Weekly fishing report 23rd April 2022

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

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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: 23^rd  April   Rod Av: 5.4    Water Temperature: 11c+

Monday with a cooler than forecast easterly wind, led to tricky fishing conditions. Most fished in the shelter of the wood and opposite the lodge. Stuart Thompson caught 3 for his mornings session fishing off the corner of the wood, Pete Hunt caught 5 fishing a bung opposite the lodge with A Wilson catching 8 on buzzers again opposite the lodge. Anglers reported fish moving off and on during the day.

Tuesday strong easterly wind made for some difficult fishing conditions. Andre Russell on his first trip in the tube fished booby patterns to take his 6 fish. B Sibley and M Clay also fished boobies to boat their 9 trout for a morning session. Most anglers found the conditions difficult in the easterly wind with all the rods off the water by 3pm

Wednesday and another day with a strong easterly wind forecast, with only 1 rod Richard Price going out. Richard fished a fast sinker with a blue flash damsel booby and humungus booby to catch 8 trout for his mornings visit.

Thursday and yet another day when the cold easterly picked up around lunchtime, with the boats all heading towards the shelter of the wood. Despite the wind overall a good day with the rod average 4.5+ Mark Cowley and Ian Leach fished Sink3 & sink5 lines with buzzer, blob & booby patterns to boat their 12 trout, P Moore fished the Markfield arm during the morning catching 4 & losing just as many on a booby.

Friday and similar conditions to the last 3 days, lighter easterly winds to start the day which built to be quite windy from 11am onwards with the boats again fishing along the shelter of the wood and Thornton arm. Anglers reported seeing fish moving but found them easier to catch on sink 5 and sink 7 lines with booby patterns, cats whisker and damsel. John Bebbington caught 11 with K Cowen catching 6 for his mornings visit. By 6pm the wind was starting to drop and swinging to the south in line with the better forecast for the weekend.

Saturday and a flat calm greeted the rods at 7.30am, its been a while since weave had a flat calm! A few fish could be seen feeding off the surface with most of the anglers finding a fast sinker with various booby patterns, but especially blue flash damsel booby or cats whisker caught best. Keith Cowen caught 12, Jan Webber caught 20+ with Brian Sibley & Stuart Thompson boating 19 for their visit. Neil Bates fished a standard cats whisker to catch his 8 trout for the afternoon visit. Mark Hunt persevered fishing with straight line buzzers catching 8 including a rainbow of 3lb.

Sunday surprisingly wet conditions greeted the anglers, lots of birds working the surface. We hosted our local angling club Thornton Fly Fishers fishing their Spring Boat Pairs Competition. They fished the morning session 8.30am to 2.30pm fishing to a 4 fish kill permit & catch Release. Excellent mornings fishing as they averaged 7.3 catching in excess of 90 trout. Winners were T Smith & M Quilley with I Leach & M Cowley second. L Serrano fished the morning session catching into double figures, he went home for lunch returning later to do the same again. Despite all the birds on the water the most successful method was sinking lines with a variety of boobies but especially the blue flash damsel booby, blue flash damsel nymph & standard cats whisker.

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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/

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

Week Ending:     23^rd April 2023           Rod Av:  2.9   Water Temperature: 9°C

Event – Boatmen / Boatwomen required.

Draycote 19^th May hosts the seniors International with teams from England, Scotland, Wales & Ireland. We require boatmen / women for the event. You will receive £30.00 & a Draycote or Eyebrook boat voucher. If your interested or require further information contact Tom Bird at the Draycote Lodge 01788 812018

A nice start to the week with overcast warm conditions with the wind starting from the Southeast before moving to the Northeast later in the day. On the bank Mike Nolan fished buzzers at Lincroft Point to land 5 fish. With fellow Draycote Fly Fisher, John Pearson landing 2 fish again on buzzers fishing along side Mike. On the boats Gordon Bramwell fishing with Eddie Mitchell landed 24 fish to the boat fishing in Toft using buzzers. John Pendleton & C Elliot also used buzzers to land 11 fish to the boat with black and red buzzers being their best pattern. Andy Birkett & Brent Vinall landed 14 fish to the boat while taking advantage of a 3 day package break. Using straight lined nymphs and buzzers and also landing fish on dries. All water member Ed Douglas used dries all day to land 12 fish with crippled midge and bob’s bits being his best patterns.

