, when each competitor gets the same three flies, this year a cats whisker minkie booby. S Thorpe, P Birdsall, Ian Leach all caught their 4 fish limit with Richard Maycock 4 fish at 7lb13oz winning the competition. Ian Leach won the prize for heaviest fish at 2lb8oz. Steve Lewanaskow and his father fished the last 4 hours catching 7 trout from in front of the main car park

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

Visit our Fisheries Websites: www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk   www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk  www.flyfishthornton.co.uk

Online Shop: www.flyfishstore.co.uk      Tuition & Guiding: www.flyfishtuition.co.uk

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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:  9^th October 2022              Rod Av:  3.6   Water Temperature:  13°C

A nice overcast start to the day with the sun breaking through as the day progressed. On the bank the anglers continued to land nice quality fish with both Tony Broadway and john Clifford landing nice silver fish of 3lb 12oz and 4lb 2oz. On the boats there was a real mix of methods, from snakes to dries all featuring well on the catch report. Bob Askew used popper minkies on the morning and then snakes fished on a Di 5 in the afternoon to land 9 fish. Gary Russell also used snakes fish tight in at Farborough spit to land 7 fish with 6 coming in 45 mins a real purple patch. Draycote members Ian Richardson & Bob Barfoot landed 17 fish between them drifting from N to Y Buoy. The pair opted for midge tips with cormorants on the droppers and snakes on the point and commented on “a good day”. Paul Davison fished with Ian Bradfield landing 34 fish to the boat with all of them coming to dries. Paul used his normal team of Midas while Ian opted for popper hoppers. With the fish coming from various marks across the reservoir but drifts over the shoals proved to be very productive.

Overcast conditions Tuesday with the winds coming from the Southwest blowing around 20mph in the middle of the day. On the bank all water member Andy Lille landed 3 fish on Perch fry from the Outlet. Richard Walker fished alongside Andy to also land 3 from the bank on the same patterns. Bank regular Stan Hillman enjoyed a good day sport landing 5 fish from the Hensborough Bank and the outlet on minkies and floating fry. On the boats John Jones enjoyed a good day landing 7 fish taking them all in the morning using a 12ft slow tip and a team of cormorants drifting from A Buoy to Y Buoy. Danny Lovegrove fished with Dhan Nataly with the pair landing 15 fish to the boat. Using a mix of flies with Humungus, Tadpoles and daddies all featuring. With the best areas being Y, P & S Buoy. Tony Baldwin fished with Paul Davison with the pair landing nearly 40 fish to the boat all on dries with Midas being their best pattern.

Wednesdays’ weather forecast did not make for good reading, with it due to deteriorate as the day progressed. Three anglers braved the conditions, with Stuart Bottomley catching from the bank in Dunns Bay on a tadpole. Danny Lovegrove and Dhan Nataly ventured out in a boat to catch half a dozen fish between them. Danny and Dhan used big reds, humungus and hot head damsel just off A buoy near Rainbow Corner.

Thursday dawned with bright sunshine and a light south westerly breeze, which did increase as the day progressed. Draycote member, Dennis Tidmarsh fished with Steve Orton from the boat landing 9 fish on white snakes between them. Ray Wallace & Dave Mark fished landed 16 fish between them drifting from C-D Buoy. Opting to use snakes and boobies commenting “all good fish and a great day” Ian Richardson fished with Bob Smith using Di 3 sinking lines with a small snake and a cormorant at Farborough spit to land 8 fish to the boat. All water member Kev Hart landed 13 fish using a mixture of fry imitation lures with snakes, zonkers and humungus all landing him fish.

Another windy day Friday with the winds in the middle section of the day being just below the cut off limit for letting the boats out. As a result a restriction was in place keeping the boats from Toft and the bottom end of the wind. All water member Norman Perkins used minkies to land 4 fish from the bank off the Outlet. On the boats Roger & Graham Davies landed 10 fish between them using the rudder and tubes going from the Draycote Dam towards B & Y Buoy. All water member Craig Middleton landed 11 fish all on a black booby drifting off the Hensborough Bank towards M & N Buoy. Craig also landed a cracking fish which can be see on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/flyfishstore Mr C Butler used a silver lure to great affect landing 10 fish to the boat.

The winds dropped for Saturday coming from the Southwest with clear skies and a definite Autumnal chill to the morning. Overall Draycote fished quite well with the rod average at 5.8. There is also a good spread of fish with catches coming from Rainbow Corner, The Tower Bank, Biggin Bay, Middle Shoal and Toft Shallows. Lee Patten had 19 form the bank from both the Swans Nest and The Tower Bank using small snakes. Season permit holder Mark Braun caught 5 fish from the bank using black and gold boobies fished on a DI7 line in Dunns Bay. Alan Grant fished from the bank near the Valve Tower to net 8 fish on minkies fished on a slow intermediate line. Out on the boats Le Lerigo netted 10 good fish, one of which tipped the scales at 5lbs 8oz. Rob and Sam Edmunds netted nearly 30 fish from a drifting boat using a combination or cormorants and dries, most of them coming from near the Valve Tower. Mark Thistleton fished in Biggin Bay to net 6 fish using snakes fished on a DI3 line. Mr R Floyd and Mr N Loughrey had 15 fish to the boat using cormorants fished on a 3 foot midge tip line.

A busy day Sunday with a number of anglers fishing ahead of the Troutmasters on the Monday and a number of anglers taking advantage of the mild weather. Jon Crowley fished for a morning from the boats landing 6 fish on olive and black snakes drifting from Y Buoy over to the North Shore. Brian Cantle used pink or white snakes from the boats to land 10 fish with M Buoy an C Buoy his best areas. Draycote member Richard Walker landed 7 fish with 5 of them falling to a white muddler in the surface while the rest came to a black and green snake on Sink 6 line. David Hoppe practicing for the Troutmasters fished with Draycote member Peter Elliot with he pair landing 23 fish to the boat. Lea Tones out with Steve Farmer landed 15 fish to the boat using olive

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 09 October 2022       Rod Av:  4.4      Water Temperature: 15-16°

Monday morning was greeted with a good degree of cloud cover, but with a flat calm. This made the selection of where to fish somewhat more important as anglers were not going to be able to cover a lot of water. The beauty of a flat calm is that if there was any moving fish, they would be easily spotted & initially this proved to be the case as fish were caught from very early on. When targeting fish in a flat calm it is important to remember to keep disturbance down to a minimum & if fishing dries, consider using a single fly to aide presentation. As the day progressed, the wind grew & by mid-afternoon it was a moderate south westerly which meant the anglers on the drift were now covering more water & intercepting the pods of fish more frequently. Subsequently the reservoir fished better in the afternoon for most. One thing that didn’t change was that the fish remained high up in the water column throughout the day & were caught by those targeting the upper layers either on Dries or Washing line. The most productive patterns were Foam Daddies, Hoppers & small CDC Clarets & most productive area remained the Main Basin.

Tuesday saw Eyebrook host a Police Pairs competition which saw 39 anglers take to the water. They were greeted by a moderate south westerly wind with plenty of cloud cover & as the day progressed, some isolated sunny intervals. Between the 39 anglers they caught 202 fish between them which gave them a rod average of 5.1 which is an excellent rod average, so well done to all. The winning pair was Tony Barkley & Andrew Bate who had 17 fish between them & top overall individual was between Richard Hood & Rich Watkins. Both had 13 fish, although Richard Hood had his first fish slightly earlier than Rich Watkins & took the spoils, well done Richard. The most productive area remained the Main Basin with the fish still sat in the first few feet of water & were caught on a variety of methods; Dries & the Washing Line. The Foam Daddy continues to take a lot of fish whether that is fished as a Dry Fly or as a part of the Washing Line.

Wednesday brought with it some very strong winds, luckily from the south. As the day progressed the wind maintained its strength & gradually swung round to the west, by the mid-afternoon the wind subsided but brought with some heavy showers. Those venturing out fished under restrictions to mitigate the strong winds & reduce any potential risk of boats drifting into dangerous areas. The Main Basin continued to fish very well with the fish remaining in the top couple of feet & they were caught on either Dries or the Washing Line. With the Dries, Foam Daddies continued to take fish, as did the Midas & Grunters. Even though there weren’t many fish seen moving, they were willing to come blind. Rather than rolling over the fly or the classic head & tail rise, the fish sat below the fly & gently sucked it under. Anglers had to be extra vigilant to any abnormal movement in the vicinity of their flies to connect with them. With the Washing Line, the Foam Daddie also caught well as did a small Sunburst FAB fished either as a top dropper or on the point.

Thursday the main basin continues to produce from the Bell, casting platforms, hawthorn across to the netted bank, robbo`s cabin with most of the trout being taken on floating lines or tip lines with daddies, hoppers, cormorants, cutthroat cat. Some fry feeders along the weed beds in Mucky bay & stock dry. Bank Anglers are catching along the far end of the dam to Harrisons.

Friday, wind was a bit fresher today that kept most of the boats to the lodge side of the island. Fish are still high in the water with floating lines, midge tip or intermediate best with daddies, hoppers, fabs, cormorants, diawl bach & crunchers. Some fish are chasing the fry along the margins. All water member Albert Coles had a very productive morning session, catching 14. We hosted the annual Bank of Scotland – Barclays competition which was fished to a catch & release measured format. The reservoir fished very well for with most competitors catching their 8 fish limit & some continued to catch once their limits had been reached. Between 18 anglers they caught 141 fish giving a rod average of 7.8.

Saturday, the wind swung to the northwest. Some rods persevered with the daddies & hoppers with K Lawrence catching 13 on black hoppers with Kevin Hart catching 8 on foam daddies. D Sparrow & V Sparrow caught 24 for their visit from the main basin. With the brighter conditions on Saturday some rods found an intermediate with cormorants, cutthroat cat with a fab or booby on the point worked for them. Eyebrook member K Johnson caught 4 from the bank for his morning session fishing along the island & towards the chestnut tree.

Sunday brought with it a westerly breeze which petered out as the day progressed to a flat calm. The cloud cover was in the main, continual, but it did give way to some sunny intervals. The fish remained high in the water column & were caught on either Dries, the Washing line or lures pulled just under the surface. Resident guide Andy Miller hosted Jenny & Michael for a 2-hour experience session who had an great time catching 8 fish between them on Foam Daddies, which is an excellent introduction into fly fishing, well done to both. Elsewhere, Neil Shilton & Gary Martin both landed 6 fish, all from the Main Basin area. What has been noticeable as the air temperature continues to drop is the amount of fry feeding that is beginning to occur. The boats have up until now, benefited more than the bank anglers as the fish are sat slightly further out feeding on fry over the weedbeds. As the air temperature continues to drop, it is only a matter of time until the fish start to move closer into the shallows.

