Fishery News
Week ending 29 June 2008
· Richard pips brother Tom to lead the league at Rutland Water
Richard Cooper of Empingham leads brother Tom in Tuesday Night Boat League. 15 Anglers take 58 fish in less than four hours
· Team ACA Rio Masters triumphs at Grafham Water
Fabulous match average of 5.2 for angers in AWFMI Midlands heat
· Bank anglers bag limits galore at Pitsford Water
Superb evening sport with trout in excellent condition
· National fishing week
To celebrate National Fishing Week Anglian Water is offering free 45 minute fly fishing tuition for beginners. Please call lodges to check for availability, pre booking is essential.
Pitsford Water 01604 781350
21,22 & 23 July
Grafham Water 01480 810531
22,23,24 & 25 July
Rutland Water 01780 686441
22,23,24 & 25 July
Rutland Water
fish week 736 (season 19,217) returns 322 (5,440) rod average 2.28(3.53)
Variable weather conditions have influenced sport with light winds on Monday and fish rising in most areas in the evening giving way to strong south west/ westerlies throughout the rest of the week. Boat anglers fared best out in front of the fishing lodge right down towards the dam. Rudder anglers enjoyed the best sport on Wednesday and Thursday while Saturday saw loch styling with broadside drifting boats having some great sport with traditional wet flies and mini lures. Season ticket holders John Batter from Hemingford Grey and Gordon Alleyne of Wansford had 19 fish on catch and release using these tactics, with lots of action in the main basin. The best fishing for bank anglers was along the Normanton bank with some quality rainbows up to 4½lb being taken on dry fly and the washing line method (dry fly boobies, and nymph combinations). Fish are feeding well on pin fry, sedge and caenis with some of this year’s fry already 1¼ inches long. Rather than fishing the bottom of both arms boat anglers are having the best sport in the main basin with plenty of fish coming to varied methods.
Competition News
Tuesday Night Boat League week 7
58 fish were caught in less than four hours! The boat league had an eventful evening with 15 anglers netting 58 fish. Top rod was Empingham’s Richard Cooper who now leads the league following this week’s match. The Cooper family is doing very well with Richard’s brother Tom taking second place this week. The pair are now first and second in the overall league. Hilary Tomlinson took third place in this week’s match. Hilary had just come from fishing for England Ladies at the Lake of Mentieth in Scotland where she won both team silver and second individual overall with 18 fish.
1st Richard Cooper 8 fish for 19lb 6oz
2nd Tom Cooper 8 fish for 18lb ¼oz
3rd Hilary Tomlinson 6 fish for 14lb 3oz
League table following week 7
1st Richard Cooper 30 points
2nd Tom Cooper 28 points
3rd Keith Jones 25 points
4th Chris Evans 24 points
5th Gary Cooper 21 points
6th Paul Wild & Leon Smith 15 points
AMFC 3 Sunday 29 June
1st Invicta A 76lb ½oz
2nd RM/Navy 67lb 2½oz
3rd Army 39lb 4oz
4th Crawley 30lb 8oz
5th Invicta B 26lb 7oz
Baz Reece had the best bag with 8 fish for 21lb 3¾oz. John Mees, Anglian Water’s senior warden at Grafham Water, took the best rainbow at 4lb 3¼oz.
Best methods bank – floating line with nymphs, hares ear, diawl bach, pheasant tail and dries, c.d.c, Bob’s bits (various)
boats – as for bank but include boobies, blobs, gold/silver sparklers.
Best rainbow 4lb 8oz taken by Jamie Weston
Best boat areas The main basin, fishing lodge frontage to Normanton Church
Best bank areas Normanton church to the dam, the dam, Finches, sailing club, New Zealand point
Mid week boat winner John Gibson of Harby, Melton Mowbray
Fish stocked 5,500
Forthcoming events Anglers are reminded that catch and release is not permitted at Rutland during July to 22 August
Please check for boat availability
Tuesday evening boat league Book in from 5.15pm
Scierra Pairs 5 July
EDFF fishery Rule competition 9 July
Anglian Water Over 50’s match 12 July
Anglian Water Fulling Mill Northern Final 21 July 50 boats booked
Anglian Water Loch Style 4 man team 20 August
Anglian Water Fulling Mill International Northern final 21 July
beginners courses 5,13,20 & 30 July and other dates throughout the season
Grafham Water
fish week1,000 (season 11,333) returns 237 (3,126) rod average 4.21(3.62)
Grafham Water is back in top form for both bank and boat anglers. The majority of trout being caught are being taken in the top 3-4 feet of the surface on small nymphs or small lures. Most trout taken have been feeding on pin fry from around the margins and the central areas of the reservoir. The best bank areas have been Gaynes Cove, south dam and the sludge bank with anglers catching trout on small lures and nymphs (sparklers, boobies, appetisers and diawl bachs). Boat anglers have had some superb fishing this week with many anglers reporting that they have been casting at rising fish all day long from a number of different areas around the reservoir, particularly, Rectory Bay, G,I,N,Q and A buoys, Sludge bank and Valley Creek. As with the bank anglers small lures or nymphs have been catching good bags of trout.