A much windier day Tuesday from the Northeast teamed with bright sun, certainly not the ideal conditions to be out on the water. All water member James Greasley landed 3 fish off the bank using buzzers at Lincroft Point, with Colin Day landing a brace. On the boats Lee Patten & Peter Elliot fished in Toft, the pair used buzzers on a midge tip and also snakes on a sinking line to land 20 fish to the boat. Tony Labrum and John Elderton landed 8 fish again using buzzers with a very slow retrieve. Chris & wife Aneta landed a dozen fish out on Biggin Bay. While on second day of a 3 day package Andy Birkett & Brent Vinall fished buzzers and Diawl Bachs on a midge tip in Biggin Bay to also land a dozen fish. Ahead of his afternoon shift fishery ranger and guide Lee Henfrey boated 16 fish just to the side of Lincroft Point near E Buoy. The key Lee said was to fish a long leader with 4 buzzers on a short line off the midge tip and fish it right to the hand with all of his fish coming on the lift at the end of the cast. With his best fly being as gold vicar.

The wind remained in the same direction for Wednesday but thankfully wasn’t as strong in the most part as the day previous. Will Hunt fished from the bank for the last four hours to land a brace of fish on buzzers and Lincroft while Jon Cousins landed 3. On the boat fishery ranger and guide Lee Henfrey took Jason Hermon out for a 4 hour guide. With Lee’s help Jason landed a dozen fish on buzzers either on a midge tip or under the bung. With the best area being Biggin Bay, for any tuition enquiries give Tom a call on 01788 812108. Fishing in Toft from a boat Tony Broadway & Pete Allen enjoyed a good day landing 20 fish to the boat using a floating lines with Hares ears and buzzers. Andy Birkett & Brent Vinall fishing their final day of a 3 day package landed 17 fish to the boat using a team of buzzers in Biggin Bay.

A bright and blustery day on Thursday with some heavy gusts made for difficult fishing at times. Mr S Morey had a brace from the bank, whilst Mr M Hock had 3 fish on buzzers from Lincroft Point. Season permit holder Paul Havard caught 8 fish whilst straight lining buzzers around the Valve Tower. Bob Barfoot caught half a dozen fish on black buzzers using a midge tip line in Biggin Bay. Frazer Duffy, (senior and junior) had 10 fish to the boat between them in Biggin Bay using white snakes.

It was a slightly damp start on Friday morning but cleared up as the morning progressed. The rod average for the day turned out to be an impressive 3.9, but that did not tell the whole story. Throughout the morning anglers reported seeing fish in the surface but found them very difficult to catch. It was definitely a day for plenty of patience and slow buzzers on a floating line. It was a slow day on the bank with only a brace caught here and there. Out on the boats young Paul Walker had 15 fish during an afternoon session using a combination of damsels and buzzers. Ken Williams and Ray George had 4 fish between them to the boat, all on buzzers. Martin Hancox ventured out for an evening session to net 4 fish from a drifting boat in Biggin Bay. Season permit holders Ian Richardson and Bob Smith had nearly 30 fish to the boat and remarked on a cracking day. Ian and Bob both used midge tip lines and buzzers.

Saturday was overcast and dry with a light northerly breeze. Once again a slow start to the morning soon developed into a good days fishing. Out on the bank Mr J Fox caught a brace on buzzers from Toft Shallows. Mr M Hock also caught a brace on buzzers from the bank but this time from the Old Pipe in Biggin Bay. Out on the boats Mr M Edwards and Mr C Taylor netted nearly 20 fish on buzzers from various areas around the reservoir. In house guide Lee Henfrey had 16 fish to the boat during a morning session. Lee drifted over Musborough Shoal using a barred olive booby snake on a DI5 sinking line. Saturday saw Draycote Water once again host one of our very successful tuition days with 6 students taking part. A good mornings classroom work was quickly followed by some casting practice behind the Farborough Dam, before spending the afternoon on the pontoon, where some of the participants got into some hard fighting fish the pictures for the day can be found on the Facebook page www.facebook.com/flyfishstore

