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

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:  20th October   Rod Av: 1.8      Water Temperature: 11C+

Monday a foggy start to the day with little breeze. Fry patterns and lures on sink 3, 5 or 7 worked best. P Mee caught 4 with Howard Davies fishing a cats whisker booby to catch his trout. P Hunt fished a Dawsons olive which has caught a number of fish for him these past few weeks along with a white snake booby on this occasion catching 5 trout. Our water level is nearly full, despite the rain water clarity remains good.

Tuesday no rod out due to the wind and rain. Wednesday 4 boats out returning a rod average 2.0 with most fishing the morning session. Barry Deeley fished a DI7 with a green & white booby to catch 4 trout. John Reynolds fished a DI5 with a green baby doll, now there’s an old pattern you no longer see fished very often, but it worked for John catching 3 trout.

Thursday another wet, very wet day with no rods out. Friday anglers arrived to find the reservoir full following the rain, thankfully our water clarity in the main was good. Chris Sayer caught 6 on his home tied Minkie booby a pattern he gave to Richard Price who went on to catch 3.

Saturday a bit more colour in the water but that didn’t stop Jan Webber catching 5 on a tequila fab & orange booby on a DI7 along the wood bank

Sunday a quiet day due to the poor forecast with only the 1 rod, John Reynolds who fished a fast sinker with a Fire Cat (similar to a cut throat cat) catching 4 trout

Thornton 2022 season will close on Wednesday 30^th November

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Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

Week Ending: 20^th November 2022              Rod Av:  3.4   Water Temperature:  11°C

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

A foggy start to Monday with light winds, when the fog did clear it left a very mild day with light winds coming from the South. Draycote member Tony Broadway fished off the bank to land 4 fish using a Snowbee buzzer tip and a Grey Minkie. Colin Day fished the corner of the Hensborough Bank to land 4 using a black and white snake using a roly-poly retrieve. On the boats the fishery team took out various staff members from the Rangers, New leaf catering and the Sailing club for our annual fishing day. A great day was had by all with some fantastic fish caught. Lee Henfrey fishing with Sarah (New Leaf) landed the most fish to the boat with 11 fish. Fishing at M Buoy near the Hensborough Bank on a Di 5 sinking line and various booby fry patterns. Jason from Eyebrook fished with Ellie (ranger) who landed 4 fish for a cracking 12lb 13oz the best bag weight and also the largest fish of the day with a 5lb 2oz Rainbow. Andy Miller out with Tilley (New Leaf) landed 7 fish with Tilley landing a cracking 4lb 9oz Rainbow. The big fish continued with Paul (Ranger) landing a 4lb 11oz fish. Overall it was a fantastic day and a great way for the fishery to thank all the staff for their help over the season. Outside of this there were also a number of other great catches. Kevin Hart fished with John Hoskins who boated 21 fish at Y Buoy. Using DI 5 sinking lines and fast intermediates with minkies and snakes. Draycote member Lee Patton fished with Alex Urquhart landing 26 fish to the boat using olive snakes on intermediates and Di 5 sinking lines at the Hensborough Bank, Y Buoy and Lincroft point. Mick Nicols landed a cracking fish while out in the boat of 7lb 5oz taken on a white lure fished at the Draycote Dam. To see pictures of this fish and the staff fishing day please visit www.facebook.com/flyfishstore

What a difference a day makes, after the lovely day Monday, Tuesday saw a very wet and windy day. As a result there was only season ticket holder Ray Rawlings who opted to head out on the water. Ray landed a brace of fish using a Di 5 sinking line and a white and green snake. A nice reward for persisting in some very challenging conditions, for both angler and waterproofs.

The winds came from the Southeast Wednesday with blue skies in the morning before cloud arrived later in the day. On the bank all water member Paul Walker landed 6 trout fishing at the Overflow including one between 5lb 8oz and 6lb in weight. Fishing along side Paul, John Falconbridge used minkies to also land 6. Richard Walker fishing from the Outlet using a white minkies landed 5 fish including a cracking rainbow of 4lb 4oz. On the boats Draycote member John Dickens landed 7 fish using a Di 5 sinking line and a minkie booby with the best area being the Hensborough Bank towards M Buoy. Julian Hubbard fishing with son Chris landed 12 fish using various lures and fry patterns fished on a Di 3 & Di 5 sinking line. Kevin Hart fishing with childhood friend Steve Burns landed 15 fish to the boat using minkies and zonkers on DI 5 and fast intermediate. With the best areas being around Y & N Buoy.

