Draycote Water weekly report week ending 18^th March 2018

Telephone Number 01788 812018

Report

A great week from Monday to Friday until ‘The Beast from the East 2’ hit Draycote once more with a 17°C temperature change. The 16°C of Friday afternoon gave way to -1°C on Saturday. This cold snap did upset things slightly as the high winds forced many anglers to change their plans. This was a great shame as the fishing had been improving all week with rod averages on Thursday and Friday reading 17.7 and 11.6 respectively. However, despite this dip in the weather a total of 149 hardy anglers visited the fishery during the period & were rewarded with a total catch of 1514 trout. This represents a10.16 rod average for the period.

Monday saw the heavens open but despite continuous rain all day this didn’t dampen the catches from both bank or boat. M Glover and G Goodwin fished the Swan’s Nest using black and green tinheads to land 11 fish between them. Over the Cornfield new season ticket holder M Ravenscroft had a great mornings sport on blobs. Another season ticket holder enjoying plenty of action was Steve Robinson who also landed 11 with a black and green lure on the point and a black and red buzzer on the dropper. Out on the boats I Jones and S Loges landed 16 rainbows between them on a variety of lures.

A much-improved weather day on Tuesday with a flat calm start building to a lovely 5mph south westerly wind. On the bank. Alan Bettles enjoyed good sport on the Cornfield fishing with a black and green tinhead on a floater to land 22. Tony Ward also caught 16 from the Cornfield. Fishing higher up the Cornfield Mr Foulds used a combination of snakes and diawl bachs to land 18. Over at the Swan’s Nest side of Toft season ticket holder Peter Elliot enjoyed fantastic sport too. He used a floating line teamed with shrimps and a FAB to land over thirty. Out on the boats once more, I Jones and S Lodges also had over 30 fish to the boat fishing over Croft Shoal with dabblers and black and green lures fished on floating lines. Also, boat fishing but down in Toft, Mr Mason & Mr Ray netted 18 between them on orange lures. Another boat pairing catching well in Toft was that of Yousef Dar and Rick Ruff who landed 37 fish between them fishing with sinking lines and boobies.

A cold south easterly wind chilled things off again going into Wednesday. This meant that the best shelter was at the far end of Toft and at the bottom end the Cornfield towards Greys Barn. On the bank Mike Oliver had a fantastic day sport landing a total of 32 fish, Mike always opts for the natural approach and took all his fish on pheasant tail nymphs and buzzers. Mr R Ravenhill enjoyed good sport in Toft landing 16 fish on a variety of lures. Geoff Preston boat fished fish for a short morning session netting 14 fish on a Wet Cel 2 & floating line with gold head damsel patterns. He described the fishing in Toft and the willows at the end of the Cornfield as ‘like shelling peas!”. Season ticket holder Richard Walker took to the boat with L Merrett and between them landed over 40 fish down in Toft using floating lines in combination with weighted flies.

Lighter winds on Thursday and air temperatures of 12°C really got the fish going and even increased the water temperature to 5°C. As a result, the fishing went crazy with both boat and bank anglers all making the most of the conditions. The days rod average came out at an impressive 17.7!  On the bank in the lower section of the Cornfield, just after the large copse of willows in Toft, was Peter Elliott fishing with Lee Patten. The pair used a midge tip line with a black snake on the point and an orange blob on the dropper to land over 30 fish apiece. Fishing slightly higher up the Cornfield was season rod John Dickens who landed 25 fish on a 3 inch per second sinking line and a black and green taddy. Out on the boats Adam Greenhalgh and Dave Haseltine experienced frantic action with 74 rainbows to the boat from the north shore side of Toft. They too used black and green lures plus cats whiskers fished on floating lines. In another boat was Mark Evans who used the same tactics to land 30. Making the most of a day off was Guiding & Tuition Manager Tom Bird and Fishery Management (UK) guide Lee Henfrey. Fishing around the willows in Toft, and further to the right-hand side towards the north shore, they had a “cricket score” day with over 100 fish to the boat. They used 3 inches per second sinking lines with boobies in the morning before opting for some buzzers on a floater in the afternoon. They also found fish off Lincroft Point & at Croft Shoal as well as further round in Biggin Bay. To book a guided session on Draycote with either Lee or Tom visit www.flyfishtuition.co.uk or call the lodge to speak to Tom on 01788 812018. Fishing around Croft Shoal and Middle Shoal in search of overwintered fish were season rods Ed Douglas and Jim Smith. They fished 7 inches per second sinking lines and boobies and brought 37 fish to the boat including several overwintered specimens.