Last few spaces available: The 2022 Eyebrook Fur & Feather will be held on Sunday 23rd Oct. The Fur & Feather is a Pairs Competition fished to a 12 fish Boat Limit & Fishery Rules. The price is £83.50 per pair which includes 2 x 6 fish Tickets & Boat costs, Members can use their season tickets & just have to pay for a member’s boat. For anyone who is interested please call the Lodge on 01536 770264 for bookings.

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:  9^th October       Rod Av: 3.1      Water Temperature: 13c

Monday a calm start to the week with most of the fish caught taking buzzer, diawl bach & dries with fish moving during the last hour. A Wilson caught 7 on static buzzer with Mark Hunt catching 10 during the rise on daddies and bobs bits with fish up to 3lb

Tuesday and a change in the weather with a windy day forecast for Wednesday. D Pritchard did the best fishing the calmer part of the day between 8.30am & 12.30pm catching 4 from the Markfield arm.

Wednesday the wind blew, no boats were allowed out.

Thursday fry patterns worked best with minkie booby, cats whisker best, not an easy day with Richard Price & Russ Martin top rods with 3 trout each

Better day Friday with a south westerly breeze again fry patterns best with Chris Sayer fishing a minkie booby to catch his 18 trout. Saturday the light South Westerly wind continued with the fishing for the day averaging 5+ Again fry pattern with anglers catching from various areas of the reservoir from the stones to Markfield arm and in front of the Wood. Keith Cowen fished boobies to catch his 12 trout, Jan Webber fished a Sink 7 with gold & black booby to catch 22 with Paul Martindale fishing a cats whisker & snake to catch his 12 trout.

Sunday & a change to the weather with a North westerly. Colwick fly fishers paid us a visit with K Saxton top rod with 7 trout to 3lb13oz caught on a DI3 cats whisker with J Parnham catching 6 on a DI7. Mark Hunt decided to fish buzzers in the morning and yellow owl in the afternoon catching 7 trout for his visit

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

Visit our Fisheries Websites: www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk   www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk  www.flyfishthornton.co.uk

Online Shop: www.flyfishstore.co.uk      Tuition & Guiding: www.flyfishtuition.co.uk

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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:  2^nd October 2022              Rod Av: 3.6      Water Temperature: 14 °C

A showery day Monday with slightly strong winds than we have seen for a few weeks, as there was a large pressure change. On the boats Draycote member Ian Richardson landed a cracking fish of 5lb taken on a cormorant at Dougie’s Gap along the Cornfield. Fishing the first day of their three day break Brent Vinall & Andy Birkett enjoyed good sport landing 11 fish between them. With all their fish coming to dries or Popper fry with Daddies being their best pattern on the dries. Eddie Mitchell & Dave Kennel boated ten fish using daddies and washing lining drifting over the open water around A & B Buoy. Draycote member Kevin Rees used dries all day to land 9 fish landing his fish on Bob’s Bits around B Buoy and Y Buoy.

Not the most pleasant day for the anglers out on the water Tuesday with gusty winds and some heavy rain at times. Mr Bailey fished for his second day or a 2 day package break. Coming off early due to the journey back to Scotland, Mr Bailey landed 6 fish in just over a morning session. Landing his fish on yellow owls and balloon caddis drifting off the top dam wall. Another boat fishing on a package was Andy Birkett & Brent Vinall who landed 9 fish between then on dries and also pulling cormorants just under the surface. Tony Baldwin enjoyed a good day on the water sticking to dries all day to land 14 fish drifting off the top dam wall over the open water towards B Buoy and Y Buoy. Season ticket holder Martyn Hancox fished for a few hours on the bank in the evening. Opting to use Minkie patterns at the Tower bank and was rewarded with a brace of fish including a cracking 5lb 7oz Rainbow that was returned to the water.

Wednesday started bright and sunny with a north westerly breeze, with good cloud cover coming along about 11 o’clock. The water temperature is down to 14 degrees now and visibility is very good. Fish are being caught in quite a few different areas on the reservoir such as, Rainbow Corner, along the Tower Bank, Middle Shoal and Toft Shallows. Draycote regulars Mick Cronin and Stan Hillman fished the Tower Bank and landed a dozen fish between them, with two of the fish weighing in at over 5lbs each. Tony Broadway also fished from the bank near the Valve Tower and landed 3 fish on suspender minkies and crunchers. Jim Dempsey and Rod Wilson had 16 fish to the boat between them using lures and sinking lines on the rudder. Ian Richardson and Bob Barfoot caught 17 fish. Ian and Bob drifted from Y to N buoy using a slow tip and a DI3 with cormorants and minkie boobies. Norman Perkins and Steve Orton had a dozen between them on minkie boobies pulled either on or just under the surface. Andy Birkett and Brent Vinnall had 24 fish to the boat between them on pin fry patterns and dries.

Thursday started with good overcast conditions, a light northerly breeze, and a fine drizzle of rain. On the bank husband and wife due Tony & Ruth Kirk enjoyed a good days sport landing 8 fish between them. Fishing at the Tower Bank using floating fry patterns they landed a cracking Rainbow of 5lb 8oz which can be seen on here www.facebook.com/flyfishstore C J Day, also fished the bank landing 5 fish on Minkies landing 3 from Toft and 2 from the Tower Bank including fish of 5lb, 4lb 2oz and 3lb.  On the boats all water member Kevin Hart fished with John Hoskins landing 24 fish to the boat. They found the fish at N buoy and used fry patterns with Kev opting for popper minkies to land the majority of his fish. Draycote member John Falconbridge used snakes and cormorants to land 12 fish. Brent Vinall & Andy Birkett enjoyed their final day here at Draycote with the pair boatng a dozen fish on dries and fry patterns. Draycote member Kevin Rees also fished dries to land 10 fish. Fishery guide Lee Henfrey took the two Lack brothers out for a 4 hour guide. With Lee they landed 10 fish on white snakes fished on intermediates with he best area being drifting from the top dam wall towards B Buoy with the majority of the fish coming half way between the wall and B.

It wasn’t the best weather forecast for Friday, with the wind picking up in the afternoon bringing with it some heavy rain. In these conditions, only 3 boats ventured out onto the water, eventually heading for the shelter of the Draycote Dam. At this time of the season, whilst the fish are not hard on the fry, they will take Snakes and other lure patterns, such as minkie boobies and cats whiskers. Dries will also work in the right conditions, as will a washing line, with a sparkler booby on the point, and crunchers or diawl bachs on the droppers. Season permit holder Ray Rawlings took a boat out for half a day and used white snakes to net 3 fish drifting on to A and B buoy.

Saturday dawned with a clear blue sky, and a cold westerly breeze. The wind picked up about 11 o’clock and blew most of the boats in to shelter along the Draycote Dam. Considering the conditions, the reservoir fished pretty well overall giving a rod average of 4 for the day. Quite a lot of the fish caught fell to lures of some type, but some were also caught on cormorants, nymphs and floating fry patterns. Ivor Jones and Jim Dempsey put a bakers dozen in the boat fishing sinking lines and lures on the rudder. Mr A McKenna and Mr A Clarke had 19 fish to the boat between them using black crunchers and sunken daddies. Mr Neil Loughrey had 17 fish on cormorants. Neil used a 3 foot mini tip drifting between A and M buoy on the Hensborough Bank.

Sunday morning was overcast and calm to start with but became brighter as the morning progressed. However, the bright conditions didn’t seem to the bother the fish with boat the bank and boat anglers enjoying good sport. Draycote member Paul Walley fished on the Tower Bank with a white mini snake to land 11 fish. Ian Weston also fished the bank at Lincroft Point to land 4 fish. On the boats Jon Crowley landed 6 fish in a short morning session using an intermediate with a black snake and a yellow dancer. Landing his fish drifting along the Farnborough Dam to the spit with 2 of his fish weighting over 5lb. Mark Thistleton enjoyed a good day landing 9 fish using snakes on an intermediate line drifting around B Buoy, Y and N Buoy. Kasidit Leoviriyakit, fished from the boat in the morning before switching to the bank for the afternoon. He landed 17 fish during the day with 12 coming from the boat using hoppers for the most part and then he pulled snakes on the bank. The best catch of the day came from the boat of Ed Douglas and Jim Smith who boats 40 fish. The used snakes on Di 3 sinking lines and also intermediates with Olive Snake in both weightless and Boobies being their best patterns. Finding the fish at N Buoy, S Buoy, P Buoy, M Buoy and off the Draycote Dam. They commented the key was long draws and then handing the flies at the boat and landed a number of cracking fish up to 6lb with sharp fins and silver rays on the tail.

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 02 October 2022       Rod Av:  5.0      Water Temperature: 15-16°

Monday brought with it a moderate to strong North Westerly wind & clear skies. As the day progressed the wind abated & the sky filled with dense cloud. Consequently, the reservoir fished better in the afternoon than it did in the morning. Regular visit Alan Withers had a very productive day conducting long drifts across the Main Basin. Alan fished the washing line most of the day with a black Foam Daddy on the point, a small, black Muskins in the middle & a Black Midas on the top dropper. By the end of the day he had 18 fish to the boat & reported a lot of interest throughout the day. Elsewhere, Mr Hensell & Mr Buxton also had a productive day, landing 12 between them, fishing intermediates & cats’ whiskers also in the Main Basin. The fish are still in the top 3ft of water & given the right conditions they will quite happily feed on the surface.

There was a cool, damp start to Tuesday with a moderate North westerly breeze that brought with some heavy, isolated showers. The unsettled morning weather had a detrimental effect on the fishing as early fish were difficult to come by. The afternoon brought with some settled weather, consequently, the fishing improved. Long drifts across the Main Basin, aiming at intercepting the heavily podded fish, was again the order of the day. The fish remained in the first 3ft of water throughout the day & were caught on a variety of methods. Foam Daddies featured well on the catch returns, whether fished on the surface or just under it, they were equally effective. Other methods that were small Snakes & Cormorants on either a Slow Glass or a Fast Glass. There are so many ways to fish the upper layers & it has paid to chop & change until a successful method for that period has been identified. Once identified remain vigilant for any subtle changes in the conditions or fish behaviour & adjust the method accordingly if required.

