Eyebrook has now closed, during the close season Jim Wright will be carrying out maintenance & preparing the lodge and tackle shop for the 2021 season which opens 5th March 2021
Details on Eyebrook membership & our increasingly popular All Water Membership which allows you to fish Eyebrook, Draycote & Thornton can be found at http://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/prices/season-permits/
Looking for Christmas Gift ideas we also provide Gift Vouchers call the lodge 01536 770264 for details
Eyebrook Weekly Fishing Report.
Tel: 01536 770264 email: lodge@flyfisheyebrook.co.uk
Web Site www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk Online Shop www.flyfishstore.co.uk
Our COVID-19 Guidelines http://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us/
Fishery Report: Week Ending: Sunday 25th October 2020
Government has announced that mandatory Face Coverings will be required to be worn within all shop in England from Friday 24th July, these can be a Buff type, scarf, mask etc. This mandatory rule will cover our shops / lodges
A cold and still morning ushered in the week with only a few boats heading out in the morning. Roy Swinfield and Lindsay Bates again opted for a session from the bank. Roy had two fish whilst Lindsay just fishing the afternoon also has two. Dave Lawrence and Keith Johnson were also fishing the bank and they caught fish. It’s good to see that the bank is starting to produce more fish lately, although it is becoming apparent that the Leicestershire bank is performing better, probably due to the weedbeds in this areas being more marginal than on the opposite bank. Boat wise, Mr Harris, fishing the first day of his three-day break targeted the fry feeders and used a white snake for his eight fish whilst Eyebrook member, Mr Dickins had five.
Tuesday weather with anglers giving the bank a rest on Tuesday, it was down to the boat anglers to sort out the feeding fishing. Mr Harris recorded a further five fish, whilst Nev Welsh had four as did Bill Law, who fished a short morning session. Overall, nearly all rods caught fish, with the overall rod average for the day being a reasonable 3. 5
Wednesday was quite an unpleasant day with winds and constant rain which probably accounted for the lack of anglers. However, the two boats that ventured onto the water were rewarded with fish, with season ticket holder Ian Jobe recording a creditable dozen.
Thursday started off with heavy rain which had cleared by 08.30 and with light westerly winds, it looked likely to be pleasant day to be on the water. Unfortunately, as the day progressed, the winds increased which made presentation difficult for the boat anglers with the best boat only recording 2 fish. It was however a different story on the bank, with Keith Johnson landing ten, Roy Swinfield four and Martin Hawes three. Popper minkie’s, minkie boobie’s and corixa being the successful patterns. One of the highlights of the day though, was a fly past by the RAF Memorial Flight Lancaster which flew low over the dam wall at lunchtime, an impressive sight!!
Friday also started off with heavy rain, although it had cleared up by about 9am. The wind was still from the west. We were joined by a young lady, Sofia Debenham (Fisher Girl), who is loving her fly-fishing journey through life and is documenting her visits to fisheries along with her dad Gareth. Sofia brought 4 fish to the boat on floating fry patterns and Pheasant tail nymphs, squarely beating her dad who only managed 2 fish to the boat. Sofia will be editing her video where she interviewed Andy Dermott to get a bit more background on the reservoir. We look forward to seeing the end product and look forward to Sofia’s future visits. She is doing amazing things that will hopefully inspire other young girls to pick up a fly rod and get involved in this amazing sport. We are firm believers that the future of fly fishing lies in the hands of young girls and women like Sofia.
Saturday Was a rough day with increasing wind speeds as the day progressed. Very little happened due to anglers making the decision to stay at home. Despite the weather being far from perfect, Neil Shilton ventured out on the float tube and managed 7. Other than that, the fishing was very challenging. Andy Miller had a group of 4 for a days tuition. Even though the guys enjoyed the day, strong winds made it hard for them to master the techniques for casting, but they still managed to get a line out by the casting platforms. Unfortunately the fish didn’t want to play today.
Sunday was Fur ‘n Feather match day. Despite the weather being rough the day before, our anglers were greeted with quite a pleasant and mild day. 31 competitors ventured out to compete. Most of the boats headed over to the Robbo’s cabin area with a few opting for fishing in around the dam area towards Harrison’s corner and up to the netted bank. The fishing was challenging, but M Goodge and D Davies worked out that the fish were close in and would take Diawl Bach’s fished on a midge tip washing line style with a booby minky on the point or an olive snake booby steadily retrieved on a Di3. A couple of competitors made it back to the Jetty for 2:50pm with 10 fish. Once Jim had pointed out that the clocks had gone back an hour, they set up and headed back out to see if they could get their limit. Ask any Competition angler about time keeping, It’s often the source of hilarity and despair in equal measures.
