Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook & Thornton

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

Online Shop: www.flyfishstore.co.uk      Tuition & Guiding: www.flyfishtuition.co.uk

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

**New Email Address**: draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

YouTube Channel- (1) Flyfishstore – YouTube

Week Ending Sunday 30^th May 2021        Rod Av: 5.6   Water Temperature: 14’c

The weather for Monday looked perfect, however about 10am the heavens opened, and at various times throughout the day the Reservoir experienced heavy downpours. These heavy showers did not put the fish off with he rod average of the day 7.1 fish per angler. Alan Martin & Bill McGranaghan fished the day with 32 fish to the boat all n crunchers fished on midge tip sinking lines. On the bank Steve Lees landed 6 fish all on buzzers. All Water season ticket holder Ed Douglas used dries and buzzers to land 18 fish fishing near the Hensborough Bank and Rainbow Corner.

The wind was strong than forecast coming from the West, with good cloud cover with it. Once again the fishing remained good with a rod average of near 6 fish per angler. On the bank season ticket Brian Allwood commented “on the good sport” landing 12 fish on nymphs from the Cornfield. Fellow season ticket holder John Clifford also fished on the Cornfield to land 12 fish on washing line buzzers. Mr McGill & Muir landed 35 fish to the boat on buzzers fishing around Hensborough Bank. All water season ticket holders Keith Coley & Bob Toft landed 28 fish between them fishing a washing line on a long midge tip.

A busy day with 69 anglers all taking to the water to enjoy the fantastic fishing Draycote is currently enjoying, and they were not disappointed with a rod average for the day of 10.78 fish per angler. On the bank season ticket holder Peter Allen landed 8 fish using buzzers fishing down the Cornfield. Fellow season ticket holder Colin Granger also enjoyed good sport from the bank taking 8 fish. On the boats Russell Swimbourne landed 22 fish using a team of buzzers at the Inlet including some cracking fish up to 4lb. John Dickens & Lorenzo Serrano landed 28 fish between them using a washing line with buzzers catching their fish in Toft and around the Hensborough Bank. Season ticket holder Jim Smith stuck to dries all day landing over 30 fish with the fish really starting to move in the afternoon, with CDC Culs and Shipman Buzzers being his best patterns.

A lovely late spring day Thursday with warm sunny conditions and light winds. While, it was a very pleasant day to be out on the water it wasn’t the easiest of conditions for the anglers out there. Colin Day fished on the bank landing 6 fish 2 from the Hensborough Bank and the other 4 from the Cornfield using a Damsel Nymph on a fast intermediate. On the boat Gordon Byers, Tim Grove, Alister Baker & Don Coe down taking advantage of our holiday package enjoyed a good days sport landing 27 between them using Buzzers fished at the Willow Trees at the bottom of the Cornfield. All Water season ticket holder Ed Douglas used nymphs fished on a washing lime and dries to take 27 fish. Jim Dempsey & Rod Wilson fished with lures on sinking lines targeting the deeper water to land 15 fish including an estimated 9lb brown. It was also a busy day for the Tuition Team with both Lee Henfrey & Tom Bird taking clients out, both clients landed just short of double figures on a 4 hour guide. With both also landing fish over 6lb to see pictures of these fish and the 9lb Brown visit www.facebook.com/flyfishstore

Another warmer day on Friday, however, the anglers were treated to cloud cover all day, the only thing letting down the fishing conditions was a lack of wind, which came and went as the day progressed making the presentation a challenge at times. Season ticket holders Jim Smith & Ed Douglas fished washing line in the morning around the school slips catching well before changing to dries in the afternoon. Former manager Kevin Hart fished with John Hoskins landing 27 fish around J Buoy and the Farborough Dam wall again on a washing line with nemo crunchers being the pairs best flies. Peter Elliot & Lee Patten used a variety of methods to land their fish dries, the bung & straight line buzzers. Catching at the school slips, Hensborough Dam and Rainbow Corner. The traveling Scottish Anglers from the Edinburgh Post Office enjoyed a good final day catching well on buzzers once again around the School Slips. The Draycote Fly Fishers held an evening bank match on Friday with a total of 8 rods taking part. Paul Walley was third  with a total of 5 fish to the net, with his first fish at 19.18 hrs.  Anthony Hart came in second place,  also with 5 fish, but his first fish was caught at 17.50 hrs. But clearly out in first place was Dave Adkins, who had a grand total of 7 fish to the net. A total of 22 fish were caught during a four hour session with calm and dry conditions throughout. The next match for the Draycote Fly Fishers will be on Friday 11^th June. All those wishing to take part should meet in Toft car park at 5pm. Thank you to Mark Johnson-Jones for the competition report.

Saturday dawned flat calm, with a very light easterly breeze coming on through the middle of the day. We had some cloud cover in the morning but things brightened up as the day progressed. Anglers reported that the fishing was a lot better in the morning than it was in the afternoon, with a few boats sitting on the Hensborough bank, anchored up fishing buzzers on the bung. A number of good fish were caught in Toft Shallows while other boats faired pretty well in Rainbow Corner and Biggin Bay. Even in the bright conditions bank anglers faired pretty well with Lee Cheshire, Mr N Harris and Mr P Mann managing 17 fish between them on buzzers. Out on the boats Mr S Thompson netted a dozen fish on black diawl bachs and black buzzers. Season permit holders Jim and Richard Hall had well over 30 fish to the boat on black diawl bachs fished on a midge tip line. Visiting anglers Mr Mcvay and Mr Davis also netted over 30 fish between them using buzzers, diawl bachs and GRHE’s.

We were greeted by thick fog here at Draycote on Sunday morning, which we were hoping would hang around for a bit. But this had cleared into bright sunshine by about 11 o’clock or so with a light breeze. Once again the fish seemed determined to cling to the top few feet of the water throughout the day, allowing for some great buzzer fishing on the washing line. Keith Harding and Mike Clarke had 20 fish to the boat between them using a washing line with FAB;s and nymphs. Robert Ball and Tony Bott managed 19 to the boat on much the same method plus 2 nice perch. Trevor Moore and James Maplethorpe netted 23 fish to their boat on buzzers and diawl bachs and also had a perch of 2 lbs 8oz.

Fishery manager and guide Tom Bird also took to the water for a couple of hours on Sunday and netted 25 fish on a Rio Midge Tip Long, with a mixture of crunchers and muskins. Tom fished quite a few drifts but said that the best place for him was the outer margins of Biggin Bay. To book a guided session with Tom, or indeed any of our guides on any of our waters, contact the fishing on 01788 812018.      

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

**New Email Address**: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

Week ending 30th May                   Weekly Rod Average: 6.8               Water Temp: 14-16c

Monday signalled the start of yet another fantastic week on the Eyebrook. With perfect weather conditions forecast, predominantly overcast with gentle breezes, sport was likely to be excellent and so it proved. As in previous weeks, a lot of the anglers have been eager to get up around the Island and Mucky Bay, the anglers being as preoccupied with this area as much as the fish are with buzzers. However other areas of the reservoir are well populated with fish and successful, areas have included Stoke Dry and the Willows, as well as Chestnut, the hawthorns, the Bell and Sam’s Dyke. In fact, during the evenings when the reservoir is quieter, the rangers have noticed fish feeding all over the reservoir, often only a few yards from the bank. With the fantastic form continuing at Eyebrook increasing numbers of anglers are taking advantage of the fishing break packages, with some opting to split their visits between Thornton, Eyebrook and Draycote to experience the sport that our different venues offer. Further details on where to stay and our package options can be found by following the links below;-

FM Fishing breaks: short-break-packages

Accommodation: Where to stay

During the week nearly 300 anglers visited the Eyebrook, which being over 400 acres and with over 4 miles of easily accessible bank, and fish spread all across the reservoir, ensured space and solitude were always available if desired. Reviewing the catch returns over the week, natural patterns were to the fore, with crunchers, diawl bachs and small olive or black buzzers being the most successful patterns. With June approaching we are starting to see damsels about the reservoir, and anglers choosing to use blue flash damsels have been successful. As we move into June, we will see a lot more damsels on the water, and in anticipation of this, we have ensured a plentiful supply of damsel patters are available at our shop. We have also started to see daddies around the lodge, so it isn’t surprising that hoppers are catching a few fish Other dry fly patterns that have proved to be successful have been yellow owls, emergers, hawthorns and suspender buzzers. Another noticeable thing has been that smaller flies (14 and 16s) are often more successful than the larger patterns, especially when fish are moving to nut only swirling at the larger patterns.

Successful methods across the week have been washing lines with either bobbies, FABs or Blobs on the point or straight lining a team of naturals. The bung has also brough success to those anglers who have used this method. With the dries, we have found that either a team on a long leader or simply a single dry or a single dropper spaced 6 feet apart have been most successful.

With regard to catches, there have been numerous double figure catches recorded which is not surprising given that the overall rod average for the week has been around 8. Several nice fish have been caught with numerous 3-pound fish and a fair sprinkling of 4 pounders. Following on from the magnificent near twenty-pound brown caught last week, another double figure fish was successfully returned on Friday. This weighed in at 12 ½ pounds and was taken by Mr Haugh who was visiting us from the north- east on a two-day trip split between the Eyebrook and Draycote. Having caught this when fishing from Boat number 13, we were told that he had requested that boat at Draycote on the Saturday hoping for more good fortune.  Although the majority of the anglers have chosen to fish from the boats, with the majority of the fleet out most days, our bank anglers have enjoyed some good sport with a lot of fish still patrolling the margins. Probably the hardest day was Thursday, as we were treated to a calm sunny morning for the first time in ages, which moved the fish off the margins, into deeper water. Anglers fishing the float tube were also successful with some good catches being recorded. We do have float tubes for hire should anglers wish to try out this method for themselves, simply contact the lodge to arrange this.

Now that we are moving into summer and the longer warmer days having an effect on our water temperatures, our last four-hour ticket is becoming increasingly popular and is available either from the bank or the boat. Although only a short session, this time of year often sees good evening hatches as the air temperature and light levels fall, and double figure catches are often recorded as the fish respond to the emerging insects. To book a last 4-hour ticket, please call the lodge on the day. It is easier for us to determine if there will be a boat available for you if that is what you require. Due to the warmer temperatures the damsels are starting to emerge, and we are starting to see the start of a Mayfly hatch which will only make the fishing that little bit more exciting for anglers who love a bit of dry fly action.

As the week came to an end, the reports coming back have been quite eye opening when we were looking at the variety of flies that were taking fish. Everything from small dry flies, to fishing lures quickly near the surface, to fishing static buzzers at depth. Mr N Organ was fishing buzzers at depth from his float tube when he was fortunate enough to snare one of the other Eyebrook residents. A splendid 4lbs Tench. Customers were phoning in to book their up-and-coming trips and were commenting on how hard the fish have been fighting and been surprised when only one fish has come to the net when they have been convinced that the fish they were fighting was either a double hook up or a fish over 5lbs. There have also been 2 instances of angler’s rods being dragged off of the boat or pulled right out of their hands in the past week. Both rods were caught and handed in the following day by other anglers. Hold on to that rod folks, and don’t make the mistake of just leaving your flies in the water while you take care of other things in the boat. With the water temperature starting to increase, no doubt we will be seeing more hatches coming off and the fish feeding voraciously on those tasty morsels that will be trapped in the surface film of the lake.

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

**New Email Address**: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

Week Ending 30^th May   Rod Av: 3.7    Water Temp: 16c+

Quiet start to the week with rain forecast, which did indeed come & was heavy at times. Fishing remained good despite the weather with a rod average 5 for the day with the majority of trout been taken on buzzers. Ian Leach caught 16 for his visit with All Water member D Skudder fishing the morning session & catching 7 trout. H Davies fished the afternoon session & caught 6. All anglers reported good numbers of fish moving at times across most areas of the reservoir.

Tuesday morning the water level was up 4inch with some coloured water up the top of the arms & running along the shallows opposite the lodge, although the vast majority of the reservoir remained gin clear. A good days fishing with the rod average 5.6 What was noticeable was the increasing number of trout taking damsel patterns. P Cox for his day visit caught 16 trout on a white & silver booby fished on an intermediate. Barry Deeley caught 10on a blue flash damsel with damsel & buzzer patterns taking 10 fish for Paul Martindale. Another good evening rise with J Scott catching 6 on dries & James Smith fishing the last 4 hour session catching 4 on a size #12 grey buzzer & fab

Wednesday, no water clarity issues, a tinge of colour at the top of the arms but in general reservoir was clear, gin clear. Allan Wither & Stuart boated 27 trout for their visit taking fish from various areas on orange Fab, diawl bach and buzzer patterns

Thursday and a busy day with anglers again reporting fish moving at times all over the reservoir with the largest concentration of fish to be found down the Markfield arm and green bay. Buzzer patterns size 14 and 16, damsel patterns and diawl bach fished on a floater, midge tip or intermediate proved best.  T & J Evans caught 24 for their visit on buzzers, All Water members H Wood and P Mee fished a morning session catching 11 on buzzers, Keith Cowen fished a damsel pattern to catch his 6 trout. Thornton member S Martin fished buzzers catching 9 for his visit. Tony Lorrimer fished his rabbit patterns to catch his 19 trout. Water clarity is good.

Friday was a mixed day, anglers reporting trout moving well during the day but proving difficult to tempt with no pattern to what the fish were taking. Russ Jackson fished the morning session taking 10 trout on an Idiot Proof Nymph, Chris Sayer and Mick Cross caught 15 with a booby pattern taking some of theirs, Richard Price persevered with small olive buzzers catching 4 trout.