Wednesday was a busy day at Eyebrook with all the boats booked out. Weather wise, it was an overcast morning with a moderate westerly breeze followed be an afternoon of sunny intervals. The reservoir continues to fish well with most of the fish getting caught in the first 3ft of water on a variety of methods across the Main Basin. There was fish caught on lures being pulled on Fast Glass Intermediates, washing lined nymphs & Foam Daddies on tip lines & floaters & also on the Dries. Allan Withers had another excellent day, landing 14 fish on the washing line with small black flies: Daddies, Midas & Muskins. The Fishing For Fun club also had another successful day, having landed 53 fish between 10 of them. It was their second successive day at Eyebrook & over the 2 days they had over 100 fish which is a great return, well done to all. The recent cooler weather has encouraged the Browns to start moving with Mr Richardson landing & returning a beautiful specimen of an estimated weight of 7 – 8lb. The fish was caught around the weed beds along the Hawthorns on a Dawsons Olive.

Thursday saw the wind swing round to the North with solid cloud cover until early afternoon, where the solid cloud gave way to broken skies & periods of bright sunshine. The reservoir fished extremely well with a lot of fish caught in the first few feet of water on a variety of methods. All Water Members Paul Walker & Mark Hunt both had very productive days on very different methods. Mark opted to fish dries & caught throughout the day by changing his flies regularly to match the changeable weather, particularly in the afternoon. When it was bright, he fished Popper Minkies & Foam Daddies, whilst overcast, he fished small CDC patterns. Paul chose to fish the washing line with a FAB on the point & small nymphs above it. Both anglers fished from drifting boat, staying mobile & covering a lot of water. Paul’s most productive drift was from the 3 Trees on the netted bank to the Hawthorns. Regular visitors Danny Peet & Varley also had a great day landing over 30 fish between them on Popper Hoppers & Snatchers, conducting long drifts through the Main Basin. The benefits of a drifting boat this time of year is that you are covering more water in the search of actively moving pods of fish, rather than remaining static & waiting the fish to come to you.

It was a misty, still start to Friday. As the day progressed, so did the wind & by the mid afternoon it was a strong southerly that brought heavy rain with it. Those that did brave the elements, caught very well as the reservoir yielded a daily rod average of 6.3, as fish were caught from both the bank & the boats. The key point remained to keep your flies in the top 3ft of water as fish were again caught on a variety of methods.  Dave Porter & Tony Ward had a very successful day landing well over 20 fish between them, pulling FABs on a Midge Tips & a Hover Line, up in front of Robbo’s Cabin. Mike Christie also caught very well from the boat but this time on a Half Hog Daddy. Whereas regular angler Nigel Woolnough caught well from the bank in what were at best, extremely challenging conditions. Nigel landed a very respectable 3 fish from Mucky Bay.

Saturday remained a dry day & the wind had abated slightly on the previous day. The reservoir continued to fish well with a good number of fish caught in the upper layers on a variety of methods. As with previous days, it was all about presenting your flies in the top 2ft of water, whether that was Dries, Nymphs on the Washing line or Cormorants & Lures on the Intermediate lines. The Main Basin remains the most productive area & those who covered the water by fishing on the drift fared a lot better than those who remained static on the anchor. Eyebrook hosted the Dave Carter charity pairs match which saw 16 anglers take to the water & under fishery rules they caught 68 fish between them which gave them a rod average of 4.25. Congratulations goes to the overall winning pair of our very own resident guide Andy Miller & regular angler Dave Etty. Andy weighed in 3 fish for 8lb 1oz which was a cracking bag for the day. Thank you for all participants & those supporting the event who made for a very enjoyable day, well done to all.

Sunday was another very productive day where the Reservoir fished very well. We hosted the latest match for the Alex Booth Fly Fishers where 15 anglers took to the water & caught 93 fish between them which gave them a rod average of 6.2 which is an excellent return, well done to all. Top rod on the day was Kev Slater who had 17 pipping Andy Cotterill, who also had 17 fish, by a matter of ounces. Kev fished a Foam Daddy on the point & a Claret Hopper above it. Most of his fish came to the Claret Hopper. Elsewhere, All Water Members Sue & Neil Potts had a great day landing over 20 fish between them, drifting onto Robbo’s fishing the Washing Line. Eyebrook Season Ticket holders Roy Swinfield & Lynsey Bates also had a very productive day landing well over 30 fish on Foam Daddies & UV Crunchers. What is noticeable in the Main Basin, there are a lot of fish sat between 75 – 100m off the bank over the deeper water. As the water temperature continues to decrease these fish will begin to move closer into the bank in their search of food. It has already been noticeable that early in the morning there is a lot of Fry feeding activity around the pontoon. This bodes extremely well for the forthcoming weeks.

Only a few spaces available: The 2022 Eyebrook Fur & Feather will be held on Sunday 23rd Oct. The Fur & Feather is a Pairs Competition fished to a 12 fish Boat Limit & Fishery Rules. The price is £83.50 per pair which includes 2 x 6 fish Tickets & Boat costs, Members can use their season tickets & just have to pay for a member’s boat. For anyone who is interested please call the Lodge on 01536 770264 for bookings.

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:2 October       Rod Av:2.5     Water Temperature: 14c

As were officially into the autumn there is a definite change to the weather, noticeably cooler. Monday a cold, brisk northerly wind made for challenging conditions with anglers struggling on the day.

Tuesday was a better day, less wind & not as cold with anglers spreading themselves along the Thornton arm down into the Markfield arm. Mixture of flies taking fish from daddies, fabs, diawl bach to small fry patterns fished on an intermediate, tip lines or floater. T miles caught 7 for his mornings fishing down the Markfield arm, P Eville caught 5 with Paddy fitch catching 4 off the bank opposite the lodge. If your coming to fish the bank there is some weed about which you need to wade through, be sure to bring waders.

Wednesday, and were and were starting to see a few more fish taking fry patterns. Keith Cowen caught 4 on fry patterns and booby with R Price fishing a silver minkie booby to catch his 4 fish with Jamie Scott catching 7 on a daddy, diawl bach and fab during the late afternoon when the trout started moving. Markfield arm, opposite the lodge fished best.

Thursday a mixed day, Paddy Fitch fished the afternoon session catching 6 with L Serrano also fishing the afternoon catching 7 trout. Ian Leach fished a fab to catch his 4 trout with B Stone joining Paddy Fitch in his boat later in the afternoon and catching 3. David Hussey also fished the afternoon session catching 3 on a diawl bach. Later in the afternoon anglers reported a good rise down the Markfield arm

Friday with wind and strong wind forecast for the afternoon only 1 boat ventured out for a morning session, Chris Sayer who caught 5 trout

Saturday and were in that transition period of the autumn, some fish still on the dries while others are on the fry. Jan Webber caught 13 on  DI7, blue flash damsel and booby, L Serrano caught 11 for his afternoon session, Mark Hunt fished straight line buzzers moving to dries for the last hour to catch his 10 trout

Sunday, light winds, bright at times had anglers reaching for their floating & sinking lines. L Serrano returned for another afternoon session this time fishing a white minkie to catch his 8 trout. D Woodall caught 5 with 2 on a cdc pattern & 3 on a fast sinker and booby, during the last hour the trout did move across the main basin to the stones with P Cook catching 3 on daddies

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

Visit our Fisheries Websites: www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk   www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk  www.flyfishthornton.co.uk

Online Shop: www.flyfishstore.co.uk      Tuition & Guiding: www.flyfishtuition.co.uk

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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:  25^th September 2022              Rod Av:  4.9     Water Temperature: 15 °C

Overcast skies all day bank holiday Monday, with some heavy un-forecast rain in the afternoon. On the bank Mr Finch-Noyes and Mr Day enjoyed a “great day” landing 4 fish each on floating fry fishing at the Tower Bank. Also on the bank Draycote season ticket holder Mike Garner landed a brace with 1 coming from the Cornfield on a cormorant and the other on floating fry at the Tower Bank. On the boats Steve Pattinson & Gerick Eckard landed 10 fish to the boat using a washing line set up. The pair found that drifts from Rainbow Corner towards A Buoy to be the most productive area. Georgi Nickolov enjoyed a good days sport landing 6 fish from the boats, using a washing line with a FAB on the point a Daddy on the top dropper and a gold ribbed hares ear in the middle. The best catch of the day came to the boat of Mike Williams & Llyr Evans who landed 26 fish to the boat. The pair found the best flies to be Damsel patterns fished on floating and intermediate lines.

A very calm day Tuesday with little to no wind all day, with what little wind there was coming from the west. On the bank Stan Hillman & Mick Cronin enjoyed a good day landing 5 and 3 fish each. The pair used minkies at the Tower Bank and landed some cracking fish with a number of fish tipping the scales at 5lb. Brian Allwood also enjoyed a good day on the bank landing 4 fish. On the boats there was a number of good catches with the fishing seeming to be sat high in the water column. Pete Allen and Tony Broadway landing 11 fish to the boat using dries and a washing line with claret being the best colour on the dries. Draycote members Peter Elliot & Lee Patten landed 25 to the boat with Peter, using size 12 claret Bob’s Bits. With Lee Patten fishing a washing line and then dries. All water member Norman Perkins fished with Steve Orton with the pair landing 19 fish using minkie boobies on a floating line. James Raw & Michael Williams landed 30 fish to the boat ona washing line with a booby, FAB and Nymph combination. Paul Davison fishing with boat partner Simon landed over 30 fish to the boat using Ginger Midas.

A busy day Wednesday, with the Association of Major Fishing Club (AMFC) group 3 competition and also a number of boats practicing for the AMFC Group 1 match the next day and some boat ahead of the Airflo Team final on Saturday. The AMFC enjoyed good sport with the 30 anglers landing 154 fish for a 4.7 fish rod average with no competitors blanking. Winning the match was the English Police Fly Fishing Association who landed 45 fish between he 6 anglers. The teams next tactics was pulling FABs on an intermediate and also washing lining. Outside of the competition there was some good catching, although specifics where being kept quite due to the matches in the coming days. Members Chris Bobby & Lianne Frost enjoyed a good day landing 19 fish to the boat with Lianne landing the lion share with her best tactic being washing lining. Sean Hanlon & Lindsey Simpson landed over 25 fish to the boat also using washing lining tactics around A & B Buoy and Y & N Buoy.

