Draycote Fishing Report w/e Sunday 28th May 2023

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

Visit our Fisheries Websites: www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk   www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk  www.flyfishthornton.co.uk

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Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

2023 Stocking Policy Details of our stocking policy for Draycote is explained on our website www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/about-us-2/stocking-policy/

2023 Membership Options visit our website www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/about-us-2/season-permits/

Exclusion Zone  Due to the work being carried out on the Hensborough Bank there is an exclusion zone in place, clearly marked with yellow buoys. Under no circumstances are anglers to enter this area as there are divers in the water.

Week Ending:     28^th May 2023      Rod Av: 3.4  Water Temperature:  12°C

Weekly fishing report

The wind started with a Northwest wind which swung into a straight North as the day progressed. It was quite gusty at times with bright sun from around 10am onwards. Draycote members John Dickens & Lee Patten enjoyed good sport landing 15 fish between them on a real mix of methods. First thing in the morning during the cloud cover, catching on dries. Although once the sun came out they needed to switch to snakes and humungous to keep catching. Steve Winstone used buzzers and Diawl Bachs to land 6 fish also loosing another 6 in Biggin Bay. Starting the first of a 5 day package break Gordon Bramwell & Tim Grove landed 18 fish to the boat. Using CDC dries in the morning then using blobs and buzzers in the afternoon. With Biggin Bay, Toft and Lincroft point being the best areas.

Another Northwest wind to start Tuesday, however, it was much lighter and for long periods the lake was flat calm. With cloud cover to start with but this quickly burned off around mid morning. Despite these challenging conditions from the bank, Draycote member Brian Allwood landed 5 fish. Fellow members Paul Walker & John Faulconbridge fished from a boat landed 20 fish to the boat. With the best area being in Toft Shallows. Using Diawl Bach’s fished on a floating line. Fishing for the morning on a boat Jim Hall and Tony Broadway landed 8 fish all on dries, either CDC pattens or Daddies. Using buzzers to great effect S Jarvis landed 14 fish on buzzers. Fishing there 2^nd day of a 5 day package break Gordon Byers and Tim Grove landed 21 fish to the boat from Biggin Bay & Toft using CDC’s in the morning and evening and buzzers when the sun was out during the middle of the day.

A bright sunny day with the wind in the Northwest and was quite strong at times. All water member Ian Jobe landed 23 fish from Toft using an olive snake on a sunk line. Another boat fishing down in Toft was fishery ranger Kev Jones and Anthony Ashford who fished black and green snakes on a Di 3 sinking line to land 14 fish from near the nature reserve buoys. Andy Ross also fished down in Toft landing 11 fish, using a washing line in the morning and a Di 3 in the afternoon. Gordon Byers & Tim Grove landed 36 fish to their boat fishing up from the Swan’s nest along the dam wall. With buzzers taking the majority of the fish, however, Tim landed 11 fish on a cutthroat cats whisker.

More sunny conditions for the anglers Thursday with Northeast winds. On the bank brothers Roger & Graham Davies landed 3 and a brace fishing from the cornfield. On the boats another brother partnership T & J Evans used buzzers and Diawl Bachs down in Toft to land 31 fish. Tim Coles who travelled up from Essex also fished in Toft landing 10 fish on a black and green snake fished on a Di 3 sinking line. Draycote member John Dickens used humungous on a sinking line to boat a dozen fish. Phil Thomas & Draycote member Paul Mitchell enjoyed a good day in a boat landing 30 fish. Using washing line set ups and taking fish from most areas of the take they tried. Fishery ranger Kev Jones look 8 fish using a black and green lure and a sunburst blob in Toft. Eddie Mitchell & Dave Kennel used buzzers and nymphs on a 12ft slow tip to land 18 fish, again fishing a number of areas around the lake.

Friday, saw basically exactly the same conditions as the day before with bright sun and the wind from the Northeast. With the bright conditions most of the bank anglers opted to leave the middle of the day and fish the last four hours instead. Mr M Rodgers fished at Lincroft point using white snakes to land 3 fish. On the boats Andy Ross & Dave Adams landed 11 fish using buzzers and a floating line in Rainbow Corner first thing in the morning. Before heading to the Draycote Dam in the afternoon and using Damsels on the same line. Draycote member Paul Walker used olive buzzers and Diawl Bach’s fished on a floating line, to land 17 fish from Rainbow Corner and Toft. Martin & Ian fishing out in a boat landed 19 fish, on lures from Toft and also the open water around B Buoy.