A horrible day Thursday with strong winds and heavy rain for nearly the whole day. Once again it was a quite day with only 8 anglers venturing out in the wind and rain. On the boats all water members Phil Cross & Steve Windram landed 5 fish drifting from the top dam wall towards B Buoy including a cracking fish of 5lb in weight. Draycote members Ian Richardson and Bob Barfoot enjoyed “good fishing, rubbish weather” while out in a boat landing 13 fish to the boat. The pair used Di 5 sinking lines with snakes and humungus at the Hensborough Bank to land their fish.

After the wet windy,  we had much more settled weather Friday with overcast skies and a westerly wind. On the bank Tony Broadway landed 4 fish using hares ears fished on a Snowbee buzzer tip at Lincroft point and the Cornfield. Dave Kennell fished from the boats landing 6 fish using a 6ft Airflo fast tip with a sparkler booby and a FAB landing some cracking fish the best being a 4lb 11oz Rainbow. All water member Peter Harris landed 5 fish from P Buoy using a black booby snake on a Di 7 sinking line. Beginner member Simon Enstock to his new Di 7 sinking line to great effect landing 4 fish including a new personal best. A rainbow of over 5lb taken on a booby humungus at A Buoy. Fishery ranger and guide Lee Henfrey fished with Kevin Hart landing over 20 fish to the boat using a DI 7 sinking line with boobies and snakes fished with a very slow figure of eight retrieve. The pair finding the fish at the Hensborough Bank, M buoy and N Buoy. Andy Miller out fishing with Trout & Salmon editor Andrew Flitcroft for an article on Draycote fry feeders. Landed 14 fish to the boat using snakes and suspender minkies. Mr Lowe also found suspender minkies a good pattern landing 9 fish.

Saturday turned out to be a reasonably good day here at Draycote despite the forecast. Although the wind was blustery at times, it was blowing from the west, giving anglers some respite whilst fishing under the Draycote Dam. There are some good fish being caught at the moment, with both boat and bank anglers regularly returning fish of 4,5, and 6lbs in weight. The bank is currently producing some good catches with Mick Cronin landing 4 on minkies from the Tower Bank. Jim and Richard Hall had 11 fish between them from the bank using lures on intermediate lines. Mr Adam Vicary used much the same method to take a brace from Toft Shallows and the Tower Bank. Out on the boats James Alexander bagged 4 on black boobies around C buoy. Mark Braun caught a grand total of 17 fish for the day utilizing a DI5 sweep line and a white humungus. Mark plied his trade in Biggin Bay, around the Valve Tower and C buoy. Draycote stalwart Mark Johnson  Jones and his boat partner Dale had 5 fish to the boat around M buoy. Both anglers were using intermediate line and minkies.

Sunday started dry and overcast but brightened up as the morning progressed.  Season ticket holder Paul Walley fished from the bank to land a brace of fish on a natural snake fished at the overflow. On the boats Jon Crowley fished his regular half day boating 7 fish. Landing his fish from Biggin Bay and also Rainbow Corner towards A Buoy. Using a Di 5 with a minkie booby on the point and cormorants on the droppers. Ian Reeve landed 8 fish using a white booby snake on a Di 5 around the Outlet landing fish to 4lb 8oz. Martin Rowson fished with Neil Deakin with the pair landing 19 fish to the boat on various fry patters fished on sunk lines around Biggin Bay, Musborough Shoal and the Hensborough Bank. Kasidit Leoviriyakit fishing with Neil Lyons boated a dozen fish. Landing their fish high in the water with slow or fast intermediate and boobies fished across the surface.

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Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

Week Ending: Sunday 20 Nov 2022       Rod Av:   0.8     Water Temperature: 9°C

It was a quiet start to the week with only a few boats venturing out. Of those taking to the boats, fishing the upper layers with Blobs & FAB’s, Jude Tuff landed 3 fish from the Basin area. All Water Member John Duncan took to the bank, concentrating on the Dam area John went looking for Fry feeding fish. Fishing Floating fry around weed beds & the margins John landed 3 hard fighting fish & had many other offers.

Tuesday’s autumnal weather got the better of the anglers & none ventured out.

Wednesday saw fish getting caught from the boats at various locations of the Main Basin. Eyebrook member Keith Johnson caught 3 fry feeding trout on Pearly Pheasant Tail on a Washing line. All Water Member Ray Jordan had 2 fish on a Cat’s Whisker & Clive Moore, also an All-Water Member, also had 2 on Minky Boobies. Clive looked for large concentrations of fry before deciding to fish an area, which proved to be a sound decision

Thursday was another very quiet day with Eyebrook Member Neil Shilton in his Float Tube being the only one to brave the wind & the rain. Neil spent his day targeting the deeper lying fishing with fast sinking lines & Minkies. Neil landed a nice Rainbow, lost another & had a good Perch by the end of the day.