Friday saw the conditions improve even further with the temperatures in the afternoon hitting 16°C. Out on the boats fishing around the willows in Toft, Shaun Higgins and Ian Bradfield landed 68 trout between them fishing sinking lines and boobies. Howard Rutter and his wife Marion also enjoyed a great day’s sport from Toft landing 31 using a floating line with a Montana on the point but took over half the fish on buzzers on the droppers. Ian Pugh and boat partner Tim Jones fished cat’s whiskers in Toft to land 27 fish. On the bank season ticket holder Paul Walker had great sport, also landing 27. All of Pauls fish came to buzzers and nymphs. Also enjoying fantastic sport for the last four hours from the bank was Gary Turner and J Cousins who landed 15 fish each on lures from the Swan’s Nest in Toft.

Saturday saw a massive deterioration in the weather as the forecast ‘Beast from the East MK2’ returned with a vengeance. Strong east north easterly winds exceeded our safety limits for boat angling and temperatures dived 17°C from the previous day to -1°C. As a result, only 7 hardy anglers braved it from the bank. They were, nevertheless, rewarded with some good catches. Mark Hunt chilled his way through a short 4-hour session landing 7 rainbows from the Swan’s Nest on a viva. The Hollingshead’s landed 10 between them on Montanas from the same area. The best catch of the day though came from the opposite bank at Toft where Stephen Peart landed 20 using a midge tip with a hot head cat on the point in conjunction with cormorant and diawl bach droppers.

An even colder day followed on Sunday with overnight snow and ice making it a slow start for the brave anglers who fished in the artic conditions. The huge chill factor together with a fierce ENE wind led all  anglers to opt for the bank in Toft. Jason Sly’s hardy efforts were rewarded with a dozen lovely trout. All taken from the bottom end of Toft near the nature reserve buoys on a floating line with size 12 black buzzers on the droppers and a goldhead keeping things steady on the point. Kieron Barnes took 4 on buzzers too whilst Steve Cullen winkled out another four to a hot head cat presented on a midge tip.

Following our exceptionally cold & wintry weekend current forecasts suggest that it will become drier, calmer & certainly less cold. Remember however, that we are still in March when even the comparatively good days can change rapidly. Therefore, whilst the prospects of a continuation of tremendous sport are high, be mindful of the elements & pay extra attention to clothing choices & layer up appropriately.

Weekly Boat draw

Congratulations to Mick King of Tenbury Wells who is the winner of this week’s free boat draw.

Weekly Stats:

Number Rods:  149  Number Trout Taken: 177    Number Trout Released:   1337

Total Catch: 1514     Weekly Rod Average:  10.16

Current Fishing Times:

Bank:  07:30 until : 18:00

Boat All Day: 08:30  until  18:00

Boat Part Day: AM  08:30  until  13:00   PM  13:00   until  18:00

Last 4 Hours from:  14:00       until     18:00 (Ticket sales available from 13:45)

Gutting Room Closes – 17:30

All Anglers to be off site by: 18:15

Fishery News

Trout Masters

Draycote has joined the Troutmasters Competition. Entry forms can be found next to the booking out sheets. You will need a member of staff to countersign your entry. Good luck!

Dates for your diary:-

Competition                                                                         Contact

Loch Style Team Championships- 30^th June/1^st July- Angling Trust-  www.anglingtrustevents.net

Scierra Pairs- 29^th July- Phil Dixon-   www.scierrapairs.co.uk

10^th/11^th August- Anglers World Holidays- www.anglersworld.flyfishingchampionships.uk

Troutmasters Final – Monday 8^th October – See Fishery staff. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FISHERY WILL BE CLOSED FOR THE DAY FOR THIS BOAT & BANK EVENT

Boat Cleanliness:

Our hard-pressed team strive to maintain the boats to a high standard of cleanliness. Anglers are kindly requested to respect their endeavours by keeping their vessels shipshape & litter free. Particular attention should be paid to avoiding the unnecessary practise of pulling muddy anchors on board. These should be shaken clean before being lifted into the boat. Your assistance in this matter will be most appreciated.

