Latest News and Information from
Week ending 12 July 2015
• It’s a fair cop – police match anglers net Rutland’s best fish of the week
4lb 10½oz Rainbow for Stuart Hills
4lb 8oz Brown for Dougie Valentine
• Deal of the month
Hardy Ultralite DD
4000/5000/6000/7000
RRP £229 – £249
Anglian Water price just £114.50
Available from our tackle shops
www.anglianwater.co.uk/leisure
Rutland Water 01780 686441; Grafham Water 01480 810531;
Pitsford, Ravensthorpe & Hollowell 01604 781350,
Taverham Mills Fishery 01603 861014; Alton Water 01473 589105
Recreation Dept Anglian Water 01572 653021
Rutland Water
Fish week 1,153 (Season 15,690) Returns 285 (4,258) Rod average 4.04(3.68)
Rutland Water was in excellent form last week with an overall rod average of 4.04 which is excellent for the time of year. There were days when good numbers of fish were moving in many areas of the reservoir. Anglers were treated to good quality rainbows in the 3-5lb range with some good Browns also showing. Most fish fell to nymphs and dries with fish feeding hard on pin fry, damsels and corixa.
Robbie Winram, a familiar face behind the counter at Rutland tackle shop, fished last Thursday and came across good numbers of fish down the North Arm. Robbie chose to fish tight into the bank with dries and nymphs held up with a small booby on the point. He took Rainbows estimated up to 4½lb and a Brown around 3½lb.
England Youth team members Graham Haywood of Empingham, and Toff Crowther of Oakham, gave dry fly an outing. The pair came in contact with a number of fish using this method with the best being a 5lb Rainbow.
Season ticket holder and local guide Al Owen, fished with Martin Rowson and had a day to remember last Saturday with an excellent haul of Rainbows up to 4lb 6oz from the deeper waters of the North Arm. The pair used tube flies on sinking lines and remarked that although they were over deep water the fish were found to have been eating good numbers of this year’s pin fry.
Other anglers who reported notable fish were Stuart Hills and Dougie Valentine who managed a 4lb 10oz Rainbow and a 4lb 8oz Brown respectively whilst fishing in the Police South East region competition last Thursday.
Competition news
Tuesday Night Boat League
Week 7 of the league
Richard Cooper won week seven on a very blustery evening with a strong westerly that prevailed until the last part of the evening. Eleven anglers managed 31 fish with the aerators and the fishing lodge frontage the best spots. Most anglers pulled lures with numbers of fish following and showing despite the conditions.
1st Richard Cooper 7 fish for 15lb 6¼oz
2nd Chris Evans 7 fish for 14lb 5 ¼oz
3rd Keith Jones 6 fish for 11lb 4¼oz
We are just past the half way point in this year’s league and the title is still wide open. Keith Jones holds top spot with 37 points, with Richard Cooper only one point behind on 36, Graham Hayward is third with 32 points and Chris Evans is in fourth with 27 points.
Rutland Water Continued
The league continues to mid August and is open to everyone and there’s no obligation to fish every Tuesday. For most anglers it’s an enjoyable short evening get together with friendly banter and the option to buy a fish and chip supper, with a customary complimentary drink available courtesy of Anglian Water.
Prospects look very good, with more overcast conditions forecast this week. Bigger fish are starting to show, including numbers of surface feeders eating damsels, corixa and this year’s fry. The fishing lodge harbour has seen good numbers of this year’s perch fry move in, a good few of these are already 1- 1½ to 2 inches in length so it won’t be long before it will be worth giving small floating fry patterns an outing.
Top patterns at the moment are various dries/emergers, diawl bach, crunchers and hares ear, damsel nymph, for deep water work tube flies and snakes have caught a few fish.
Best methods Bank – floating line nymphs/dries.
Boat – as for bank and include various sinking lines with small lures/snakes/tube fly.
Best Rainbow 4lb 10½oz taken by Stuart Hills.
Best Brown 4lb 8oz taken by Dougie Valentine.
Best bank areas Normanton, Sailing Club to New Zealand Point, Old Hall.
Best boat areas The main basin, fishing lodge frontage, bottom of both arms, around the shallows.
Mid week boat winner A Spittlehouse of Doncaster.
Forthcoming events
Beginners courses 26 July; 1,13 & 16 August;5,13 & 27 September; 4,10,24 & 31 October.
Tuesday Night boat league commenced 12 May
Anglian Water Over 50’s Match 1 August
Anglian Water Rudder Match 8 August
Anglian Water Loch Style 4 Man team 12 August
Scierra Pairs Final 5-6 September
WaterAid 18 September
Anglian Water Rudder match 19 September
AWAI Final 5-7 October
Anglian Water Pairs non rudder & rudder 10 October
Fry Feeders Match 18 October
Grafham Water
Fish week 461 (season 13,226) Returns 148(3,117) Rod average 3.11 (4.24)
Grafham Water has continued to fish well for both bank and boat anglers. The best fish of the week was a 5lb 3oz Rainbow taken by Alan Prevost whilst fishing for Invicta in a friendly match against GWFFA.
Boat anglers have enjoyed good sport from a number of areas around the reservoir – particularly the Willows, Hedge End, Deep Water Point, Boils, Dam Valley Creek and A and G Buoys. Boat anglers have had the best results from fishing Di3 lines with f.a.b’s, tequila blob booby, GRHE and diawl bachs, or floating lines with GRHE, cormorants, diawl bachs and damsel nymphs.
The best bank fishing has been on the Dam and Plummer Bank, with floating lines with GRHE, diawl bachs, shrimp patterns and damsel nymphs getting the best results.