Friday’s weather was far more attractive to anglers as consequently it was a busy day. The recent rainfall had not only risen the Reservoir over a foot, but it had also coloured the water somewhat & those that found clear water benefited most. Fish were caught on Fry patterns as this seems to be the trout’s main concentration of a food source. The banks fished well where Eyebrook Member Dave Etty fished the southern corner of the Dam & landed 3 cracking fish for a total bag weight 8lb 10oz, which is a great bag weight off the bank. The Pike anglers have also been getting a few fish with a lot of mid-high doubles getting caught. The bait fish have moved out of the old stream bed & the Pike have duly followed.

Saturday brought with it a light to moderate West-North Westerly breeze with plenty of cloud cover & light showers. The water clarity remained an issue & visibility was down to 1ft in the worse affected areas so finding clear water was critical to anglers’ potential success. Those who did find clear water, caught predominately on the Dries or a Washing Lined floater as the fish could be seen moving subsurface. All Water Members Ed Douglas & Mark Hunt caught 6 & 5 fish respectively on what was a very challenging day. Both fished their Dries effectively & found small patterns to be more successful.

Sunday saw the water clarity decrease even further which had a detrimental impact on the trout anglers who found the fishing extremely challenging. The Pike anglers fared slightly better with a few Jacks coming to the net.

Well, as the season here at Eyebrook draws to a close, I would just like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has visited & spent time with us this season. It has been an absolute pleasure to have you here & we look forward to seeing you all next season.

In the meantime, we would just like you to be aware that there will be someone in the lodge most Sundays through December from 9.00am to 2.00pm to assist with any queries you may have, give us a call beforehand to confirm we are there.

Additionally, we will be hosting some Eyebrook Fly Fishers events on 11 Dec, 08 Jan 23, 29 Jan 23 & 19 Feb 23. More details to follow.

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

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:  13^th November   Rod Av: 2.3      Water Temperature: 12c+

Monday & Tuesday we had a brisk to strong at times wind from the southwest which blew down the Markfield arm. Anglers on sinking lines with booby, snakes and fry patterns. Andrew Wilson caught 3 on orange booby with P Cox fishing down the windy Markfield arm catching 3 but reporting a good number of fish down there. Arthur Olding caught 6 concentrating his efforts across the main basin to the wood.

Wednesday and another breezy day. Sink 3, 5 & 7 lines we the most popular with sparkler booby, minkie booby, humongous & cutthroat cat. J Reynolds caught 10 for his mornings visit fishing a DI5 & cutthroat cat with fish up to 4lb+. Jack Hives caught 5 with D Slessor catching fish to 3lb+ Water level is back up to normal, clarity remains good.

Thursday & Friday with a strong south westerly forecast rod numbers were low. Chris Sayer was top rod with 9 fish during a morning session

Better weather Saturday with snakes, booby, cats whiskers catching best. J Webber caught 6 for his visit on a cats whisker booby and uv black booby. B Sibley caught 9 with his boat partner M Clay catching 7. Another Thornton member P Wrigley caught 6

Sunday only a few rod out with Karen Thompson on her first full season fishing the last 4hr session catching 2 on what proved to be a challenging day for the other rods.

This coming Saturday 19^th & Sunday 20^th from 10.30am to 2.30pm Ifor will be at the Thornton lodge to discuss our plans for the 2023 season. Day Permit prices, 2023 membership options and our stocking policy. Hot drinks and mince pies provided.

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Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

Week Ending: 13^th November 2022              Rod Av: 3.6   Water Temperature:  11°C

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

A very bracing start to Monday morning with strong southerlies blowing across Draycote Water. Luckily enough The Hensborough Bank and Rainbow Corner are fishing well for those seeking shelter from the wind, whilst other brave souls ventured over to the northern shore to also catch some good fish. In house guide Lee Henfrey and Nigel Keeber had well over 20 fish to the boat during a morning session. Lee and Nigel were using DI7’s and minkie boobies out over the open water and on Musborough Shoal near N buoy. Season permit holders Bob Barfoot and Ian Richardson again had well over 20 fish to the boat on midge tip lines with snakes and cormorants. Bob and Ian concentrated their efforts along the Hensborough Bank and remarked on the quality of the fishing, having netted some fish over 5lbs in weight. Michael Ravenscroft fished the bank from the Swans Nest, netting 7 fish using snakes, the best of which was about 4lbs. Norman Perkins also took to the bank in Rainbow Corner to catch a brace on minkies.