Biggest fish of the day fell to Steve Lawrence on a Di7 with a white snake. A stonking long time resident Rainbow of 9lbs7oz photo at www.facebook.com/FlyFishStore Steve was expertly counting down his Di 7 by drinking a coffee when the big bow engulfed his fly. Initially he thought he had hooked a large pike and was delighted once he got it to the net.
Thank you to all those who got involved and for everyone’s support at Eyebrook this season. As we move in to our final week we will be preparing boats for removal, so the sooner people book, it will make preparations for your day out a lot easier on the staff to make sure we provide the service you require.
Eyebrook 2020 Season draws to a close on 31st October a few more days left, we have had caught these past few weeks Browns of 12lb+ 10lb+ 9lb+ 7lb+ with rainbows 4lb+ & 9lb+ with fly fishing for pike reporting pike up to 20lb Call the lodge to book 01536 770264
Water temp 10c clarity is good
Rod average for the week: 2.11
Weather follow the link for the latest forecast from XCWeather to check the conditions prior to your visit.
Eyebrook forecast our post code LE16 8RP
Our Online Shop www.flyfishstore.co.uk
Visit our online shop we currently have sale & discontinued items with discounts up to 50% on selected items. https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/shop/category/sale-items/
Eyebrook Tackle Shop is open & now under the management of the fishery, stocking Fulling Mill, Airflo, Shakespeare, Vision, RIO, GREYS, SAGE, LOON, FARIO, WYCHWOOD, Leeda
—————————————————————————————————————————–
Tuition & Guided Sessions
From July 1st we are pleased to announce that we will be resuming our 1:1 casting tuition for the latest guidelines on the tuition will take please safely under Covid-19 please visit www.flyfishtuition.co.uk for bookings please call Tom on 01788 812018.
Opening Hours & Boat Session
Lodge & Bank Open – 7.30am – 5.00 pm
Full Day Boat – 8.30am – 5.00pm
Morning Boat – 8.30am – 1.00pm
Last 4 Hr tickets – 1.00pm – 5.00pm
All Anglers Off Site – 5.15pm
Follow Us on social media
Facebookwww.facebook.com/FlyFishStore
Twitter www.twitter.com/FlyFishStore
Instagram www.instagram.com/flyfishstore/
Local Angling Club is Eyebrook Fly Fishers, they have a Facebook page Eyebrook Fly Fishers
Eyebrook Weekly Fishing Report.
Tel: 01536 770264 email: lodge@flyfisheyebrook.co.uk
Web Site www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk Online Shop www.flyfishstore.co.uk
Our COVID-19 Guidelines http://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us/
Fishery Report: Week Ending: Sunday 18th October 2020
Government has announced that mandatory Face Coverings will be required to be worn within all shop in England from Friday 24th July, these can be a Buff type, scarf, mask etc. This mandatory rule will cover our shops / lodges
A colder and still morning ushered in the week which seen a few boats heading out in the morning. Roy Swinfield and Lindsay bates opted for a session from the bank and headed for the Island area. Roy had the better day on the bank managing to net 11 fish. It’s good to see that the bank is starting to produce even more fish lately. M. Burdett & M. Draper had a great day out with both of them getting in to double figures. I. Brearley had 5 fish to his wheeley boat on floating fry patterns. Ian Jobe once again braved the colder conditions in his float tube and managed 2 good sized browns, 3 rainbows and eventually a pike around 15lbs. Ian was trying to target the larger fish by using a Di7 and minkie’s or fry patterns.
Tuesday started off as a cold damp morning with ideal wind speeds for a pleasure day out on the water. Despite the conditions being near perfect, it was a very quiets day with only a few boats out. Eyebrook Season ticket holder Tim Coles had a good day out landing 5 fish and having plenty of other offers during the day. Peter Harris had 4 just off the netted bank area and had a lot of other attention but just couldn’t get them to stick. Jim Wright the fishery manager went out after his shift for a few hours and found fish just at the top side of Robbo’s cabin. Fishing a booby basher line with a couple of minkie boobies, he managed a decent sized rainbow. Then hooked into a large Brown that took off like a torpedo, broke the surface and then subsequently broke 12lbs Fluorocarbon. He then went on to land a further 4 fish after changing to a midge tip with a couple of nymphs and a candy cat booby on the point. The fish were slamming into the booby on the point, but a lot of fish just wouldn’t stick.