The wind Thursday came from the Southwest with good cloud cover for most of the day, as a result the reservoir fished well with lots of good reports. Draycote member Stephen Dewhurst fished from the bank at the Swan’s Nest to land 4 fish. On the boats Draycote hosted Group 1s round of the AMFC with 36 anglers in 6 teams of 6 competing. The enjoyed great sport with he rod average for the match finishing at 8.47 fish per angler. Winning the day was Tunbridge Wells with all 6 anglers landing their 12 fish limit. The team’s best tactic was to drift over the open water around Y, P & N Buoy using a mix of methods. Some anglers fished dries, while other washing lined or pulled cormorants and FABS. However, once again specific tactics were being kept close to the angler’s chest with the Airflo match at the weekend. Outside of the match and the practicing boats members Ian Reeve & Colin Granger enjoyed a good day landing 14 fish to the boat on washing lining tactics with FABS and buzzers.

Friday saw the wind swung round to the Northwest for the day with the sun making more of an appearance. On the bank George fished from the Tower Bank landing a brace of fish on a minkie pattern fished over the weed bed. On the boats it was the practice day ahead of the Airflo Open Shield on the Saturday so as a result no one wanted to tell us details of how they had been getting on. However speaking to anglers the fishing had certainly slowed from the previous day. Although despite the sun the fish remained high on the water with the odd anglers who would let us know how they got on, saying dries and washing lining was still working. With the main areas being Y Buoy, N Buoy and Rainbow Corner.

Saturday was bright and sunny for most of the time with a light north westerly breeze. With the fall in water temperatures there has been a definite improvement in bank fishing, with catches coming mainly from the Tower Bank and the Swans Nest. Mike Garner used a floating fry pattern to net his fish from the area near the outlet. Stan Hillman and Mick Cronin both used minkies and floating fry patterns to net half a dozen from weed beds along the Tower Bank. Draycote hosted the Airflo Open Shield yesterday with 12 teams taking part, totalling 72 anglers. There were 496 fish caught in the competition, giving a rod average of 6.9. In third place were the Welsh Wizards with 53 fish for a bag weight of 100lbs 12oz. Second place was taken by the Alba Cats with 56 fish weighing in at 115lbs 1oz, and the winners were the Reservoir Dogs with 61 fish, and a bag weight of 118lbs 15oz. Well done to all those who took part. The main methods used were cormorants on a midge tip line, shuttlecocks,  and a washing line with FAB’s and cormorants.

Sunday started with a heavy mist on the water and flat calm conditions. In the build up to the weekends competition, the reservoir has  taken a bit of a hammering. Despite this things turned out reasonably well as Sunday progressed, with some anglers struggling to put a fish in the net during the early part of the day. Sunday regular Jon Crowley picked up 8 fish in a morning session using a black snake on a DI5 around Farborough Spit and Toft Shallows. The boat pairing of Jim Smith and Young Ed Douglas had well over 20 fish to the boat, but played their cards very close to their chests on methods and areas, as did David Hoppe and Peter Elliott who boated 16. Season permit holder Mark Thistleton caught half a dozen fish using olive snakes fished on a DI3 through the Aerators. Chris Discombe caught 3 fish using snakes fished on an intermediate line whilst drifting in the area around C buoy and the Valve Tower.

Date for your Diaries: The 2022 Draycote Fur & Feather competition will be held on Sunday 27th November. The Fur & Feather is a pairs competition fished to a 12 fish limit & fishery rules. The price is £87.50 per pair. Members can use their season tickets & just have to pay for a member’s boat. For anyone who is interested please call the Lodge on 01788 812018 for bookings.

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: 25^th September   Rod Av:2.4   Temperature: 15c+

Monday, we arrived to find some algae on the water with little or no breeze to move it. During the day a light breeze did pick up which pushed the algae downwind leaving clear areas to fish. During the afternoon anglers reported seeing good numbers of fish feeding at times with H Davies catching 5 on a hopper with other anglers picking up fish on popper hoppers, diawl bach.

Tuesday the breeze soon cleared the bit of algae we have. The fishing continues to be best during the late morning into the afternoon with orange daddy, claret or olive hopper, diawl bach #12 or #14, orange shipmans & shuttlecocks black with red tag or hare’s ear. Arthur Olding caught 8 on an orange daddy, R Sleigh & W Wilson fished the afternoon boating 4 fish during the rise. P Eville fresh from his success on Saturday returned & float tubed the last 4 hour catching 10 on claret hopper & orange daddy.

Wednesday, flat calm gave way to a breeze from the southwest with conditions looking perfect, except the fish hadn’t realised how good it looked. Overall not an easy day, a few fish moved during the last few hours but overall a challenging day

Thursday was similar to the day before fish moving at times but were not interested in the fly. Top rod was K Hart who caught 6 from his float tube.

Friday was a better day but again not overly easy. David Hussey caught 6 on diawls & daddy, Chris Sayer caught 5 as did E Snyman who caught his on dries. Steve Lewanawski caught 7 during the last 4 hour session on an olive nymph. John Bebbington fished a cats whisker to catch his 7 trout

Saturday a better day with a combination of fish that had been in for a while and recent stock fish been caught returning a rod average 3.1 Daddies, diawl bach, blue flash damsel, cdc, fabs took fish on floaters, midge tips and intermediates.

Sunday local angling club Thornton Fly Fishers hosted members of the Eyebrook Fly Fishing Club & Draycote Fly Fishing Association with some visiting Thornton for the first time. A relaxed days fishing with members of the 3 clubs getting to know each other with a break at lunchtime to compare catches & method over a cup of soup & hot dogs. At the end of the day they returned a rod average of 4.0 with T Smith top rod for Thornton, Lyndsey Bates on his first visit to Thornton also catching 10 & top rod for Eyebrook with Andy Lilley top rod for Draycote with 8.

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 25^th September 2022       Rod Av:   5.2       Water Temperature: 16-17°

Monday morning saw the anglers met with good cloud cover but with a flat calm. Anglers taking to the water found it initially difficult to locate fish as they were sat below the surface, not giving themselves away & there was no wind to aid a drifting boat to cover water. Once the fish were located though, they were caught on a variety of methods. Regular visitor Mr Skedd caught 9 fish on an Intermediate with Snatchers, John Ross had 7 fish up by the Willows on Dries & Diawl Bachs on a washing line. Down for a 3-day package, Mr Woods & Kay had 19 fish between them on Foam Daddies in the Main Basin & up by Robbo’s Cabin. Messer’s Kerr & Lamb also had a very productive day, landing well over 20 fish from the Main Basin area fishing imitative patterns high up in the water column.

Tuesday started with a gentle ripple with plenty of cloud cover. As the day progressed, the gentle ripple subsided into a flat calm & the plenty of cloud gave way to long intervals of bright sunshine. There were still plenty of fish moving however & these could be caught using Dries & the Washing Line. If a moving fish was covered, it would happily turn & take the fly. The most successful Dry fly patterns were Foam Daddies, Yellow Owls & small black flies such as a Shipman’s or Crippled Midge. Other successful patterns included FAB’s as a point fly on the washing line & Diawl Bachs & Crunchers on the droppers. There was fish caught all through the Main Basin at various times of the day with Robbo’s Cabin frontage, Harrisons Corner & across Dogwood Bay being the most consistent.

Wednesday saw the reservoir continue to fish well. The fish remained high up in the water column & continued to feed on the surface or just under it. Those that concentrated their efforts on targeting fish in the upper layers fared better than those who tried that little bit deeper on the sinking lines. Foam Daddies fished dry or sub surface on a washing line continued to take a high number of fish as did small black dries just like the previous day. Paul Davison had a very successful day on the Dries, landing 21 fish from various locations around the reservoir. Paul kept his flies busy by not letting them sit too long & he covered a lot of water by fan casting. Bill Woods & his boat partner Hugh Munro also had a productive day catching on Foam Daddies & small black dries. They landed 23 fish between them from the Main Basin & Robbo’s Cabin. As the water temperature continues to drop the fish will soon start to spread to other more shallower areas of the reservoir & there has already been reports of fish in Mucky Bay & over by the Willows.

Eyebrook fished even better on Thursday with a lot of anglers recording some very high returns. The fish continued to sit high up in the water column & were caught on a variety of methods if flies were presented in the top few feet. Whether it was Dries, Nymphs on a Washing Line or Cormorants on a Midge Tip, all proved to be successful during the day. Top Dry Fly patterns included the Midas, Foam Daddies, Popper Hoppers & Grunters so clearly flies with a larger profile were the order of the day. Whereas the most successful Nymphs were Red Ribbed Diawl Bachs & Nemo Crunchers fished on a Washing Line with either a FAB or small eyed booby on the point. The most productive area was the Main Basin & the frontage of Robbo’s Cabin, 100m out where Paul Davison & his boat Ian Bradfield had an excellent landing a very high number of fish, all on Dries from a drifting boat. Others who done very well were Season Ticket holder Keith Johnson who 20 on a Popper Hopper, Craig Nimmo had 15 on Cormorants & the Robert Lamb party, Paisley Patterns, who had 54 between 6 of them, most of which came to Dries.

Friday continued in the same vein as Thursday with a lot of fish getting caught high up in the water column from the area of the Main Basin. Dries proved to be more successful today than any other methods with Foam Daddies, Hoppers & small suspenders all catching a high number of fish. The Paisley Patterns enjoyed another excellent day, even more successful than the previous day, landing 82 fish between them.

Saturday proved to be a more challenging day due to the brighter conditions. The fish remained high up in the water column but were less inclined to take flies off the surface. There were still a few fish caught on dries, Mr Parsley landed 17 fish which is a great return in challenging conditions. Overall, those fishing just below the surface proved to be more successful than those fishing on it. Visitor anglers Martin Matthews & Ben Beckwith had great success fishing intermediate lines with Cat Boobies & FAB’s, landing a lot of fish from the area of the Main Basin. The Paisley Patterns, fishing the last day of their 3-day short break package, had yet another productive day. Whereas on previous days they had great success on the Dries, today they found that pulling a Foam Daddy just under the surface was the way to go. They have had an excellent 3 days, landing 169 fish between them, which gave them a rod average of 9.3 per day, per angler which is a great return.