Guiding & Tuition:

Why not take your own fishing further with a day out on the water with England Internationals and fishery staff Lee Henfrey or Tom Bird? Whether you wish to get to know the water better, or hone a particular skill, our guides can help to improve your catch rates.  Visit the website www.flyfishguiding.co.uk for more information or book a slot by calling the lodge on 01788 812018.

Keep up to date with the latest catches and fishing posts from our in-house fishery ranger and guide Tom Bird, by following him on Facebook. Tom has been catching some great fish this season and posting pictures of the fish as well as a light write up on how he has been catching them.

Early Morning Anglers

Due to a number of complaints from the residents of the houses by the main  Draycote gate, could all anglers arriving early in the morning please keep noise to a minimum level. If waiting for any more than a few minutes, please switch off your engines. The main gate is open from 7.30am

Tight lines,

The Draycote Team

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Draycote Water weekly report week ending 11^th March 2018

Telephone Number 01788 812018

Report

A very different week, from the previous with the artic like temperatures giving way too much milder wet conditions typical of March. As a result, this has seen the fishing improve across the lake with the fish much more active. With the milder temperatures making it more pleasant for the anglers to spend a day fishing for them. Overall this week a total of 209 anglers visited catching a total of 1315 fish for a weekly rod average of 6.3.

After the cold weekend the 11°C temperatures of Monday felt positively tropical. Several anglers took to the water making the most of the sudden increase of temperature hoping it would liven the fish up. With the water temperature only being 3°C the hotspot was Toft shallows as it warmed up quickly in the edges. On the bank R Smith landed 14 from the Swans nest on a black and green fritz. Season ticket holder Mike Ravenscroft also fished in Toft to land 7 fish. Paul Lloyd fish slightly further down towards the buoys in Toft to land 9 fish on an intermediate and a black booby. Out on the boats Brent Vinall and Andy Birkett enjoyed a great day’s sport landing 33 fish on cormorants on a di 3 sinking line in Toft including a lovely 3lb 8oz blue trout.  Richard Reeve enjoyed great sport landing 23 trout from the bottom end of Toft near the nature reserve buoys on a cat’s whisker on a floating line.

Light south westerly winds and a mild start to the day Tuesday. On the bank Brian Warwick fished down towards the bottom end of Toft to land 9 fish on a black fritz in only a short 3-hour session. Ken Key and Steve Robinson enjoyed good sport on the cornfield landing 21 fish between them. Season ticket holder Lee Patten and Pete Elliot landed over 20 fish each fishing from the swan’s nest on midge tips with a FAB on the point then cormorants on the droppers. Out on the boats Rob Jones and Tim Ham landed 23 trout on viva’s and boobys on a slow sinking line from Toft. Brent Vinall and Andy Birkett enjoyed good sport again landing 31 fish on small cormorants and cats whiskers again from Toft and down the Cornfield.

A sudden drop in temperatures Tuesday night left a cold start Wednesday morning with the temperatures below freezing. This meant that both boats and pontoon frozen as well as ice floating around the boats and against the dams. As a result, this meant a slower fishing day that the previous two as the water temperature remained low. Things did improve as the day went on around 12pm the fish did start to move onto the shallows and could be caught. On the boat Geoff Preston found the fish in the shallow waters in Toft on a wet cell 2 and a damsel, but it was 10am before Geoff hit his first fish but had soon landed another 7 before 2pm. Brent Vinall and Andy Birkett landed 19 fish on their last day but this time found the fish holding 40 yards off the cornfield in the deeper water. Nick Ellis and John French enjoyed good sport from the boats landing 20 fish anchored up down in Toft on lures on intermediate lines.

A blustery westerly wind kept some anglers off the water, however a few hardy souls did venture out to battle the wind and were rewarded with good catches. Pete Elliot fished up in rainbow corner to land 15 fish on black snakes and FABs on a midge tip. Fishing along side Peter was Steve Own and Chris Howkins who landed 11 fish between them on black and green fritz and cats whiskers.