Wednesday saw quite a few boats out on the water and among them were All water ticket holders Ged O’Donoghue and Steve Orton. Between them they managed over 20 fish to the boat using a variety of flies. From fishing dries and daddies to fishing blobs, minkie’s and fry patterns. Lots of anglers are reporting that fish are still taking buzzers as well as the bigger lures and fry patterns.
Thursday saw us with another cold northerly wind which was ideal for drifting along on to the bank at Robbo’s cabin and the Willows area. It was also ideal for right-handed anglers to fish off of the Island. Eyebrook Season ticket holder Roy Swinfield fished these conditions to great effect by landing over a dozen fish. Roy eventually called it a day after losing a large Brown that he could not get in his net. It was evident that Roy was absolutely gutted when he was telling us about it. Our boat anglers were doing well at the other side of the open water with T. O’Hare brining 9 to the boat. But the day was far from over. Jeff Crowden finished work early and decided to go out for a last 4 hours on the boat. Having never caught a large brown from Eyebrook, he decided to have a go and see what he could catch. Obviously, the fishing God’s were smiling on Jeff and gifted him a fantastic specimen of 12lbs 8oz. He called the lodge for a witness and verification of the weight of the fish. Absolutely outstanding Jeff.
Friday saw similar conditions although the wind abated during the afternoon. All water ticket holder Ged O’Donoghue had his second visit of the week and caught 9, pulling a Barron’s fly with a blob on the dropper whilst Mark Hunt had an afternoon boat, headed over to the calmer water by the willows where there was a good buzzer hatch. Fishing his favoured dries, he took 8 on CDC yellow owls. Rob Grimshaw and two friends were with us for the first of their three days and took 11 between them. Top boat of the day though was Mr Skins and his son who netted 15 fish.
The conditions were again similar on Saturday, with the wind still coming from the north although it was a lot more comfortable, top wind speed being about 6 miles per hour. Roy Swinfield once again had a good day from the bank netting 10 fish up by the Island. Dave Etty joined him later on to net 4. On Day 2 of their 3-day package, Rob Grimshaw’s party had a really good day out in the boats by netting 33 fish between them. Giving their group a rod average of 11. Eyebrook ranger Jason spent the morning out on the water chasing some of our predators and was over the moon when he landed a nice Brown weighing in at 7lbs 8oz. As the weed is starting to drop off and the water temperatures are dropping, we are finding that there are some bigger fish starting to show and they are taking fry patterns. If you are targeting the larger fry feeders, just be aware that there are some really large trout out there as well as some really big pike.
Sunday was another still day on the water. Mark Goodge and the All Abilities Fly-fishers gathered a small cohort for a day out on the water, and the conditions were a polar opposite from their last visit. Being such a still day, it made it difficult for boats to drift through areas to locate fish. Eyebrook season ticket holders S. Lawrence and D. Chadwick managed to work out the right method and flies on the day by brining 25 fish to the boat. Apparently, the fish were taking cats whisker fished on a Di5 and rollie poly retrieve. Reports are starting to come in that the fish have been readily taking small fry patterns. Either with dumbbell eyes on floating lines or with booby eyed on an intermediate/sinking line.
Now that the fish are taking fry, we have put together a limited-edition fly selection at Eyebrook for targeting the fish feeding on fry. So, when they’re gone, they’re gone!
Given the success of daddies for the past few months, fishery staff have put together a bespoke collection of the most successful daddy patterns. These cost £13.50 ( a 10%saving) and are available either direct from the lodge or on line at https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/shop/eyebrook-daddy-selection/
Keep an eye out for up and coming fly selections in the future.
Rod average for the week: 3.11
Weather follow the link for the latest forecast from XCWeather to check the conditions prior to your visit.