Saturday, warmer forecast with little wind, again a variety of methods worked with a rod average 4.1 for the day. R Hopkins & J Jessop on a two day package fished Draycote on Friday and visited Thornton for the first time on Saturday, they fished the washing line catching 9 trout with the majority taking the Fab on the point. Jan Webber fished damsel, buzzer and booby patterns to catch his 5 trout with M Clay fishing buzzers to catch his 7 trout for a mornings visit, M Hunt fished small hopper patterns to catch his 7 trout.

Sunday with a cool east wind and fog greeting anglers at 7am it was a contrast to the day before, fishing was more challenging with a rod average 1.6 for the day. A Woolloff fished a weighted black pheasant tail and caught 4, P Hunt caught his 4 fish on buzzers with Nathan Brain fishing the last 4 hour across by the stones, eventually the rise did happen and he caught his 4 on a washing line, fab on the point with buzzer on the dropper.

Looking ahead to the coming week another stocking due this week will take our fish levels in the reservoir to over 4500 trout. We are 3 weeks away from the longest day, the sun is at its highest and most powerful we will start to see the water temperature creep upwards. As we move into June the buzzers tend to get smaller #14 #16 #18, damsels will become more active, expect sedges in the evening with pin fry expected to be about in the next couple weeks, look out for caenis on the warmer evenings. Water clarity is currently good. Time to fish leaders as long as you can manage with low diameter leader material.

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook & Thornton

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

Online Shop: www.flyfishstore.co.uk      Tuition & Guiding: www.flyfishtuition.co.uk

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

**New Email Address**: draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

Week Ending Sunday 23^rd May 2021        Rod Av: 7.9    Water Temperature: 12 °C

A great start to the week with the rod average for Monday working out at 8.4. The weather was the only downside with heavy rain showers throughout the day, although it clearly did not bother the fish. Phil Mee fished at the Hensborough Bank landing 18 fish all on buzzers. Ian Richardson & Bob Smith fished along the Farborough Dam wall enjoying “a red letter day with lots of silver torpedoes” the pair landed 39 fish all on buzzers. Bob Eaton & Nathan Brain landed 27 fish between then using a washing line with buzzers and FABS. Fishery Manager Tom Bird took to the water catching all over the lake using a RIO Midge Tip Long with a FAB on the point and buzzers up the line. While boat partner Rob Sosbe fished the same flies but, on an Airflo, 12ft slow tip.

Another great day at the fishery Tuesday with the rod average hitting 12.8, with fish caught all over the lake. On the bank Lorenzo Serrano landed 14 fish using buzzers fished along the Cornfield with a small FAB on the point. With John Dickens landing 8 on the same tactics in half a day. Season ticket holders Peter Elliot & Lee Patten landed over 50 fish to the boat using buzzers and crunchers in Toft and by the Old Pipe in Biggin Bay. William Cram and the West Lothian Fly Dressers enjoyed a great day landing 108 fish between the 3 boats all on various nymphs and buzzers fished in Rainbow Corner, Biggin Bay and along the Draycote Dam Wall.

A lovely light North West wind Wednesday, however, in the middle of the day we had some torrential rain and a very impressive electrical storm that stopped the fishing for a short period. On the bank fishing along the Cornfield, Tony Broadway landed 23 fish using a washing line with small size 12 and 14 black buzzers. Fellow season ticket holder Peter Allen landed 13 fish using buzzers and also a mixture of lures. On the boats John Dickens enjoyed a good days sport taking 27 fish a mixture of buzzers, FABS and black and green lures. Jeff Ide used green damsels to land just short of 50 fish from the bottom end of the Cornfield & Toft. All water season ticket holder Dave Smith used a floating line with Diawl Bach’s, Buzzers and a foam Daddy to land 15 fish catching in Dunn’s Bay in the morning and Toft in the afternoon. Draycote Dry Fly lover Jim Smith landed over 30 fish all on dries with small shipman’s and crippled midge being his top patterns.

A much windier day Thursday with the fishing for the boat anglers having to be restricted to the South Shore. However, the blustery conditions did not see, to affect the fishing some good numbers getting caught. Matt Irons fished with a floating line with an Orange Blob and buzzers to land 15 fish from Rainbow Corner. Ian Wilson used Buzzers all day to land 19 fish. Matt Cocks fished from the Swan’s Nest in Toft to land 7 fish on a washing line with Buzzers. Arriving late in the afternoon William Brown, Ross Wilson, Bob Hanine & John Powell took advantage of our last 4 hour boats ahead of their 3 day break with the lads landing 25 fish between them in the evening. They opted for a washing line with a Biscuit Booby on the point and then Buzzers and Nemo crunchers on the droppers.

The forecast for Friday was awful, however, thankfully it dropped enough to allow the boats out again with restrictions. We hosted the Barclays Bank Competition with various regions fishing to be the winning region. In the difficult conditions the anglers did well catching on buzzers and nymphs fished on various intermediates, midge tip and floating lines. Winning the match was the Clearing Region with a combined weight of 33lb 11oz for there bag weights across the 4 competitors. Outside of the competition Ross Wilson & William Brown landed 11 fish between them on FABS and Cormorants and commented the wind made the controlling of the line difficult. Bob Haning & John Powell used Cortland Blue intermediate lines with Daddyhogs and buzzers to land 12 fish to the boat.

A much better day on Saturday with lighter winds and overcast conditions, allowing the boats to fish all areas of the reservoir. The daily rod average shot up to 10.9 on Saturday with good bags of fish coming out for both boat and bank anglers alike. Jim Smith and Ed Douglas netted over forty fish from a drifting boat, and persisted with dries all day. Young Mike Garner caught 11 fish from the bank using diawl bachs and a black pennel. All of Mikes fish came out of the Cornfield. Mr Russell Swinbourne caught well over 20 fish from a boat using a wide variety of buzzers and commented on “another great day”. Anthony Hart caught his 6 fish from the bank down in Toft using a washing line and buzzers. Mr William Brown and Mr Ross Wilson had 15 fish apiece to the boat from Toft using buzzers, crunchers and FAB’s on a washing line.

Sunday saw the wind swing round into the south, bringing some showers and blustery conditions through the afternoon. This made for some difficult fishing at times and eventually lead to a lot of the boats taking shelter against the leeward shore. Mr William Brown and Mr Ross Wilson fished Toft Shallows again on crunchers FAB’s and diawl bachs to net 16 fish between them. Mr David Rechtorik had 6 fish from the bank in the Cornfield and Toft Shallows using diawl bachs fished on a floating line. Season permit holder Stephen Dewhurst also fished the bank to net 5 fish, all on olive buzzers. Dave Hancox ventured out for a part day session on a boat to net 8 fish on a DI5 sweep and olive snakes in Rainbow Corner.

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

**New Email Address**: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

Week ending 23rd May                   Weekly Rod Average 7.6                Water Temp: 12c

Monday signalled the start of another fantastic week ahead on Eyebrook. The weather conditions were perfect. Overcast with gentle breezes. As from previous weeks, the bulk of the anglers have been eager to get up around the Island and Mucky bay. It seems that the anglers are as preoccupied with this area as much as the fish are with buzzers. Resident season ticket holder Roy Swinfield continues his fantastic form from the bank getting well in to double figures fishing a short leader with a couple of buzzers and a booby on the point. Regular visitor Peter Harris kicked off his 3-day fishing break with well in to double figures while having a play about with a number of different methods and flies. T Barclay and M Napier were also with us for a 3-day Fishing break and got in to double figures of fish to the boat. With the fantastic form that Eyebrook has been seeing, more and more people are taking advantage of the fishing break packages, some are even opting to split their visits between Eyebrook and Draycote to experience the sport at both venues.

FM Fishing breaks: short-break-packages

Accommodation: Where to stay

Tuesday continued on with similar weather to Monday. Lots of happy anglers were eager to get out on the water and enjoy the sport after telling the staff all about how much they had enjoyed the day before. Fishery manager Jim was kept busy helping out a few guests set up leaders and help with fly selections before sending them off to the known hot spots. Visitors continue to compliment the staff on their time and help getting on and off the water and how fishing at Eyebrook is such a pleasant experience. I was a busy day at the Eyebrook with most of the fleet out on the water and a large number of anglers out on the bank. Some Anglers were faring better than others. Those that were catching in good numbers were either on buzzers, damsels, or they were fishing small shuttlecock patters. As it has been for the past few weeks, The Island and Mucky bay are drawing a lot of attention from the anglers.

Wednesday seen a few familiar faces out on the water and bank getting in to good numbers of fish using buzzers on a washing line of fishing crippled midge and CDC patterns. Yet again, the individuals that know this water were outfishing the masses that were visiting. But in part, the beginning of a horrible weather front is beginning to show that the fish are not coming as readily as they have done in previous weeks.

Thursday seen the return of the Bull fly fishers to Eyebrook. The weather was good to begin with early in the morning. But as the day progressed, the weather became increasingly horrible which in turn made the conditions difficult for the guys out in the boats and they came back in before 3 o’clock and called it a day. Meanwhile, out on the banks, some of the anglers had found good spots out of the worst of the wind and were managing to pick up good numbers of fish.

Friday was a complete write off. No boats were out due to the wind speed. However, only 2 brave souls ventured on to the banks later in the day to battle the elements and between them they managed to bring 11 fish to the net. N Heath and D Watson. Outstanding angling in adverse conditions.

Saturday brought better conditions for our anglers with the more mild conditions and settled wind, our anglers were now enjoying a lot of top of the water sport. Small foam daddies and CDC shuttlecock patters accounted for a majority of the fish. But the surprise of the day came from one of our pike anglers in the form of a large Brown trout that tipped the scales at 19lbs 8oz some of the staff have seen a picture of it and we are eager to release a photo as soon as we can. It just goes to show that really large fish can thrive in Eyebrook.

Sunday saw us playing host to the Thornton Fly fishers and the All Abilities Fly fishers (AAFF) conditions were quite pleasant early in the morning, but as the day moved on, strong winds started to make fishing uncomfortable for a few and the fishing became a little more challenging. Due to the worsening wind conditions, Thornton decided to call it a day by 3 o’clock with most of the field of anglers landing 3 to 4 fish each. The All Abilities crowd faired a little better with quite a few of their anglers getting in to double figures. Outstanding angling!! Especially when it was a day when a few new members were joining them. The fantastic administration of the team By Mark Goodge, Ian Bradfield, Shaun Higgins and Dave Davies helped to make a smooth transition from the cars to boat as simple for their anglers as possible. Morning boatman Andy Miller had a great time helping out and ensuring everyone was safe and having a good time.

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

**New Email Address**: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

Week Ending 23^rd May.   Rod Av: 5.3    Water Temperature: 14c+

A great start to the week with the daily rod average 11.5 with the majority of the trout caught on buzzer, cdc, hoppers & small damsel, with the washing line with a Fab on the point & buzzers on the dropper working well. Buzzers patterns continue to be grey / black size 10 / 12 with a bright olive buzzer size 14 / 16. Fish moving most of the day to buzzer hatches with some hawthorn flies about in the early afternoon. Most anglers concentrated their fishing to the wood, lonesome pine & down the Markfield Arm. Water clarity is best described as gin clear, time to fish a long leader and thin diameter.

Tuesday, following on from Monday excellent rod average of 11.5 hopes were high for another good day. It proved the opposite, challenging day with angler struggling to find a method that consistently worked. Arthur Olding fared the best catching 8 for his mornings visit on a white silver booby fished on an intermediate.

Wednesday and a better day’s fishing with rod average 6, buzzers were the best patterns with olive, black and red buzzer patterns taking fish. S Windram caught 14 on the washing line with a booby and buzzer patterns, P Hunt also caught 14 on buzzer and damsel patterns. Dave Coote fished a short morning session fishing black & olive buzzer to catch 8

Thursday & generally a more challenging day with the start of the wet & windy weather forecast for Friday starting to move in. Tony Lorrimer went up into green bay, found the shelter of the dam & rising was the place to be catching 18 for his visit

Friday with average wind speeds exceeding 25mph we cancelled the boats

Saturday, what a difference a day makes, calmer day with trout moving all over the reservoir. Mark Clayton & Andy Willet fished from their float tubes concentrating their fishing from in front of the lodge across the main basin & dam with Andy catching 7 on olive or black buzzers with Mark catching 14 on a olive buzzer #14. Jan Webber caught 10 fishing the washing line with booby, damsel & buzzer. Mark Hunt fished cdc & yellow owls to catch his 19 trout.

Sunday bit more of a breeze with a cooler wind but the majority of the anglers fished the morning session which offered the better forecast. Buzzers caught the majority of the trout with black or red buzzer size 12 – 14 or bright olive buzzers size 14 – 16

Water clarity is gin clear, time to fish leaders as long as you can handle with the modern lower diameter fluorocarbon or copolymer giving anglers the edge. Noticeable this week smaller buzzer patterns 14 – 16 outfished the larger size 10 – 12 buzzer. More fish taking damsel patterns.

Hawthorn still about will hopefully be in good numbers this week

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook & Thornton

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

Online Shop: www.flyfishstore.co.uk      Tuition & Guiding: www.flyfishtuition.co.uk

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

**New Email Address**: draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

Week Ending Sunday 16^th May 2021        Rod Av: 8.4     Water Temperature:12 °C

Yet another windy day Monday from the South with the winds in the afternoon hitting 20mph and making the North Shore very rough. All water season ticket holder Phil Mee fished at the Hensborough bank using green buzzers to land 11 fish in a half day session. On the bank fishing at the Hensborough Bank and also the Swan’s Nest Bob Barfoot landed 4 fish including one on a dry Hawthorn as they are now around the reservoir. Taking advantage of our last 4 hour permit Ali Tait landed 7 fish from the bank.

