Draycote Water weekly report week ending 5th August 2018
Telephone Number 01788 812018
Report
A busy week as Draycote played host to the 2018 Youth Home International with Teams from England, Scotland, Wales & Ireland all competing for the chance to take home the Gold medal. A total of 357 rods visited the fishery landing a total of 554 trout for a rod average of 1.5 for the week.
After the weekends high winds and cool temperatures, the week started with a 2 degree drop in water temperature and overcast conditions. This looked a great omen for some improved sport just in time for all the youth teams arriving. The drop in surface water temperatures teamed with good overhead conditions, certainly did the trick with good catches reported by all the nations. England reported an impressive 35 fish caught by the team, Scotland 25 and similar numbers for Ireland and Wales. The tactics on the day seamed to be focusing on fishing the top 5 feet of the water column with dries, washing lining or pulling wets and boobies on di 3 sinking lines. The fish seemed to be well spread across the lake with anglers catching from Rainbow Corner and down in Toft Shallows.
Tuesday saw a slightly different day weather wise with lighter winds and bright skies. As a result, this made the fishing slightly more challenging. With the fish dropping deeper in the water. While some fish still came to the dries in the bright weather it was the blobs, boobies and cormorants that tempted the fish with the best lines being di 3 & di 5s. The areas remained much the same with Rainbow corner looking like a hotspot as well as G buoy in Toft. However, later in the day the Welsh youth team did catch well over at E buoy drifting towards Lincroft point.
A bright start the international match day but as the teams started their procession up to the boats being led by the traditional piper the cloud started to role in. A great excitement around the fishery the start of the match. With some fantastic patriotism being shown by all nations flying the country colours. At the start of the match the boats split evenly with half the field heading up towards the Draycote Dam with 3 heading for Rainbow Corner and the rest C buoy and the tower. The remaining boats headed down towards G buoy and Toft. After a few hours after taking a drive out the safety boat it was clear it was going to be a very tight match. With all the nations seeming to be getting one and twos but no one running away with it. At the end of the day it was a very close affair with good catches from all nations with Zach Neufeild, doing well for Scotland with 5 with a number of fours from all nations. After a very tense weight in the results were announced.
1st Scotland 26 2nd England 23 3rd Wales 21 4th Ireland 20.
A very close match with only 2lb 12oz separating Scotland and England. The best tactics for the day seemed to be dries for most of the anglers who used a mix of orange daddies, big reds and midas. The top areas seemed to be around the Inlet, outlet and Rainbow Corner. With the top individual Zach from Scotland fishing tight into the inlet.
From everyone at the fishery we would like to thank all the anglers and coaches from all nations who made hosting the event an absolute pleasure. A special thanks must also be given to the boatman & ladies who gave up the time, as without you the match would not be able to go ahead.
After the cool days at the start if the week Thursday saw the temperatures increase again. However, the previous days cool weather had dropped the water temperature enough that we were able to stock 1,050 fin perfect trout over in the deep water at Dunn’s Bay. Despite the water weather and sun the fish continued to pull back with a rod average for the day of 4. Dennis Tidmarsh fished around the boils with a mix of lures to land 6 fish. While the boat of Richard Walker and N Barber landed 24 fish to the boat fishing in the boils. Season ticket holder Graham Homer enjoyed good sport in a short session landing 4 out in the middle on traditional wets. In House guide Lee Henfrey good regular client John O’Hara out with John enjoying great sport landing 16 fish. John under Lee’s watchful eye used a di 5 forty plus with a white booby snake. John and Lee commented how they caught nearly everywhere they went but that there was a main concentration of fish at the flat stones off the dam. Top honours of the day went to the boat of John Goldie & John Poote who landed an impressive 30 fish using green buzzers on a floating line drifting between A & B buoy before moving to the boils to continue catching on red holographic diawl bachs.
A difficult day Friday with another hot day putting the fish off the fed for most of the day. However, they did come on in the evening with the brotherly team of Michael & Richard Hanlon landed 12 fish on a last four hour ticket fishing in the boils. Visiting from California, Chasen Yuen and Dad Chris landed 4 fish on daddies fished in the boils.
A cloudy start to Saturday, although, the sun did soon break through around 11am. Stan Suddick enjoyed good sport boating 11 fish from the boils on a floating line and a team of nymphs. Glyn Williams used a team of diawl bachs to tempt 10 fish with the aerators again producing the goods, but this time fished on a intermediate line. Mr Middleton used dries and boobies to great effect landing 10 fish with the aerators being the hotspot. Draycote also hosted the English Premier Performance league (EPP) with some of the top anglers’ fishing as part of the their league of matches hoping to gain a place in the world and European team for the next year. A difficult day with the best tactics for the lads being either to fish dries for the morning session or to pull zonkers on a di 5 or di 7 sweep.
A very warm day with temperatures in the 30s for the anglers heading out on the water Sunday. Mark Goodge from Leicester all abilities fly fishers enjoyed a good days sport landing 6 fish all on dabblers and hare ears fished on a floating line. Ian Bradfield also from the all abilities had a good day landing 11 fish on a di 3 using a black and green lure. The EPP also returned Sunday for the final round with the best tactics on the day being a di 5 sweep with either pink or black zonkers. With sparklers on the same line also producing the goods. Mid North Hants also fished Sunday in their Chairman’s Trophy with Mark Frost taking the top honours with a 4 fish bag weight of 9lb 8 oz including a cracking 3lb 3oz rainbow.
Looking ahead to next week the weather is set to break Thursday with temperatures cooling off towards the 20s with the chance of some rain forecast that should hopefully bring the fish back up towards the surface looking for food. Saturday also sees another ‘Boat Tuition Day’ being ran by Guiding & Tuition Manager Tom Bird. There’re still places available on the day please visit www.flyfishtuition.co.uk/prices for more infomation.
Weekly Boat draw
Congratulations to Dave Bailey from Markfield who is the winner of this week’s free boat draw.
Weekly Stats:
Number Rods: 357 Number Trout Taken: 179 Number Trout Released: 375
Total Catch: 554 Weekly Rod Average: 1.5
Current Fishing Times:
Bank: 07:30 until 21:00
Boat All Day: 07:30 until 21:00
Boat Part Day: AM 08:30 until 15:00 PM 15:00 until 21:00
Last 4 Hours from: 17:00 until 21:00 (Ticket sales available from 16:45)
Gutting Room Closes – 20:30
All Anglers to be off site by: 21:15
Guiding & Tuition.
New for the 2018 season the Guiding & Tuition team will running a blog. The idea of this blog is to provide hints and tips from your guides to help keep you catching depending on the conditions, tackle reviews and write up of guiding sessions. To have a look at the blog please visit http://www.flyfishtuition.co.uk/latest-report/
Dates for the Diary
Angler World Fly Fishing Championship- Saturday 11th August (Any Line) & Sunday 12th August (Floating line)- To book please visit http://anglersworld.flyfishingchampionships.uk/ (organiser John Horsey)
Trout Masters
Draycote has joined the Troutmasters Competition. Entry forms can be found next to the booking out sheets. You will need a member of staff to countersign your entry. Good luck!
Troutmasters Final – Monday 8th October – See Fishery staff. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FISHERY WILL BE CLOSED FOR THE DAY FOR THIS BOAT & BANK EVENT
Tight lines,
The Draycote Team
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