Invicta versus GWFFA 5 July
This friendly match was fished from 9am to 6pm with an hour break for a barbecue lunch at the fishing lodge. 32 anglers fished the event with the top six boat pairings from each team contributing to the final result.
Invicta won the match with 110lb 14oz with GWFFA weighing in 46lb 0oz. Top individual was Yvonne Webb from GWFFA. Yvonne caught 8 trout for 19lb 4oz by fishing a slow glass line with a black booby at the Willows. The best fish was taken by Alan Prevost from Invicta – a cracking Rainbow of 5lb 3oz taken at the South Dam on a floating line with a diawl bach booby.
Invicta Tuesday Night Summer Fishing Club
Ten anglers fished this week with top spot going to Chris McLeod who caught six fish. Second place went to David Moore who caught three fish. Both anglers fished floating lines with GRHE, 100 yards down wind off the Boils.
Best Rainbow 5lb 3oz taken by Alan Prevost of Over.
Best boat areas Dam, Hedge End, Deep Water Point, Valley Creek, Willows, A and G Buoys, Boils.
Best bank areas Dam, Gaynes Cove.
Best methods See report.
Mid Week Boat Winner Mark Birch of Little Staughton.
Fish stocked 1,250.
Notice to all anglers
There are restrictions around the dam tower. These are marked by buoys. Please do not fish or anchor beyond the buoys. There are underwater pipes and equipment which need to be protected.
Forthcoming events
Grafham Water Summer Fishing Club every Tuesday to 1 August.
Beginners courses 17,19 and 23 July; 2,9 and 23 August; 6,16, 20 (Pike) & 25 September; 3 & 18 October.
AWAI Midland Final 20 July
Sierra Pairs 2 August
Lexus European Individual Final 12 & 13 September
Troutmasters Final (fishing closed to non competitors) 21 September
Bob Church Classic 27 September
Anglian Water Rudder Match 3 October
Fry Feeder Match 17 October
Pitsford Water
Fish week 223 (season 7,836) Returns 87 (1,634) Rod average 2.7 (4.8)
With changeable weather conditions fishing has proved challenging. Fish are still in the margins preoccupied on damsels but have been harder to tempt. However, the fish that are coming out are in fantastic condition.
Bob Aves caught and released a superb Rainbow this week, estimated around 8lb. Bob fished a floating line and diawl bach. Mr D Finch-Noyes had two Rainbows of 4lb 8oz and 3lb 4oz. Season ticket holder Mr Hickman had a Rainbow of 5lb 2oz.
Season ticket holder Nick Nicholson of Haselbech, Northampton, took a lovely full finned Rainbow of 4lb 6oz, fishing from the bank on Sermans.
Competition News
Pitsford hosted the AMFC Group 3 match with 35 anglers taking part. Conditions were not ideal with bright conditions and temperatures around 25 Celsius. The top team on the day was the Greylags with 24 fish for 50lb 13oz. Second place went to Mid Northants TFA with 16 fish for 30lb 4oz. Top rod, and the only angler to catch his limit, was Al Grice-Jackson with 8 fish for 17lb 6oz. The best fish was a lovely Brown trout of 4lb 11oz taken by David Moore of Invicta B.
Best methods are floating or midge tip lines and teams of nymphs, diawl bachs and crunchers. Most areas of the water are producing with fish clearly visible feeding in the margins.
Best Rainbow 8lb (estimated).
Best Brown 4lb 11oz taken by David Moore.
Best boat areas Sailing Club Bank, Brixworth Bay, Bog Bay, Stone Barn Bay.
Best bank areas Northfields Shore, Stone Barn Point, Gravels, Rigby’s Point, Sailing Club Bank, Duffers Reach.
Best methods See report.
Mid week boat winner Mr A Bourne of Newport Pagnell.
Fish stocked 1,000.
Forthcoming events
Pitsford Summer Fishing Club
Join us at our weekly fly fishing club for an evening of boat fishing from 5.30pm until dusk every Tuesday evening until 11 August.
All anglers are extremely welcome, especially beginners.
Beginners courses 18,25 & 31 July; 8 & 22 August; 4,9,19 & 26 September; 11,17 & 25 October.
Second Saturday of each month Pitsford will be offering fly tying tuition, casting coaching and general fishing advice. Call the fishing lodge on 01604 781350 for more information.
Anglian Water Rudder match 22 August
Ravensthorpe Reservoir
Fish week 193(Season 9,793) Returns 39 (2232) Rod average 4.9 (4.3)
A mixed week of sport at Ravensthorpe . Some days the fish have been difficult to tempt, but on cloudy, overcast days the fish have been up in the water and fantastic sport has been had.
Darren Lee had a fantastic afternoon from his float tube on Thursday taking over 30 fish on crunchers.
Mark Draper enjoyed a good afternoon on Saturday, taking 16 fish drifting across the main bowl using small damsels.
The best methods have been floating line, crunchers or diawl bachs fished washing line style, damsels or small nymphs or dries like foam daddies, hoppers or cdc’s. The dam is still fishing well from the bank using the same methods.
During last week’s Thursday Night fishing club Mick Griffin’s winning run was brought to an end when he was outfished by regular John Smith. John took six fish using diawl bachs on a washing line fished in the Boils.
Don’t miss Ravensthorpe’s Thursday evening fishing club – 6pm to 9pm
Best Rainbow 7lb
Best boat areas Main Bowl, Catwalk Corner.
Best bank areas Dam.
Best methods See report.
Mid week boat winner John Juckes of Wigston.
Fish stocked 300.
Forthcoming events Thursday evening Boat fishing club starts 6pm.