A drop in the wind saw the fishing improve Tuesday with the rod average just under 8 fish per angler. On the bank Peter Elliot landed 7 fish on washing lined buzzers, catching from various marks in Peter’s words “all over the place”. All water member Norman Perkins landed 8 fish also on Buzzers and FABS on the bank. Starting their 4 day break Gary McGinlay & G Pelini landed 25 fish to the boat using a washing line landing their fish at the Hensborough Bank and the School Slips. Ed Douglas enjoyed a good day with 26 fish with 10 of those falling to dries in the morning, with he rest coming on to Buzzers. Ed found the fish around the Outlet and then later in the day at the Spit.

Fantastic sport Wednesday with great conditions apart from a couple of heavy showers, the rod average for the day was 10.8. It was really a day for the boats, however, John Woodcock enjoyed good sport on a last 4 hour ticket landing 8 fish from the Swans Nest on a green pea. With Rob Bettinson landing 4 fish on buzzers and also black & green lures. On the boats buzzers was the order of the day Jimmy Burtle & John Cowell landed 45 fish to the baot straight lining buzzers catching “in all areas”. Sandy Robertson & Ali Tait landed 43 using the Bung with buzzers and also a midge tip line. Russell Swinbourne landed 18 fish with 4 fish over 4lb and 1 5.2lb and commented on “the perfect tails and great fish”. Draycote Manager Tom Bird took Brian Bywater out for a 4 hour guide after a 15 year break from fishing. Brian enjoyed a great morning landing 12 fish all on buzzers either fished on a washing line or straight lined. For bookings and enquiries for tuition call Tom on 01788 812018 or send him an email on guiding.tuition@flyfishstore.co.uk.

Yet more good conditions Thursday with winds from the North East and overcast skies the rain that was forecast held off for most of the day, however it was a very wet evening. Colin Day fished on the bank using buzzers to land 11 fish taking fish from the Cornfeild, Biggin Bay & Tower Bank and commented the fish “where excellent and in fighting fit condition”. On the boats buzzers were once again the key to good numbers. Season ticket holder Paul Mitchell landed 27 fish using a RIO Midge Tip with buzzers a FAB. Fellow season ticket holders Dave Kennell & Eddie Mitchell landed 40 fish to the boat using an Airflo 6ft Slow Tip with 2 FABS and 2 buzzers in the middle catching their fish from the Swan’s Net, Cornfield & Biggin Bay. Gary Murray also used Buzzers and a FAB landing 34 fish landing fish all over the lake. Draycote members Chris Discombe & Jim Brennan enjoyed a good days sport landing 19 fish all on buzzers. However the highlight of the day was Chris landing a 7lb rainbow witnessed by fellow angler Paul Mitchell.

Friday was an excellent day out on the water, with light breezes, overcast and the chance of a light shower. Tony Broadway netted 8 fish from the bank on Buzzers from Toft shallows and the corn field. Season permit holder Steve Lees also caught 8 fish from the bank, but this time on nymphs. The boat anglers faired a bit better with fish getting caught in Toft Shallows, Grays Barn,, Biggin Bay, as well as Rainbow Corner and the Hensborough Bank. Mr M Foster and Mr J Vyse had 20 fish between them from Biggin Bay on a mixture of Black Buzzers and Damsels. Ed Douglas caught over 20 fish from  a boat on Dries. Season permit holder Alex Urquhart had 18 fish to the boat on a sunburst blob and muskins.

Draycote regular Alex Campbell had a bakers dozen anchored up at Grays Barn. Alex fished size 12 Olive Buzzers and Hot Head Diawl Bachs straight through off a floating line to land his fish.

Another set of fine fishing conditions at Draycote water on Saturday helped produce a daily rod average of 9.6. Bank anglers had fish aplenty with Mr M Nicol taking 8 on buzzers, Mike Garner netting 5 on Hares Ears, and Lee Cheshire catching his 6 fish on Olive Buzzers with an orange cheek. The boat pairing of Bob Askew and Ian Roberts netted over 30 fish between them on a mixture of buzzers, damsels and snakes, remarking on a great day out. Mr Craig Culin and Mr John McVay also had over 30 fish to the boat using olive buzzers down in Toft Shallows. Mr M Schofield remarked on what a super day he had out on the water after netting 12 great fish, all on green buzzers. Mr Adam Price Hunt had nearly 30 to the boat on a mixture of buzzers and dries.

Sunday was yet another day with mostly good fishing conditions, interrupted by a storm which came through about lunchtime, but quickly cleared. Again the anglers returned a good rod average with fish being caught on lures, nymphs, buzzers, and dries. Nearly all of the reservoir is fishing well at the moment, with good returns coming from Toft Shallows, Biggin Bay, Rainbow Corner and The Hensborough Bank. James and Les Maplethorpe had a “Superb Day”, netting nearly 30 fish on buzzers and diawl bachs, with several fish of between 3 and 5 lbs. Season permit holder Paul Mtchell and his boat partner had over 40 fish to the boat on buzzers and dries. Jim Smith and Ed Douglas did nearly the whole day on various dries such as shipmans buzzers, and had a large number of quality fish to the boat. Paul Walley ventured out onto the bank to net 11 fish in Toft on FAB’s and buzzers. Luke Orton also took to the bank to net a dozen fish on buzzers and lures, again in Toft Shallows. Mr S Radcliffe caught a total of 12 fish from both Toft Shallows and The Hensborough Bank. All 12 were caught on a mixture of flexi floss blood worm, red holographic diawl bachs and buzzers.

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Draycote regular Mr Ron Bevan. Ron was a long time supporter of the reservoir and such a character. He always had a tale or a joke to make you roar with laughter on even the dullest of days. I know he will be sadly missed by many of the anglers and all the staff here at Draycote Water.

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

**New Email Address**: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

Week ending 16th May   Weekly Rod Average Water Temp: 12c

Monday started us off as gentle as a lamb, but by lunch time the wind and rain descended on Eyebrook making the fishing conditions challenging and a bit uncomfortable for most. However, those that found shelter were justly rewarded with some outstanding sport. A lot of our Eyebrook and All Water Season ticket holders have been catching large numbers of fish for the past few weeks. This shows that there is no real substitute for intricate knowledge of a reservoir and what patterns work best for that time of year. W Juniper and J Wilson had a good day out getting to double figures each from the boat as well as J Smith and K Haken getting good numbers of fish as well. Draycote regular P Biernaki has been a regular visitor to Eyebrook over the past week and has had some great days fishing from the bank, in a short session on Monday afternoon, he managed a cool 7 to the bank on buzzers and nymphs with plenty of action in between.

Tuesday has been a different day from Monday. The weather has been really pleasant for our anglers until about half past 1, when the heavens opened, and we experienced a heavy deluge. This was quickly followed by some of our anglers opting to call it a day and retreat to a drier environment. Half an hour later, the sun was shining, and the Hawthorne flies came out to dance around in the gentle breeze. This sent the fish in to a frenzy around mucky bay. Ian Watts and Rob Toptalo had a fantastic day out on the water bringing well in to double figures each to the boat on buzzers and damsel patterns. Lots of other anglers were reporting good numbers to the boats fishing buzzers washing line method. Andy Sturrock and Keith Arnold joined us for a day on the water after enjoying a tuition day under the direction of Andy Miller. They were having limited success on the top side of the Island. But once Eyebrook Manager Jim sorted out a little bung set up for Keith and cast it far enough to get to the feeding fish, he got a shock when a fish wrenched the line tight and nearly pulled him off his feet.

Wednesday was stunning, a gentle breeze and sunshine with occasional cloud cover. Neil Cohen arrived with the Fly-fishing Large Reservoir group for a day on the water to introduce a few new and experienced anglers to the delights of fishing from a boat on a large water. Ultimately, the FFLR group had a fantastic day out on the water. Bill McIlroy and Michael Rowe were top boated pair on the day and were rewarded with a free boat and 4 fish ticket each. Lots of anglers were experiencing some great catches, but fish of the day fell to Russ Dyer. He landed a lump of a fish weighing in at 4lbs 14oz. It fell to a size 14 Diawl bach by the Chestnut tree. This was only one fish from an impressive haul from the bank.

Thursday continued with fantastic buzzer action from all corners of the reservoir All water ticket holders and long-time boat partners Ged O’Donoghue and Steve Orton had yet again a spectacular day bringing a large number of fish to the boat. Roy Anderson ventured out in a boat  for a day out and managed an eye watering number to the boat. Fantastic angling Roy. Lots of anglers are reporting good numbers and the fishing seems to be most productive around the Island.

Friday seen Mr N Davies take a small group out for a day on the water. As self-confessed novices, they were given some guidance and direction from the staff on set up and where to go to catch a few fish. Everyone of them managed to hook in to and play fish with only 1 from the group practicing long distance release on every fish played. Peter Biernaki once again has been enjoying some fantastic sport from the bank at Eyebrook this week. He has been enjoying some fantastic results fishing buzzers or dry flies.

Saturday welcomed back the regular Eyebrook season ticket trio, Steve Lawrence, Bob Margery and Dave Chadwick. All 3 of them got well in to double figures and were off home by 3 o’clock for a well earned snooze to recharge themselves for more fishing in the coming week.

Sunday had the Mid Northants fly fishers join us for a small group gathering out on the Eyebrook with a majority of the anglers managing to get in to double figures. It was good to see a few familiar faces again joining us for a day out. Andy Lane had a phenomenal day out on the bank fishing CDC’s or buzzers to bank well in to double figures of fish. Lots of anglers are now enjoying the dry fly sport that Eyebrook has a reputation for. With a steady stream of buzzers hatching off in the evenings, Hawthorne flies being blown on to the water, Damsels now starting to hatch off and the occasional daddy long legs making an appearance shows how diverse the variety of food the fish have to choose from is.

The evening hatches have been providing some fantastic sport for the last 4-hour tickets in the past week or so. This only shows great promise for the evening boat league that will be starting on the 5^th of June and run fortnightly. The aim of the league is not to turn our visitors in to competitive monsters, it’s so that anglers get to meet other anglers in a friendly setting and learn from one another and hopefully develop life long friendships. The chance of winning free boats and some cash in the end only makes it sweeter.

Contact the lodge to get booked in/ or for further details.

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

**New Email Address**: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

Week ending 16^th May.  Water Temperature: 13c+   Weekly Rod Av: 5.5

Monday a mix of weather, nice in the morning with the breeze picking up during the day with heavy rain showers at times. Floating lines, midge tips and intermediates worked best with buzzer – olive or black, pheasant tail working best with Jem Langley fishing buzzer and pheasant tail to catch his 6 fish during a morning’s visit

Tuesday a warmer day but again some heavy rain showers. Trout are spread throughout the reservoir with the majority of the trout feeding on the buzzer Mark Burrows fishing up the Thornton arm on spooning his catch found them to be on last year’s perch fry. Barry Deeley fished olive buzzer and blue flash damsel to catch his 12 fish, Paul Martindale kept on his buzzers boating 7 trout with Don Howatt fishing olive buzzers to catch his 6 trout.

Wednesday and a further stocking of 1200+ rainbows averaging 800g /1lb12oz went in today, should keep the good sport we have had during our opening 5 weeks going. Fish moved during the day to hatches of buzzer and increasing numbers of hawthorn during the afternoon with the area along the lonesome pine, stones favourite areas to find the hawthorn been blown onto the water. Excellent evening rise with lots of fish moving close in along the dam wall especially during the last couple of hours.

Thursday the wind was back in the east but that didn’t stop the fish from rising off and on during the day. The shelter from the chilly east wind given buy the Thornton arm, wood and green bay fished best with buzzers and a few hawthorn been on the trout’s menu. R Thorp returned for a days fishing at Thornton after a lengthy absence, he and his boat partner P Wesson caught 14 trout, member P Hunt enjoyed another good visit catching 12, All Water members L Serrano caught 11 for his mornings visit on damsel & buzzers with All Water member M. Ravenscroft catching 8 for his afternoon visit all taken on buzzers.

Friday and another day when the trout were to be seen feeding on & off all day, but they proved weren’t easy. Chris Sayer found a silver & white booby worked best for him as did G Jackson, All Water member P Walker caught his fish on nymphs and buzzers with Carl Bond fishing the evening session finding a buzzer or fab worked best for him.

Saturday proved to be an easier day, the fish still not easy but prepared to take a well presented dry, buzzer or nymph with Saturday returning a rod average 10

Joe & Tim Holder fresh from their days tuition with Andy Miller at Eyebrook a few weeks before visited Thornton and enjoyed a red letter day catching 25 between them on pheasant tail, buzzer & blob, B Perry who often fishes the bank opted on this occasion for a boat catching 17 on buzzers with Mark Hunt going way up the Markfield arm were he fond the fish prepared to take his klinkhammers & dries from a drifting boat

Sunday the expected rain that was forecast never came with the rods out on the water enjoying excellent sport. John Thompson and P Hunt fished buzzers to catch their 18 fish to the boat as did Andrew Wilson catching his 6 fish by the lonesome pine, Rob Knapp also fished the Markfield arm with buzzer patterns to catch his 7 trout for a morning’s visit. David Woodall fished yellow owls to take his 6 fish. We welcomed local angling club Thornton Fly Fishers click on the link for their website Thornton Fly Fishers Club (simpl.com) They fished their boat pairs competition with nearly all the pairs taking part catching their limits it came down to weight with Russ Martin & Ray Jordan being victorious with Peter Birdsall taking the prize for the largest fish. Next week they visit Eyebrook.

