Draycote Weekly Fishing Report.
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Fishery Report: Week ending Sunday 19th July
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A mixed week here at Draycote, with some days of fantastic sport then being followed by challenging days. With the weather playing a huge role in this, the fish are sitting really high in the water and not dropping in the bright conditions they are just not feeding as hard in the bright conditions. Meaning that a pulled fly near the surface is the best way on the bright days. Although as soon as you get any cloud cover, they are straight back on the surface feeding again. Overall a total of 337 rods visited the fishery landing a total of 1,369 giving a rod average of 4 for the week.
What a fantastic start to the week with overcast conditions and a light breeze as a result the fish responded very positively to the conditions and the fishery produced a 5.89 rod average. With the majority of the fish coming on to dries from the boats. On the bank Ian Richardson landed 7 fish from the Overflow on a mix of dries and also a washing line. With Big reds being Ian’s best dries, then on the washing line crunchers with a minkie booby on the point proved to be the best. Fellow Draycote season ticket holder Bob Smith landed 6 fish taking 2 each from the Cornfield, Biggin Bay & the Overflow on either a Bob’s Bit’s, Crunchers, or a booby on the point. On the boats Kevin Hart landed 20 fish all on dries and nymphs fishing over the open water and commented on a fantastic day. Kevin Rees found a wind lane of the front of the sailing club that went all the way to Farborough spit. Using crippled midge in his Kevin boated 26 fish. Also fishing in the same wind lane John Dickens landed 15 fish again all on dries, however, John found the fish also wanted to take foam daddies along with crippled midge. Father and son team Ken and James Maplethorpe enjoyed a great day using Diawl Bach’s and buzzers on a washing line to land 21 fish between them. With friend Trevor Moore fishing in another boat landing 9 fish commenting a “fantastic day”.
The wind swung into the North West Tuesday, with the cloud and light ripple remaining, once again nearly ideal conditions. On the bank Tony Broadway took 5 fish from the Cornfield and in Biggin Bay with 3 of them coming to dries. Fishing alongside Tony, on the cornfield Pete Allen landed 7 fish using a washing line with a small black booby on the point with the majority of his fish taking it off the surface. Gordon Slack also caught using a washing line, taking all his fish in Biggin Bay. On the boats all water season ticket holder John Kirk did well fishing a small booby on the point with Diawl Bachs on the droppers landing 14 fish. With John’s most productive area drifting around the valve tower, with a number of his fish being over 3lb. J Bilinski & T Evans enjoyed a good day using buzzers and Diawl Bach’s landing 18 fish around Biggin Bay and also Toft. Using Diawl Bach’s and muddlers Paul Walker landed 15 fish from Toft and also in Biggin Bay. Sticking to dries all day Ed Douglas landed 15 fish, the key to Ed’s success was to stick to the open water and look for slicks and wind lanes. These wind lanes all ways worth looking in for fish due to all the food getting trapped in them, which then attracts the fish.
Wednesday dawned with again almost perfect conditions , a light north westerly and overcast with the chance of a shower or two. Top of the water sport over the last couple of days has been excellent, and it’s not often we get to say that at this time of year. Dries have been working really well, as has the washing line with small size 12’s and 14’s. Season permit holder Mr A Hart caught 3 fish from the bank using a washing line. During a late evening session on the bank Will Hunt caught 4 fish on Diawl Bachs. Out on the boats Mr Phil Webb netted 7 fish on Crunchers on a washing line. Season permit holder Tony Parker had 11 fish to the boat on dries in Rainbow Corner and B buoy. Tim Groves caught 10 fish from a boat on Buzzers and Shuttlecocks. Ged Donoghue used a Popper Fry pattern and Yellow Owls to lure his 8 fish to the boat. The intrepid duo of Lee Patten and Peter Elliott took to the water for an afternoon session and had well over 30 fish to the boat between them on dries from various areas around the reservoir. Mr Gary Wharton also used dries up in Rainbow Corner to net 10 fish from the boat.
Fishing from the bank Thursday, C.J Day landed 4 fish from the overflow from the treatment work along the tower bank. With Mr Day’s fish falling to cormorants and also pheasant tail nymphs. Draycote season ticket holder Mike Garner also fished the bank Thursday along the Cornfield taking 3 fish in the morning using cormorants and also crunchers. On the boats Mr T Evans & Mr J Evans took 13 fish between them using buzzers and Diawl Bachs fished on a floating line. All water season ticket holder Paul Havard used a black booby snake on Di 3 sinking line enjoying a “Fantastic Day” taking his best ever Draycote fish weighting 7lb 6oz. Draycote season ticket holder and dry fly lover Kevin Rees, used Crippled Midge and Bob’s Bits to take 21 fish. One of the key to Kevin’s success on dry flies is that he often spends a lot of time targeting the wind lanes looking for feeding fish. Taking advantage of the evening rise Martyn Hancox landed 8 fish on dry flies drifting out of Rainbow Corner.