Eyebrook forecast our post code LE16 8RP
Our Online Shop www.flyfishstore.co.uk
Visit our online shop we currently have sale & discontinued items with discounts up to 50% on selected items. https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/shop/category/sale-items/
Eyebrook Tackle Shop is open & now under the management of the fishery, stocking Fulling Mill, Airflo, Shakespeare, Vision, RIO, GREYS, SAGE, LOON, FARIO, WYCHWOOD, Leeda
Competition
—————————————————————————————————————————–
Eyebrook Fur & Feather Sunday 25th October
Pairs competition, Fish with your partner, Fished to Fishery Rules (No Rudders)
6 Fish Permit – 12 fish to the boat
1st Prize Christmas Hamper Each
2nd Prize 4 Bottles Wine
3rd Prize Box of Chocolates Each
Largest Fish Bottle Spirits.
Fished 9.00am – 4.00pm
Tuition & Guided Sessions
From July 1st we are pleased to announce that we will be resuming our 1:1 casting tuition for the latest guidelines on the tuition will take please safely under Covid-19 please visit www.flyfishtuition.co.uk for bookings please call Tom on 01788 812018.
Opening Hours & Boat Session
Lodge & Bank Open – 7.30am – 6.15pm
Full Day Boat – 8.30am – 6.15pm
Morning Boat – 8.30am – 1.30pm
Afternoon Boat – 1.30pm – 6.15pm
Last 4 Hr – 2.15pm – 6.15pm
All Anglers Off Site – 6.30pm
Follow Us on social media
Facebookwww.facebook.com/Flyfishstore
Twitter www.twitter.com/FlyFishStore
Instagram www.instagram.com/flyfishstore/
Local Angling Club is Eyebrook Fly Fishers, they have a Facebook page Eyebrook Fly Fishers
Eyebrook Weekly Fishing Report.
Tel: 01536 770264 email: lodge@flyfisheyebrook.co.uk
Web Site www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk
Online Shop www.flyfishstore.co.uk
Our COVID-19 Guidelines http://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us/
Fishery Report: Week Ending: Sunday 11th October 2020
Government has announced that mandatory Face Coverings will be required to be worn within all shop in England from Friday 24th July, these can be a Buff type, scarf, mask etc.
This mandatory rule will cover our shops / lodges
This week started off on a cold drab morning. With the sort of conditions that make your joints ache. Nevertheless, 15 boatloads of anglers arrived and were eager to get out on to the water. Most of the fleet headed across to the netted bank to Robbo’s cabin area. For the past week or so, most of the fish being caught have been from that area. Unusually for a Monday, Clive and Ian ventured out and had a great day bringing just over 30 fish to the boat on blobs and small Minkie’s. Roy Swinfield had a good session from the bank by netting 8 fish. Possibly the best bank session since before the hight of summer. M. Marsden and T. Gill managed 7 each to their boats.
Most of the information we get back at the lodge still shows the fish in the same areas. But as we all know, the fish do move occasionally. In order to find them, it’s best to move around. The key is not to hang around the one area for too long. Give it 15 – 20 minutes, if nothing happens, then move on. Sometimes you don’t need to move far.
Tuesday was a very quiet day for the trout Anglers. But we had a few boats out fishing for Pike. Eyebrook boatman Jason Pusey had 3 Pike up to 12lbs and Martin Blakeston had a great time watching him catch them while he maintained a dry net for the day. Adam Ford went out chasing the Pike as well and managed 3 up to mid double before having to leave early for work reasons. All water ticket holder Jim Greasley had a great day on the bank netting 10 fish while fishing CDC ginger quill up by the Hawthorns. All water ticket holder Arthur Olding done well to keep above the rod average on the day and managed to bring 4 to the boat. P. Frapwell finally managed to get to us for a day out after re-scheduling from his original date and was rewarded with 5 hard fighting rainbows to the boat.
Wednesday saw a slight increase in anglers venturing out. But more significantly, more anglers catching from the bank. P. Williamson and I. Rothera headed out on to the bank and managed a cool 10 and 8 respectively. Fantastic to hear that the fish are coming back in to the bank areas. Ian Jobe ventured out on his own as Clive couldn’t make it. Ian managed over a dozen to the boat and was top boat angler on the day. Brian White ventured out on the water for a cool 6 fish pulling a green fritz fly through the waves.
Thursday was a more challenging day with the fish being a little bit reluctant to have a bash at whatever was thrown at them. We had another visit from the Police Anglers on a relaxed non competitive club meeting. Most struggled to get started, but D. Dyble managed a whopping 9 fish to the boat on a day where the fish were playing hard to get. Most of these fish came from the area around the dam wall towards Harrison’s corner.