Another cold start Friday with ice on the lake and in the boats after the negative effect these conditions had Wednesday we didn’t expect good catches however the anglers proved us wrong with some great catches. Fishing on a di 7-sinking line Ian Conyers landed 12 fish from Toft and Biggin Bay. On the boats Dave Parkes and John Pendleton landed 28 from Toft on various lures on intermediate and sinking lines. Season ticket holder Ian Richardson landed 15 fish from Rainbow Corner on buzzer, blobs and a small black snake on a floater. Also catching well from the bank was P Harris who landed 19 fish from the cornfield. Dave Atkins enjoyed good sport on a green and orange lure landed 15 fish taking 8 from Rainbow corner in the morning before moving to the Cornfield for the last 2 hours. Paul Davison and Tony Baldwin enjoyed good sport landing over 25 to the boat fishing with a team of mini lures and Fabs on either a floating line or midge tip. The pair found the best sport was either at the swans nest or in Alberts Bottom in Biggin Bay.

A wet day Saturday with a south easterly wind, however, despite the wet conditions several fish where caught. Out on the bank Tony and Ruth Kirk landed 15 fish between them on woolly buggers and cats whiskers. Tony Burn enjoyed good sport from the bank in Toft landing 14 fish on snakes. Also employing the tactics of snakes in Toft, but this time from the boats was Chris Aubrey and Ian Reeve who landed 32 fish to the boat anchored up along the buoy line. Richard Reeve took great advantage of the last four-hour ticket to land 19 fish from Toft on a cats whisker on a floating line. The England youth team took to the water for the first of this season training weekends ahead of the international held in late July. The team landed 94 fish between the 16 lads. They found the fish were sitting deep in both Toft and Biggin Bay and that either a di 5/7 sinking line with boobies was the best tactic.

A brighter day Sunday with again winds coming from the east. Season ticket holder Dennis Tidmarsh had a red-letter day fishing on the bottom end of the Cornfield with various lures on a floating line to land 30 fish. Also, on the bank but fishing from the Swans nest was James Cavanagh who landed 10 fish all on black buzzers. Season ticker holder Paul Walley fished on the Cornfield to landed 22 fish using boobies and fabs on an intermediate line. On the boats Ian Reeve returned this time with Paul Mariot in his boat to landed 35 fish on snakes, cats whisker and orange blobs on intermediate lines fishing the right-hand side of Toft. Opting to stay away from the crowd in Toft and go looking for some overwintered fish were season ticket holders Jim Smith and Ed Douglas. The pair opted to fish on di 7 sinking lines with cat boobies and black boobies over middle shoal. They both soon found what they were looking for in the way of several overwinter fish up to 4lb. They then moved on to croft shoal landing great numbers here again on the same tactics. At the end of the day they finished with 40 fish to the boat including come fantastic overwinter specimens. The England youth team again took to the water to land around 80 fish for the squad. They found the fish slightly higher on the Sunday with di 3 sinking lines with boobies/blobs and cormorants working with toft and the cornfield being the hotspots.

Looking ahead to next week more mild weather looks set to continue which will start to see the start of the buzzers.

Weekly Boat draw

Congratulations to Mr E Douglas of Banbury who is the winner of this week’s free boat draw.

Weekly Stats:

Number Rods:  209 Number Trout Taken: 182    Number Trout Released:   1133

Total Catch: 1315     Weekly Rod Average:  6.3

Current Fishing Times:

Bank:  07:30 until : 17:45

Boat All Day: 08:30  until  17:45

Boat Part Day: AM  08:30  until  13:00   PM  13:00   until  17:45

Last 4 Hours from:  13:45       until     17:45      (Ticket sales available from 13:30)

Gutting Room Closes – 17:30

All Anglers to be off site by: 18:15

Fishery News

Trout Masters

Draycote has joined the Troutmasters Competition. Entry forms can be found next to the booking out sheets. You will need a member of staff to countersign your entry. Good luck!