Sunday, with its changeable weather proved to be more challenging. That said, there were still quite a few fish caught. Season Ticket holder Dave Etty had a good day on the boat, landing 10 fish on Foam Daddies & Diawl Bachs. Rob & Sam Edmunds had a very successful afternoon session landing 14 fish on the dries & Mr Montgomery landed 12 fish, most of which fell to a FAB. Over the weekend, resident Guide Andy Miller hosted a couple of Tuition Days, one on the Saturday & one on the Sunday. Both days were very productive & resulted in fish being caught in the Main Basin on Foam Daddies & FABs. All participants had very enjoyable days under Andy’s watchful eye. Well done to all.

Date for your Diaries: The 2022 Eyebrook Fur & Feather will be held on Sunday 23rd Oct. The Fur & Feather is a Pairs Competition fished to a 12 fish Boat Limit & Fishery Rules. The price is £83.50 per pair which includes 2 x 6 fish Tickets & Boat costs, Members can use their season tickets & just have to pay for a member’s boat. For anyone who is interested please call the Lodge on 01536 770264 for bookings.

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

Visit our Fisheries Websites: www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk   www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk  www.flyfishthornton.co.uk

Online Shop: www.flyfishstore.co.uk      Tuition & Guiding: www.flyfishtuition.co.uk

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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:  18^th September 2022              Rod Av: 3.1      Water Temperature: 16 °C

Good conditions to start the week with light winds from the South, overcast skies with some quite heavy un-forecast showers around lunch. Draycote member Kevin Rees fished dries all day to land 6 fish with Bob’s Bit’s and Crippled Midge being his best patterns. Another angler who used dries to great effect was Ed Douglas who landed 14 fish on dries, drifting around N- Y Buoy across Musborough Shoal. Jim & Richard Hall fished the Aerators with nymphs to boat fish between them. The boat of Lee Patten & Stuart Lee enjoyed a good days sport landing 11 fish. They used 2 foam daddies and 2 nymphs fished on a floating line drifting from Rainbow Corner over to A buoy and then out over the open water to land their fish.

The wind swung around to the North for Tuesday but remained light throughout the day. With the water temperature now at 17 degrees and fish consistently taking dries off the surface, anglers are really getting some good sport as we move towards the back end of the season. Season permit holder Lorenzo Serano had a dozen fish to the boat using a combination of daddies and cats whiskers. Mr Alan Masters used minkies in Toft and on the Aerators to boat a total of 6 fish for the day. Seasoned member Ray Rawlings caught 4 fish, pulling foam daddies on a sink tip line near D buoy. Mr G England used a combination of daddies and fry patterns to net a total of 4 fish from a drifting boat.

Wednesday started calm and overcast with a heavy mist hanging over the water. This soon cleared leaving us in bright sunshine with a breeze much stronger than forecast. A much harder day fishing wise, with the rod average dropping to 1.9. Anglers reported being able to see fish swimming past the boat quite high in the water near the Valve Tower, but these fish seemed impossible to catch. Mr White reported on a good day with half a dozen fish to the boat, caught on a mixture of cormorants and daddies. Draycote stalwarts Ian Richardson and Bob Smith had 4 fish between them to the boat on cormorants and snakes. Mr Gary Russell also caught 4 fish using olive damsels fished on a DI3 line up in Rainbow Corner. Mr Brian Joseph took to the bank for an evening session and landed a stunning rainbow of about 5lbs from the area near the Valve Tower on a small fry pattern.

Thursday dawned with a rather brisk and cool north easterly breeze and good cloud cover. Colin Day fished the bank landing 4 fish and loosing a number of others. Colin, landed 2 from Toft and two from the Tower Bank. Using a tequila blob, black spider an a Diawl Bach. Draycote members Ian Reeve & Colin Granger enjoyed a good morning from a boat. The pair landed 13 fish in the morning using buzzers and snakes fished on Di 3 sinking lines over the Aerators and near Y Buoy. Kevin Rees used dries to land 7 fish with Bob’s Bits being his best pattern. Fellow member Gordon Bramwell enjoyed a great day boating 18 fish, however, he didn’t leave any comments on how he landed the fish. Thursday also saw the English Fly Fishers Association take to the water with 30 anglers fishing to a 8 fish limit with full catch and release measuring the first 5 fish. Overall the 30 anglers caught 121 fish for a rod average of 4.03 with the winner being Andrew Wightwick who had his 8 fish, narrowly beating Ray Storer by 2cm. The best tactic by the EFFA was to fish a washing line on various different lines drifting over the open water around A & B Buoy.

A northerly wind Friday with a sunny start, however, we did see some cloud arrive around Midday. All water member Ed Douglas used a washing line set up on a 12ft Airflo slow tip to land 10 fish. Ed found the fish around Y Buoy and drifting around Rainbow Corner. Tim Grove on his final day of a 3 day break landed 7 fish using dries and also nymphs fished on a washing line. R Minor & S Cooper landed 5 fish to the boat on daddies. With the best being a cracking Rainbow of 4lb. C Butler landed 9 fish using a silver lure on a Di 3 sinking line. With his 4lb bag of fish weighting in at 12lb. All water member Craig Middleton landed 6 fish using daddies on a floating line around A Buoy and Rainbow Corner.

A cold night with the air temperature getting as low as 3 degrees. This teamed with the cooler Northwest wind meant that there was a definite autumnal chill to Saturday. Although there is still a fair bit of weed about near the shoreline, bank angling has improved quite a lot. Mick Cronin and Stan Hillman both did very well fishing off the Tower Bank on suspender minkies cast just at the edge of the weed beds. Both anglers had over half a dozen fish each and reported on catching fish up to 5lbs in weight. Mr N Hollingshead also fished the Tower Bank, landing a brace on damsel patterns. Out on the boats Mr Blythe and Mr Taylor  caught 7 fish between them using white boobies on a DI7 fished over Middle Shoal. Several anglers reported catching good numbers of fish whilst drifting near P buoy but unfortunately failed to say how they did it.

There was a fairly stiff and cool north westerly blowing on Sunday morning, which persisted throughout the day. The reservoir fished pretty well overall, with good returns from various areas on the water. The Tower Bank once again showed up on the catch return, as did Middle Shoal and the Hensborough Bank. Alan Grant caught two fish whilst bank fishing from Lincroft Point on minkies. Sunday regular Jon Crowley caught 7 fish from a drifting boat around Middle Shoal using daddies and midas. Mark Braun caught his 11 fish on black shipmans buzzers and diawl bachs. Kasidit Leoviriyakit and Neil Lyons had 20 fish to the boat between them using white boobies fished on a DI5 line up in Rainbow Corner.

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:  18^th September   Rod Av: 2.9      Water Temperature: 16c+ / 17c

Monday weather was good with anglers reporting good numbers fish feeding at times along the far end of the dam into green bay and later in the day across the mouth of the Markfield Arm. Brian Morris caught 7 on claret & olive hoppers. Jamie Scott continues to catch well using the 12ft fast tip catching 11 on black hoppers & fab. Following a colder evening & cool evening it’s the first time in months that our water temperature was 17c+, which is going the right way.

Tuesday the afternoon & evening fished best for most with Pete Cox the only angler to do well during the morning session catching 5. Pete Hunt fished diawl bach & shipman’s to catch his 8 trout. Andrew Wilson caught his first fish at 3pm but went on to catch 9 on daddies & diawls with D Hussey catching 10 during the afternoon session on Diawls & daddy

Wednesday a brisk north wind most of the day and a surprising drop in temperature during the evening. Most anglers fished daddies, hoppers with size  #12 #14 Diawl Bach, hare`s ear, black or olive buzzers with a few fish being taken on a humungus & silver booby. Barry Deeley fished a midge tip line with humungus to catch 10 trout. P Cox & N Scowen caught 10 down the Markfield arm on hoppers & quill buzzer with D Slesser recording 6 trout. Eli Snyman on his first visit to Thornton fished the afternoon session catching 5 on fab and diawl bach.

Thursday the rod average was 3.9 with shuttlecock buzzer, diawl bach, hare ear, cruncher, hoppers being the most productive patterns. All water member P Walker caught 15 on shuttlecocks & diawls with Ian Leach & M Cowley boating 28 for their visit with M Ravenscroft catching 6 for his afternoon session. Plenty of trout across the top of the Markfield arm with the dam & green bay also favourite areas.

Friday & Saturday proved to be more of a challenge, with bright weather seemingly putting the trout down. Better day on Sunday despite a fresh wind with P Eville fishing diawl bach & cat booby to catch 11 for his mornings visit with Mark Hunt fishing buzzer on a midge tip or single cdc on a floater to catch his 15 trout

The afternoon / evening session is still best with the water temperature continuing to drop, currently 16c+ expect to see daddies, hoppers, shuttlecocks, suspender buzzers being the best patterns with some fish coming to fry patterns

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 18^th September 2022       Rod Av:  3.1        Water Temperature: 16-17°

The week started with perfect conditions, a light to moderate southerly breeze with plenty of cloud cover. Subsequently, the reservoir fished very well with fish caught throughout the Main Basin on a variety of methods; Dries, Washing Lined Floaters & Traditional Wets. The fish remained high up in the column & were well spread, so the key factors were long drifts across the basin & fish your flies in the first couple of feet. There wasn’t an abundance of fish to be seen moving but they were sat under the surface, on the occasion they could be seen moving, if they were covered, they would happily turn on the fly & take it. Season Ticket holders Roy Swinfield & Lynsey Bates had a very productive day landing 17 fish between them. Roy caught on a Midas & Lynsey caught on Mallard & Clarets. Allan Withers & his boat partner, Mr Turner, also had 17 to the boat. They caught theirs on Foam Daddies, Crippled Midge & a Black Midas. Season Ticket holder Mr Johnson had 10 fishing Hoppers, 5 of which came from the Seat to the Willows area. All in all, it was a great start to week & with favourable weather forecast, the prospect for the week looks very good.