A windy day with heavy showers at various points across the day Tuesday. Draycote member Ray Rowlings landed 4 fish using snakes on a fast glass with a slow roly-poly retrieve. Mark Goodge fished with all water member Phil Mee with he pair landing 5 fish from around the outlet including some cracking fish of 4 & 5lb. Draycote member James Alexander fished at the Hensborough bank from a boat landing 6 fish all on popper fry patterns. Mr A Lafferty & P Edwards also fished in the same area using popper fry and also snakes to land 9 fish including some cracking fish of up to 4lb.

Wednesday saw the wind coming from the Southwest with sunny intervals throughout the day. Draycote member Pete Allen fished in Biggin Bay out the Old Pipe in Biggin Bay to land 3 fish on suspender Minkies. Fishing just up from Pete was Tony Broadway who landed 5 fish. Just line Pete, Tony opted for suspender Minkies fished on a floating line to land his fish. On the boats John Mills fished Mr S Halliday with the pair landing 9 fish using a slow intermediate and a white humungus fished in the top couple of feet at the Hensborough Bank. Draycote member Joh Dickens used Minkies boobies to land 8 fish from the Hensbrough Bank and also Rainbow Corner.

Another gusty day with the win remaining in the same direction Thursday. Bank regulars Mick Cronin and Stan Hillman fished suspender minkies at the Old Pipe in Biggin Bay and the outlet to land 7 fish between them. Another angler who enjoyed good sport on the bank was Alex Thwaites who landed 4 fish with all of his fish being between 3 & 4lb. Draycote member Bob Smith fishing on the boats enjoyed a good day landing 13 fish using white and silver humungus boobies. Fishing around the Outlet and Hensborough Bank commenting on “the lovely fish up to 5lb”. All water member Paul Havard landed 7 fish also commenting on the “lovely fish”. Paul used a mix of flies taking some of suspender minkies, olive barred snakes and also white and silver humungus. Landing his fish from the Outlet and also Musborough Shoal. Dave Kennel used a 12ft fast tip with a sparkler booby on the point with cormorants to land 10 fish. With his best areas being the Outlet, Hensborough Bank and then N Buoy drifting towards Y Buoy. Fishery ranger and guide Lee Henfrey fished with former manager Kevin Hart taking over 20 fish to the boat. They found the best line to be a Di 7 with 2 boobies and searched the water taking them on anything from a 10 second count to a 30 second count with a figure of eight retrieve.

Friday was yet another windy day on Draycote Water. Andrew Tasker Ventured out onto the bank to net 4 fish on snakes and minkies from Rainbow Corner and Biggin Bay. Draycote regular Alan Grant fished a morning session from the bank and netted a brace. Out on the boats Dave Adkins and Richard Hanlon had 14 fish between them using floating lines and popper fry patterns. Dave and Richard concentrated their efforts around the Valve Tower and along the Draycote Dam. Mr J Beecon had 18 fish to the boat using cats whiskers and a large viva. Mr Clive Wilkins had 8 fish to the boat on a DI7 line and white minkie boobies.

A busy day Saturday with a number of boats out taking advantage of the unseasonably mild weather, which provided warm sunny conditions with light winds. Also out on the day we had a number of boats practicing for the 6X4s competition the next day. On the bank also taking advantage of the nice weather, was Alan Smith. Alan used various fry type lures to land 7 fish. Mick Cronin fished from the bank using popper fry to land 6 fish from Tower Bank and the Outlet. Fishing from the Outlet Stan Hillman landed 10 fish using hares ears on a floating line. On the boats Mark Braun landed 23 fish using a grey snake using a Di 7 sinking line around the Valve Tower. Draycote member Ian Reeve enjoyed a good day landing 17 fish, Ian found his fish drifting from the Outlet going across to the Inlet. Using a Di 5 sinking line with a black and green snake booby, including a number of cracking fish up to 4lb. The anglers practicing for the 6X4s also enjoyed a good days practice catching at various point across the lake with the best flies seeming to be popper fry or sparkler boobies.

