Missing reports for two weeks

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

View our latest YouTube video Flyfishstore – Talks Fishing

Talks Fishing will be a series of videos when we go out fishing on Draycote, Eyebrook & Thornton with one of our fishing regulars. We delve into their fly box & talk to them about their fishing on our waters.

Series 1 we go out on Eyebrook with Bill Law to catch those damsel feeders
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgeUzhyi_hU

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

Week Ending:  Sunday 17th July 2022              Rod Av: 3.1      Water Temperature:  21 °C

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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REPORT WEEK ENDING 10th JULY 2022
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:  10^th July      Rod Av: 7.4      Water Temperature: 18c+ – 20c+

Monday with a rod average 7.3 to start the week helped by the water temperature at 18c+ and a brisk cooler north westerly wind helping to keep the fish in the top few feet of the water. Floating lines, midge tip and intermediate with orange daddies, muddlers, yellow owls, buzzer, fab, diawl bach and damsel patterns taking fish. Surprisingly for Thornton during July there are good numbers of fish up the Thornton arm but the majority are being caught in front of the dam, green bay, stones and across the main basin. J Brinksman on his first visit to Thornton caught 8 on an olive nomad, Dennis barns fished a morning session catching 6 on fab & hopper with Bb Menhams fishing damsel & diawls to catch his 6 trout during a morning’s visit. G Jackson & Gary Owen shared a boat for the day catching 4 trout between them.

Tuesday and with this early July weather still on our side we enjoyed another excellent days fishing with the rod average 8.2 Andre Russel & Gary Cragg fished from their float tubes catching 27 between them along the stones on a diawl bach. A Lilley & S England shared a boat catching 40 fishing a washing line with P Cox fishing a sink tip & fabs to catch his 15 trout. All Water member Dave Slessor caught 17 for his visit with J Wright on his first visit to Thornton catching 6 for his mornings visit on a small olive snake. Water temperature was 18c+ at 7am with a strong cool northerly wind & some cloud cover which all helped to keep the fish in the top few feet of the water

Wednesday and the forecast continues to be kind to the angler with todays rod average 5.6  Floating to intermediate lines are still best with dries & emergers such as small orange or brown daddies, hoppers & yellow owls, muddlers & small fabs pulled through the surface with diawl bach, olive or black buzzers, damsel & small olive snakes. Best area continues to be in front of the main dam, stones & across the main basin. H Davies fished an olive snake to catch his 15 trout for a mornings visit. T Hutchinson also fished a morning catching 10 on orange daddy & black epoxy buzzer with S Lorenso catching 20+ on fabs, damsels & hoppers.

Thursday & a busy day for early July with the anglers enjoying an excellent days fishing with the rod average 9.6 for the day. Majority of the trout were high in the water taking dries, damsel, fabs, diawls & hares ear. Paddy Fitch decided to fish the bank concentrating his efforts to the Thornton Arm, wading through the weed he fished hares ear & gold head damsel to catch 21 trout. Andre Russell & Gary Crag float tubed fishing with diawls & blue flash damsels to catch 45 trout between them. Bob Jones continues to enjoy a successful season at Thornton catching 17 on suspended olive buzzer, blue flash damsel & booby. David Rowbottom fished a morning session catching 8 on diawls & cats whisker with Mr Caley fishing Thornton for the first time in a number of years catching 11 trout for his mornings visit on emergers. I Shepherd another angler returning to Thornton after a number of years fished with P Fletcher catching 10 between them on Montana & Diawls. Mick Smith & J Wenlan caught 36 for their visit with Mike commenting on the quality of the dry fly fishing during the morning. Jason on a day off from his ranger duties at the Eyebrook caught 10 for his afternoons session.

Friday and the start of the warmer spell that’s forecasted. S Swinfield & S Zeleny opted for the fast sinking line & booby approach catching 5 for their mornings visit. Lee Henfrey on a day off from his Draycote fishery ranger duties fished with Kevin Hart boating 40 trout on crunchers, nemo, damsel & fabs starting their morning fishing the main basin before moving into the Thornton arm. Couple boats opted for the last 4 hour session finding fish still feeding in the Thornton arm with J Brown catching 4 on a fraser nymph with Sam & Paul Cook fishing sedge patterns to catch their 3 trout.