A lovely day Saturday with near cloudless skies and light winds once again coming from the Northeast. However, while it was a lovely day to be out on the water it was far from ideal fishing conditions. Draycote member Mike Garner was rewarded for his persistence on the bank landing a fish from Lincroft on a hares ear tadpole. On the boats Chris Pallot & Paul Southgate fished in Rainbow Corner for a half day landing 5 fish using a Di 5 with a black and gold humungus booby. Traveling from London, Bobby also landed 5 fish on buzzers in Toft and Rainbow corner. Keith Gordon also used buzzers in Rainbow Corner to land 3 fish. Draycote also hosted another of its popular beginner tuition days, with Mike Oliver teaching 4 beginners to the sport, with a number of fish caught from the pontoon it was a good day for all participants.

Sunday dawned with good cloud cover and a light north easterly breeze, which brightened up as the day progressed.  Andy Atkinson caught 4 fish from the bank using a variety of patterns along the northern shoreline. James Maplethorpe and his boat partner had over 20 fish to the boat on  olive buzzers and diawl bachs just off Lincroft Point. Debbie and Sean Gilbert used a mixture of buzzers and snakes to boat 5 fish in Toft Shallows and Biggin Bay. Mr C Cowan and Mr C Smith had well over 20 fish to the boat using FAB’s and buzzers.

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – Lodge: 01536 770264 & Mob: 07834581424

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

2023 Stocking Policy Details of our stocking policy for Eyebrook is explained on our website:

www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/stocking-policy/

2023 Membership options visit our website www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/season-permits/

Week Ending: 28 May 23       Rod Av: 6.1     Water Temperature:   17+ °C

The week started with Eyebrook in great form with the fish feeding hard on Buzzers & Damsels & some great returns being recorded. Fish were caught in good numbers from various locations, Sam’s Dyke, Mucky Bay, Robbo’s to the Willows & in front of the Chestnut. The most productive methods were Dries when the conditions were right & Washing Lined Nymphs & Buzzers with a natural looking buoyant point fly; Booby Cruncher, Booby Hopper or point fly. Paul Cushnie had a great day landing well over 30 fish on Black Shuttlecocks, so to did Paul Jennings on a hired float tube. Gary Owen also had a very productive day landing well over 20 fish on a mixture of Dries & Damsels. From the bank, Eyebrook member Dave Searson landed 12, fishing Diawl Bachs, Muskins in Sam’s Dyke.

Tuesday started with a light Northerly breeze with plenty of cloud cover. As the day progressed, the breeze fluctuated in direction & strength & the cloud cover became sporadic. The fish were very active for most of the day as they primarily fed on buzzers & Damsel Nymphs. By early afternoon, as the air temperature increased, an adult Damsel hatch was in full swing & some fish were now feeding on those as well. Despite very bright conditions during the afternoon, the Reservoir fished well with a lot of fish caught high up in the water column & off the surface, with Washing Lined Floaters & Dries being the most productive methods. The fish were widespread & could be seen feeding all over the reservoir & there were some excellent catch returns. All Water Member Ed Douglas landed 19 fish, all of which came to the Dries. Also fishing Dries, were Max & Nigel Woolnough as they landed a very high number of fish, conducting long drifts across the reservoir. Out on a 4hr Guided session with resident Guide Lloyd Thompson, Geoff Wright had a productive morning fishing in Sam’s Dyke, catching initially on the Washing Line & then on Dries in very shallow water. For more info on our Guided services please use the following below: www.flyfishstore.co.uk/?s=Guiding&s_cs=true  Elsewhere, Household Members Liz & Mike Rawson also had a very productive day on the Dries landing 15 fish. Another to enjoy his day on the Dries was Mr Bissett who took 15 fish on Hoppers.