Once again a busy day Sunday with all the boats taking to the water. With the 6×4 round 5 taking place with 13, 4 man teams competing. The match is fished to international rules, so all the flies must measure 15/16^th of an inch. A slightly issue when the majority of the fish are eating 2-3 inch long fry. However, the anglers got the smaller flies working to great effect with the 52 anglers producing a rod average of 5.3 fish per angler. Speaking to the anglers the fish moved up and down throughout the day with Di 7 & Di 5 lines working as well as slow intermediates and midge tips. The best flies throughout the day being cormorants, sparkler boobies, cat boobies, and small popper fry. Around Y Buoy, N Buoy, K Buoy and Farborough Spit. Draycote member Paul Walley used a natural snake and the Tower Bank and the Overflow to land 7 fish including some cracking fish of 4lb 8oz and 5lbs. Jon Crowley fished for a half day landing 5 fish using a Di 5 sweep and cormorants drifting from B Buoy to the Draycote Dam.

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Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

Week Ending: Sunday 13 Nov 2022       Rod Av: 3.1        Water Temperature: 10c+

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

The week started with a moderate southerly, that brought with it an increase in air temperature & consistent cloud-cover all day; a perfect day for fishing dries one would assume. And so it proved, with All Water Member John Duncan having a very productive day fishing CDC Emergers. John started his drifts from either the line of buoys outside the harbour or Dogwood Bay & drifted into the Middle of the Main Basin. John went on to land 13 fish, all of which came to the Dries which is a great return for the day. The Pike at Eyebrook are really starting to move with double figure fish getting caught daily & fish of 20lb plus are appearing with increased regularity. The Pike in Eyebrook are in fantastic shape, very fit & strong & give an excellent account for themselves on a fly rod.

The inclement weather that was previously forecasted for Tuesday had deterred the boat anglers. Eyebrook member Keith Johnson ventured out of the bank & found success in the southern corner of the Dam. Keith caught 3 fry feeding, resident trout on a white, pearly lure fished on an intermediate line.

Wednesday saw Eyebrook’s fine form continue yielding a rod average for the trout anglers of 4.6 which is excellent for this time of year. Catching on washing lined floaters with small nymphs & Intermediate with Snakes & Minkie Boobies, the most productive area was the main basin, particularly around the Tower & Buoy Line outside of the harbour. All Water Members Clive Moore & Ian Jobe had a very productive day landing 15 fish between them, as to did Eyebrook Members Ian Steele & Bill Law who had 11 to their boat. It has been noticeable of late that the fish have been becoming more & more focussed in on the abundant fry that is occupying the Main Basin. The Pike anglers have also been doing very well with Pike to 20lb coming out on what seems to be a daily basis with plenty of hard fighting, very fit mid-upper doubles. The area of the old stream bed seems to be a key feature when it comes to locating & targeting these fish with anglers working the axis of the stream bed hard.

Thursday brought with it a moderate to strong gusty, southerly wind & plenty of cloud cover. The reservoir continued to fish well for both trout & pike with the trout anglers producing a great rod average for this time of year of 6.7 & the reservoir producing yet another fly caught 20lb+ pike. The Main Basin was the most productive trout area with fish getting caught up in the upper layers on imitative fry patterns & small nymphs; Crunchers & Diawls. All Water Member Paul Walker caught 12 from the area of the Dam & Tower & Dale Birch had a great afternoon session landing 8 from the weedbeds just outside the harbour. The old stream bed remains prominent in locating fish amongst the pike anglers with plenty of fish being found along its course. The many micro features of the reservoirs bed are also proving to be very productive in the search of old Esox Lucius.

Friday despite the wind a good day for the trout anglers who averaged 4 with the anglers fly fishing for the pike reporting fish to 23lb. Noticeably more trout smashing into the fry especially from the tower towards Harrison’s. For the trout some fish still taking cdc patterns during this mild weather although the popper minkie, snakes & fry patterns are starting to take the lion’s share of the catch. Water clarity is excellent you will often find a long leader & single fly will work best this time of year

Saturday and a beautiful autumn day, little wind & sun, it was probably too nice for the fishing with a rod average 2.5 for the day. Members Bob Margery & S Lawrence caught 7 for their mornings visit with Pete Line & B McMullan catching 6 for their visit. Tim & Paul Polito fished CDC & pearly pheasant tail to catch their 11 trout. Most anglers fished the main basin around the valve tower, dam wall towards Harrison. Water clarity is good.

Eyebrook continued to fish well for the Pike on Saturday, with one angler having very much a red-letter day landing 3 fish over 20lbs, which is an excellent return. It surely is only a matter of time before one of Eyebrook big girls makes an appearance. Trout wise, it was a challenging day where getting the right method proved to be critical. Those fishing deeper found fish harder to come by, whereas those fishing higher up had greater success. All Water Member Mark Hunt had another great day on the Dries. Fishing a single size 14 Yellow Owl, Mark caught consistently through the day landing 10 fish from the area of the Main Basin. There are still plenty of fish in the Main Basin but how they can be caught is very much weather dependant. The weather plays an important role in where & how trout can be caught, even more so in winter.  With the right conditions they can still be taken on small dries & if the cloud cover is intermittent or even absent, drop down to an intermediate & fish white fry patterns & you will catch.