The reservoir continued to fish consistently well on Tuesday yielding a rod average above 4 for the second consecutive day. The wind had swung round to a northerly from the previous day but there was still plenty of cloud cover & the fish remained high up in the water column, sitting just under the surface. Fish were caught as far up as the Willows to all the way down to the Hawthorns, on or just under the surface. The Dries accounted for a good number of fish with Foam Daddies, Grunters, CDC’s & Hoppers proving to be the most productive patterns. Under the surface, the Washing Line was the percentage method with either a FAB or Foam Daddy on the point & small lightweight Black Buzzers on the droppers. Father & son duo of Nigel & Max Woolnough had a great morning session landing 20+ to boat, most of which came to the dries. All Water Member Paul Walker also had a very productive session, taking 15 fish throughout the course of the day on Buzzers, CDC’s & Foam Daddies. Regular visitor Jude Tuffs landed 11 fish on the Washing Line with a Candy FAB on the point, on what was another productive visit. As with the previous day, the fish appeared to be very “poddy” which means there would be a flurry on interest followed by periods of inactivity. This meant that the best approach would be a mobile one & those fishing from drifting boats were more successful than those who remained static.

Wednesday brought with it some early mist which quickly disappeared once the sun began to rise. As the mist lifted it revealed a flat calm & fish could be seen moving across the reservoir. Washing Lined floaters & Dries continued to be the percentage methods with the fish still sat high up in the water column. Successful Dry Fly patterns included the usual suspects for this time of year, Hoppers, Foam Daddies, Grunters & CDC’s. Whereas on the Washing Line, a Foam Daddy or FAB on the point with Diawl Bachs & lightweight buzzers on the droppers. As well as being a successful Dry Fly, Hoppers have also been proven highly effective fished just under the surface & twiddled back. The most productive area continues to be the Main Basin, with fish found as far down the reservoir as the willows which is indicative of the decreasing water temperature.

Thursday started with a good degree of cloud cover which gave way in the afternoon to some very bright &    sunny intervals & consequently the reservoir seemed to fish better in the morning than it did in the afternoon. Despite the brighter conditions in the afternoon, the fish remained in the upper layers & were still some caught on the Dries & on the Washing Line, just not as frequently as they were in the morning. All Water Member Ed Douglas had a very productive day on the Dries landing 12 on a variety of patterns, mainly Bobs Bits & CDC’s. Those fishing the washing line caught on Booby’s & FABs on the point & Diawl Bach & Buzzers on the droppers. When fishing the Washing Line in changeable weather conditions, remember by changing your point fly you can alter the depth you are presenting your flies. FAB’s contain less foam than Boobies so they generally sit slightly lower in the water. These subtle changes can sometimes make such a difference to your catch rate.

A strong, blustery North Westerly winds & clear, bright skies were the conditions that met anglers on Friday. Those that did venture out found the fishing somewhat challenging. The fish remained high up in the water column & those that could present their flies correctly, just under the trough of the wave fared better than those that could not. Season Ticket holder Mick Farrell achieved this by fishing Cormorants on a Slow Intermediate, landing 10 fish in the process from the Hawthorns.  Another Season Ticket holder Keith Johnson also had a productive day, landing 9 fish pulling Hoppers, drifting the open water between the Island & Robbo’s Cabin. Malcolm Petrie & Colin McMonagle, fishing Day 1 of a 2-day short break, found plenty of fish in Harrisons Corner & along the North side of Dam. They landed 11 fish between them on black blobs & reported they had a lot more interest.

There was a cold, clear & bright start to Saturday. A light to moderate westerly developed into a strong blustery North-westerly. A second consecutive day of bright, clear skies & strong winds made the fishing again, somewhat challenging. Boat anglers sought shelter from the prevailing winds & there was fish caught along the Hawthorns, 100 – 150m off the bank. Enjoying their day 2 of a 2 Day short break, Malcolm Petrie & Colin McMonagle had yet another productive day, landing 12 fish on various patterns & methods. They targeted the fish feeding in the upper layers & chopped & changed throughout the day to continue catching. For those interested in one of our short break packages please follow the link below: https://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/short-break-packages/ The short term weather forecast indicates less wind & more cloud cover which bodes well for the coming days.

Sunday started with a very light north westerly breeze with plenty of cloud cover. The cloud cover remained consistent throughout the day, whereas the wind by midday, had developed into strong & blustery north-westerly before swinging round to the north. The wind direction & speed made fishing previously productive areas effectively, somewhat challenging. We hosted the latest fixture in the All-Abilities Friendly Fly Fishers (AAFFF) calendar which saw 19 anglers take to the water. Due to the wind, they opted for an early weigh in at 1430hrs & by that time they had caught 26 fish between them, which given the conditions was a sterling effort. After the weigh in some opted to return to the water for the late afternoon, which, by this time had saw the wind begin to abate. This proved to be an inspired decision as the reservoir fished better with the more favourable weather conditions. Most of those returning added to the fish they had caught previously with All Water Member Roger Kerrison adding 5 to his bag & Dave Porter adding 3. The most productive areas were Harrisons Corner, Robbo’s Cabin & 150m out from the Hawthorns with Dries & Washing lined floaters proving yet again to be the most productive methods.

Date for your Diaries: The 2022 Eyebrook Fur & Feather will be held on Sunday 23rd Oct. The Fur & Feather is a Pairs Competition fished to a 12 fish Boat Limit & Fishery Rules. The price is £83.50 per pair which includes 2 x 6 fish Tickets & Boat costs, Members can use their season tickets & just have to pay for a member’s boat. For anyone who is interested please call the Lodge on 01536 770264 for bookings

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

Visit our Fisheries Websites: www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk   www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk  www.flyfishthornton.co.uk

Online Shop: www.flyfishstore.co.uk      Tuition & Guiding: www.flyfishtuition.co.uk

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

 Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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:  11^th September 2022              Rod Av: 4.7      Water Temperature:  18°C

A good start to the week with the rod average for the day finishing at 4.6 fish per angler. Sunny conditions on the morning with cloud arriving later in the day and some rain along with it. Draycote member and boat partner Stuart Lee landed 17 fish to the boat. The pair fished dries all day even during the morning and the sunny period to land their fish. Another boat that opted for dries all day was Kevin Rees who landed 10 fish. Kevin’s best dries being a Bob’s Bits and also a hopper fished around B Buoy and the top dam wall. Bob Smith & Bob Barfoot landed 14 fish to the boat near N Buoy and the Hensborough Bank on Olive snakes and cormorants. All water member Lorenzo landed 23 fish from the Aerators also using olive snake and cormorants and commented on a “great day with phenomenal fish”. As he landed a number of large Rainbows with full tails and silver plumes running through their fins. Iain Barr fished with Shaun Porter ahead of the national final at the weekend, landing 16 fish but didn’t get any information on the areas or the method.

A cloudy day Tuesday with some drizzle at lunch which then did clear to leave clear skies for the remainder of the day. With good cloud cover and light winds, the fish responded well to flies fished higher in the water column. Stuart Lee over from Canada, once again took to the water making the most of his time over here. Fishing with Alex Urquhart the pair used dries to land 15 fish, with the fish being landed from B Buoy and drifts around the Draycote Dam Wall. Draycote members Eddie Mitchell & Dave Kennell enjoyed a good days sport landing a dozen between them utilising a washing line around M Buoy drifting out into the open water. Paul Goulding fished with Dave Reynolds with both of them in the national at the weekend. The pair landed 10 fish to the boat, using  washing line over the open water around Y & B Buoy. Andy Birkett fished on his own on his second day of a three day package split between here and Eyebrook. Andy landed 11 fish out on his own using a small popper fry on the point with crunchers on the droppers fishing over the open water in the middle.

The wind came from the South on Wednesday, however, did swing into the west when heavy rain and thunder arrived in the afternoon. On the bank fishing for a short 3 hour session Dracyote season ticket holder Tony Broadway landed 3 cracking fish. Tony’s fish all weighted over 3lb, catching them from the Swan’s Nest in Toft. He used a Snowbee Buzzer tip with a tequila FAB on the point and 2 size 12 crunchers on the droppers, with all three taking the top dropper. To see a picture of these great fish visit www.facebook.com/flyfishstore Draycote member Pete Allen also fished from the bank landed 2 this tome from the Rainbow Corner using hoppers. On the boats dries seemed to be the best method. Kevin Rees fished near Y buoy landing 13 fish using Bob’s Bits and also hoppers. Also in this area was all water member Ed Douglas who landed 8 fish on dries. Former fishery manager Kevin Hart fished with Andy Birkett with he pair landing 13 fish to the boat all on dries.

Overcast skies and once again Southerly winds Thursday. It was also the first practice day for the anglers competing in the National final this coming weekend. As a result we had all 32 boats out on the water. However, with such a prestigious match,  the anglers played their cards close to their chest on how they had done. Although the anglers who did speak say they enjoyed good sport with double figure catches. The best tactic seemed to either be dries over the open water or washing lining. Although there was also fish caught tight into the Draycote Dam walls fishing with Sparkler Boobies and also small international sized popper fry.

The Friday the wind swung into the Northwest and as with Thursday the anglers kept the tactics very close to their chest on how the fishing was going. However, reports from the anglers said there was more fish caught on the Friday and the fish seemed to switch on. Outside of the match Tony Broadway landed a brace of fish from the Swan’s nest with another fish of 3lb landed. Ifor Bullock also fished on the bank landing 3 fish.

After the 2 practice days the weekend saw the 64 anglers heading out on the water in the English National final with the top 28 qualifying for next year’s Spring & Autumn international teams. With the weather both days giving the anglers some of the best conditions, we have seen in a couple of weeks. Light winds form the Northwest before moving around to the North Saturday with overcast skies for most of the day. As a result of the great conditions the fish responded well with a 6.1 fish rod average for the match. With a good spread of fish all across the Lake with Y, B, N, M and C Buoy’s and drifts around them all producing good scores. There was a range of tactics, however intermediate lines with a mix of boobies, daddies, nymphs and cormorants seemed to be best method.

Day 2 once again great conditions, with overcast skies and light winds. However, the wind had swung 180 degrees with a little more sun. Which certainly made the fishing a lot more challenging than the day before. With the rod average finishing the day at 3.6 fish per man, however the fishing did improve as the day went on with the fish seeming to come on more in the last 2 hours of the match, after switching off after the first hour. Once again, the same washing tactics worked for the first hour, however, it was then dries that really started to work especially in the latter part of the match. With the wind change the hotspots changed as well with fish getting caught around K Buoy, F Buoy, P Buoy, and off Farborough Spit. Overall the winner of the National was Mark Miles who had 7 place points. To see the full results please visit www.facebook.com/flyfishstore

Outside of the competition we did have some good sport from the bank on Sunday. Season ticket holder Jon Crowley landed 5 fish from Toft using cormorants and an orange foam daddy. David Hoppe also fished in Toft and caught 4 fish including a cracking 3lb Rainbow fished on the edge of the weed bed.