Saturday a quiet day due to the hot weather forecast but the anglers missed a good day with the daily rod average 4.4 Keith Cowen caught 6 on sinking lines with a cats whisker booby over the deeper water. Martin Clay also caught 6 from the deeper water but also the shallower water in the Thornton arm. K Hart and D Pacey fished the afternoon and evening fishing up the Thornton arm with nymphs they caught 8

Sunday and the hottest day of the year so far, not many rods out fishing & the ones that did fished the morning session with fast sinkers booby, damsel & bloodworm patterns. Carl Bond caught 4 for his visit with P Hunt catching 3 overall rod average 2.3 for the day

Overall & excellent July week with the rod average an excellent 7.4 Water clarity remains good but the water temperature is up to 20c+ This coming week with the current forecast expect the mornings to fish best with the deeper cooler water in front of the dam, buoys & stones fishing best

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Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

Week Ending:  Sunday 10th July 2022       Rod Av:  3.7    Water Temperature:  19°C

A bright warm start to the week, however as forecast cloud cover did roll in about 11am. The cloud cover certainly helped he bank fishing with the best catch of the day coming from the bank. Draycote member James Kelly enjoyed a great day’s sport landing 13 fish from the Swan’s Nest in Toft. Using Diawl Bach’s and Damsel patterns to land his fish. Out on the boats John Dickens enjoyed a good day landing 9 fish using a washing line with buzzers on the droppers. A fellow angler who used buzzers to great effect on the boats was Francis Campbell who landed 7 fish, all on red buzzers. Kevin Rees used his trusty dries to land 6 fish with his best patterns being Crippled Midge & Bob’s Bits.

Nearly identical weather as the previous day on Tuesday, however, the cloud did clear later in the day. All water member Ken Key fished for a short 4 hour session on the bank during the middle section of the day to land a brace from the Cornfield. Bernard McCarthy also fished from the bank for an afternoon to land 3 fish all from the Swan’s Nest in Toft. The cooler water temperatures this year are certainly helped the fish remain closer to the margins for longer than normal. On the boats Geoff Allsop & Graham Wood enjoyed a good day using dry flies. The pair drifted from the Valve Tower over towards C Buoy and the Aerators using Claret Hoppers and suspender dries to land 15 fish to the boat. Also fishing around this area the boat paring of Vic & Pete also landed 8 fish, but did comment as to how they caught them.

Overcast conditions Wednesday with quite a strong breeze, as a result of the overcast skies the fish seemed to be sitting not only high in the water, but, there was once again a good proportion close to the bank. C.J Day fished in Biggin Bay on the bank to land 15 fish, with the fish sitting 12-20ft from the edge. With his Colin’s best flies being Damsel emerger, black buzzer and a red cruncher. Another bank angler who enjoyed great sport was Brian Joseph who only fished for 5 hours landing a dozen fish all on nymphs fished along the Cornfield. Another angler finding the fish close to the bank was former Fishery Manager Kevin Hart. Kev, fished by the Willow Tree in Toft fishing close to the shore to land over 30 fish to the boat. His set up was a #5 rod, floating line then a team of nymphs with 2 crunchers and a Damsel on the point. All water member Ed Douglas landed 19 fish opting to stick with dries all day. The best pattern for Ed was a CDC shuttlecock, with his best area drifting from the Valve Tower towards C Buoy. Draycote member Jim Hall, like Kevin, fished tight in to the bank at Toft landing 15 fish on a team of Diawl Bachs. John Falconbridge also enjoyed good sport in Toft, once again on Crunchers & Diawl Bachs. Fishing for the afternoon Matt Crisp & Paul Newnham landed 14 fish between them from Rainbow Corner on CDC dries and commented “very good fish”.

More overcast cool conditions Thursday morning, with the sun breaking through late in the afternoon leaving a very warm afternoon & evening. Draycote season ticket holder Paul Walker fished on the bank landing 5 fish on Diawl Bachs from Biggin Bay. With beginner season ticket holders Tim Illsley & Andrew Tasker also fishing the bank landing a brace each from the Cornfield. A busy day for Beginner season ticket holders with Colin & Tracy Wilson also on the water but fishing from a boat. With Tracy landing her first fish while out on her own after a couple of session of instruction. Tracy’s fish took a hot head Diawl Bachs near the Aerators, a massive WELL DONE Tracy hope it’s the first of many. Draycote season ticket holders David Holding & Geoff Brooks fished from a boat with he pair landing a dozen fish from Toft by the Willow tree using a team of nymphs fished on a floating line. John Clifford fished in the middle around K Buoy and N Buoy to a land 10 fish in a morning using an intermediate and various lures. All water member Ed Douglas fished for another day landing 24 fish with 13 falling to dries. Ed, fished around X Buoy and P Buoy in the morning on dries before heading down to Toft in the afternoon. Another angler who found dries to be a good method for catching was Kevin Rees who landed 15 fish on crippled midge and CDC Culs.