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

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:  6^th November   Rod Av: 2.2      Water Temperature: 12c+

Monday water level up a tad following the rain, our water clarity is good with the water temperature not far off 14c. It seems as if we have some fish that have realised its late October & are on the fry whilst others due to the warmer than expected conditions feeding on the hatches of small buzzer. Keith Cowen caught 4 for his visit fishing out in front of the lodge on a cats whisker booby. Andrew Wilson fished an orange booby & cats whisker catching 2 but missing numerous offers.

Tuesday much needed rain, which fell heavier than forecast with all rods off the water at 1.30pm. Top rod was P Wrigley with 3 trout. Wednesday strong wind replaced the rain, with the wind stronger than forecast had the rods off the water by 1.30pm. Barry Deeley was top rod with 4 trout to a black & Green humungus fished on a fast sinker.

Thursday with the reservoir level nearly at the full mark following the rain the clarity of the water remains good.  Lures and fry patterns on sink 5 & sink 7 lines worked best with anglers reporting plenty of taps and follows. K Cowen caught 4 on a cats whisker booby, Greg Weatherdon fished a booby to catch his 4 trout with Ian Leach fishing a fulling mill barred olive snake to catch his 4 trout.

Friday a busy day but a mixed days fishing. Chris Sayer fished a morning session catching 4 on a snake, Carl Bond caught 5 on a montana and small silver muddler with P Hunt fishing a dawson olive to catch his 3 trout.

Saturday few rod out on what turned out to be the best day of the week. Jan Webber caught 7 on DI7 & orange bobby & Fab. Martin Clay & Brian Sibley fished a DI5 with a Cats Whisker to catch their 13 trout.

Sunday with a poor forecast we had a quiet day with member Richard Smith catching 3 before the wind picked up

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Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

Week Ending:  6^th November 2022       Rod Av: 4.4    Water Temperature:  13°C

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

Monday dawned at Draycote Water with good cloud cover and a gusty south westerly wind. The reservoir has given us some top class fishing days lately and Monday was no exception. With the rod average topping out at 7.0, there were some good returns coming from all over the water. During a 5 hour session out on the water in house guide Lee Henfrey and his boat partner put two dozen fish in the boat. The pair fished in Rainbow Corner using fast glass lines and tubes and commented that the whole area was teaming with with good quality “lumps”, the smallest of which was about 3lbs. The boat pairing of Lee Patten and Peter Elliott put nearly 40 fish in the boat using olive snakes fished on intermediate lines. Lee and Peter kept on the move, fishing around the Valve Tower, Lincroft point, The Hensborough Bank and the Farborough Dam. Season permit holders Bob Barfoot and Bob Smith also had a good day out, netting 23 fish between them on snakes, cormorants and minkies again fished on intermediate lines. Jim Hall and Tony Broadway used white mini snakes fished on a DI3 to net 17 fish between them from various areas around the reservoir. In house guide Andy Miller took Mr Tim Gameson out for a 2 hour experience session and concentrated his efforts around Y buoy. The pair caught 3 fish on minkie boobies fished on DI3 lines.

Due to the adverse weather conditions Tuesday was a very quiet day here at Draycote. The strong south westerlies meant that the anglers all took to fishing in the lee of the wind along the Hensborough Bank and up in Rainbow Corner. Both boat and bank anglers all caught good numbers of fish as it has been fishing well in this area for the past few weeks. Season permit holder Ken Key caught half a dozen from the bank using cats whiskers and floating fry patterns. Mr Alan Topping, who also fished from the bank netted a brace in much the same way. Draycote regular Mr Derek Brooks had 5 fish from the bank, all on white popper minkies. Ian Morris ventured out in a boat to net 7 fish on floating fry patterns and snakes from Rainbow Corner. Alan Johnson using similar patterns to net 4 fish from the same area. Neil Berry and Nick Whatton had 5 fish between them using fry patterns along the Hensborough Bank and up past the Overflow.

With the wind speed being above our limit of 25mph, there were no boats out on Draycote on Wednesday. The strong south westerlies Alan Smith found the best area to be Rainbow Corner with the wind coming over his back landing 4 fish on a Humungus. Fishing for the last four hours Will Hunt land a brace opting to fish at the Swan’s Nest using a black and gold Humungus.