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 11 September 2022       Rod Av: 3.5      Water Temperature: 17-18°

The reservoir started the week as it finished the last, fishing very well. Fish were caught on a variety of methods; Dries, Washing Lined nymphs & pulled blobs, all of which were fished on or just under the surface. The most productive area was the Main Basin with those adopting a more mobile approach, fishing from a drifting boat, proving to be more effective as some high catch returns were recorded. Jude Tuffs had a very productive day in the Main Basin, landing 18 fish on various methods. By adjusting her method in accordance with the changeable weather, Jude was able to catch throughout the day. Her most consistent fly patterns were Foam Daddies, CDC’s & on occasions, Blobs. All Water Member Kevin Hart joined visiting angler Andy Birkett for a day. They targeted fish in the upper layers using a delicate Dry Fly approach & their endeavours were rewarded with 24 fish coming to the net between them. The weather forecast remains very favourable for the coming week.

There was a damp start to Tuesday following the evenings heavy rainfall. The wind had swung again round the south, bringing with it an excellent amount of cloud cover. As the day progressed the settle morning gave way to a blustery, changeable afternoon. This reflected in the fishing as most of the anglers reported an excellent morning followed by a tougher afternoon. Fish were caught throughout the Main Basin by those targeting the upper layers of water, either using the washing line or fishing dries. The most successful Dry Flies were those with a larger profile, with Foam Daddies & Big Reds doing particularly well. Those fishing the Washing Line found that Buzzers or Diawl Bachs to be particularly effective on the droppers. As for the point fly, it varied, dependant how high they wanted to suspend the washing line. By using a Booby on the point, they were able to suspend their flies slightly higher due to the eyes of the boobies containing more buoyant foam than a FAB. During the brighter spells by swapping the Boobies for a FAB or a smaller eyed Booby they were able to resent their flies slightly lower, which sometimes can make all the difference. Another alternative fly that can be used on the point of a washing line is either a Booby Nymph or a Foam Daddy. Both of which, provide a more subtle solution to a Blob Booby or a FAB, if wary fish should switch off to the colour. Should you require your flies to sit even higher, just sub surface, it is worth swapping your top dropper to a buoyant fly, booby or FAB, as this will help you suspend your washing line in the first few inches.

Wednesday followed a similar pattern to the previous day, with the Reservoir fishing better during the more settled morning than it did in the unsettled afternoon. The area of the main basin continues to fish very with fish being consistently caught from various locations. The weed beds along the Hawthorns continue to hold fish & those drifting out from them caught well. Washing lined Floaters or Midge Tips with a Blob Booby or FAB on the point & imitative patterns on the droppers; buzzers, Diawl Bachs & Crunchers. Eyebrook Member Bill had a very productive morning session landing 10 fish, with an even split coming to both the Blob Booby on the point & the nymphs. All Water Members Clive Moore & Ian Jobe also caught very well, landing 20 fish to the boat from various locations around the Main Basin. As the week continues to bring cooler weather with some bouts of rain, the great start to the week looks set to continue.

Thursday saw the reservoir fish well in patches with some anglers doing very well & some anglers finding it challenging. Those fishing dries seemed to fare better than those fishing below the surface with Andy Birkett doing particularly well landing 14 fish, all of which came to the dries. Later in the day Andy decided to target the fry feeding trout by fishing the Barrons Pin Fry Dry & also Popper Fry over weedbeds. Staying flexible in your methods is important at this time of year when the fish have a multitude of items to feed on. Hoppers are another item that can appear on the fish’s diet in September & they caught well today. Hoppers are a versatile pattern that can be just as effective just under the surface as they can on it.

The reservoir fished well on Friday with some of the boat anglers catching well into double figures. Craig Middleton & Les Lerigo had a very productive day landing well over 20 fish between them on various methods. The Main Basin seems to be the most productive area & along the Leicester Bank from the Lodge to the Hawthorns. The weed beds along there have been holding a good number of fish all season. It has been noticeable over the last few days that there has been an increase in the amount of fry feeding activity that has been occurring in this area. A Popper Fry fished in & around the weedbeds has proven very effective of late. Dry Flies have also fished consistently well, particularly in smaller sizes. Season Ticket holder Mick Farrell had a productive fishing Size 14 Hares Ears CDC & also a Size 14 Claret CDC.

Saturday’s bright & winding conditions made for a challenging day. There were still fish caught though with the Main Basin proving to be a productive area. Washing lined floater with a Foam Daddy on the point & Nymphs on the droppers seemed to be the percentage method. The Nemo Cruncher is an excellent Nymph for this time of year & Mark Braun found it very effective landing 7 fish on it. The recent fry feeding activity continued with Mike Saunders landing 5 fish on Popper Fry around the weedbeds in a Last 4-hour session. That period of the evening, as the light begins to fade can be exceptional when it comes to targeting fry feeding trout.

Sunday was a busy day at Eyebrook. The reservoir fished well, most notably to the Dries with some high returns recorded. Fish were caught on a whole host of Dries; with Foam Daddies, Crippled Midges, CDC’s & Yellow Owls all taking fish. It was extremely important for anglers to cover moving a fish as it would often turn on a fly that landed in its vicinity. Although the Main Basin continues to hold a lot of fish there were also fish caught down by the Willows, the Seat & off the Island. The Island also fished well off the bank where Season Ticket holder Malcolm Thompson landed 3 fish in a morning session. As well as Dries, a washing lined Floater also caught well for some with regular visitor Chris Martin landing 8 fish from the North side of the Dam using a Candy FAB on the point & Diawls & Crunchers above it. Eyebrook also hosted a Thornton Fly Fishers Club match which saw 14 members take to the water, managing to catch 20 fish between them. Given the match was fished through the toughest part of the day that was a great effort.

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:  11^th September   Rod Av: 4.0      Water Temperature: 18c

Monday and without doubt the afternoon / evening session is fishing best with the green bay, stones area fishing best. Andrew Wilson took a day boat but caught his 7 trout during the afternoon with diawl bach & muddler. Gary Owen fished the afternoon session catching most of his 14 trout on black shuttlecock buzzer with Thornton member B Stone catching his 19 trout during the last 4 hour session with a small hares.

Tuesday, the more consistent fishing is during the afternoon evening. Floating lines were best with buzzers, diawl bach, hare’s ears, shuttlecocks and dries best. All Water member Dave Skudder caught 8 for his afternoon visit with M Kidd & R Smith on their first visit to Thornton catching 14 during a last 4 hour session.

Wednesday, everyone caught but again the afternoon & last 4 hour session fished best. Dave Pritchard during the morning session fished static diawl bach & buzzer landing 3 trout but reporting countless hook ups which failed to stay on. Paddy Fitch fished the afternoon & late evening session, he took shelter from the thunderstorm but once it had passed the fish were up and about with Paddy catching 12 on hares ear.

Thursday with anglers catching throughout the day, although the afternoon & evening continuous to fish the best with an evening rise during the last 4 hours. Dam, green bay & stones continue to be the spots anglers head too but fish are starting to move across the main basin with M Ravenscroft catching his 10 trout during the afternoon / evening session across the entrance to the Markfield arm. Richard Dayman  Phill Cross caught 12 during a morning session on buzzers, daddies & diawl bach. Ian (aka the Hero) Leach fished with Mark Cowley catching 19 on fabs, hares ear & diawls.

Friday was a strange day, localised showers heavy at times, could have been a change in the air pressure, whatever it was the fish didn’t want to play with Carl Bond top rod on 5

Saturday & a much better day G England & A Lilley had an excellent morning catching 15 using a washing line tactic. B Sibley fished red buzzers & diawl bach to catch his 9 trout during a morning visit with K Cowen boating 4 as did N Bates.

Sunday, Jason on a day off from the Eyebrook fished with his father for a morning session catching 11 on fabs & blobs in the top couple feet. S Swinfield & S Zeleny also fished a morning session catching 8 with most of the other rods fishing the morning or afternoon / evening session catching between 2 & 4 trout

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

Visit our Fisheries Websites: www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk   www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk  www.flyfishthornton.co.uk

Online Shop: www.flyfishstore.co.uk      Tuition & Guiding: www.flyfishtuition.co.uk

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

 Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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:  4^th September 2022              Rod Av: 2.4      Water Temperature: 19 °C

The week kicked off with less than ideal conditions with bright and breezy conditions with the wind coming from the Northeast. On the boats Allan Wither & Lindsey Bates enjoyed a good days sport landing 13 fish to the boat. However, they found there was no standout method or area and commented that various patterns and areas worked during the day. All water member Andy Lillie fished from the boats landing 8 fish. Andy fished over the Aerators using Red Diawl Bachs on a 10ft Midge Tip to tempt his fish. Also fishing the Aerators were Draycote members Bob Smith & Ian Richardson the duo boated 9 fish to the boat using cormorants on a midge tip line. Father and son, Kas & Wilbur Leoviriyakit enjoyed a good day boating 5 fish using a white booby fished on either a Fast Glass or a Di 5 sinking line. With their hotspots being around Lincroft Point on T buoy.

Challenging conditions Tuesday with winds coming from the Northeast once again and not much in the way of cloud cover, however, thankfully some did arrive a little later in the day although it was still broken cloud. Season ticket holder Mike Garner fished from the bank to land 4 fish on Cormorants. Taking 1 from the Swan’s Nest with the other three coming along the Cornfield. On the boats Kevin Rees did well landing 7 fish on dries with small Crippled Midge and Bob’s Bits. Kevin fished at the top dam wall at the bottom of the wind to take his fish. Will Hunt also enjoyed a good day landing 8 fish, although it wasn’t until about 4pm when Will headed down into Toft he started to catch. Will, fished by the Willow tree right down the bottom of Toft drifting out from the corner using a Green Sedge Pupa pattern to tempt the fish.