A warm day Friday with the sun making an appearance all day. A number of anglers fishing Draycote were in the Repechage on Sunday so exact numbers and tactics were a little scarce. On the bank the bright weather slowed what had been some great  bank sport. However, Stan Hillman did manage a brace from the Tower bank. On the boat Michael Hanlon landed 7 fish using a Midge Tip line with a washing line. With his best patterns being a cruncher on the dropper teamed with a Cat Whisker booby on the point landing fish from the Aerators and also near J Buoy. Another boat who caught at J Buoy was that of Paul Roach and Jeff Mason, the pair used a washing line on a floater and also dries even in the bright sun to land their fish. Mr B Barlow fished the boats for the afternoon to land 6 fish. Mr Barlow used a washing line to land his fish with the best drifts being around B, C and D Buoy. All water member Craig Middleton enjoyed a good days sport landing 9 fish using a 12ft slow tip with a washing line with most of the fish taking the FAB on the point.

A scorching day Saturday, however, the day did start with cloud cover, although this didn’t last very long. However, while the cloud was over Matt Nuttall practicing for the Repechage the next day landed fish on dries. Then when the sun come out the fishing certainly slowed up with the anglers keeping how they caught close to their chest. There was defiantly a mix of reports on they caught, with some people optioning for a washing line on a midge tip with FABs and nymphs while other anglers went for Di 5s and boobies. Outside of the anglers practicing for the match on Sunday, Mark Thistleton landed 7 fish on snakes using a Di 7 sinking line. With fellow Draycote member Tim Davies landing 5 fish using a pink booby on a Di 5 sinking line around the aerators and C Buoy.

A very warm day Sunday with temperatures sitting in the high 20s and very little to no wind. Certainly not ideal conditions for the 32 anglers competing in the Angling Trust- Team England Loch Style Repecharge looking for a final chance to make into the national final in September. As expected the conditions made the fishing challenging, but the anglers did manage a very respectable rod average of 3.5 fish per angler. Winning the day with an impressive 12 fish was Alex Johnstone who used a Di 7 sinking line with a mix of boobies and cormorants to land his fish, with his best area being the Valve Tower. In Second was Robert Williams and Third, his boat partner Martin Griffiths who landed 11 and 10 fish. Like Alex they used Di 7 sinking lines with boobies and cormorants to land their fish, but the hotspot for them was A Buoy. However, it wasn’t just sunk lines that caught the fish Andrew Haskins fished a 12ft Slow Tip 2 Muskins and a foam daddy around A buoy to land 8 fish giving him 4 place. For a full list of the results please see www.facebook.com/flyfishstore

Outside of the competition Draycote season ticket holder Jon Crowley landed 5 fish, only out on the water for 4 hours before it got to hot. Jon, used a 12ft slow tip with an orange blob on the point and cormorants on the droppers. Taking his fish on one long and very slow drift from Rainbow Corner, Hensborough Bank and out to K Buoy. The best catch of the day came to fellow Draycote season ticket holder Mark Braun who landed over 25 fish fishing at Y Buoy. Mark used a Di 7 sinking line with a 5ft leader and a small comp legal humungus booby fished on a 5 foot leader.

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Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

Week Ending: Sunday 10 Jul 22       Rod Av:   4.0          Water Temperature:  20-22°C

The start of the week brought with it a moderate South-Westerly breeze which swung round to the West as the day progressed. There was on occasions, some decent cloud cover, which was interspersed with sunny intervals. The Reservoir fished well, recording a daily rod average of 4.3. Fish were caught across the Main Basin with Dries proving to be the most productive approach. On the day the most effective patterns proved to be Foam Daddies, Adult Damsels, Big Reds & small CDC’s. All water member Ian Jobe landed 10 fish in what was a relatively short session. Ian also spent a considerable amount of time targeting some of Eyebrook’s larger resident Browns on fast sinking lines & a large Humungous. After losing a substantial fish, Ian then returned to fishing higher up in the water column to catch his 10 fish. Enjoying day 1 of a 3-day Short Break package, Mr Benjamin & Simmons had a productive day, landing well into double figures between them, all on the Dries.

The reservoir continued to fish well on Tuesday. The day started with a stiff, cool West/Northwest breeze & overcast. As the day progressed the breeze lightened, bringing with it sunny intervals & a rise in the air temperature. This meant that the Damsel hatch that had previously been occurring late morning to early afternoon, did not occur until late afternoon, early evening. This reflected in the reservoir fishing very well in the evening with All Water Member, Albert Coales catching a very high number of fish in a relatively short space of time. Throughout the day fish were caught all through the Main Basin, either on a washing lined floater with Diawl Bachs on the droppers or on the Dries. Another All Water Member, Jamie Scott caught well throughout by utilising the washing line early on & them caught on the Foam Daddies & Damsels later. Foam Daddies caught well throughout, the trout seemed to prefer the larger profile of the Foam Daddy today, what with the bigger wave. Whereas the adult Blue Damsel or Blue Foam Daddy did not really become effective until later in the day, once that air temperature had increased.