A wet start Thursday which soon cleared leaving overcast skies with the sun making an appearance later in the day with he winds from the Southwest. On the bank Stan Hillman had “super fishing” landing 9 fish all between 3lb 8oz and 4lb 8oz fishing at the outlet on suspender Minkies. Fishing along side Stan on the bank was Mick Cronin who landed 8 fish. On the boats Graham England and Andy Lillie landed 14 fish using Minkies. Saying that they caught all over the lake but it needed to be tight into the weed or the margins. All water member Peter Harris fished around E Buoy using snakes to land 8 fish. With Draycote member John Dickens also fishing in the same area to land 15 fish. Also landing 15 fish was Ed Douglas who fished various marks across the lake using a 12ft midge tip with snakes and humungus.

The winds swung to the North west Friday with bright skies and a chill in the air. Fishing from the Tower Bank season ticker holder Peter Allen landed 3 fish on floating fry patterns with Tony Broadway landing 4. Brian Joseph also fished at the tower bank landing 3 cracking fish using a brown minkie on a floating line. Mark Diamond fished from Lincroft point on the bank to land 9 fish using a minkie. On the boats Dave Kennell landed 9 fish using a 12ft fast tip and a sparkler booby. Draycote season ticket holder Bob Barfoot & Bob Smith landed 11 fish to the boat using various mini snakes and cormorants. Taking their fish from Rainbow Corner, Biggin Bay, X Buoy and the Farborough Dam. Ian Reeve fishing with Colin Granger used a barred olive snake booby on a fast glass catching “all over” to boat 13 fish. Ed Douglas once again took the water using snakes and humungus on a 12ft midge tip to land 19 fish. Fishing near E Buoy, Lorenzo Serrano landed 14 fish on snakes fished on a Di 3 sinking line.

Quite a blustery day Saturday from the South which later swung slightly more to the Southwest. On the boats Mr G Bridge landed 8 fish on snakes with an orange blob on the dropper. John Brown and Andy Campbell made the trip down from the Northeast hoping for a good days sport and that is what they got landing 34 fish. The pair used snakes, cormorants and popper fry to land their fish. With the best areas being Farborough Dam, J & T Buoy then drifting off the Hensborough Bank towards M Buoy. Ewan Clark on his first ever trip to Draycote enjoyed a great day landing 19 fish. Using olive or black snakes and large silver and white humungus on a fast intermediate landing fish from various marks across the reservoir.

A dry windy start to Sunday which lead into some heavy showers through the afternoon. The reservoir fished pretty well overall for those who stayed out through the rain. Jon Crowley made good use of the morning with a dozen fish to the boat on popper fry and minkies fished on floating and intermediate lines. Jon fished around the Valve Tower and along the Draycote Dam where he said the fish were holding in good numbers. Richard Walker had 4 fish for the morning on a DI6 and black snakes in Rainbow Corner and along the Flat Stones. Debbie and Sean Gilbert concentrated their efforts in Dunns Bay, netting 4 fish using black snakes fished on intermediate lines. Tim Burn and Paul Mitchell had 11 fish to the boat between them from quite a few different areas around the reservoir.

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Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

Week Ending: Sunday 06 Nov 2022       Rod Av: 1.4        Water Temperature: 10-11°

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

Monday bought with it some favourable conditions, good cloud cover & a moderate south westerly breeze. Only a few boats ventured out & found the fish in the Main Basin somewhat finicky. There were a few fish caught on the Dries but there was a lot more opportunities missed. There were also a few pike anglers venturing out who were rewarded with fish went into double figures. They also reported that the bigger fish are starting to be more active, following flies with some intent but not quite committing.

There was a strong & blustery southerly wind on Tuesday which made fishing somewhat challenging. A few boats ventured out with all the anglers catching. Max Woolnough had the most productive day, landing 5 fish on a variety of methods from the area of the main basin. He caught on a White Snake & when fish started to move. he caught on the Dries. This demonstrates the importance of fishing what is in front of you & being flexible in your approach; changing when the situation dictates. This can often make all the difference when it comes to catching consistently.

Due to excessive wind expected, all boats were cancelled on Wednesday.