Friday turned out to be a bit of a quieter day on the reservoir. But for many that ventured out, the sport was on top form. N. Organ ventured out on his float tube. He had been experiencing a bit of a slow session until his line tightened up and the fish took off at speed. N. Organ had hooked in to and landed a lump of a brownie weighing in at 9lbs 7oz. Roy Anderson headed out with his dad for some company. Roy was like a fish magnet and caught in to high double figures fishing blobs, cormorants and minkies. All water ticket holder L. Bates had a good bank session and managed to net 9. By the looks of it, the cooler water temperatures and the receding weeds are opening up the fishing on the bank once again. Fishery manager Jim Wright managed a couple of hours out on the water and found fish just off the Island and yet again off Robbo’s cabin. Fishing a Fast sinking intermediate line with a couple of boobies and some nymphs. As soon as the flies hit the water, give then 4 – 6 long sharp and fast pulls. If there’s no bow wave, then figure of 8 it back. The sort of stuff competition anglers enjoy.
Saturday saw good numbers heading out on to the water. Among them were Ryan and Andy who were heading out on a guided pike day with Fishery management guides Andy Miller and Lloyd Thompson. During their outing, Ryan managed to land his PB Pike. Lee Jenkins and Christian jones had a good day out bringing 16 to the boat between them. Eyebrook season ticket holders Malcom Thompson, Keith Johnson and Dave Etty all had a good day fishing off the bank with each of them netting half a dozen or more each. Dave Etty once again snaring his fish on corixa patterns.
Sunday was a busy day out on the water, but a lot of folk struggled to get out of the starting blocks. Willie Bryson once again had a good day out brining 8 to the boat on his little Canadian pattern wet fly. L Jenkins and C Jones followed on from the Saturday putting another 16 in the boat, mostly fishing dry fly patterns.
Mostly this week there has been a good head of fish off of Robbo’s cabin along to the willows on the Rutland bank. pods of fish are traversing the area from the Bell to Sam’s Dyke. Fish are also moving in the open water off of the Island. The bigger fish have fallen to some floating fry patterns and can also be tempted to have a go in the depths while fishing Humungus patterns and large Cats whiskers. If you want to catch a big Brown or Rainbow, it’s that time of year when they are packing on a bit of weight for the winter months. But beware, large pike like wiggly flash stuff as well.
Given the success of daddies for the past few months, fishery staff have put together a bespoke collection of the most successful daddy patterns. These cost £13.50 ( a 10%saving) and are available either direct from the lodge or on line at https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/shop/eyebrook-daddy-selection/
Keep an eye out for up and coming fly selections in the future.
Rod average for the week: 2.61
Weather follow the link for the latest forecast from XCWeather to check the conditions prior to your visit.
Eyebrook forecast our post code LE16 8RP
Our Online Shop www.flyfishstore.co.uk
Visit our online shop we currently have sale & discontinued items with discounts up to 50% on selected items. https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/shop/category/sale-items/
Eyebrook Tackle Shop is open & now under the management of the fishery, stocking Fulling Mill, Airflo, Shakespeare, Vision, RIO, GREYS, SAGE, LOON, FARIO, WYCHWOOD, Leeda
Competition
—————————————————————————————————————————–
Eyebrook Fur & Feather Sunday 25th October
Pairs competition, Fish with your partner, Fished to Fishery Rules (No Rudders)
6 Fish Permit – 12 fish to the boat
1st Prize Christmas Hamper Each
2nd Prize 4 Bottles Wine
3rd Prize Box of Chocolates Each
Largest Fish Bottle Spirits.
Fished 9.00am – 4.00pm
Tuition & Guided Sessions
From July 1st we are pleased to announce that we will be resuming our 1:1 casting tuition for the latest guidelines on the tuition will take please safely under Covid-19 please visit www.flyfishtuition.co.uk for bookings please call Tom on 01788 812018.