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook & Thornton

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

Online Shop: www.flyfishstore.co.uk      Tuition & Guiding: www.flyfishtuition.co.uk

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

**New Email Address**: draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

Rod Av: 7.4    Water Temperature: 10°C

The bank holiday Monday was certainly a rough one with the boats cancelled due to the strong winds. As a result of the weather we only had a few hardy bank anglers out. Season ticket holder Ian Richardson landed 9 fish from the bank on buzzers. With John Dickens taking 4 fish, from Hensborough Bank.

Due to high winds and rain no boats went out Tuesday, and what a difference a day makes on Wednesday with had lovely warm sun and light winds to start the day. However during the afternoon the wind picked up and we had some very wintery showers. On the bank all water member Lorenzo Serrano enjoyed a good day fishing buzzers at the old pipe in Biggin Bay. On the boats John Goodwin used black buzzers to take over 25 fish. R Symons also opted for black buzzers but also a black booby to land 18. Draycote season ticket holder John Dickens fished in Dunn’s & Biggin Bay using a black and green lure and also a washing line with a FAB and Buzzers in a boat to land 24 fish. Also on the boats Steve Cullen fished with Barry Tindell catching a good number of fish using buzzers in the morning before switching to a single blob in the afternoon catching fish in Rainbow Corner and Biggin Bay.

Thursday was yet another hit and miss day with the weather. We had hailstones early on, followed by intermittent showers, some calm conditions and at times bright sunshine. Despite this Draycote water fished pretty well overall, with the daily rod average coming out at 7.6. Alan Grant and Colin Grainger managed 8 apiece whilst bank fishing up near the valve tower on buzzers.  Tony Broadway caught 16 fish from the bank using a washing line with buzzers and diawl bachs. Boat partners Bob Smith and Ian Richardson had over 30 fish on buzzers between them, remarking on the quality of the fish. Ray Wallace and Dave Ward had nearly 30 fish to the boat on buzzers and noted” A great day with quality trout”.

Friday was an excellent day to be out on the water, with both boat and bank anglers enjoying some great sport. Off the bank Tony Broadway and Colin Day caught 17 and 14 fish apiece, mainly on buzzers. Bob Barfoot also had a good day on the bank netting 7 fish on a washing line, with buzzers and a green and white mini booby. Out on the boats Lee Patten and Peter Elliott managed to get well into double figures using buzzers and FAB’s. Both Tom Bird and Lee Henfrey had a good day out on the water. Tom and Lee used Midge tips and floating lines with buzzers and FAB’s to boat a good number of fish, remarking that they fished all four corners of the reservoir and caught wherever they went. New Fishery management staff member Steve Meacham and his boat partner caught a good number of fish between them in Biggin Bay using a washing line and black buzzers with an orange cheek.

Saturday was wet and windy all day, and not the most pleasant of conditions here at Draycote. Consequently only eight anglers in total ventured out, mostly on the bank. Mr L and Mr D Orton managed 17 fish on buzzers from various points around the bank. Out on the boat Mr Harrison and Mr White caught 6 fish between them in very uncomfortable conditions up near rainbow corner.

A vast improvement on the weather forecast Sunday with the rain never making an appearance, however the gusty wind did mean presentation at times was a challenge. However, the fish seemed eager to take the anglers fly with he rod average for the day being 9.4. Stephen Dewhurst fishing in Toft from the bank landed 9 fish his new PB at Draycote, so a very well done to Stephen from all the fishery team. Draycote member Paul Walley enjoyed good sport in the corner of the Hensbrough Bank landing 7 fish using buzzers fished on a washing line. On the boats Stephen Peart landed 33 fish using buzzers on a midge tip line taking his fish from the Hensborough Bank and also the Farborough Dam wall. Lee Nolan & Glen Thompson landed 47 fish to the boat at the Hensborough Bank fishing lures with their biggest fish being a cracking rainbow of 5lb.

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

**New Email Address**: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

Week ending 9th May Weekly Rod Average 12.5 : Water Temp: 12c Following on from an amazing couple of weeks on Eyebrook, where we had many anglers enjoying the fantastic buzzer fishing, unseasonal weather returned this week with a vengeance. Monday and Tuesday saw heavy winds prevent any boats from venturing onto the reservoir, whilst Wednesday, although better, saw snow and hail. The conditions improved on Thursday and Friday but deteriorated again over the weekend with heavy rain on Saturday and Sunday morning. Notwithstanding the weather, the fishing was good with some fine catches rewarding those anglers willing to brave the elements. Anther stocking took place on the Tuesday when a further 1500 quality fish were stocked.

Monday kicked off this week with an impressive 10+ rod average from the bank, with Gaz Roberts taking a dozen whilst Mr Biernacki topped this with a baker’s dozen. Mark Hunt fished an evening with dries and netted five. Buzzers and hoppers were still catching on Tuesday with Ken Key taking 9 whilst Alan Middleton had 4.

The winds had abated by Wednesday, so the boats were allowed out, although the weather was at times uncomfortable with squalls of snow and hail mixed in with distant rumblings of thunder. Notwithstanding this, the fishing was awesome with 24 anglers recording a massive 569 fish for a daily average in excess of 20, highlighting the benefits of a couple of days rest. The excellent catches were shared by both bank and boat anglers with numerous double figure returns. Naturals and dries all produced, with straight lining a team of buzzers, fishing the bung and the washing line all producing. Anyone needing a refresher session on these methods can find excellent guidance on Tom Birds blogs on our guiding and tuition website which can be accessed by the following link; ttp://www.flyfishtuition.co.uk/latest-report

The fishing on both Thursday and Friday continued to be excellent, with an impressive double figure rod average on both days. Nearly 100 anglers visited the Eyebrook over these two days and enjoyed excellent sport from the bank, in their float tubes or from the boats. Reviewing the catch returns over the two days and being out and about on the banks, it was nice to see a variety of methods being used to great success with buzzers, crunchers, diawl bachs and dries to the fore. The fish were spread out across all four corners of the reservoir, with anglers, if they desired, being able to find quite areas to enjoy all that the Eyebrook has to offer. This includes not just the excellent fishing, but the abundant water fowl and birds for which the Eyebrook is renowned, and the opportunity to watch an Osprey fishing, all set in lush peaceful countryside. One newcomer to our sport, visiting the reservoir after an introductory course the week before, remarked how enjoyable it was to be fortunate enough to spend a morning catching fish in such a wonderful place.

Over these two days, several anglers fished from their float tubes and enjoyed excellent sport, fishing for and catching trout from a completely different perspective. Eyebrook has float tubes for hire and our staff are able to offer guidance in their safe use. If this area of our sport sounds appealing, contact the lodge for further details or have a look on our social media pages.

Saturday saw heavy rain move in, which kept the majority of the anglers at home. However, Eyebrook members Dave Chadwick and Bob Margery fished rom the netted bank on the Rutland side of the reservoir and were rewarded with excellent sport, as both of them reported getting well in to double figures.

Sunday showed much more comfortable conditions than were forecast. We were expecting winds of 24MPH, but they never seemed to arrive on the day. Most of the fishing was done from the bank, with good numbers coming from Mucky bay up to the Chestnut tree. Bank anglers were also having success by the Hawthorne’s as well. Mark Goodge, Shaun Higgins, Ian Bradfield and Dave Davis from the All Abilities Fly-Fishers had a great day afloat with all anglers getting well in to double figures each fishing around the cow shed to mucky bay on Buzzers and FAB’s

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

**New Email Address**: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

Week ending 9^th May.  Rod Av: 5.3    Water Temperature: 11c+

Monday due to the weather no anglers on site. Tuesday conditions were only slightly better, P Cox decided to fish from the bank, he found a bit of shelter off the corner of the wood and was rewarded with 7 trout.

Wednesday conditions improved with boats out on the water. Anglers reported fish moving most of the day with an excellent evening rise. Buzzers, suspender buzzers & damsels patterns worked best with trout taken from opposite the lodge and across to the stones & out in front of the main dam. Grey buzzers size 10 / 12 with the olive buzzer size 14 hatching in good numbers throughout the day. Rod average 6.6

Thursday and a bitterly cold northerly wind with rain & sleet showers during the day. Despite the conditions trout continued to move off & on during the day with anglers generally catching on cruncher, diawl bach, buzzer & damsels. Barry Deeley caught 12 on an olive cruncher & blue flash damsel with P Wrigley & R Dunster boating 11 on buzzers for their mornings visit. Overall rod average for the day 6.1

Friday, another early morning frost which quickly gave way to a sunny morning with fish to be seen rising. Chris Sayer was booked for the day but having caught 20+ trout by 1.30pm decided to call it a day, P Hunt fished in front of the wood & caught 16 for his visit. J Smith who is just getting into the sport visited Thornton for the second time catching 6 trout for his afternoon visit. Mark Hunt having spent some time at his fly tying bench managed 9 for his afternoon visit on dries.

Saturday and a windy, cold, wet day with no rods. As forecasted a much better day Sunday with the wind from the south, south west, at last some warmth with the breeze. Again plenty of trout to be seen feeding on the hatches of Grey buzzer size 10 / 12 & olive buzzer size 14. Most anglers started opposite the lodge to the wood but with fish moving across the middle Andre Russell took his float tube & fished along the front of the dam catching 9 for his mornings visit on fabs and buzzers, with Gary Cragg also float tubing catching 13 on similar patterns. Dave Woodall fished on the corner of the wood with buzzers and booby to catch his 6 fish with Pete Hunt & John Thomson fishing buzzers to boat their 10 fish during their mornings visit

Water clarity is gin clear, fish to be seen feeding off the surface. Trout are well spread across the reservoir, its starting to pay dividends to fish areas which to date have been left alone.

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

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

Online Shop: www.flyfishstore.co.uk      Tuition & Guiding: www.flyfishtuition.co.uk

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Week ending 2^nd May 2021          Rod Average: 4.3         Water Temp: 10’c

A warmer feel to Monday with the cold East wind dropping slight to single figures, as a result the fish responded well with some great catches on buzzers. The Tower Bank continued to produce for the bank anglers with season ticket holder Ian Richardson, landing 12 fish on buzzers. On the boats all water member Ian Jobe enjoyed a great day’s sport landing 35 fish. Ian, fished from an anchored boat at the School slips fishing a team of buzzers on a floating line. Draycote member Lee Patten used a snake on a Di 5 sinking line to take over 20 fish. Fishing the afternoon Matt Osbourne & Pete Whealan landed 24 fish on a mix of buzzers, damsels & minkies.

The first cloudy day we had in a long time, as a result the fish fed high in the water and when the wind dropped out later in the day the reservoir was boiling with fish. However the flat calm conditions did make it tricky to get the correct presentation. On the bank Norman Perkins fished the Tower Bank on Buzzers to land 15 fish, with Draycote season ticket holder Steve Lees & John Falconbridge landing 8 fish each again on buzzers. On the boats Ian Morris landed 22 fish on Diawl Bachs fished on a washing line around Rainbow Corner and commented on “the good fish & good fishing”. Using Gold headed Hares Ears in Biggin Bay Adam Hollins landed 16 fish.

A vastly different day Wednesday with heavy overnight rain and a breeze North wind, which later swung to a strong North East wind. Fishing on the bank Alan Bettles enjoyed a great day’s sport landing 16 fish on black buzzers in the droppers and a white and green lure on the point. On the boats season ticket holder James Alexander landed 7 fish in Biggin Bay on a snake. Jeff Ide enjoyed a great days sport landing 27 fish from Alberts Bottom in Biggin Bay. With the vast majority of Jeffs fish taking a blue flash Damsel fished on the point of a team of flies. Draycote/ Guiding & Tuition Manager Tom Bird took fly fishing newcomer Tom Thorpe out for his firs ever go at Fly Fishing with Tom landing his first ever fish.

Another cold wind Thursday this time from the North West, however, in the afternoon the wind did drop and the temperature rose causing the fish to be seen feeding on the surface. Season ticket holder Tony Broadway landed 21 fish from the Tower Bank fishing with a FAB on the point. John Hall fished on Lincroft point using a weighted Green Pea landing 13 fish and enjoyed “good days sport”. On the boats Richard Walker enjoyed a good mornings sport landing 15 fish using various Damsel patterns at the Overflow. Richard also landed a cracking Rainbow of 5lb which is pictured at www.facebook.com/flyfishstore Season ticket holder Alec Urquhart fished with Johnathan Wood with the pair boating 22 fish using a mix of Diawl Bachs and Buzzers fished on a washing line with a FAB on the point. Fellow season ticket holders Paul Mitchell & Eddie Mitchell enjoyed a “Fantastic Day” boating 40 fish using a Midge Tip line and a team of buzzers held up again on a washing line with a FAB with he fish being caught through Biggin Bay & Dunn’s.

The wind changed around at various point Friday going from the straight North to a North West then into a straight West. As a result of all the wind changes the bank anglers found it a bit difficult, Jim Hall landed 5 fish on buzzers in the morning before calling it a day. The boat angler faired much netter with season ticket holders Peter Elliot & Lee Patten landing over 60 fish. The pair found the fish at the School Slip using Buzzers and Crunchers fished deep on a floating line with a slow nearly static retrieve. Dave Bennett & boat partner Chris Smith landed 26 fish in a morning season fishing along the Draycote Dam using Blue Flash Damsel Patterns. Russel Swimbourne fished buzzers at Hensborough and Rainbow Corner landing 18 fish.