Thursday started with a flat calm which built to a gentle southerly as the day progressed. The Main Basin is still holding plenty of fish & these could be seen moving in large pods throughout the day. These fish proved once again to be tricky to catch. All Water Member John Duncan & his boat partner Rich Beddar had a productive day, landing 7 fish between them from the area of the Main Basin. They fished a variety of methods to find one that would work for the fish in front of them, which is an excellent approach for this time of year. It is so important to maintain a flexible approach & sometimes it will pay dividends if you change or tweak a method to ensure you continue to catch. A method that works in one part of reservoir may not work in another & if you add in variables such as the weather, it becomes even more important to ring the changes to find what is working in the area you are fishing. Those who have ventured out in search of the Pike have been rewarded with some good hard fighting fish well above 20lb.  As the cooler weather continues, as we advance further into November, Eyebrook’s renowned, bigger specimens will undoubtably begin to feed in earnest & become more active.

Friday & a more difficult day compared to Thursday, with few fish moving unlike the day before. Eyebrook member Keith Johnson was one of the few anglers who caught catching 4 on an olive minkie in Dogwood Bay.

Saturday and our rollercoaster of a fishing week continues with Saturday producing a rod average 4.2. Neil Shilton fished from his float tube catching 7 trout on white fry patterns, Eyebrook members Steve Lawrence & Bob Margery fished a morning boat catching 13 on snakes & buzzers. Mick Glover took his boat to the other side of the island catching a fish that on spooning, had been feeding on damsel nymphs.

There were a few fish caught on Sunday, with All Water Member Mark Hunt have a productive day fishing his single CDC’s to great effect. Mark landed 7 fish, all on Dries which is a great effort given the time of year & weather conditions. Elsewhere, Eyebrook Member Dave Etty ventured out to target the Fry Feeders. Concentrating his efforts around the weed beds, Dave fished a Popper Minkie & was able to land 2 fish & he also lost a couple too.

With the cooler weather looking set to continue & the water temperature continuing to drop, the fish will start to drop down the water column & sit slightly deeper to what they have been. If the conditions are right, fish will still get caught off the surface, but the angler’s approach will have to be scaled down for them to be successful. The most productive method over this week has appeared to be fry patterns fished on Intermediate & slow sinking lines. The cooler water temperatures have also triggered the Pike into action with some good sized fished being caught this past week & that will continue as we advance further into November.

Eyebrook Open Day this Saturday 12^th & Sunday 13^th from 10.30am to 2.30pm

An opportunity to discuss with Ifor our membership and day permit options for 2023 and our planned stocking. Hot drinks and mince pies provided.

Draycote – Eyebrook – Thornton

Meet Ifor & the fishery staff.

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

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

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

The first open weekend will be at Draycote

Draycote Lodge.

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

Fishery Staff attending Ifor, Tom & Alan

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Eyebrook Lodge

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

Fishery Staff attending Ifor & Lloyd

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Thornton Lodge

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

Fishery Staff attending Ifor

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

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

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

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

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

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

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Fur & Feather Sunday 23^rd Oct :

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

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

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

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

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

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

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

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

Wednesday the wind blew, no boats were allowed out.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A busy day Sunday with a number of anglers fishing ahead of the Troutmasters on the Monday and a number of anglers taking advantage of the mild weather. Jon Crowley fished for a morning from the boats landing 6 fish on olive and black snakes drifting from Y Buoy over to the North Shore. Brian Cantle used pink or white snakes from the boats to land 10 fish with M Buoy an C Buoy his best areas. Draycote member Richard Walker landed 7 fish with 5 of them falling to a white muddler in the surface while the rest came to a black and green snake on Sink 6 line. David Hoppe practicing for the Troutmasters fished with Draycote member Peter Elliot with he pair landing 23 fish to the boat. Lea Tones out with Steve Farmer landed 15 fish to the boat using olive snakes, minkies and various boobies on any line from a slow intermediate to a Di 3 sinker.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Saturday was bright and sunny for most of the time with a light north westerly breeze. With the fall in water temperatures there has been a definite improvement in bank fishing, with catches coming mainly from the Tower Bank and the Swans Nest. Mike Garner used a floating fry pattern to net his fish from the area near the outlet. Stan Hillman and Mick Cronin both used minkies and floating fry patterns to net half a dozen from weed beds along the Tower Bank.

Draycote hosted the Airflo Open Shield yesterday with 12 teams taking part, totalling 72 anglers. There were 496 fish caught in the competition, giving a rod average of 6.9. In third place were the Welsh Wizards with 53 fish for a bag weight of 100lbs 12oz. Second place was taken by the Alba Cats with 56 fish weighing in at 115lbs 1oz, and the winners were the Reservoir Dogs with 61 fish, and a bag weight of 118lbs 15oz. Well done to all those who took part. The main methods used were cormorants on a midge tip line, shuttlecocks,  and a washing line with FAB’s and cormorants.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

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

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

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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