Dates for your diary:-

Competition                                                                         Contact

Loch Style Team Championships- 30^th June/1^st July- Angling Trust- Anglingtrustevents.net

Sceirra Pairs- 29^th July- Phil Dixon- scieirrapairs.com

10^th/11^th August- Anglers World Holidays- anglerworldholidayschampionship.com

Troutmasters Final – Monday 8^th October – See Fishery staff. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FISHERY WILL BE CLOSED FOR THE DAY FOR THIS BOAT & BANK EVENT

Boat Cleanliness:

Our hard pressed team strive to maintain the boats to a high standard of cleanliness. Anglers are kindly requested to respect their endeavours by keeping their vessels shipshape & litter free. Particular attention should be paid to avoiding the unnecessary practise of pulling muddy anchors on board. These should be shaken clean before being lifted into the boat. Your assistance in this matter will be most appreciated.

Guiding & Tuition:

Why not take your own fishing further with a day out on the water with England Internationals and fishery staff Lee Henfrey or Tom Bird? Whether you wish to get to know the water better, or hone a particular skill, our guides can help to improve your catch rates.  Visit the website www.flyfishguiding.co.uk for more information or book a slot by calling the lodge on 01788 812018.

Keep up to date with the latest catches and fishing posts from our in-house fishery ranger and guide Tom Bird, by following him on Facebook. Tom has been catching some great fish this season and posting pictures of the fish as well as a light write up on how he has been catching them.

Early Morning Anglers

Due to a number of complaints from the residents of the houses by the main  Draycote gate,could all anglers arriving early in the morning please keep noise to a minimum level, and if waiting for any more than a few minutes, please switch off your engines. The main gate is open from 7.30am

Tight lines,

The Draycote Team

Follow Us on

facebookwww.facebook.com/FlyFishStore twitter www.twitter.com/FlyFishStore

Draycote Water weekly report week ending 4^th March 2018

Telephone Number 01788 812018

Report

A very rocky start to the season with the beast from the east putting paid to any boat fishing for the first two days here at Draycote water. Strong winds and sometimes blizzard conditions on Friday made fishing from the bank difficult at times. However, 3 hardy souls braved the weather, Mr Day was rewarded for his long drive from Worcester with the first fish of the 2018 season taken from the Swans Nest on a black and green fritz. Due to the heavy snow overnight Friday, Saturday the sight was closed by Severn Trent due to the hazardous driving conditions around the perimeter road.

After some sterling work by the fishery staff on the Saturday clearing ice from both the pontoon and boats, anglers were finally able to go afloat on Sunday morning. A misty start and calm conditions combined with an air temperature of about 3 degrees made it feel positively tropical after the previous days especially when the sun finally broke through about midday. Due to the previous days cold snap it was a slow start to the day with the odd fish getting caught from the bank on the usual black and green fritz. However, after a few hours the day warmed and improved the fishing. The real hotspot for the day was the Swan’s Nest in Toft, due to the shallow water it warmed up quickly which seemed to draw the fish in. M Watts landed 7 fish from the first fishable section of Toft after the Dam wall using orange blobs and lures on an intermediate. Paul Walley fished just up the back to land 5 on combination of blobs and boobies. Out on the boats Tim and Alan Joyce landed 11 fish from the far side of Toft fishing on various lures. Mike Weever fished the swans nest using a booby minkie. David Hoppe also fished the Swans Nest in the afternoon to land 5 fish on cormorants. Away from the swans nest several fish were caught along the cornfield and the tower bank and various lures and boobies. Out on the boats Gareth Jones took to the water with Draycote’s Tom Bird with the pair landing just short of 20 fish to the boat on sinking lines with boobies and lures. They found the fish 30 yards off the cornfield in the morning in mid water then later in the afternoon found the fish very keen in Toft.

Looking ahead to next week the weather is due to be settled with mild temperatures which will get he fish on the feed and moving onto the shallows.

LOYALTY CARD Our day permit loyalty card system will continue into 2018, with the change to our upper permit limits being reduced from a 8 Fish Limit to a 6 Fish Limit in future all 8 fish loyalty stamps you have will be when eligible be exchanged for a 6 fish permit

Weekly Boat draw

Congratulations to Mr B Stubbs of Atherstone. who is the winner of this week’s free boat draw.