An overcast start to Friday was short lived, as the sun broke through around 9 o’clock. The bright conditions made for tougher bank fishing as Tony Broadway and Gordon Slack had 3 and 2 respectively on dries and Buzzers. Out on the boats Mr Dave Bailey used Buzzers and Hoppers to net a dozen fish, one of which weighed 5 lbs. Kevin Hart caught 9 fish on some Big Reds, expertly tied by Tom Bird. Mr Kev Saxton caught 8 fish from a boat using Foam Daddies and Hoppers in Rainbow Corner. Mr Matt Bird caught 3 fish whilst drifting down the Cornfield using Nymphs on a sinking line. Andy Lilley and his boat partner had over 20 fish to the boat in an afternoon session on Dries fishing over A and B buoy. Staff member Michael Hanlon caught 5 fish during an evening session on Sedge patterns.
We came into almost perfect conditions on Saturday morning, and these continued throughout the day.
Not surprisingly the rod average shot up to 8.4. The vast majority of the fish were being caught right in the surface of the water either on dries or a washing line, along the Draycote dam, in Rainbow Corner, or from Dunn’s Bay right down the north shore into the Corn Field. There were many exceptional catches during the day, the first of which was Mark Hunt, who had 26 fish to the boat on CDC’S and Sedgehogs.
Fishery manager Tom Bird ventured out to partake in the great sport alongside Draycote regular Jim Smith. The pair had over 40 fish to the boat on dries such as Cul’s, F Fly’s, and Crippled Midge, along the Draycote Dam with drifts out to B Buoy and around C Buoy also being productive. Season permit holder Andy Lilley took 9 fish in an evening session on dries such as Big Reds and Daddies. Tony Parker took his 14 fish mainly on dries following the wind lanes out in open water. Tony Fox & his boat partner also enjoyed a great day on the dries landing over 40 fish. Again using CDC’s they caught their fish drifting off the top dam wall towards B buoy and off the flat stones towards C buoy.
The weathermen could not have got it more wrong for Sunday, the 98% cloud forecast for the middle part of the day did not materialise and it was bright sun all day. As a result the fishing was more challenging that the previous day. The fish remained high in the water column, but the sun just meant they would not poke their noses up very willingly to take dries. Out on the water the Midland Counties held their annual match. The anglers in the match found Rainbow Corner to be the most productive first thing in the morning before finding the fish around the Inlet as the day progressed. The best tactics for the match anglers were pulling lures such as snakes, tubes, and blobs in the top few feet of the water either on DI 3 or Intermediate. Neil Deakin landed 16 fish all on tubes fished around the inlet, with other anglers fishing white snakes the way. Outside the Midlands county match Martyn Price & Dave Hancox used barred olive snakes on intermediate lines fishing at Rainbow Corner to take 20 fish between them. Jim Smith took to the water once again this time with Ed Douglas, landing 30 fish. Using dries early in the morning at the Draycote Dam before, using snakes on intermediates around lunch to continue catching. Then as the sun dropped later in the day once again opting for dries with shipman buzzers and CDC shuttlecocks.
Bank anglers please note: The perimeter track is extremely busy with families, cyclist & joggers. Exercise caution while driving around the reservoir & observe speed limits
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Visit our online shop we currently have a Fishery Management (UK) ltd. Washing Line pack offer on the online shop which is available here https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/shop/fishery-management-uk-ltd-washing-line-selection/
Competition
John Horsey Final August 23rd (Practice Day August 22nd ) event fully booked
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New Angling Trust Competition for 2020 with the Final in 2021 & Grafham Water
Angling Trust Loch Style Autumn Series 2020 with two heats fished at Draycote, further details
www.anglingtrust.net/page.asp?section=1888§ionTitle=AT+Loch+Style+Autumn+Series
Further details email Andy.Taylor@anglingtrust.net
Two heats at Draycote
Draycote 6th September & Draycote 25th October
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Scierra Pairs
Draycote 26th July details via Phil Dixon www.scierrapairs.co.uk/heats/
Tuition & Guided Sessions
From July 1st we are pleased to announce that we will be resuming our 1:1 casting tuition for the latest guidelines on the tuition will take please safely under Covid-19 please visit www.flyfishtuition.co.uk for bookings please call Tom on 01788 812018.
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Last 4 Hr – 17:30pm – 21:30pm
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