That cooler northeast wind was still blowing on Wednesday morning, hopefully helping to cool the surface temperature of the water down a bit. Fishing along the north shore is proving to be more productive of late, with fish showing up at Lincroft Point, along the Cornfield and down by G buoy in Toft. Season permit holder Dave Smith had a brace to the boat and lost many more using foam daddies down in Toft Shallows. Draycote regulars Roger and Graham Davies caught half a dozen fish using the rudder with sinking lines and black and green lures. Mr Baker and his boat partner had 3 fish on foam daddies, whilst Mr Shepherd and Mr Nicoll had 5 on boobies and diawl bachs.

The pattern of weather didn’t really change much for Thursday here at Draycote, with that cooler, north easterly blowing, and the slightest hope of rain in the forecast. Once again, there are bank anglers catching with Tony Broadway having 3 fish off Lincroft point on GRHE’s, and Mr D Taylor getting a brace form the same place. Out on the boats season permit holder Paul Havard netted 5 fish on midge tips and intermediate lines and humungus, losing another 4 in open water. The boat pairing of Bob Smith and Ian Richardson chose to drift over the Aerators towards the Draycote Dam. The pair netted a total of 14 fish between them, using an Airflo 12 foot slow tip and cormorants.

Another good start to the day here at Draycote with cloud cover and a light north easterly blowing out of Toft Shallows. The visibility has cleared up in the water quite a bit and fish can be seen moving more regularly in the top of the water. John Clifford had 4 fish to the net whilst fishing from the bank in the Cornfield and Lincroft Point during an evening session. Jamie Scott netted half a dozen fish from a drifting boat around the Aerators, using airflo’s 12 foot slow tip with diawl bachs and a FAB on the point. Draycote inhouse guide Andy Miller ventured out on to the water with season permit holder Andy Tasker. Mr Tasker netted a total of 6 fish using cormorants and floating fry patterns, from The Spit on the Hensborough Bank and the Aerators. Season permit holder John Dickens caught a total of 5 fish during an evening session, which all fell to bob’s bits.

It was overcast with a light southerly breeze on Saturday morning and turned out to be a good day for fishing on Draycote Water. The visibility in the water has improved even more, and the recent overcast conditions have helped with water temperatures. Season permit holder Mark Braun had 15 fish to the boat using a black knat on a floating line, and then a green pea on a DI7. Ian Western and his boat partner Mark Robinson had 7 fish to the boat on midas, blobs and snakes. Albert Coles had well over 20 fish to the boat using an Airflo booby basher line and snakes fished through the Aerators. Stuart Lee and Davis Hoppe netted a bakers dozen from Toft Shallows and along the northern shore on a wide variety of patterns.

A blustery overcast day Sunday make the fishing trickier that it has been the day before. Draycote member Jon Crowley fished for his usual morning session in the morning, boating 13 fish. Using a Di 5 sweep sinking line with a black snake and a green pea. The hotspot for Jon was to fish at N Buoy just on the start of Musborough shoal. Fishery guide Andy Miller took Dave & Mick out for a 4 hour guide with the paid landing 3 fish. They fished a barred olive snake on a Di 3 over the Aerators and around B Buoy. Paul Mitchell fished with Tim Burn with the pair landing 6 fish fishing across various points of the lake using a washing line.

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 04 September 2022       Rod Av: 2.5      Water Temperature: 18°

The week began with a blustery North North-easterly which bought overcast conditions with some sunny intervals. The algal bloom was again prevalent so the search for clear water proved to be paramount. By motoring upwind anglers were able to find some clear water & those that did caught relatively well targeting fish in the upper layers. In open water where the water was more choppy, larger profiled dries such as a Foam Daddy seemed to be most productive. Whereas in the sheltered areas where the water was calmer, smaller profiled patterns such as CDC’s were more productive. Toff Crowther & his boat partner had a productive day, landing 14 fish between them, fishing Dries in clearer water, which is a great return given the conditions.

Tuesday brought with it the same blustery conditions as the previous day. The water quality in the Main Basin remained the same as the algae continued to get pushed into this downwind area. As the day progressed, clear patches started to appear up by the Willows, Seat & in front of Robbo’s Cabin. Those targeting these clear patches with floaters & midge tips were more successful than those fishing below the algae around the area of the Basin. There were fish caught on Foam Daddies fished on & below the surface & also on the washing line with dark nymphs or cormorants on the droppers.

Wednesday saw us host the England Disabled Fly Fishers (EDFF) Eliminator which determines who will represent England next season. With the same conditions as previous days 11 anglers took to the water & landed 25 fish, which gave a rod average of 2.2. Given the coverage of algae & blustery this was an excellent effort, well done to all. Congratulations to all those that qualified & a special mention must go to Steve Radcliffe who was top rod on the day with 6 fish. Steve used a washing lined floater, with nymphs on the droppers & concentrated his efforts fishing the clearer water upwind. Well done, Steve, 6 fish is a great effort. Thank you to everyone involved with the day it was a great honour for us to host such an event.

With regards to the algae & weather conditions, Thursday was very much a case of no change. The fishing remained very challenging with the search for clear water being of the upmost important. Clear patches amongst the algae vary from day to day, so it is worth while taking the time to have a look around the reservoir to identify areas to fish. Once clear areas are located, fish slowly & relatively high up in the water column or even on the surface. Which is exactly what All Water Member Ed Douglas did, landed 4 fish all on dries.

There was a dull start to Friday which brought some rain by mid-morning. The wind remained a moderate northerly throughout the day which continued to push the algae into the corner of the pontoons. There were fish caught from both the boats & the bank with the most notable catches coming from Mr Gilmour & Mick Firth respectively. Mr Gilmour managed 2 fish from the bank at the Hawthorns on a Black Cat fished slowly which is a great effort given the current situation with the algae & that the wind was blowing onto that bank. Whereas, first time visitor Mick Firth, managed to land 6 fish from the boat, all on Daddies. With generally cooler air temperatures, cooler evenings & the forecast of rain over the next few days, the rate of which the algae will disperse should begin to accelerate.

Saturday saw the wind change direction to a Southerly which began to break up & disperse the algae lingering around the Main Basin. Consequently, the water began to clear & the reservoir fished very well. Fish were caught throughout the area of the Main Basin & there were some high returns recorded. Kevin Hart & Dave Pacey had a very productive day catching on a variety of methods fishing the north side of the tower drifting towards Harrisons Corner. Other areas of the main basin that produced were the weed beds along from the Lodge down towards the Hawthorns where fish were caught on Floating Fry patterns. Fish were also caught on Foam Daddies & washing lined floaters with a FAB on the point & nymphs above it; Nemo Crunchers & Diawl Bachs.

Sunday was a busy day at Eyebrook. We hosted an Eyebrook Fly Fishers (EFF) club match & also the latest All Abilities Friendly Fly Fishers (AAFFF)s outing. The reservoir fished very well for both events. The EFF competition was a designated Single Fly match where the participants could only use 1 fly. They could use 2 flies, but they had to be the designated Fly: in this instance, a Brown Foam Daddy. It turned out to be an inspired choice as they caught 31 fish between them, giving a rod average of 5.1. Well done to all. The AAFFF had 14 anglers taking to the water, they landed 74 fish between them which gave them a rod average of 5.2. What was equally impressive was that every one of their anglers caught, that is a great effort. They caught on a variety of methods from pulling boobies to fishing dries with the majority of their fish coming from the Main Basin. Elsewhere, local angler Dale Birch popped down for short session; landing 7 fish & Sam & Rob Edmunds had a very productive afternoon fishing Dries by the dam on the north side of the tower.

All in all, it was a tough start to the week, with algae present in the Main Basin. This area, as we know, had been holding a lot of fish. Consequently, as the water quality improved later in the week, the reservoir began to fish very well. This upward trajectory looks set to continue with the predicted weather forecast looking favourable for the forthcoming week.

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:  4^th September      Rod Av:2.3      Water Temperature: 18c+

As we move towards the end of August we can look forward to September with its shorter daylight hours which will help reduce the water temperature and turn the fish onto the feed

Monday we saw a few of the larger claret buzzers during the late afternoon, quite often a traditional Mallard & Claret will take fish. We don’t see many use the old traditional flies, J Davidson fished Invicta & zulu catching 2 trout a cracking 11/4roach but reported lots of interest. All Water member Ian Leach caught 5 for his visit on a floating line & fabs

Tuesday & the first morning you sensed a possible change in the air, much cooler with the water temperature at 19c During the day a good number of swallows & sand martins were down feeding with a few buzzer hatching through the day. Paul Martindale caught 3 on Hoppers & daddies with P Cox still catching on the midge tip & #12 Fulling Mill Sunburst Fab. Andrew Wilson followed the swallows & martins working the area from the corner of the wood across the Markfield arm finding straight line buzzer worked best catching 6 trout.

Wednesday a noticeably cooler morning with our water temperature down to 18.5c with plenty of martins & swallows on the water feeding. Andy Lilley caught 8 during his morning session on olive buzzer, midge tip, 18ft leader. P Wurm fished the last 4 hours catching 3 drifting across the main basin.

Thursday with martins & swallows working the water, water temperature 18c some fish moving but proving difficult to tempt. P Wrigley fished the morning session catching 4, Paddy Fitch opted for the afternoon session picking up 4 trout with Bill Stone also fishing the afternoon catching 7 in front of the dam. Majority were taken on floating, midge tip, 12ft tip lines with Diawl Back, Claret or Olive buzzer, emergers & dries

Friday with the cooler water 18c in the morning we enjoyed a better day’s fishing. All water member P Walker caught 14 with most taking a muskins, another all water member M Hunt caught 14 on a claret bobs bits, yellow owl and big red with Paul & Sam Cook catching 6 during the last 4 hour session on daddies, muddler and sedge, other anglers caught on black emergers & diawls with the rod average 4.4 for the day.

Saturday with a nice southerly and water temperature of 18c it looked perfect and didn’t disappoint returning a rod average 4 for the day. Brian Perrie caught 8 on a diawl bach and white booby fishes washing line, M Clay caught 5 for his mornings visit with Neil Jones fishing the last 4 hour session catching 6 on small olive buzzers & black dries

Sunday and following Friday & Saturday rod averages of 4, it was surprising that the daily rod average dropped back to 2 on Sunday. Anthony Stone fished daddy patterns to catch his 2 fish, missing others. Pete Hunt & John Thomson shared their usual Sunday morning boat catching 6 on diawl bach with Tony Smith fishing the last 4 hour enjoying good sport boating 5 trout to buzzers

Water clarity is good, our water temperature is steady at 18c / 18c+ ideal for were its required to give us good sport as we move into September