Weekly Stats:

Number Rods: 26 Number Trout Taken: 21  Number Trout Released:   62

Total Catch:      83       Weekly Rod Average:  2.8

Current Fishing Times:

Bank: 07:30 until : 17:30

Boat All Day: 08:30 until 17:30

Boat Part Day: AM 08:30 until 13:00   PM 13:00   until 17:30

Last 4 Hours from: 13:30     until    17:30     (Ticket sales available from 13:15)

Gutting Room Closes – 17:15

All Anglers to be off site by: 18:00

Fishery News

Trout Masters

Draycote has joined the Troutmasters Competition. Entry forms can be found next to the booking out sheets. You will need a member of staff to countersign your entry. Good luck!

Dates for your diary:-

Competition                                                                         Contact

Loch Style Team Championships- 30^th June/1^st July- Angling Trust- Anglingtrustevents.net

Sceirra Pairs- 29^th July- Phil Dixon- scieirrapairs.com

10^th/11^th August- Anglers World Holidays- anglerworldholidayschampionship.com

Troutmasters Final – Monday 8^th October – See Fishery staff. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FISHERY WILL BE CLOSED FOR THE DAY FOR THIS BOAT & BANK EVENT

 Boat Cleanliness:

Our hard pressed team strive to maintain the boats to a high standard of cleanliness. Anglers are kindly requested to respect their endeavours by keeping their vessels shipshape & litter free. Particular attention should be paid to avoiding the unnecessary practise of pulling muddy anchors on board. These should be shaken clean before being lifted into the boat. Your assistance in this matter will be most appreciated.

Guiding & Tuition:

Why not take your own fishing further with a day out on the water with England Internationals and fishery staff Lee Henfrey or Tom Bird? Whether you wish to get to know the water better, or hone a particular skill, our guides can help to improve your catch rates. Visit the website www.flyfishguiding.co.uk for more information or book a slot by calling the lodge on 01788 812018.

Keep up to date with the latest catches and fishing posts from our in-house fishery ranger and guide Tom Bird, by following him on Facebook. Tom has been catching some great fish this season and posting pictures of the fish as well as a light write up on how he has been catching them.

Early Morning Anglers

Due to a number of complaints from the residents of the houses by the main Draycote gate,could all anglers arriving early in the morning please keep noise to a minimum level, and if waiting for any more than a few minutes, please switch off your engines. The main gate is open from 7.30am

Tight lines,

The Draycote Team

Follow Us on

facebookwww.facebook.com/FlyFishStore twitter www.twitter.com/FlyFishStore

Draycote opens 2nd March

Draycote staff a busy getting everything ready for the start. We are in a current weather system of snow, ice & wind, we recommend therefore you follow our updates on here & our facebook page www.facebook.com/FlyFishStore

Boats are fully booked for opening Day Friday 2nd March, Saturday 3rd March & Sunday 4th March

All bank car passes are booked for the opening day with limited availability for the 3rd & 4th, call the lodge to pre book your bank fishing car pass to avoid disappointment

Call 01788 812018

Dates for your diary

We will also be taking bookings for our popular RIO SAGE day hosted at Draycote on May 6^th with Simon Gawesworth of Rio & Jim Fearn of SAGE on hand to take you through the full range of Trout, Salmon & Saltwater rods & lines pre- booking essential details on www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk RIO & SAGE DAY PAGE, limited availability

Draycote opens 2nd March

Boats are fully booked for opening Day Friday 2nd March, Saturday 3rd March & Sunday 4th March

All bank car passes are booked for the opening day with limited availability for the 3rd & 4th, call the lodge to pre book your bank fishing car pass to avoid disappointment

Please note for 2018 season our upper 8 fish limit has been reduced to a 6 fish limit, the day permit rate has been adjusted down accordingly.

Any angler with stamps on their loyalty card for 8fish will be eligible when their card is full for a FREE 6 Fish permit.

Call 01788 812018

Draycote hosts a number of competitions during the 2018 season, for dates & booking details visit www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/competitions/

 Dates for your diary

 We will also be taking bookings for our popular RIO SAGE day hosted at Draycote on May 6^th with Simon Gawesworth of Rio & Jim Fearn of SAGE on hand to take you through the full range of Trout, Salmon & Saltwater rods & lines pre- booking essential details on www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk RIO & SAGE DAY PAGE.