A bright but cold start to Saturday with a light north westerly, which then clouded over in the afternoon. A good day on the bank for Mr M Braun who netted 7 fish from the bank in Duns Bay on buzzers. The boat pairing of Les and Karl Lerigo netted 16 fish between them, commenting on  “a good day”. Karl had 2 fish over 6lbs whilst Les weighed in a rainbow of 9lbs 8oz, all from rainbow corner. Mr B and Mr T Ball had a great day again up in rainbow corner, having well over 30 fish to the boat on buzzers, the best of which was 5lbs 8oz. Ian Ross and Mike Garner used buzzers and damsels to good effect, netting 17 fish, one of which was in excess of 7lbs. Mr M Schofield caught 8 fish from a boat using buzzers and holographic diawl bachs fished deep.

Again a sunny start to Sunday with an air temperature of about 3’c. It was mostly flat calm through the morning with a small storm and hailstones coming through about one o’clock. This in turn lead to cloud cover and a light breeze through the afternoon, and improved fishing conditions. Season permit holder Paul Walley used FAB’s to good effect on the Hensborough Bank to net 9 fish, whilst Mark Johnson Jones caught 4 from the bank using FAB’s and black buzzers. Mark Edwards went out for an afternoon session on the bank, netting 5 fish again on buzzers. It was tough going out on the boats to start with, with anglers commenting that things didn’t pick up until after the storm. The boat pairing of Mr K Harding and Mr M Clarke had 18 fish to the net on various methods.  Richard Walker had 5 fish to the boat on lures but said that he had dropped twice that number. Paul Mitchell and Mr T Burn had over 30 fish to the boat using small buzzers, the best of which was about 4lbs. The usual suspects of Ed Douglas and Jim Smith also had over 30 fish to the boat on buzzers, quite a few of which were caught drifting across the front of the pontoon. Mr L Foster and Mr D Webb had 7 fish apiece to the boat in Rainbow corner, mainly on buzzers.

Foremark Fly Fishers held a competition on Draycote water on Sunday which was attended by 9 anglers. A total of 38 fish were caught,( the best of which was 3lbs 12oz ) giving a competition rod average of 4.2. Well done to all those who took part.

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Following on from an amazing week on Eyebrook, where we had many anglers enjoying the fantastic buzzer fishing.

Monday kicked off this week with an impressive 11+ rod average. Anglers are reporting large swathes of fish from the Island, all the way to the nature reserve boundary line. Most of these fish are falling to washing lined buzzers or straight through Diawl bachs and crunchers on floating lines and midge tips.

Tuesday and we have just had Roger Charles pop in to the lodge to the lodge this morning to tell us that he has had a fantastic morning catching rising fish on a ginger hooper from the bank at the Chestnut tree. Truly a sign that the fish are now coming up in the upper layers of the lake to feed. Everyone seems to be focused on the Leicestershire bank, but there are plenty of fish rising all the way from Robbo’s cabin up to the Stoke dry car park on the Rutland bank. A slight shift in wind direction would make for fantastic sport from the bank. One of our Pike anglers had a pleasant surprise when he landed a large Perch. The Perch weighed in at 4lbs 1oz, apparently beating the previous Eyebrook record of 4lbs.

Wednesday arrived along with some strong winds coming out of the North East which in turn has made fishing the Leicestershire bank pretty much unfishable for the bank anglers. The Rutland bank is offering the much-needed shelter for the bank anglers, float tubers and boat anglers alike. From what I saw in those areas the day before, I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised, there were a lot of fish moving in the surface yesterday. Today marks the 3^rd day of D. Quigley and J McGuiggan’s 3-day package with us at Eyebrook. They’ve had 3 days of fantastic sport from the top end of the reservoir, mostly fishing buzzers, but having some great action on the CDC Yellow Owl’s, an Eyebrook favourite.

Thursday brought some harsh cold North Easterly winds which made fishing from drifting boats quite difficult. Those that ventured out on the boats headed into the more sheltered corners of the reservoir and still managed some really good bags of fish throughout the day. Most of the bank anglers struggled to get out in to areas that the boats could reach.

Friday the whole fleet out in the morning, obviously, a reflection of how well Eyebrook has been fishing this past week. Things have been really busy in the shop, with the phone ringing off the hook and lots of customers looking for guidance and advice as well as those little bits of kit that they need. The fishing still looks to be prolific and anglers reporting pods of fish feeding heavily on buzzers and Damsel nymphs. With light breezes in the afternoons and the temperatures rising, anglers are starting to take fish on the dries. All water ticket holder Phil Mee was so happy after practically living on the lake for a week, he even dropped off some cakes for the staff.

Saturday continues to be really busy, and we are receiving calls from anglers desperate to get out on to the water to enjoy the amazing buzzer action. Dan Goodlie joined Mr Eyebrook (Andy Miller) for an hour’s casting tuition. He had a thoroughly entertaining introduction and could not wait to get set up with kit. A very experienced Coarse angler, he is looking forward to getting stuck in o his fly-fishing journey and his future visits to Eyebrook and beyond. It was a pleasure to spend a bit of time with you to help you get started.

Sunday weather reports were showing that we should have been getting a westerly wind at around 5 – 7mph. However, looking out on to the water, at times it looked and felt more like a Northerly wind. Bank anglers and boat anglers were reporting that the conditions were a little different to what they were expecting. Eyebrook Ranger Jason took to the water on his day off with his friend Shak, who managed to whittle out a stunning 4lbs 8oz Rainbow. Jason and Shak decided to try and stay away from the crowded areas and search the other parts of the lake that weren’t getting as much attention. Sometimes doing your own thing can produce results. Well done Shak.

Yet again, Eyebrook legend, Andy Miller was joined by a group of 5 for a day’s tuition. Robert and Victoria Carr, Richard Hartland, Keith Arnold and Andrew Sturrock enjoyed an entertaining day with Andy, learning all the basics. From setting up the rod’s and tying on leaders, through some entomology to gain an understanding of the trout’s diet. Then on to some casting basics. Then under Andy’s watchful eye, they ventured out on to the water to put in to practice what Andy had taught them. We hope you all had a pleasant experience and plan to visit us again in the near future.

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Week ending 2^nd May    Rod Av: 3.6    Water Temp: 11c+

I wasn’t surprised to read were having the coldest April since 1970, our water temperature this week dropped back, however I’m not complaining, were seeing the best April rises for years with fish feeding on the buzzer hatching all day

Monday and another frost and cold easterly wind, anglers generally fished in the shelter of the wood with the successful anglers coming off their floaters to fish with sink 3 or 5 sinking lines with damsels, olive booby or black & green tadpole.

Tuesday, a rare treat, flat calm with whatever breeze coming from the south. Excellent hatch of black buzzers with fish to be seen feeding most of the day from the Thornton arm opposite the lodge across to the stones & dam wall. Black hoppers & black buzzer size 12 fished best although the fish moving in the evening were tricky, its time in the evening to get off the anchor & drift, it allows you to cover more water & puts your fly in front of different fish every cast.

Wednesday a quiet day angler wise due to the forecast, were back to north, north easterly cold winds, the heavy rain that was forecast missed us. Anglers opted to fish in the shelter of the wood bank, the wind wouldn’t settle in one direction and veered from a northerly to an easterly off & on during the day. Anglers reported fish moving on & off for most of the day with black buzzer size 12 been the most effective pattern, although an intermediate or sinking line with a damsel or cats whisker also worked.

Thursday and the water temp had fallen back to 11c+ fish to be seen feeding off the surface with the best sport to be had in the Thornton arm & main car park across the middle. Plenty buzzers hatching.

Friday, at last light winds, flat calm at times, with the trout again rising all day from in front of the lodge all the way across the middle of the reservoir to the stones. Lots of buzzer hatching, a grey buzzer size 10 / 12 & an olive buzzer size 14, photo of the buzzers on our facebook page,  www.facebook.com/FlyFishStore  With the majority of the trout being taken on buzzers & suspender buzzers member Alan Smith found a silver invicta worked best for him. Great evening rise.

Saturday and another day with the trout rising well, at times close to the bank along the Thornton arm and wood. They weren’t easy preoccupied on the buzzer hatches, the boats that drifted enjoyed the best of the sport

Sunday fish again moving feeding hard. Floating, midge tip and intermediate lines worked best with damsel pattern and grey / black buzzer size 12 / 10 and size 14 olive buzzer. Suspender buzzer also took fish, but again with so many fish moving a drifting boat scored best.

This past week our water temperature remains cool for the time of year but that has not affected the hatches see photos of the buzzers hatching on our social media pages. Water clarity is excellent. Time to fish low diameter leaders, with boats on the drift starting to catch better than the anchored boats.

If your short of time, get out for the last 4 hour evening rise, you’ll see plenty of trout moving.

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

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

Online Shop: www.flyfishstore.co.uk      Tuition & Guiding: www.flyfishtuition.co.uk

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Week Ending 25^th April 2021   Water Temperature 9’C.   Rod Average 6.3

A lovely start to the week with bright sunny conditions, and light winds. However, not the most amazing fishing conditions. Despite this Ian Richardson fished at the Tower Bank to land 9 fish all on buzzer on a half day session. All Water member Phil Mee landed 17 fish all on buzzers with the biggest being a Rainbow of 5lb 4oz. Draycote season ticket holder James Kelly also used buzzers but this time in conjunction with a Damsel to land 6 fish from the bank. Out in the boats Peter Elliot & Lee Patten landed over 60 fish to the boat using buzzer fished deep and slow in the bright conditions. Fishing from the boat in Rainbow Corner Andy Kress used Buzzers and Diawl Bachs to land 14 fish.

Another warm day Tuesday, season ticket holder Tony Broadway did well from the bank landing 26 fish all on Buzzers in Biggin Bay and The Tower Bank. All water season ticket holder Norman Perkins fished in this area to take 10 fish also all on buzzers. On the boats it was also buzzers that caught the anglers their fish. Tony Plummer had a great day landing 20 fish and losing a lot in play, fishing at Rainbow Corner & Hensborough bank with Tony commenting, “stuffed with fish along there”. Johnathan Wood & Alec Urquhart landed over 50 fish all on buzzers as well. With their fish coming from Biggin Bay, Dunn’s & Rainbow Corner.

A much cooler day Wednesday with a North East giving a definite chill the air. All Water season ticket holder Phil Mee enjoyed a good day on the bank again this time taking 14 on buzzers. Mr Squires fished at the Tower bank deep to take 8 fish. On the boats Geoff Preston took 12 fish on Damsels around Rainbow Corner and The Hensborough Bank in a short morning session. Also using Damsels to great affect Richard Walker landed 20 fish in the same area as Geoff. Tim grove enjoyed a good day’s sport on black buzzers to land 20 fish up in Rainbow Corner. Mick Cartlidge landing over 34 fish from various point on the reservoir fishing a sinking line and lures.

A tricky day for the bank anglers with bright sun and a frosty start on Thursday. Draycote season ticket holder Tony Broadway landed 8 fish on buzzers from the Cornfield. Fellow season ticket holder Dave Kennel landed 5 fish on the bank from various marks. The boats faired better as the fish had pushed out into the deeper water. Martyn Moore fished in Rainbow Corner using buzzers and commented on a “Fantastic Day” landing 19 fish. Tim Grove fishing the last of a 3 day break took 23 fish all on buzzers. Eddie Mitchell & Paul Mitchell fished an Airflo 12ft slow tip with a team of buzzers and a FAB on the point to boat 30 fish. Jim Brennan & Chris Discombe landed 25 fish using small black buzzers in Rainbow Corner.

Friday started bright and breezy with a bit of a nip in the air. The very welcome sunshine has pushed the fish down a bit in the water but it hasn’t stopped them biting, as the daily rod average came out at 10.6. Conditions have been a little more difficult of late off the bank, which is to be expected, whilst the boats have faired a little better in deeper water. Season permit holders Lee Patten and Peter Elliott fished the washing line and buzzers to good effect, netting a large number of fish from a drifting boat along the Hensborough Bank and by the Old Pipe in Biggin Bay. Mr P Swinbourne had over 20 fish to the boat using buzzers along the Hensborough Bank and remarked on how good the fishing was. Mr Les Lerigo had 5 fish to the boat using yellow dancers on a sinking line. Draycote regular Chris Flay ventured out for an evening session in a boat and fished damsels “Slow”, by the Inlet to net 15 fish, and a 3lb perch.

Another sunny day on Saturday with a cold start, warming up slightly as the day progressed. The breeze picked up a bit in the afternoon and was swirling around, making for difficult casting at times. Mike Garner fished crunchers off the Tower Bank to net 3 fish through the middle of the day, whilst Luke and David Orton managed 6 apiece. Season permit holder Tim Davies netted a dozen from a boat using a mixture of buzzers and snakes in Biggin Bay. Mr B Cowlishaw had 4 fish to the boat on buzzers, remarking on how much he enjoyed the day. Mr K Doleman used buzzers and FAB’s to catch his 10 fish, all netted between 12 noon and 4pm.