Opening Hours & Boat Session
Lodge & Bank Open – 7.30am – 6.45pm
Full Day Boat – 8.30am – 6.45pm
Morning Boat – 8.30am – 1.30pm
Afternoon Boat – 1.30pm – 6.45pm
Last 4 Hr – 2.45pm – 6.45pm
All Anglers Off Site – 7.00pm
Follow Us on social media
Facebookwww.facebook.com/Flyfishstore
Twitter www.twitter.com/FlyFishStore
Instagram www.instagram.com/flyfishstore/
Local Angling Club is Eyebrook Fly Fishers, they have a Facebook page Eyebrook Fly Fishers
Eyebrook Weekly Fishing Report.
Tel: 01536 770264 email: lodge@flyfisheyebrook.co.uk
Web Site www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk Online Shop www.flyfishstore.co.uk
Our COVID-19 Guidelines http://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us/
Fishery Report: Week Ending: Sunday 4th October 2020
Government has announced that mandatory Face Coverings will be required to be worn within all shop in England from Friday 24th July, these can be a Buff type, scarf, mask etc.
This mandatory rule will cover our shops / lodges
A bright and crisp morning with a gentle breeze started off this week. Quite a contrast from the weekend. Our anglers were eager to get out on the water and get a pull on their line. By 11 O’clock Steve Dutton had returned to the shop to buy more flies due to his flies taking a right hammering from the fish and Steve brining about a dozen to the boat in quick time. Most of our anglers on the day were reporting good catches in to double figures, mostly falling to daddies, Diawl Bachs and the occasional blob. M Toesland and S Gemmell had a cracking afternoon session with a cool dozen to the boat. The fishing was so prolific that we ended up with a rod average of 7.4 for the day.
Tuesday started off wet and overcast. Presenting ideal conditions and carrying on from the bumper day before, folks were optimistic heading out on to the water. The conditions changed and the sun came out and the wind dropped off which made drifting difficult. Despite this, some anglers caught well on washing line method with boobies and buzzers. Others caught well on daddies fished static. The Yellow owl is still catching well. Nick Dunn was the only angler on the day to land double figures of fish with Peter Sharples and Dave Summers not far behind him. Andy Miller was joined by Steve Hill for a 4 hour guided session and thoroughly enjoyed a bit of sport as well as Andy’s terrible jokes. It was good to see Steve leaving at the end of the day with a big smile on his face and enjoying the banter with the staff.
Wednesday saw us playing host to the Police for a practice day for their pairs match. 26 Anglers ventured out on to the water to locate the fish and hone their tactics for the competition the next day. Steve Owen done an outstanding job of organising his large group and ensured social distancing was adhered to at all times. The police were catching good numbers of fish from all over the lake. Top rod on the day was Clive Moore. Clive was expertly guided on to the fish by his long-term boat partner Ian (The Ghillie) Jobe once again. Great work Ian.
Thursday saw us with the full fleet out on the water. Obviously a lot of anglers wanting their fix before the hard winds due for the weekend. The Police Pairs match saw 16 pairs of anglers battle it out on the day S. Owen and C. Tate winning on the day. The Eyebrook staff would like to thank S. Owen and the Police for being organised and remaining professional during their time at Eyebrook. A few of out regular Anglers were also out on the water enjoying some fantastic sport as well. Eyebrook season ticket holder Simon K was once again in to high numbers of fish on his small Ginger quills and Greenwell’s glory. But the superstar on the day was All water ticket holder Neil Shilton, He managed to wrestle up a 10lbs 5oz Brown Trout from the depths while out on his float tube. The staff were lucky enough to weigh the fish and get some photo’s of Neil and his prize catch.
Friday saw some very high winds hit Eyebrook. All boats that had booked for that day decided that they’d rather reschedule for later in the month rather than risk having a rough day out on the water. Only 1 man stood out from the crowd and braved the elements from the bank. Eyebrook season ticket holder Dave Etty fought against the swirling winds and all odds to land 2 fish from the bank on small corixa patterns. Absolutely Phenomenal.
Saturday saw us still presented with strong winds and with only a couple of boats venturing out. Even with the unfavourable conditions Iain Johnston manged to tempt 5 fish to the boat on tequila blobs and cats whisker patterns on an intermediate line.
Sunday arrived and finally the weather had started to calm down a bit. The water clarity has been reduced due to the heavy winds and rain from the previous days. Eyebrook Season ticket holder S. Lawrence managed to whittle out 3 from the bank on a 4 hour session. Neil Shilton had another good session on the float tube to pick up 7. Thornton Fly Fishers finally managed to get out as a group after having to re-schedule from the previous week. Although the weather had settled, the fish were still being elusive. Most of the action from the day was from anglers fishing snake patterns. Could this be a sign that the fish are now steadily switching on to the fry? Hopefully, this coming week will add more weight to that theory.
