Rutland Water
A wonderful week at Rutland Water with fish caught in many areas with some very exceptional catches. Mansfield anglers Andy Mosely and John Battison had 16 Rainbows to their boat. The pair drifted off the Normanton shoreline near the lodge with Shipmans and nymphs cast to rising fish in very light wind conditions.
Keith Jones and Cameron Neil reported 40 plus fish on Saturday with Browns to an estimated 5lb returned along with Rainbows up to 3lb plus. Saturday was also a great day for father and son Gary and Richard Cooper. Richard caught an estimated 30 plus fish on a mixture of fry patterns and nymphs working well.
Bank anglers are finding fish off the Normanton shoreline but the Peninsula at the moment is producing more fish with a good number found moving very close into the shoreline, feeding on snails, corixa and shrimp. Lines angler Rob Holloway had five Rainbows and four Browns off the fishing lodge frontage, all on minkies.
On Sunday local anglers Toff Crowther and Graham Hayward reaped the rewards of the current fishing with an estimated 25 fish to the boat. They then enjoyed an impromptu half hour on the Harbour Wall with another four fish, including a Brown estimated at 6lb for Graham.
Middlesbrough is a fair trek from Rutland but Paul Runec and Ben Race made the journey worthwhile taking around 25 fish including a personal best Brown (safely returned) for Ben estimated at 5lb.
Bank angler Dan Pitcher had a good day on Sunday with three Browns the best around 5lb and a quality Rainbow that went 5½lb.
Please remember that during the winter we only have 15 boats available each day and demand is very high with predator and trout anglers enjoying really good sport. Please phone the lodge to book in advance to avoid disappointment.
Predator sport
Very good at the moment with above average size Zander now being caught between 6-8lb. Andy Lush of the Friendly Fisherman fished with good friend James Gardener. The pair netted 78 Zander for the day last Thursday, their best fish went to around 7lb.
Winter sale
Don’t miss our fantastic Winter Sale at Rutland and Grafham Tackle shops. The sale includes selected rods, reels, fly lines, waders and boots all reduced to clear – items up to 50% off, subject to availability.
We also have reductions of up to 40% on Predator tackle.
Something special for our season ticket holders
All season ticket holders will get double discount on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day in Rutland and Grafham fishing lodges 20% instead of the usual 10% on all tackle purchases. Items already in the winter sale are excluded.
Trout and Predator fishing at Rutland continues to 31 January 2017
Grafham Water
Angling has been good at Grafham this week from both the bank and the boats. The rod average is a respectable 3.5.
Boat sport has picked up with many anglers recording 3lb plus fish. The North shore is the best place to be for boats with intermediate lines and white or black and green lures being the most popular. However, the fish are still very high up in the water and are certainly after a chase. In addition to the North shore good areas include off the Seat, outside the Sailing Club and just outside the Harbour.
Bank fishing is becoming tougher, due to the low level of the reservoir and to the shrimp being less active. So areas like the Harbour or Dam are proving popular with anglers looking for deeper water. Perry Point is still producing fish along with the Seat and Plummers, however the Dam and the North shore are probably the better places to start. Mr Archer has managed a very good bag from Pylon Point recently, landing 10 fish, some great angling as conditions begin to get tough.
There have been lots of reports of trout caught on dead baits recently. To help protect them we request anglers increase their dead bait size when finding this a common occurrence.
Just a little reminder that the tackle shop is now closed on Mondays and Tuesdays – permits can be purchased from the Harbour View Café adjacent to the Fishing Lodge.
Trout and Predator fishing at Grafham continue to 31 January 2017.
Review of the year
Grafham Ranger, Gareth James, compiles Grafham’s report every week. Gareth says “As the end of the calendar year draws to a close at Grafham Water we’d like to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. In many ways it’s been a year of change for Grafham Water, with new staff, facilities and processes so we would like to extend our thanks to all our customers for their patient and helpful attitudes.”
“Grafham has had a wonderful year with many specimen fish and some weird and wonderful captures, with still a month to go! The trout angling from boat and bank has been fantastic in the second half of the season with many anglers enjoying the famously hard fighting fish in numbers. Anglers fishing on the fly have managed to produce Rainbow trout to the 6lb 12oz mark so far, with Brownies to 7lb too which are fantastic reservoir specimens. Although recent captures by predator anglers have shown that Brownies to double figures are also possible and most recently a 12lb plus Rainbow came to a dead bait on the dam tower. The fly of the year is undoubtedly the Gold Ribbed Hares Ear with many anglers arguing it’s better than the shrimp imitation patterns. The GRHE works best on Grafham when fished amongst the marginal rocks and substrate, or around structures and weed beds.
As mentioned previously we have had some surprising captures from our predator anglers, though unsurprisingly we have also managed some specimen predatory fish. Most notable of these was the 19lb Zander landed in early November. The warrior of a fish succumbed to a mackerel, fished just outside Sanctuary Bay. Other notable catches included the two Pike caught weighing in at over 29lb and some big Perch that have often broken the 4lb mark. The future is bright for predator angling at Grafham. We saw a fantastic start, though as the season progressed angling pressure has had some effect. We suggest trying different styles, lure and bait, to increase your chances of landing a specimen predator.
The resident Grafham Koi Carp have also been causing quite a stir amongst the angling community. These have shown themselves on a number of occasions, most recently a Koi estimated at over 20lb was landed off the bank on shrimp patterns. Not forgetting the 8lb fish that came to a humungous earlier on in the season. We have a number of these colourful beasts swimming around so keep your eyes peeled. Other specimen fish landed include double figure bream, large Roach Bream hybrids up to 8lb and Roach over 2lb.
Some anglers may have noticed the bank side habitat and access improvement works that have been on going since the summer. We are aiming to improve the fly life on the reservoir, swim access for anglers and the terrestrial animal habitat across the site. This will be with the assistance of volunteers on a new programme we will be starting in the New Year. We hope to be able to maintain the site to a higher level with the help of volunteers, aiming to vastly improve the site cleanliness and accessibility.
With only one month left before the end of the current season we would like to wish you luck and tight lines. There is still some fantastic fishing to be had, especially on those days you would rather stay in bed! We hope to see you over the holiday period, though if not, we look forward to seeing you in the new year. On behalf of everyone at Grafham Water, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”
Something special for our season ticket holders
All season ticket holders will get double discount on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day in Rutland and Grafham fishing lodges 20% instead of the usual 10% on all tackle purchases. Items already in the winter sale are excluded.
Winter sale
Don’t miss our fantastic Winter Sale at Grafham and Rutland Tackle shops. The sale includes selected rods, reels, fly lines, waders and boots all reduced to clear – items up to 50% off, subject to availability.
We also have reductions of up to 40% on Predator tackle.