A very cold easterly was blowing across Draycote on Sunday, making for uncomfortable fishing, for those who didn’t wrap up warm. Overall, most anglers who ventured out onto the water did quite well, with more fish being caught through the afternoon as the day warmed up, “slightly”. Richard Walker and Paul Davis had 14 fish between them on Lures fished on sinking lines, whilst Ed Douglas used buzzers to catch well into double figures. Young Mike Oliver had 5 fish to the net on buzzers and Staff member Lloyd Thompson caught 10 fish using much the same method. The Local angling club, “Draycote Fly Fishers”, held their spring bank pairs match on Sunday which was well attended. 18 anglers took part, catching 41 fish between them. Paul Farrell and John Pearson took third place with 4 fish, Dave Adkins and Brian Frogatt were in second place with 12 fish, and the match winners with 14 fish were Paul Walley and Richard Hanlon.  If you are interested in joining the Draycote Fly Fishers or would like more information, please follow this link https://www.draycote-fly-fishers-assoc.co.uk/

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Weekly Rod Average: 11.4   Water Temp: 13c

This week saw Eyebrook starting off with a predominantly cold north easterly wind and bright blue sky. The fishing has been quite prolific, and reports are coming back to the lodge of good numbers of fish coming from all over the lake. The brighter weather is starting to push the fish out from the bank slightly and the boats are now starting to catch more than their fair share of fish. Most fish are falling to buzzers, but there are also a few falling to hare’s ear patterns, pheasant tail nymphs and the occasional Montana/ Pitsford pea style lures.

Tuesday seen the day start off with the introduction of another large group of piscatorial residents, fresh in from Exe valley. Good strong hard fighting fish seemed to just hit the water and disperse in all directions. Even though the weather conditions remained bright, the wind did help to provide excellent sport for all our visitors, with a majority of them being able to get themselves in to double figures.

Wednesday saw Mike Brookes join Andy Miller for a 4-hour guided session. He had an excellent 4 hours with Andy and lost count of the number of fish to the boat and felt that he had learned a hell of a lot from Andy as well as having a great laugh along the way. The fishing remains on form as lots of our anglers are coming back to the jetty happy. Plenty of compliments about the staff taking their time to give a bit of guidance and direction for set ups and where to fish.

Thursday looked to be the best day of the week so far with nearly every angler managing to get in to double figures from the bank and the boats. Good numbers of fish were being target by Andrew Lilly along the Robbo’s cabin area from the bank early in the day, but sport slowed down once the sun was at its highest point. All along the Leicestershire Bank, fish are still traversing the bank in sizeable pods and can be found all the way from Dogwood bay to the Cow Shed. The Island is holding a good number of fish with even a few big Perch to be taken as well. Mr K Bird had a bit of a surprize when one of his fish came in with an 8lbs Pike attached. Mr Allen has just started getting back in to fly fishing and was pleasantly surprised with a 6lbs Carp taking one of his buzzers. He was also pleasantly surprised when the fishery manager popped around to see how he was getting on and to offer a bit of advice to get him in amongst the fish.

The excellent sport continued on Friday with similar conditions albeit accompanied by a chilly wind. With the fish in similar areas to the earlier part of the week and still feasting on the abundant hatches of chironomids, sport was more or less guaranteed. Season ticket holder, Mr Farrell and his boat partner used crunchers to good effect both recoding high double figure catches, whilst Phil Mee and Horace Wood had over 30 to the boat using a combination of green fritz and buzzers. Mr Signy was afloat in his tube and also recoded a double figure catch. Anglers fishing from the bank are also finding fish with season ticket holder, Tom Dickson using a small black and green lure to take 10. Best fish of the day though was a 6 lb brownie which was taken, and safely returned, by Mr Burnham during his last 4-hour bank session.

A clear blue sky awaited our anglers on Saturday morning, although the north easterly wind had a raw edge to it, especially in the morning. The Eyebrook was pleasingly busy with 40 odd anglers and it didn’t disappoint returning a daily of average of over 9. Regular bank anglers, Bob Margery, Steve Sibley and Mr Gillis all recorded double figure catches during their morning sessions, catching from both Sam’s Dyke and Three tress on cruncher, buzzer and FAB combinations. The evening bank anglers were also finding fish with James Beeson recording 6 in his last four-hour session, whilst the local osprey took one which wasn’t returned. Catches were also good from the boats, again a combination of buzzers, crunchers and diawl bachs responsible for several double figure catches. The warmer evening tempted some of the anglers to try the dries and were rewarded with some sport, surely a harbinger of evening rises to the dries during May. Also several anglers recorded catching some of our fine looking big perch.

Sunday continued the fantastic fishing for our visitors. We were once again visited by the Gillespie brothers who had an amazing day out on the water getting well in to double figures each. Mick Glover took his young grandson out for a day out and had a great day fishing buzzer and Diawl Bachs which lead to Mick’s grandson landing a lovely silver 3lbs 5oz Rainbow. Over the weekend, anglers have been catching a few larger trout, a clear indication that some of the over wintered fish have started to show up to gorge on the buzzers.

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230804

Week ending 25^th April.     Water Temperature:  11c+          Rod Av: 3.5

Flat calm for long periods of the day with the wind during the late afternoon swinging to the south. Most of the day anglers concentrated their efforts to the bank opposite the lodge & wood although a few rods took our advice & went across the main basin towards the stones & green bay.

The wood bank continues to produce to floating & intermediate lines with damsels, buzzers, crunchers & biscuit fab, with some anglers catching in excess of 20 trout.

Most of last week we have seen an improving evening rise especially across the middle of the reservoir, Monday night we enjoyed our best evening rise of the season with fish moving along the middle of the Thornton arm across to the stones & out in front of the dam. They weren’t easy to tempt on emergers or dries with the best results falling to black buzzer, small diawls & crunchers fished just sub surface.

Our last 4 hours fishing permits are £4.00 boat with the last 4 hour permit £10.00 which allows you to take 1 trout & return any others.

Tuesday from late morning onwards the trout moved all day to a continuous buzzer hatch with trout moving from in front of the lodge all the way across to the stones and dam. Anglers found it was easier to catch on buzzer, diawls & crunchers fished sub surface rather than emergers & dries. Great to see the fish moving as they did during the day despite the cool easterly.

Wednesday and the coldest day of the week, frost in the morning with a biting east wind. Mr Perry on the bank fishing with buzzers caught 10 when most other anglers in the boats found the fishing difficult.

Thursday and Friday were similar days, warm in the sun but with a cool easterly breeze. Although most anglers started opposite the lodge and off the corner of the wood by late morning, early afternoon they were more spread out from the stones to green bay and across the middle. Floating lines continued to take fish with buzzers, diawls and damsels with some anglers finding a sinking line with black and green lures, humungus and bunny patterns also taking fish.

Saturday & Sunday, morning frost with the cold easterly continuing to blow. Trout are starting to move away from the wood with anglers picking up trout in the Thornton arm, stones, green bay and across the middle with some of the better catches falling to anglers using a sinking line with damsel, black and green lures and humungus with limited evening rise with the cold easterly.

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

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

Online Shop: www.flyfishstore.co.uk      Tuition & Guiding: www.flyfishtuition.co.uk

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Week Ending 18^th April 2021      Rod average   10.0    Water Temperature 9°C

Monday started cool, however when the sun broke out it soon warmed up making for some lovely conditions. As the sun warmed the water the fishery experienced another god buzzer hatch. The sun caused the fish to be pushed off the bank making it a challenging for the bank anglers. Although season ticket holder Bob Smith took 7 fish all on a blue flash damsel in Dougie’s Gap at the top of the Cornfield. The boats faired much better being able to access the fish feeding hard on Buzzers at the edge if the drop off. With buzzers being the order of the day for most of the anglers, Dave Bailey fished at the Toft side of Farborough Spit taking 24 all on buzzers. With Carl & Frank Chambers landing 19 fish. Draycote Fishery Manager Tom Bird and Fishery Ranger Lee Henfrey enjoyed some great sport all on buzzers with some fantastic, overwintered fish caught to see pictures of their day visit www.facebook.com/flyfishstore

A lovely spring day Tuesday with blue skies and warm sun, once again buzzers featured heavily on the catch returns. Season ticket holder James Kelly landed 6 from the bank using a washing line with buzzers in the droppers and a FAB on the point. With the sun out it was again the boats that faired best, Gary Haskins fished with Richard Hood landing 55 fish to the boat. The pair used buzzers on either floating line or a midge tip to take the fish with he Hensborough Bank being the most productive area. Chris Webster & Martin Barrett fished the same area on buzzers to take 45 to the boat. Ian Morris opted for Toft using Diawl Bachs and buzzers to take 30 fish. With Brendon Thomas fishing the Farborough Dam wall and the spit to take 17 fish including a cracking Rainbow of 4lb 8oz.

A mor overcast day Wednesday, which caused the fish to sit closer in to the banks and as a result the bank anglers fared much better than in the previous days. Phil Mee landed 17 fish on buzzers from the bank, with his best fish being 4lb. Stan Hillman took 14 fish from the bank fishing at the tower Bank. With season ticket holder Brian Allwood taking advantage of an afternoon landing 5 fish including a cracking 5lb Rainbow. Jim Hall on the bank took 15 fish all in Buzzers from the Cornfield and Biggin Bay. On the boats again it was buzzers that took the majority if the fish all water member John Kirk landed 22 fish all o buzzer from Hensborough and the Outlet. With season ticket holder Tony & Nick Parker landing 31 fish to the boat on buzzers and crunchers.

Yet another fine day for fishing at Draycote Water. With light breezes and the rod average topping out at 10 today, there was plenty of sport had by all and sundry. Once again the main catches have been on the buzzer, ( any colour, as long as it’s black ), with lures and blue flash damsels also putting fish in the net for some anglers. Tony Broadway had 17 fish off the bank on buzzers fished deep. Ian Richardson had 24 fish off the bank on buzzers, hares ears and boobies down in the Cornfield and remarked on how good the fish were.  Mr C Squires caught 6 fish from the bank on black buzzers fish deep, again remarking on the quality of the fish. Bob Smith netted 15 fish from the bank in Dunns Bay, again using buzzers fished deep. Out on the boats Lee Patten and Alec Urquhart used buzzers on the bung to great effect, netting over 50 fish between them by the old pipe in Biggin Bay. Martin Foster and John Vyse had a good day on the boat netting well over 30 fish from the Cornfield and Dunns Bay, again on buzzers. Chris Discombe and Jim Brennan caught over 20 fish from a boat using buzzers on a washing line from various points around the reservoir.

Friday was a great day to be out on the water with cool temperatures and light breezes. Once again the bank fishing is going really well with Mr M Miller and Mr M Smith catching 16 fish between them from Lincroft point on buzzers. Draycote regular Mr John Pearson had 20 fish from the bank on buzzers, remarking on the quality of the fish. Mr M Nolan caught 18 fish from the bank by the old pipe in Biggin Bay on buzzers.  Mr R Clews, returning to fishing after a long break, caught a total, of 5 fish from the bank, one of which was an overwintered 8lbs 8oz rainbow.  Season permit holder Steve Lees netted 7 fish from the bank, all on damsels. The boat anglers are also enjoying some great sport with Lee Nolan and Glen Thompson netting over 50 fish between them on snakes. Rob Middleton and Steve Peart caught over 60 fish from a drifting boat using FAB’s and buzzers. Jim Dempsey had 29 fish to the boat using lures on sinking lines.

It was a bright and frosty start on Saturday morning, which soon cleared up, with a large number of fish showing along the Farborough Dam and across the front of both pontoons. On the bank Mark Braun fished in Biggin Bay using a team of Buzzers on a floating line to land 20 fish. Draycote bank regular Mark Parsley also enjoyed good sport on Buzzer this time on the Tower Bank. On the boats season ticket holders John Kirk and Richard Dayman enjoyed good sport on the Hensborough Bank on buzzers. Terry & Tony Ball used Damsel patterns to take 35 fish to the boat. Using Blobs to great over 80 to the boat Brian Shields and Dave Morris catching the fish in Biggin Bay and various other marks of the reservoir.

A very bright start to the day Sunday with light winds, however, this did not seem to bother the fish as good catches were reported from both the bank and the boat. Draycote season ticket holder Paul Walley fished on the Tower Bank using FABS and buzzers to land 21 fish. Fellow season ticket holder Mark JJ and Stephen Dewhurst all used Buzzers on the Tower bank to take their fish. Slav & Johnny fished on the popular last four hour ticket on the bank landing 9 fish between them. The All Abilities Friendly Fly Fishers enjoyed a good day on the boats using buzzers to land their fish Mark Goodge & Horace Wood found a number of fish around J buoy using Buzzers. Elsewhere Dave Davis & R Oliver once again used buzzers to take 44 fish to the boat. Draycote season ticket holder Paul Mitchell fished with Tim Burn like the bank anglers at the Tower Bank to land a total of 59 fish to the boat, unsurprisingly all on Buzzers.

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Weekly Rod Average: 10.8                Water Temp: 9c

Following on from a fantastic week’s fishing last week, Eyebrook is seeing a distinct change in the weather. With blue skies and the wind dropping off, we are presented with conditions that a lot of anglers would not favour. But despite this, the fishing continues to be on top form. The fish are still quite close to the banks. Most of our anglers are enjoying success on floating lines and midge tips fishing washing line method or straight through Buzzers and Diawl bach’s. Some anglers looking for a good workout are having success pulling blobs and FAB’s on sinking lines from a boat, with Di3 seeming to be the line to go to.

With easing of COVID restrictions and the hairdressers and pubs opening, Monday and Tuesday were pretty quiet. This was probably down to people treating themselves to a long overdue haircut and a pint at their local. Signs of some level of normality are returning.

Wednesday has been a lot busier, with a small group of anglers from the Higham Ferrers Fly fishers joining us for a day out on the water. The fish are still very much gorging themselves on buzzers all over the lake. Some of our anglers have been moving around out on the boats and finding large pods on the Rutland bank now. With the wind coming from the East, Eyebrook season ticket holder Roy Swinfield ventured over to the willows to fish from the bank and got in to double figures of fish on buzzers. He said he lost count of the amount of takes he had and fish in and off again. The day ended with a Rod average of 12.75. the fishing has been pretty spectacular for some anglers hitting the right spot at the right time.