The weather on Wednesday was very similar to the previous day with the only difference being was that there was even less periods of cloud cover. Both the banks & the boats fished very with yet again Washing Lined floating lines & Dries proving to be the most productive methods. Eyebrook member Keith Johnson had another successful from the bank down by the Cowshed, landing 20 on nymphs, as did Mr Wall who caught his on a Sawyers PTN. From the boats, Household Members Liz & Mike Rawson had an even better day than yesterday, landing over 20 fish on the Washing Line & fishing Yellow Owls, Ian Whitcombe also had a day to remember landing a very high number of fish. Wednesday saw us host an England Disabled Floating Line only match which saw 25 anglers take to the water & between them they caught 141 fish, giving a rod average of 5.6. Prizes went to the biggest fish went to Paul Davison with a Rainbow of 2lb 9oz who pipped Steve Smalley by 1oz, well done Paul. Congratulations to all participating anglers, it was a pleasure to host you. With the fish feeding hard on Damsel nymphs during the morning & then adult Damsels in the afternoon once the hatches were in full swing. The fish are well spread throughout the reservoir, but relatively close in, which is exactly where you would expect to find Damsel feeding fish.

Thursday started with a cool northerly wind & a high degree of cloud cover. By afternoon the air temperature had increased & the cloud cover started to disperse which left bright, clear skies by early evening. The changes in the conditions did not detract from the quality of the top of the water fishing as the reservoir fished consistently well throughout the yielding a daily rod average of 7.3. Fish were caught on Dries & Washing Lined Floaters with Nymphs on the Droppers from both the boats & the bank. Tony & John Machin had a good day from the bank landing 9 fish each on Damsel patterns & Mr Jennings also used Damsels from bank & he landed 15. Damsels also featured heavily from the boats with fish caught from various locations, as did Dries; CDC Emergers, Hoppers, Blue Foam Daddies, etc. The most productive area remains entirety of the both the Leicester & Rutland Banks as the trout are feeding hard on Damsel nymphs that are migrating into the margins to hatch. Once hatched, the fish will also happily take a Blue Foam Daddy.

Friday was bright from the very start with a gentle northerly breeze & It stayed bright for the entirety of the day. Despite the bright conditions Eyebrook, yet again, fished well from both the boats & the bank with some great catch returns recorded. The fish continue to feed well on the prolific Damsel activity here at Eyebrook, taking the Damsel nymphs in the morning & the adult Damsels in the afternoon. If the fish are not feeding on the Damsels, then they are still plenty of buzzers hatching off which the fish will take at all depths. From the bank, the whole Leicester Bank from Sam’s Dyke to the Cowshed has been very productive with plenty of fish being caught along it. Stewart Normanton landing 14 on a mixture of Buzzers & Damsels from Sam’s Dyke. From the boats, the Willows To Stoke Dry has also produced a good number of fish as well the Leicester Bank. The most productive methods from the boats have been Washing Lined Damsels, Buzzers & Nymphs on Floating Lines & also Dries. All-Water Member Andy Lilley & his boat partner had a very productive morning session landing 18 fish from the area of the Willows. Ian McLeod fished Mucky Bay with Buzzers & Blob/FABs 7 was rewarded with 16 fish. Another All-Water Member, Ian Jobe, had 20+ from his Float Tube from various locations. Our very own Eyebrook Fly Fishers held an evening boat match which saw proceedings start with a BBQ & they all went out to catch the Last 4 Hours of fishing. Congratulations goes to the top boat pairing of Jim Wright & Dave Etty, who caught 23 between them on the Washing Line from the area between the Chestnut & the Cowshed.

Saturday was another bright clear day with very light winds. Eyebrook continues to fish well from the banks & the boats. The most productive area from the bank on Saturday was Sam’s Dyke where Household member, Albert Coales fishing with Sam Smith & Ed Hix had a very productive session landing over 30 fish between them on Foam Daddies & Nymphs on Floating Lines. Eyebrook Member also caught very well landing 15 fish, but this time he was over at Stoke Dry. From the boats, another Eyebrook member, Mick Farrell, took his son out to give him a break from the pressure of exams, had a great session landing 19 fish between on Dries & Buzzers. Mr Dobson & Wilkinson also had a great day, landing over 20 fish between them on a mixture of Daddies, Damsels, Dries & Blobs. The reservoir is fishing well with fish getting caught on a variety of Flies & from a variety of areas.