A cloudy day Sunday, with rain arriving at midday with a North wind. On the bank The Draycote Fly Fishers Association held a morning bank match, with good numbers in attendance. Looking at the catch report it was clear that the best catches on the day came to the anglers who opted to fish a washing line. Fishing at the Cornfield and then the Old Pipe, Dave Atkins landed 5 fish washing line buzzers and crunchers. With Mark JJ also fishing the washing line, however, it was the tequila FAB that landed most of Mark’s fish using an 18 foot leader on a floater. Fishing at Lincroft Point Will Hunt landed 4 fish. On the boats new all water member Pete Webb using a Di 5 sinking with a pink snake to land half a dozen fish. Fellow all water members Frazer Duffy Snr & Jnr landed 13 fish also using Di 5 sinking lines with snakes. Just taking a morning boat David & Gary Turner used buzzers in Biggin Bay to land 8 fish. Draycote member Martyn Hancox used dries and also snakes in a short afternoon session to also boat 8 fish.

Looking ahead to next week, the weather looks great with light winds, overcast skies and warming air temperatures. Perfect conditions to get out on the water, with a further load of 3,000 fish arriving this week. We are expecting some great catches.

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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: 16 April 23                    Rod Av: 5.7    Water Temperature: 11°C

The week started with a very light southerly breeze with plenty of cloud cover. Throughout the day there were some extended periods of bright sunshine which raised the air temperature & intensified the buzzer hatches. The reservoir fished very well with some very high catch returns recorded from both the banks & the boats. Eyebrook member Roy Swinfield had a great morning from the bank up at Stoke Dry fishing the old road. Roy landed 27 fish on a Washing Line with a Booby Cruncher on the point & Buzzers on the Droppers, which is a great return on the bank. From the boats, there were a lot of fish caught from Stoke Dry down to Robbo’s Cabin & out across the middle. Around the shallower areas, the Washing Line has been the method whereas, across the middle, straight lined buzzers have also taken a good number of fish. All water member Lorenzo Serrano fished over by the willows & had a very productive day on Washing Lined Buzzers, landing well over 40 fish. Mr Quigley & his boat partner Mr McGuigan down on a Short Break, drifted the open water between the Chestnut & the Willows & also landed over 40 fish on Buzzers & Dries. For one of our great valued short breaks please use the following link https://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/short-break-packages/.

Well what a difference a day makes. The warm, light southerly breeze of the previous day gave way to a strong, gusty, cold northerly wind, that brought with it extended periods of bright sunshine. The combination of bright sunlight & strong winds is rarely conducive to favourable fishing conditions. However, this seemed to be amplified given how the weather was the opposite of the previous day & we all know how trout like a weather change…? Subsequently, it was a slow start to Tuesday fishing wise, with very few fish caught in the morning. By the afternoon, the fish had become accustomed to the change in the weather & consequently, there was a lot more fish caught in the afternoon. Following on from their previous success, Mr Quigley & McGuigan fished buzzers to great effect, landing over 20 fish to the boat, most of which came in the afternoon. All Water Member Albert Coales also had a productive afternoon, landing 14 fish on dries & Hoppers.

The wind remained from a northerly direction for Wednesday. However, it was no way near as strong as the previous day & there was a decent amount of cloud cover. The reservoir fished very well with good numbers of fish caught from both the banks & the boats. Eyebrook member, Keith Johnson caught well from the bank, landing 15 fish from Stoke Dry fishing nymphs on a Washing Line. On the boats, enjoying their last day of a 3-day Short Break Package, Mr Quigley & McGuigan landed well over 20 fish on the Dries & Buzzers throughout the day. John Watt led a party of 8 anglers who landed over 91 fish between them on a mixture of Dries & Nymphs. The most productive area was the Northern end of the reservoir with good returns coming from Stoke Dry to the Willows. The fish continue to feed well on Buzzers & are willing to take Nymphs or Buzzers on the Washing Line or on Dries when the conditions suit. All Water Member Lorenzo Serrano & his boat partner, Eli, had a great half day session, landing well over 20 fish on Washing Lined Diawls with a Foam Daddy on the point. If FAB’s are not working as a point fly on the Washing Line, it is worth trying a more subtle alternative. Foam Daddies, Booby Hoppers & Booby Crunchers are always worth a shot.