Long term fishing buddies and Eyebrook season ticket holders Richard Watson and Bill Whittle joined us on Thursday for a morning session. When they returned, Richard said they had blanked. But he couldn’t keep the smile off of his face long enough to convince me. They had an amazing morning session fishing buzzers and small nymphs to get both of them well in to double figures to the boat and with plenty of action in between.

The good sport continued from both the bank and boats on Friday with an overall rod average of nearly 11. There were several double figure returns made by the bank anglers with Roy Swinfield and Lyndsey Bates using buzzers to good effect. Ian Jobe had a highly successful day finding fish in several areas of the bank as did day ticket angler, Mr Normington.  All water member, Phil Mee took to the water in a boat and had a very successful afternoon, fishing washing line style with a diawl bach, a buzzer and a FAB on the point, whilst Mr Davies and Mr Baldock had a creditable double figure catch, using a montana as well as the more usual Diawl Bach and Buzzers.

With the weather starting to warm up and the sun being high in the sky all weekend, we started to think this would push the fish out in to deeper water. However, the fish did not seem to mind at all, and they kept coming thick and fast for a lot of our anglers. The usual spots have still been producing a lot of action and there are a lot of pods of fish out there still to be discovered.

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230804

Week ending 18^th April 2021   Water Temperature: 10c     Rod Av: 6.4

Cold start to the week with sharp early morning frost with a cold Northerly, North Easterly wind which reduced our water temperature to 9c

The cooler conditions & angling pressure have moved the fish a bit further off the bank & pushed the trout further along the banks past the lonesome pine down towards the farm.

Not surprising therefore that a sinking line with boobies, cats whisker & dawson`s olive worked best on Monday

Tuesday & Wednesday fished similar with anglers reporting catches to black buzzer fished static or under the bung or sinking lines with boobies and cats whiskers with the majority of anglers concentrating their fishing to the Thornton arm opposite the lodge, wood bank & down past the lonesome pine. Look out for swallows & martins working the main basin especially during the early evening as the buzzer hatches are drawing fish to the surface across the main basin, the start of our evening rise

Thursday our water has gone up to 10c, another frosty start but with improving daytime temperatures. Most of the anglers headed towards the corner of the wood with buzzers & small black cormorants working well. From early evening fish were rising across the main basin from the stones to the car park to another good buzzer hatch

Friday & a busy day at the reservoir with angler still finding good numbers of trout off the wood with cruncher, black buzzer & cormorant patterns fished on a floater or intermediate. Increasing number of trout to be seen feeding across the main basin.

The weekend and again the majority of the anglers headed to the bank opposite the lodge and the wood although the anglers who ventured further up the Markfield arm toward the farm reported good catches from this area. Again another good rise in the evening from the stones across to green bay and in front of the dam

We welcomed Thornton Fly Fishers our local angling club to their first visit of 2021 they returned a club rod average of 5.8 with trout up to 3lb6oz recorded. Details on the club are available via their website Thornton Fly Fishers Club (simpl.com)

Draycote, Thornton & Eyebrook Fisheries

YouTube Channel

We have our own YouTube channel, we will be posting short instructional videos, fishery advice videos, product reviews & filming competitions & their results held at our waters. Our aim is to produce a video per week.

To promote our YouTube channel if you follow the link below & leave a comment on the Eyebrook Fishery video you will be entered into the draw to win one of RIO new floating lines. The draw will take place on the 25^th April.

Click on here  Flyfishstore – YouTube

Or copy & paste this link into your browser:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4yilqitfPHhsmKAzkffVPg

Evening Boat League Draycote & Eyebrook

Tom at Draycote & Jim at Eyebrook will be running an evening boat league.

Evening Boat League.

Fishery Management (UK) Ltd is pleased to announce it will be running an evening league. There will be Leagues ran at both Draycote & Eyebrook with a total of 7 heats running at each fishery. The idea behind the league is to offer a friendly competition, introducing new anglers to competition fishing, & enjoying some great evening sport at both waters.

The format of the league is as follows.

• 7 Heats with your best 4 results counting towards the overall league standing. You will receive 1 point for 1st, 2 points for the second, and so on. If you do not fish a round you will be rewarded the maximum points for that heat. Overall the lowest combined score over 4 rounds wins the overall league. However, there are prizes for each weeks winner
• There is a £5 League entry fee this is a one off payment and goes straight into the prize pot.
• After this 10% of all the fishing fees for the evening go into the prize pot for the end of the league. This will then be split between 1st,2nd & 3rd. The winner of each round will win a boat voucher for a full day boat.
• The league will be fished to full Catch & Release with score cards being produced for each boat. Your partner will be responsible for recording your catch. It will go on the number of fish released with the time of the first 2 fish being recorded in the case of a draw.
• To enter into a round you will have needed to register before 4pm the day before. A draw will then be published for that evening on arrival you will collect your score cards and head out on the water, on returning to the dock the cards will be handed in to fishery staff.
• The first round for Draycote will be Monday 31st May & Eyebrook Wednesday 9th June and will be running bi-weekly.
• They will start at 5.30pm until the last boats in this will alter with the daylight.
• The results will then be published the next day on social media.

Draycote Evening League Dates.

Round 1- Monday 31st May

Round 2- Monday 14th June

Round 3- Monday 28th June

Round 4- Monday 12th July

Round 5- Monday 26th July

Round 6- Monday 9th August

Round 7- Monday 23rd August

Eyebrook Evening League Dates.

Round 1- Wednesday 9th June

Round 2- Wednesday 23rd June

Round 3- Wednesday 7th July

Round 4- Wednesday 21st July

Round 5- Wednesday 4th August

Round 6- Wednesday 18th August

Round 7- Wednesday 1st September

To book yourself into the league please call the lodges Draycote on 01788 812018 or Eyebrook on 01536 770264

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

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

Online Shop: www.flyfishstore.co.uk      Tuition & Guiding: www.flyfishtuition.co.uk

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Week ending 11^th April.   Weekly Rod Average 7.9    Water Temp. 8’c. 

What a difference a day makes. After a lovely Easter Sunday, Monday could not have been more different with a cold North West wind and low air temperatures not getting over 5 degrees. The fishery even experienced snow in the morning, as a result most anglers opted to have bank holiday Monday indoors. The bank fished well over in Dunn’s Bay with a combination of a FAB on the point and buzzers on the droppers with season ticket holders Andy Lillie and Phil Mee catching on these tactics. In Dunn’s & Biggin Bay, Ian Shobbrook landed 8 using Diawl Bachs at the Old Pipe. While on the boat Ian Reeve & Matt Pittaway landed 15 fish on bunny leaches and buzzers in Dunn’s & Biggin Bay.

The wind on Tuesday did not quite have the same bite as Monday, and thankfully the hard overnight frosts forecast did not happen. However, it was still a day to be wrapped up warm, although thankfully the fish did not seem to mind. On the bank Andy Lane used buzzers to land over 23 fish, from the Tower Bank, with 3 buzzer fished on a floating line. On the boats Gordon Bramwell & Eddie Mitchell enjoyed a good day landing 27 fish to the boat, again all on Buzzers. Gordon and Eddie caught their fish from the Dunn’s Bay, Biggin Bay and The Cornfield. Father and son duo Gary and David Turner landed 23 on buzzers fished near the willow trees in Toft just at the end of the Cornfield.

A very frosty start Wednesday with the pontoon being completely white first thing, with the boats not able to go out until bang on 8.30. The winds started light, however, did increase as the day wore on making for another cold day out on the water. Dunn’s Bay and the Tower Bank produced well for the bank anglers with Bob Smith taking 15 on Buzzers from Dunn’s. Paul Walker took 15 from the Tower Bank on Buzzers and Diawl Bachs. On the boats season ticket holder Richard Walker had his best ever day landing 32 in a morning, using various different Damsel patterns at Lincroft Point and then Croft Shoal. Ed Douglas stuck to Buzzers all day to land 42 from Middle Shoal and also the outlet. Ian Morris opted for Toft and the Swans nest on the boat to land 21 on Buzzers & Diawl Bachs.

A warmer start Thursday with the wind coming from the South West, as a result buzzers featured well on the catch return. Season ticket holders Gordon Bramwell & Eddie Mitchell used Buzzers all day to take over 60 fish to the boat fishing in Biggin Bay & Dunn’s. Fishery guide Lee Henfrey fished with former Manager Kevin Hart taking over 50 to the boat with the vast majority being over wintered fish again on buzzers fishing the Farborough Dam wall. Other tactics did work in the boats with Richard Hanlon & Dave Atkins taking 19 fish using Di 5 sinking lines and snakes. On the bank Dave Parkes took over 30 fish from Toft using a variety of different lures. John Woodcock enjoyed a great last 4 hours permit on the bank taking 17 fish all on Green Pea.

Great conditions Friday with light north west winds, once again the fishery saw a great buzzer hatch. Gaz Roberts fished a half day taking over 50 fish on an olive barred snake fished a Di 5 sinking line from the Hensborough bank. Gaz was smiling ear to  ear when he came off “after he best day ever”. On the bank the Old Pipe in Biggin Bay produced for season ticket holder Peter Elliot & Lee Patten who had over 50 fish on buzzers fished on a floating line. All Water season ticket holder Norman Perkins fished on the Cornfield with Static Buzzers to take 18 on buzzers. Alec Urquhart fished with Johnathan Wood with the pair fishing buzzers all days to take over 50 fish to the boat.

The current spell of cold weather continued through Saturday with a northerly wind interspersed with the odd shower in the morning. Even through this cold spell buzzers can still be seen hatching off, indeed anglers have reported fishing whilst the snow was falling this week and trout rising to buzzers right in front of them. The bank fished well for Mr G Wadsworth on Saturday who netted 16 fish from various points along the northern shoreline. All water season permit holder Andy Lilley caught 10 fish from the tower bank using just buzzers on a floating line. Mr C Wilkins used damsels from the bank to good effect netting a dozen fish from the Cornfield. Mr M Cope netted 14 fish from the bank in much the same spot, also on damsels. Out on the boats staff member Lee Henfrey netted quite a few fish during a morning session on straight through buzzers on a floating line. Lee used a 15 foot leader and 4 buzzers fished static, in front of the pontoon and down the Farborough dam. Mr A Biggs and Mr M Govan used a DI5 with blobs and boobies to net 8 fish from various points around the reservoir.

A cold but light north westerly blew through Draycote on Sunday, turning a bit colder in the afternoon with some snow showers here and there. Despite this, both the bank and the boats continue to produce some catches mainly on buzzers and damsels, with lures following very closely behind. Season permit holder Paul Walley caught 14 fish from the bank using buzzers and FAB’S. Paul caught most of his fish from Lincroft point and the Tower bank. A slightly damp Mr Andrew Wheildon had 9 from the bank in total using buzzers and blobs, again from Lincroft point and the Tower bank. The boat pairing of Jim Smith and Ed Douglas had over 20 fish a piece using buzzers. Jim and Ed fish the Farborough Dam, Toft Shallows, Croft Shoal and the Hensborough bank. Mr J Mcelligott netted 10 fish from a boat using damsels in Toft shallows and Biggin Bay.

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Week Ending 11^th April    Rod Av: 10.01   Water Temp: 9.5

An incredible start to the 2021 season with another excellent week fishing. We should remember when fishing catch and release,  fish barbless or squash the barb down on your hook, if possible unhook the trout in the net, handle the trout as little as possible, allow the trout to recover before releasing.

A quiet Easter Monday with a bitterly cold northerly wind the anglers that did venture out were all gone by midday having caught on buzzers returning a rod av 3.5

Tuesday a cold day with snow shower, however the rods who did venture out were rewarded with excellent fishing resulting in a rod average of 14.6 for the day. Same areas still producing the shallows opposite the lodge and wood bank with floaters and intermediate with buzzers producing best. Phil Mee, Pete Cox, Arthur Olding, Keith Coley and Bob Taft all recorded double figure catches, well deserved for fishing in those cold conditions. Nice range of fish being caught from 1lb8oz to 3lb+

Wednesday and another cold frosty morning with our water temperature at 9c not surprising therefore that the early morning sport was slow. By mid morning the fish were on the feed with buzzers on the washing line, fished static or under the bung taking the majority of fish with Alan Withers & S Gullen enjoying an excellent day with All Water member Steve Jordan having enjoyed the best early season sport he has had.

Another cold frosty start to the day and it seems the drop in temperature as moved the trout off the bank with boats enjoying the lion share of the sport, new members Ian Leach, M Ravenscroft and L Serrano all caught good numbers with long term member Clive Holt also enjoying a good day

Friday, Saturday and Sunday weather were a lot colder with the Northerly wind having a real bite to it. Mid morning onwards fished best and despite the cold condition’s buzzer were once again the top patterns with the area opposite the lodge and wood bank producing best. We welcomed a reduced number of the All Abilities club back to Thornton for their first 2021 visit and they enjoyed a group rod average of 9 fish. Member Andrew Wilson had a great mornings sport catching 15 trout on epoxy buzzers. Keith Cowen took his 6 fish limits in quick time on Saturday with members Brian Sibley & Alison Toon catching 20 fish between them for their mornings visit.

We would remind boat & float tube anglers that they need to keep 40yards from fellow boat & bank anglers. When boats are moving from one spot to another be considerate to other anglers always pass them on the open water side.