Competition news
Highlight of the week at Grafham Water was the Midland heat of the Anglian Water Fulling Mill International. Ten teams competed for five places in the Midlands final on 28 July. Team ACA Rio Masters put in a tremendous performance for a convincing win. Team members Graham Pearson, Rob Edmunds, Ron Gent, Lee Henfrey, Rob Sosbe and Mark Haycock fished medium fast sinking lines with pink, sparkler and orange boobies taking 43 fish for 111lb 7oz (including time bonuses). Having practised the previous day most of the team chose the drift between K and G buoys with five of the team bagging their 8 fish before 4pm.
In second place the Welsh Cwmbran Drifters caught 35 fish for 94lb 3oz. The Kent & Sussex Fly Fishers fished nymphs to catch their 38 fish for 85lb 12oz and land third spot. The Cormorants Fly Fishers took fourth place with 36 fish for 81lb 11oz with Mid Northants Team Loop UK taking the fifth and last place in the Midlands Final with 33 fish for 78lb 6oz. The biggest fish was caught by Andrew Banner from Cwmbran Fly Fishers a cracking rainbow of 5lb 4oz. The best bag – a splendid catch of 26lb 13oz (including time bonus) went to Rob Sosbe fishing for Team ACA Rio Masters. A creditable 307 fish were caught totalling 742lb 15oz with an average weight of 2lb 6½ oz per fish and an average bag weight of 12lb 6oz all in all giving a fabulous rod average of 5.2.
1st ACA Rio Masters 43 fish for 111lb 7oz
2nd Cwmbran Drifters 35 fish for 94lb 3oz
3rd Kent & Sussex Fly Fishers 38 fish for 85lb 12oz
4th Cormorants Fly Fishers 36 fish for 81lb 11oz
5th Mid Northants Team Loop UK 33 fish for 78lb 6oz
Invicta Tuesday Night Boat League
1st Ryan Worker 8 fish
2nd Mark Bowes 5 fish
3rd Steve Partridge and Gary Howel 4 fish
Best rainbow Andrew Banner 5lb 4oz
Best boat areas G,I.A,Q and N buoys, central drifts, sludge bank
Best bank areas Gaynes Cove
Mid Week boat winner Alan Prevost from Over
Fish stocked 2,000
Forthcoming events English Youth National 5 July
Floating Line Sunday 6 July
beginners courses 6,20 & 25 July and other dates throughout the season
Tuesday Evening Boat League
Pitsford Water
fish week 848 (season 9,111) returns 226 (2,911) rod average 3.7(3.1)
Last Saturday Pitsford Water hosted a league match for the British Float Tubing Association. All boats were confined to the big half and float tubes were allowed in the Small Half only. 11 Float tubers from all over the country fished. Andre Russell from Leicester had the best bag with 8 fish for 15lb 15oz. Organiser Russ Whitmore took second place with 15lb 10oz. Anglers caught on green diawl bach and damsel flies with floating lines off the May Tree bank in the small half. On Sunday Pitsford Water hosted the Hucknall and Limby Fly Fishers annual club match. 14 anglers fished and Neil Deakin from Sutton in Ashfield was top bag catching 8 fish for 19lb 4oz. John Littler took best fish - a rainbow of 5lb 3oz. With the continued high water levels bank sport is outstanding. Anglers have been taking limits in short periods from 8pm onwards. There have been some good sedge hatches, luring the fish in closer to the bank. Top spots are the Pines, Rigbys Point, the Gravels and Sermans and the Gorse. The water at Pitsford is superb quality and the trout are in the best condition.
Russ Whitmore enjoying a float tubing session at Pitsford Water. The British Float Tubing Association held a league match at Pitsford Water last Saturday. Russ, who organised the event, was placed second with a bag of 15lb 10oz.
Last Tuesday was the second boat session for Boat Buddies. This is a new scheme pairing inexperienced boat anglers with experienced locals. The aim is for the less experienced to gain confidence to boat fish in the future. Nathan Clayton who organised the session said “Five pairs went out on the water and everyone came back with a big grin on their faces and a trout or two. My thanks go to Ray Buckland, Jonathan Cowling, Mike Philpott, John French and Mark Fountain for their help on the evening.” One more session is planned for the 15 July. Contact the lodge to book a place, numbers are restricted and places are offered to first time boat anglers.
Pike fishing
Anglers can boat fish for pike with lures over 18cm only at Pitsford Water alternate weeks Monday to Friday. Weeks commencing 30 June; 14 & 28 July; 11 & 25 August; 8 & 25 September. Call the lodge on 01604 781350 for details.
Best methods Floating lines, buzzers and diawl bachs or damsels
Best rainbow 5lb 4oz taken by R Tebbutt of Rushden
Best boat areas Dam, Pines
Best bank areas Pines, Rigbys Point
Mid week boat winner Philip Ringer of Brixworth
Fish stocked 1,250
Forthcoming events Boat fishing for pike at Pitsford Water alternate weeks Monday to Friday commencing 30 June; 14 & 28 July; 11 & 25 August; 8 & 25 September
beginners courses alternate Saturdays from 25 May until the first week of November.
Ravensthorpe Reservoir
fish week 267 (season 8,617) returns 78 (1,468) rod average 3.4 (5.8)
Best methods Dries and small damsel nymphs are taking most fish this week. Bank anglers are doing best on platforms with damsel nymphs fished on the surface. Boat anglers are faring best by drifting with dries or emerger patterns
Best rainbow 4lb 12oz taken by T Collins of Rugby on a damsel nymph
Best boat areas Drifts off Ravensthorpe bank
Best bank areas Platforms on Ravensthorpe bank
Mid week boat winner T Hemmings of Towcester