Given the success of daddies for the past few months, fishery staff have put together a bespoke collection of the most successful daddy patterns. These cost £13.50 ( a 10%saving) and are available either direct from the lodge or on line at https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/shop/eyebrook-daddy-selection/
Keep an eye out for up and coming fly selections in the future.
Rod average for the week: 4.63
Weather follow the link for the latest forecast from XCWeather to check the conditions prior to your visit.
Eyebrook forecast our post code LE16 8RP
Our Online Shop www.flyfishstore.co.uk
Visit our online shop we currently have sale & discontinued items with discounts up to 50% on selected items. https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/shop/category/sale-items/
Eyebrook Tackle Shop is open & now under the management of the fishery, stocking Fulling Mill, Airflo, Shakespeare, Vision, RIO, GREYS, SAGE, LOON, FARIO, WYCHWOOD, Leeda
Competition
Eyebrook Fur & Feather Sunday 25th October
Pairs competition, Fish with your partner, Fished to Fishery Rules (No Rudders)
6 Fish Permit – 12 fish to the boat
1st Prize Christmas Hamper Each
2nd Prize 4 Bottles Wine
3rd Prize Box of Chocolates Each
Largest Fish Bottle Spirits.
Fished 9.00am – 4.00pm
Tuition & Guided Sessions
From July 1st we are pleased to announce that we will be resuming our 1:1 casting tuition for the latest guidelines on the tuition will take please safely under Covid-19 please visit www.flyfishtuition.co.uk for bookings please call Tom on 01788 812018.
Opening Hours & Boat Session
Lodge & Bank Open – 7.30am – 6.45pm
Full Day Boat – 8.30am – 6.45pm
Morning Boat – 8.30am – 1.30pm
Afternoon Boat – 1.30pm – 6.45pm
Last 4 Hr – 2.45pm – 6.45pm
All Anglers Off Site – 7.00pm
Follow Us on social media
Facebookwww.facebook.com/Flyfishstore
Twitter www.twitter.com/FlyFishStore
Instagram www.instagram.com/flyfishstore/
Local Angling Club is Eyebrook Fly Fishers, they have a Facebook page Eyebrook Fly Fishers
Eyebrook Weekly Fishing Report.
Tel: 01536 770264 email: lodge@flyfisheyebrook.co.uk
Web Site www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk Online Shop www.flyfishstore.co.uk
Our COVID-19 Guidelines http://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us/
Fishery Report: Week Ending: Sunday 27th September 2020
Government has announced that mandatory Face Coverings will be required to be worn within all shop in England from Friday 24th July, these can be a Buff type, scarf, mask etc.
This mandatory rule will cover our shops / lodges
A cold chill in the air and fog greeted the staff this morning on the lake. Practically no breeze and a weather report stating that we were in for bright sunshine. Hardly the best start to the week after such strong winds over the weekend. Despite this, the water clarity is still crystal clear, and fish can still be seen moving out in the open water. Our Anglers were reporting that they were seeing fish moving everywhere but were proving hard to tempt. S. Bilsdon managed 6 to the boat while his boat partner J. Woodings managed 3, making them top boat on the day. B. Clark tried everything he had in the box until he finally tempted his personal best fish of 2020, a Rainbow of 4Lbs 2 oz on an Apps Bloodworm.
Tuesday showed us that Autumn has truly arrived with a chilled calm and misty morning with a stunning sunrise. The fish were out to play in the morning, and for a change our bank anglers were doing very well. S Normington managed 5 fishing black buzzers and Diawl Bachs on a short leader from the dam wall. J Greasley managed 5 from the bank by the Hawthorne’s on CdC patterns. Martin Blakeston reported seeing a lot of fish moving in the surface close in along the netted bank towards Robbo’s cabin. Ken Waters joined us for what is his last day out this season out in the Silver Bird Wheelie Boat and took 5 fish on Diawl Bachs. Enjoy your winter break and we will see you in the spring Ken. Dougie Skedd popped in for a day out all the way from Edinburgh and had a great day bringing 10 fish to the boat using various patterns like red klinkhammers, gold ribbed Diawl Bachs or dapped daddies. Eyebrook Season ticket holder Malcom Thompson had 10 on Daddies as well.