Draycote opens 2nd March

Boats are fully booked for opening Day Friday 2nd March, Saturday 3rd March & Sunday 4th March

All bank car passes are booked for the opening day with limited availability for the 3rd & 4th, call the lodge to pre book your bank fishing car pass to avoid disappointment

Call 01788 812018

RIO SAGE Day 6th May

Our free guiding sessions using a SAGE rod & RIO line of your choice has only 3 spaces available

We still have spots available for your half hour one to one session with Simon Gawesworth or Jim Fearn were you can have the best opportunity to get those niggles in your Trout, Saltwater or Double Handed Rod casting sorted.

Draycote 2018 season opens 2nd March

Details on available membership which starts from £435.00 EMAIL lodge@flyfishdraycote.co.uk or call 01788 812018 for latest availability

Taking bookings call 01788 812018 please leave a message on the answer machine including a contact number or email lodge@flyfishdraycote.co.uk

Group & competition discounts available contact the lodge for details

Looking for that last minute Christmas present we have gift voucher & tuition days available to purchase online at www.flyfishstore.co.uk they make the ideal Christmas gift

With Christmas less than a fortnight away we would like to take this opportunity of wishing all our customer a Very Happy Christmas & New Year

Draycote Fishing Report w/e Sunday 19th November 2017

A week of changing weather and sometimes colder conditions combined to form a good weeks fishing here at Draycote. There were lots of good catches for both boat and bank anglers alike, and from many areas around the reservoir. Lincroft point, the Cornfield and the Swans nest were about the best areas for bank anglers, while Farborough spit, Croft shoal and the area around the valve tower seemed to fish best for the boat anglers.

Monday started bright and sunny with a light north westerly breeze, clouding over by lunchtime. Bank anglers were doing well from Lin croft point and the swans nest. Kevin Rees had 8 fish from the bank, mainly on shrimp patterns, whilst Brian Warwick caught 5 fish on black and white minkies. George Leaton netted 13 fish from a boat whilst the boat paring of Mr G Hogg and Mr P Winterbottom had 11 fish to the boat between them.

Tuesday started overcast with a light breeze. Many of the regulars turned up for bank fishing and whilst the swans nest and Lincroft point proved their worth again, fish were also caught in Biggin bay and from the overflow. Tony Broadway caught 6 fish from the bank, and netted “a nice blue trout” from the overflow. Brian Allwood also did very well from the bank, netting 6 fish on Diawl bachs. John Dickens caught 8 fish from the bank on FAB’s and shrimp patterns from Lin croft point. Peter Elliott reported “good sport” from the bank, catching 9 fish. Mr John Bresnihan remarked on “a tough days fishing”, but managed 7 fish from Lin croft point.

Wednesday was supposed to have light breezes but remained generally flat calm. Fishery Ranger and Draycote guide Tom Bird ventured out in a boat with Jim Smith to net 18 fish. They caught mainly on sinking lines and snakes/minkies, with a very slow retrieve. They fished off Farborough spit, with Jim did taking one fish on a dry fly. Jon Hall caught 11 fish from the bank on Lincroft point, whilst Mr Terry Tappenden caught 9 fish from the bank on Diawl bachs. Ian Richardson caught 4 fish from the bank on a FAB and shrimp patterns. Season permit holder Ed Douglas caught 18 fish on a variety of patterns from the swans nest.

Thursday was a foggy start and flat calm conditions but there was more of a nip in the air. Mike Oliver caught 12 fish from the bank on PTN ‘s, from Toft shallows and Rainbow corner. Draycote regular Mr Dave Smith ventured out in a boat and netted 5 fish from Farborough spit on black and white lures. Dave Adkins caught 4 fish from the bank whilst Jim Hall caught 5. Dave Kennell commented on “a good day” catching 3 fish on a variety of patterns, with his accomplice, Eddie Mitchell catching 11. Mr C J Day caught 7 fish from the bank on blobs and boobies.

Friday was a very frosty morning which caused us to hold the boats back until 9 o’clock. When they eventually got out, Farborough spit seemed to fish well for boat partners David Davis and Ian Bradfield, who caught 15 fish between them on floating lines, shrimp patterns and hares ears. Peter Elliott and Lee Patten also did really well from a boat, catching 19 fish between them, one of which was a brown, estimated to be 7 lbs. The bank anglers also had success with John Clifford netting 6 fish, and Tony Broadway netting 4 near the overflow.