Wednesday bought with it a light to moderate westerly breeze & a good amount of cloud cover. Therefore, the reservoir fished well to the Dries from the off. Season Ticket holder Mr Johnson had a great day on the Dries, with most of his fish falling to a Grunter from numerous locations around the reservoir. Malcolm Baker thoroughly enjoyed his session with resident Guide Andy Miller, catching numerous fish on Blue Foam Daddies from the relatively shallow water of Mucky Bay. We offer numerous Guiding options on all of our fisheries & If you are at all interested in any of the options, please follow this link https://www.flyfishtuition.co.uk/  or phone Tom Bird on 01788 812018. Fish were caught from all over, from the weedbeds along the Leicester Bank up into Sam’s Dyke, all across the Main Basin to the deeper water off the netted bank. The banks also produced, with those willing to fish over the weed being rewarded for their endeavours with some explosive action. A point to note is when you are fishing around the weedbeds it is sometimes better fishing with a single fly as it is easier to control & not having a trailing dropper will prevent it snagging in the weed when you are playing fish.

On Thursday, the day started with almost perfect conditions with a light breeze & plenty of cloud cover. As the day progressed the wind swung round to the north & gathered in pace. This did not affect the air temperature too much as there was a significant Damsel hatch mid-late morning. Subsequently, the reservoir fished very well with plenty of fish caught on Blue Damsels, Foam Daddies & CDC Emergers. Mr Williams & Heritage had a great day catching a high number of fish on Damsels & CDC’s from various locations. All water member Andy Lilly also had a very productive session landing 9 fish in a relatively short session. Andy fished Foam Daddies on the washing line in the Main Basin picking up fish from various locations. We have started working on the bank access at Harrison’s Corner & this will continue around to Robbos’s Cabin. This will give bank anglers access to deeper water relatively close in which will become very important as the water temperature looks set to rise due to the recent warmer weather.

Friday saw the start of the recent high pressure. With it, it brought a rise in air temperature & bright clear skies. Consequently, the water temperature started to rise, starting the day at 20 degrees it rose 2 degrees during the day. This made fishing relatively challenging, however, there was still fish caught with those catching well fishing dry Damsels over the deeper water. All water member John Duncan caught 8 from the Main Basin on Blue Foam Daddies & Rob Keeber caught 10 on the Dries over the deeper water. Well done to both anglers as this was an excellent effort given the conditions.

Saturday started with a brief spell of overcast cloud which soon gave way to searing sunlight. The water had increased again overnight & now stood at 21 degrees. This did not deter the fish from feeding hard on adult damsels & there was plenty caught throughout the day. As well as being caught on the Blue Dry Damsels, fish were also caught on the washing line. The fly that seemed to be doing the damage on the washing line, was the one that was nearest the surface be that a FAB or a Booby. Some anglers also tried fishing deep on fast sinkers which did prove successful; Season Ticket Holder Neil Shilton had 6 from his Float Tube.  The percentage method seemed to be the Dries though, with fish not only caught over the Main Basin but they were also caught down by the Cowshed. The most successful patterns were Blue Foam Daddies, Blue Dry Damsels, Foam Daddies & Grunters. Season Ticket holder Mick Farrell had a very productive day with his boat partner landing over 20 to the boat, mostly on the Dries. With the water temperature on the steady rise, the fish will eventually start to move down in the water column as they seek the cooler water, don’t discount the use of sinking lines, especially over the Main Basin.

Sunday brought with it bright sunshine, without a cloud in the sky & the lightest of ripples. Venturing out in these challenging conditions was the All Abilities Fly Fishers. They managed 45 fish between 23 anglers giving them a rod average of 1.95, which is a great effort given the conditions. Those that had the more productive days fished Damsel patterns around the weed beds in the shallower areas, Sam’s Dyke & Mucky Bay. Fish were caught on small Damsel Boobies on the washing line & then Blue Dry Damsels once the Damsel hatch was in full flow. The fish over the deeper water in the Main Basin could be seen moving consistently during the day but they were harder to catch. Despite still feeding on the surface It would appear that these fish are starting to sit a little deeper in the water column & as the warmer weather looks set to continue they will drop deeper still.