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Week ending 11^th April Weekly Rod Average: 12.6     Water Temp: 9c

Easter Monday started us off with strong cold Northerly winds sweeping down the lake. Obviously, the strong cold winds were keeping the anglers at home. Those that ventured out needed to wrap up warm and head for sheltered areas. Eyebrook Season ticket holder Mick Farrell ventured out with his son and found shelter down by Sam’s dyke and had a pleasant day’s fishing bringing well into double figures to the boat on small Crunchers fished straight through on a floating line. All water ticket holder Neil Shilton took Ethan Morrissey out on his first fishing adventure on a boat. Despite the strong winds Neil and Ethan managed to bring double figures of fish to the boat just off the nature reserve boundary fishing a similar method to Mick and his son. Eyebrook regular and all water ticket holder Mark Hunt broke with tradition and fished flies that were sub surface. In 2 and a half hours, Mark managed to whittle out an impressive 16 to the bank. It just goes to show that Mark is just as proficient with Nymphs as he is with Big red’s and Shuttlecocks.

The next morning started off bitterly cold with temperatures hitting -3C on the way to the lodge. The wind is still extremely cold and strong coming from the North East. The Anglers out in boats struggled to catch fish today but David Wall managed a bumper day from the bank catching well in excess of double figures up by the Island.

Temperatures are holding at a steady -3C again today. Early reports are showing that the bank anglers are picking fish up from close in by the Hawthorne’s and the casting platforms. Even with such cold conditions, the fish are steadily taking small buzzers and the occasional blob, FAB or booby. Our anglers had some top sport today with a Rod Average of 16 at the end of the day. Lots of big smiles passing through the lodge on their way to book out and plenty of good stories from our visitors who are reporting good catches from all over the Leicestershire bank. Bill Stewart had a spring in his step after getting well I to double figures even though he had to jump in to his car to thaw out a couple of times.

Thursday saw a shift in wind direction. Now coming from a West south west direction and holding at 16MPH the conditions are more favourable from the Leicestershire bank. But even with the change in wind direction, the fishing keeps on improving.

Friday continued on just like the day before. Lots of happy anglers coming back to the lodge after an amazing day of sport. The Rod average has held at 20 for the past 2 days and the fish are feeding voraciously on buzzers all over the lake. Some anglers have actually been able to fish small emergers and had fish readily take them. Others have opted for fishing a single fly to avoid multiple takes that were leading to breakages.

The weekend saw the Eyebrook hosting the Scierra Pairs competition with several anglers fishing the Saturday in preparation for the competition on Sunday. Despite the cold weather, the excellent sport of the last few days was maintained with several anglers catching well into double figures. Good sport was also had from the bank with Eyebrook members Steve Lawrence and Bob Margerey taking lots of fish from the Leicester bank. Buzzers, Diawl Bach and crunchers were the most successful flies as the fish feasted on the abundant natural  hatches.

40 anglers fished the Scierra pairs competition, which was fished to a 6 fish limit and time bonus, followed by catch and release. The competition started at 09.45 and the first boat weighed in their 12 fish at 11.00. All anglers caught fish, with 17 of the 20 boats recording their 12 fish limit. Given the weather conditions with cold winds and snow flurries, this was an excellent result. Although not the first boat weighing in, Paul and Pat Sharman were top rods with 34lb and 13 ounces. Second pair were Glen Moody and Ian Buckley whilst Jeff Crowden and Toff Crowther were third and go forward to the final at Rutland in September. Full details of the match, together with results and photos are on our social media pages. Several of the Eyebrook members fished from the bank on Sunday and all caught with Malcolm Thompson recording a double figure catch on Damsels and Hares Ears.

With the weather forecast starting to improve this week, prospects look good for an excellent weeks fishing, both from the bank and from the boats.

Weekly Fishing Report: Draycote, Eyebrook, Thornton

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

Online Shop: www.flyfishstore.co.uk      Tuition & Guiding: www.flyfishtuition.co.uk

Fishery YouTube Channel: YouTube Flyfishstore

Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Weekly Rod Average: 11.84     Water Temp:  8°C

An absolutely fantastic opening week with 452 anglers visiting the fishery, landing a total of 5,353 fish for a weekly rod average of 11.84 fish per angler. With both the bank and boats catching well on a variety of methods from lures, buzzers and even on dry flies.

It was a fantastic on Monday being able to welcome all the anglers back on the banks at Draycote. With all the boats out on the water along with a fully booked back. Unfortunately, the forecast was not the kindest for the anglers with strong winds from the South West. However this did not stop the 87 anglers catching a total of 1,064 fish for a rod average of 13.5 fish per angler. Both the boat and bank anglers enjoyed some great sport, on the bank it a Blue Flash Damsel that proved to be the killing pattern with catches into the 20s on the fly with the best areas being the Tower Bank, Dunn’s Bay and The Hensborough Bank producing good catches. On the boats the best tactic was sinking lines with various snakes and boobies, fished at the Hensborough Bank, Inlet, Rainbow Corner. However other good catches came to buzzers in these areas. With some anglers braving the rough weather to land fish in Biggin Bay.

Tuesday provided some fantastic spring weather with temperatures reaching nearly 20 degrees, this teamed with light winds provided some fantastic sport with the rod average for the day being 16.4. Once again, the best area from the bank was the Tower bank with the best fly being a blue flash damsel and buzzers being the best tactics. Utilising this tactics to good effect was Andy Lillie & Colin Day wh0 had 15 and 22 each. On the boats it was really a fantastic day with some scores, the England cricket team could do with. With the warm weather buzzers really came into their own, however blue flash damsels and boobies also featured heavily. The best areas were Toft, Croft Shoal, Biggin Bay & The Cornfield. Later in the day there was also fish seen moving and the first fish of the year reported on dries.

Another glorious day Wednesday with the temperatures getting over 20 degrees. As a result of the warmer weather the buzzer fishing was fantastic. On the bank Phil Mee landed 12 fish including 2 fish at 6lb all on buzzers from the Tower Bank. Draycote season ticket holder Ian Richardson landed 17 fish from the Tower bank on washing lined buzzers with a FAB on the point. Ian Gaskell fished with Bob Cooper who had not fished in 18 months with the pair boating over 40 fish using a floating lines and a team of buzzers. The pair found the fish in Toft, along the Cornfield and also Farborough Dam. Other good catches came on Buzzers from Croft Shoal, Farborough Dam, Biggin Bay & Toft. With lures also working on Di 3 & Di 5 sinking lines from the same areas.

What a difference a day makes from the lovely spring conditions of the previous 2 days Thursday felt like we had gone back into Winter with the North East wind really carrying a chill. With the more overcast conditions the bank sport was outstanding. All Water season ticket holder Michael Ravenscroft landed 16 fish in 4 hours on the Cornfield on a Gold Ribbed Hares Ear. With Dennis Tidmarsh & Alan Bettles landing 18 and 19 fish, Dennis used snatchers on an intermediate while Alan opted for black and green & white and green tadpoles. On the boats the hotspots for the day were Toft, Biggin Bay and along the Cornfield with good catches also coming from the area around the Valve Tower. Gordon Bramwell netted over 20 fish on Buzzers, as did Ed Douglas. Mr M Schofield netted 8 good fish on lures fish very deep, whilst Ian Reeve caught fish in good numbers using Bunny Leeches on a DI 3 in Biggin Bay. Mr L Tones and Mr S Farmer had 50 fish to the boat between them on a fast glass with black and green boobies in Biggin Bay.

It’s just as well the north shore of Draycote is the best place to fish at the moment, as that cold north easterly breeze means that the bank anglers can at least get some shelter. Lee Patten and Peter Elliott had at least 50 fish between them on buzzers from Lincroft Point and Biggin Bay. Mr M and Mr W Hollingshead caught 20 fish from the bank in Biggin Bay on buzzers and blobs, the best of which was about 3lbs. Mr T Cosford caught nearly 40 fish using static buzzers off a floating line fished along the north shore. Andy Lane caught nearly 50 fish using a silver owl, and neon and olive  buzzers. Andy started at Grays Barn on the north shore and just worked his way along into Biggin Bay. Alan Masters had a dozen fish off the bank on buzzers, diawl bachs and FAB’s, remarking on a “lovely days fishing”. Out on the boats the fishing was also first rate with Mr J Carr and Mr S Cochrane netting over 70 fish between them on buzzers and boobies. Brendan Thomas caught 20 fish using a DI3 and a Humungus off the Farborough Dam. Staff Members Lee Henfrey and Michael Hanlon had a great days sport netting over 40 fish between them down in the bottom of Toft Shallows long lining on buzzers.

Yet another cold day on Draycote with a very persistent north easterly. Still a good day for the bank anglers with the north shore producing some good catches once again. Clive Wilkins netted 11 fish on green buzzers, the best of which weighed 5lbs. Season permit holder Mike Garner caught half a dozen fish from the bank using hares ears, cormorants, crunchers and butchers from the cornfield. Ian Western had 10 fish during an afternoon session. Ian caught all his fish from the north shore using black buzzers. Out on the boats Les and Karl Lerigo netted 34 fish between them, all on black and green snakes. It was buzzers fished on a midge tip that did it for Roger Pearce and Paul Burchall. The pair netted their 17 fish down in toft shallows. Fishery Manager Tom Bird and his boat partner Ryan Feber, took to the water and had a fantastic day, netting over 80 fish between them. Tom and Ryan used boobies and cormorants on sinkers and midge tip lines and caught their fish in toft, biggin bay, rainbow corner and along the Hensborough bank. Season permit holder Chris Pallot and his boat partner Carl Holland had 7 fish to the boat down in toft using black and green snake boobies.

After 2 days of cold North East winds its was nice to be greeted with a warmer Westerly wind on Sunday. A frosty start however by the afternoon the sun had really warmed up with temperatures hitting 16 degrees. As a result of the warmer temperatures the fishery experienced an amazing buzzer hatch with clouds of buzzer being seen over the dams. On the bank, the bright sun and crystal clear water made the fishing challenging with the fish holding further off the bank and a little deeper. Draycote member Mark Johnson- Jones landed 3 from the Tower Bank in the afternoon on a green pea. However it was the boats who really enjoyed the lion share of the sport. With the majority of the great catches coming to buzzers, with Paul Mitchell & Tim Burn landing 53 fish to the boat all on Buzzers from Biggin Bay. Ed Douglas took 52 fish from the Outlet on Buzzer fished deep on a midge tip.

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Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Weekly Rod Average: 7.1     Water Temp: 9c

Our opening week started off with South westerly winds which saw our anglers favouring the Leicestershire bank. Most of the bank anglers set up along from the Casting platforms to Sam’s dyke area where a lot of anglers had good bag numbers. Those that ventured further up to The Island and the Chestnut tree found fish in good numbers. The fish were readily taking Crunchers, Diawl Bach’s and buzzers as well as damsel nymphs, boobies, blobs and Pitsford Pea patterns. The Leicestershire bank was producing well for the boat anglers as well.

As the week progressed, the wind changed through to a North Easterly and brought a bit of a temperature drop. This moved the Anglers attention to the Rutland bank. Our anglers quickly found that there was a good stamp of fish just off the fence end at Stoke dry. Fish have also been showing in good numbers all the way to the Willows and to Robbo’s cabin. Moving around is key to locating the fish at the moment and the anglers that are covering large areas are finding fish in good numbers from all over the lake, but anglers have opted for the more sheltered areas on the lake to get out of the biting cold wind.

This week has seen some small cohorts from a few local fishing clubs gather for outings in COVID conscious groups and have done well to adhere to guidelines. It was good to see the guys from the Forrester fly boys, who visited on Friday. The Foremark Fly Fishers joined us on Sunday, both groups managed good bag limits and had good days out on the water. Steve Rainbow had a pleasant surprise when he hooked and landed an 18lbs Pike on a green and black fritz lure while fishing for trout.

The opening week has been a good one, even with the changing conditions. Temperatures raising and then dropping rapidly, as well as the wind completely changing direction has not adversely affected the fish and good sport can be found for the angler that’s ready to mix it up with the elements.

Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230804

Weekly Rod Average: 11.2     Water Temp: 10c

The long awaited opening of the 2021 season finally arrived on the 29^th March, with good weather greeting the anglers. As we expected the shallows opposite the lodge and down in front of the wood fished best with boat and bank anglers enjoying the good sport. With our water temperature at 10c buzzers, diawls, damsel, Montana & cats whisker fished on a floater down to a sink 3 helped achieve an opening day rod average 10+

Another good day on the second day with the rod average climbing to 16+ with anglers catching along the same areas using the same flies. Adam Brooks having caught well into double figures on day one did even better on day 2. As we locked up there was a number of fish moving across the main basin to a good hatch of buzzer

Wednesday and another warm day with good hatches of buzzer. Anglers were still finding plenty of fish along the shallows of the Thornton arm and wood with anglers fishing the bung and buzzers catching well, it’s great to see our lady members Pam, Carolyn, Christine and Elizabeth out on the water and recording good numbers.

Weather change on Thursday with a cold easterly. Bank and boat anglers fished the shelter of the Thornton arm and wood bank. Chip bank fished opposite the lodge catching 20+ in three hours on a traditional wet fly the march brown. As the last few days buzzers, diawls, damsel flies caught best with a cats whisker and booby also working.

Friday a cold but productive day with the rod average 13+ with bank and boat anglers enjoying the good sport. Buzzer fished static or under a bung was the most productive method with a cats whisker, green pea and orange blob also working. Floater, Intermediate & DI3 best. Lots of buzzer coming off.

The weekend continued to produce for boat & bank anglers with the Thornton arm & wood bank still the best areas. Black Buzzer patterns fished static or under the bung was by far the most successful method over the weekend.

Great opening weeks fishing, with our covid guidelines working well, you can check our Covid guidelines COVID-19 Update | Fly Fish Thornton – Leicestershire Fly Fishery

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