It was a cool start to Sunday with light northerly breeze & hazy cloud cover. The light cloud cover remained for most of the day & subsequently Eyebrook fished well to the Dries. There were some great returns from the banks & the boats with the fish continuing to feed well on Buzzers & Damsels. Eyebrook members, Malcolm Thompson & Dean Shilton both caught well into double figures. Malcolm was from the bank & caught his on Damsel patterns. Whereas Dean took to his Float tube & caught on various Daddies. From the boats All Water Member Mark Hunt had a great session taking his 17 fish all on the Dries with Yellow Owls & Blue Foam Daddies proving to be his most successful patterns. Elsewhere, Luke Key took 6 fish on CDC’s from Stoke Dry in a very short session & enjoying his Last 4 hours permit from the bank, Ed Solomons landed 9 fish. Eyebrook really is fishing well at the moment with most areas proving to be productive, as the fish continue to feed hard on the abundant aquatic life present at Eyebrook.

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

2023 Stocking Policy Details of our stocking policy for Eyebrook is explained on our website www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/stocking-policy/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 28^th May   Rod Av: 1.7    Water Temperature: 17c+

Monday a cool at times northly / easterly wind did little to improve the fishing with few trout to be seen on the surface. The only angler to have any success was A. Wilson who caught 6 for his mornings fishing using a midge tip, 15ft leader with 5 of the 6 fish taking the buzzer on the point. He fished off the corner of the stones into green bay.

Tuesday a milder morning with fish to be seen moving across the reservoir and especially in the Thornton arm opposite the lodge. Most fish caught were off the surface with damsel, bloodworm, blob and buzzer with P Wurm catching 2 during his evenings visit on a black pennell. The bank from the pontoon to the main car park, stones into green bay and the Markfield arm fished best. Ian Brearley caught 8, Martin Hosking caught 5 as did P Wrigley for his mornings visit. We saw the first of the pin fry and damsels on the water.

Wednesday, buzzers fished deep 12ft – 15ft, sink 3,5 & 7 lines with booby, humungus and small snake. Barry Deeley caught 5 for his mornings visit, M Glover caught 9 on a sink 5 off the stones with the fish he caught found to be feeding on bloodworm and daphnia, photo on our facebook page www.facebook.com/FlyFishStore Olive buzzer #16 #14 caught as did damsels, but overall a challenging days fishing.

Thursday and another day of an easterly wind, surprisingly cold at times. Few fish to be seen moving on the surface with most of the fish being caught on sinking lines with booby and small snake patterns fished across the middle. Mr & Mrs Warren were top boat catching 5 for their mornings visit on a booby.

Friday, an easterly breeze yet again. Water clarity is gin clear, pin fry starting to show more around the margins. Out of the easterly breeze its surprisingly warm & were starting to see damsels. Fishing was generally challenging. Chris Sayer went down the Markfield arm & back drifted up along the bank with an intermediate, olive booby & bloodworm patterns, catching 7 during his mornings visit. Dave Skudder towards the end of the morning session found a few fish moving off the dam catching 2 on a red diawl bach.

Saturday, lighter easterly breeze but a warm day overall. Had a couple of rods out with fish finders who reported good numbers of fish from a foot below the surface to 15 feet. Richard Dayman caught 6 for his mornings fishing on his cats whisker variant & buzzer, catching fish from various areas of the reservoir from the bottom of the Markfield arm to green bay & the dam. Martin Clay & B Sibley caught 9 for their visit on fab, booby, bloodworm & buzzer patterns. Water is gin clear lots of daphnia to be seen with increasing numbers of pin fry around the pontoon & certain bank areas.

Sunday, cooler start to the day with cloud & a cooler north wind. All the rods fished the morning session up to 3pm. John Reynolds caught 5 on a small black buzzer, G England & A Lilley found some trout on the pin fry catching 5 with some of the fish caught also feeding on the daphnia.

Overall a challenging weeks fishing. Lots of daphnia about with pin fry numbers increasing as the week went on. Dome damsels showing towards the end of the week with buzzers, olive or black in #16 #14 in the main. This constant northerly to an easterly is having an impact on our evenings sport.