Saturday started overcast with a light drizzle of rain and a south westerly breeze. Mr D Murphy and Mr R Cotterill caught 13 fish from a boat on midge tip lines and homemade perch fry patterns. Mr G Jackson, also fishing from a boat, managed 6 fish on a cats whisker. His bag also included a 4lb brown. Mike garner went fishing in the margins from the bank and had all his success on a black cormorant in biggin bay.

On Sunday George Leaton ventured out in a boat and managed 3 rainbows and a brown estimated to be 4lbs.  Mr Martin Randle and Mr Alan Bennett ventured out in the typically autumnal conditions to boat 10 fish between them. Mr Iain Barr and his boat partner managed to catch 30 fish between them along the Farborough dam. Season permit holder John Falconbridge caught 6 fish from the bank. And certainly one of the best of the week was Mr Paul Taylor, who boated a brown near the valve tower, estimated to be about 10lbs in weight, The fish was returned to fight another day.

With only a couple of weeks left of this season, weather forecasts continue to predict a variety of conditions. With stock levels high at 18,000 fish, & some good feeding ongoing, those of you fortunate enough to be able to “pick your moments” will benefit from the best of the remaining action.

Weekly Boat Draw

Congratulations to Mr Jim Brennan of Coventry who is the winner of this week’s free boat draw.Â

Weekly Stats:

Number Rods: 159  Number Trout Taken: 165   Number Trout Released: 325

Total Catch:  490    Weekly Rod Average: 3.08

Current Fishing Times:

Bank:  07:30 until 1600

Boat All Day:  08:30 until 16:00

Last 4 Hours: 12:00 until 16:00 (Ticket sales available from 11:45)

Gutting Room Closes: 15:30

All Anglers to be off site by: 16:30

Fishery News

Season Permits

There is currently a lengthy list of anglers interested in Draycote Water season permits.  Nevertheless, we advise anyone who has an interest to contact us in the lodge to have their name added to it. Telephone 01788 812018

The Fur and Feather match.

There are just a few places left for this year’s “Fur and Feather” match will take place on Sunday 26^th November 2017. The match is a pairs event (fishing with your own boat partner) which, as usual, will be fished to reservoir rules (but rudders will NOT be allowed). The event will be fished to an eight-fish limit (normal permit prices apply) together with a special discount boat price of £15 per boat (reduced from the normal £24.50). Fishing hours will be 9-4pm due to the reduced daylight. This will equate to a cost per angler of £36.50. The winning pair will win a Christmas Hamper each. Second & third prizes will be wines & spirits with port for the largest fish. Boats can be booked in the normal way at the lodge or by phone on 01788 812018.

Boat Cleanliness:

Our hard-pressed team strive to maintain the boats to a high standard of cleanliness. Anglers are kindly requested to respect their endeavours by keeping their vessels shipshape & litter free. Particular attention should be paid to avoiding the unnecessary practise of pulling muddy anchors on board. These should be shaken clean before being lifted into the boat. Your assistance in this matter will be most appreciated.

Guiding & Tuition:

Why not take your own fishing further with a day out on the water with England Internationals and fishery staff Lee Henfrey or Tom Bird. Whether you wish to get to know the water better, or hone a particular skill, our guides can help to improve your catch rates.  Visit the website www.flyfishguiding.co.uk for more information or book a slot by calling the lodge on 01788 812018.

More up to date information

Keep up to date with the latest catches and fishing posts from our in-house fishery ranger and guide Tom Bird, by following him on Facebook. Tom has been catching some great fish this season and posting pictures of the fish as well as a light write up on how he has been catching them.

Trout Masters

Draycote has joined the Troutmasters Competition. Entry forms can be found next to the booking out sheets. You will need a member of staff to countersign your entry. Good luck!

Early Morning Anglers

Due to a number of complaints from the residents of the houses by the main  Draycote gate, could all anglers arriving early in the morning please keep noise to a minimum level, and if waiting for any more than a few minutes, please switch off your engines. The main gate is open from 7.30am

Tight lines,

The Draycote Team

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