It was a bright, clear & cold start to Thursday. The northerly moderate ensured that the southern end of reservoir remained a couple of degrees cooler than the north. The winds of late, seem to have cleared a high degree of the coloured water from the previous bouts of heavy rainfall. As the day progressed the wind intensified & brought with it extended periods of sunshine. This made for very challenging conditions, particularly from the bank where the effects of an unpredictable wind could be truly felt. The boats fared a little better & a few fish were caught in the morning, but the excessive wind made it difficult to fish your flies effectively. Much later in the day, the relentless sunshine gave way to overcast conditions, which had a positive impact the fishing with anglers catch rates gaining pace. The boats started to catch quicker & the banks switched on. Ed Solomons, fishing a Last 4 bank permit, landed 5 fish on what proved to be a very successful session. Overall, what started as a very challenging day turned into a very productive day for some as the reservoir produced a very credible daily rod average of 5.1.

There was a damp start to Friday which soon petered out leaving an overcast sky, with considerably less wind than on previous days. Subsequently, the reservoir fished well to the Dries with regular visitor Max Woolnough landing 7 fish on a black Shipmans Buzzer. Eyebrook Member Mick Farrell also enjoyed a productive day on the Dries, fishing a Claret Midas Mick landed 12 fish from various locations. It was obviously one of those days that the fish preferred Dries sat on the water rather than in the surface film. Off the bank, Gary Mickley had another productive session landing 12 fish from the Old Road up at Stoke Dry on a small Cats Whisker. Elsewhere, adopting a mobile approach, another Eyebrook Member Neil Shilton landed well over 20 fish from his Float Tube from various locations. Generally, the most productive area remains the Stoke Dry end of the reservoir with fishing Dries when the conditions are right &/or Buzzers fished static being the most productive methods.

Just as Friday had started, Saturday was also a damp start that dried out & brought a few bright intervals during the afternoon. Whatever light breeze there was, was now from the south, which was different to previous days, so there was sure to be a small period of adjustment with the fish’s feeding habits. The fish were still feeding on buzzers, but them seemed to be somewhat deeper than found previously. Regular bank angler Roy Swinfield decided to take to the boats & was joined by his regular fishing partner Lyndsay Bates. They had a very productive day landing over 30 fish on static Buzzers fished relatively deep. Another boat pairing to have over 30+ fish was Mr Turner & Mr Adams who also fished static buzzers deep to great effect. With the fish seeming to be feeding in the deeper water, the boats fared better than the banks today. There were still fish caught from the bank, but they were not being caught in the numbers they were previously.

Sunday had started the same as the 2 previous days, damp in the morning with light drizzle & dry in the afternoon. However, today the afternoon brought with it some extended periods of cloud which were brought in by a 180° direction change in the breeze. The fish continued to feed on Buzzers, moving further out & feeding in the deeper water, which made the bank angling challenging at times. Fish were still caught from the bank & in good numbers too. Eyebrook Member had 10 on washing lined nymphs & Ed Solomons enjoyed a very fruitful last 4-hour session, landing 9 on nymphs. Saturday also saw us host the Alex Booth, Colwick & Foremark joint club competition which saw 15 anglers take to the water, they landed 50 fish between them, giving them a rod average of 3.3. Elsewhere on the boats, fish were caught on a variety of methods from various locations. Nymphs & Buzzers are still taking a good number of fish, as are Dries when the conditions permit. Alternatively, lures will still catch plenty of fish; Gary Owen & Mick McLintic had a very productive day landing over 20 fish between them on a Pink Booby. The most productive areas remain, Sam’s Dyke to the Cowshed & the Willows to Stoke Dry. The fish are very respondent to the weather, sitting in deeper water when bright & moving in the shallower margins during periods of overcast spells to feed. It is important that we remember to fish the conditions, rather than what we think is going on, the fish will be there.