Wednesday brought a cool damp morning with a very gentle breeze. Our water temperature was sitting at 16 Degrees which should signal some promising action from our little piscatorial residents. The morning seemed to fish slightly better than the afternoon, but fish could be found mostly by moving around. Top rod of the day was All water ticket holder N. Perkins bringing over a dozen fish to the boat. Eyebrook season ticket holder Bob Margery also had just over a dozen. All water ticket holders and regular boat pair Ian Jobe and Clive Moore had 20 to the boat between them. All in All, a really good day for the anglers out in the boats, but not much coming from the banks.
Thursday was a bit of a strange day with wind gusting in different directions and then totally dropping off, then finally settled as a North Westerly wind. The Paisley Pattern Fly-Fishers had a great day of sport with a rod average of 11.3 between 9 anglers. Top rod from the group was Graham Ferguson with 26 to the boat. The fishing for fun group managed 48 between 9 of them for a rod average of 5.3. Eyebrook Season ticket holder Roy Swinfield had a good morning session, bringing over a dozen to the boat. The fish were being taken on a multitude of different methods and flies.
Friday was a rough morning with a strong North Westerly wind blowing straight down in to the face of the lodge. The weather reports had shown that the wind speed was sitting below 25mph but any boats venturing out were advised to shelter at the head end of the wind between Sam’s Dyke and the Point of the Island. So, 5 boats from the Paisley Patterns FF and 3 boats from the Black Bull FF ventured out in to conditions that would test the metal of most seasoned anglers. Despite the weather, the 8 boats brought back a rod average of 4.7. absolutely outstanding in those conditions.
Saturday Saw the 3rd day of the Paisley patterns 3 day visit. Still with strong northerly winds, the guys persevered against the elements taking 61 fish between the 9 of them leading to 198 fish between 9 anglers over 3 days giving a rod average of 22. Fantastic results. Even through the strong winds and far from ideal conditions, our anglers were getting in to good numbers of fish with at least half a dozen anglers just missing out on getting in to double figures.
Sunday continued with rough weather, but this didn’t deter a lot of the anglers that arrived. Mike Hill and Steve Ratcliffe managed 16 fish to the boat, mostly on Di3 with blobs, Adam Turner and Dave Adams managed 8 each on blobs and daddies. Thornton Fly fishers opted out from getting out on the water as the club came to the general consensus that fishing in those conditions were far from having a pleasurable day out with friends and have rescheduled for the 4th October 20.
Next week sees September drawing to a close and the end of the season creeps ever closer. Now is the time to pair up with a buddy and get booked in for the Fur ‘n Feather match on Sunday the 25th Oct 20. Details below.
Given the success of daddies for the past few months, fishery staff have put together a bespoke collection of the most successful daddy patterns. These cost £13.50 ( a 10%saving) and are available either direct from the lodge or on line at https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/shop/eyebrook-daddy-selection/
Keep an eye out for up and coming fly selections in the future.
Rod average for the week: 4.56
Weather follow the link for the latest forecast from XCWeather to check the conditions prior to your visit.
Eyebrook forecast our post code LE16 8RP
Our Online Shop www.flyfishstore.co.uk
Visit our online shop we currently have sale & discontinued items with discounts up to 50% on selected items. https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/shop/category/sale-items/
Eyebrook Tackle Shop is open & now under the management of the fishery, stocking Fulling Mill, Airflo, Shakespeare, Vision, RIO, GREYS, SAGE, LOON, FARIO, WYCHWOOD, Leeda
Competition
—————————————————————————————————————————–
Eyebrook Fur & Feather Sunday 25th October
Pairs competition, Fish with your partner, Fished to Fishery Rules (No Rudders)
6 Fish Permit – 12 fish to the boat
1st Prize Christmas Hamper Each
2nd Prize 4 Bottles Wine
3rd Prize Box of Chocolates Each
Largest Fish Bottle Spirits.
Fished 9.00am – 4.00pm
Tuition & Guided Sessions
From July 1st we are pleased to announce that we will be resuming our 1:1 casting tuition for the latest guidelines on the tuition will take please safely under Covid-19 please visit www.flyfishtuition.co.uk for bookings please call Tom on 01788 812018.
Opening Hours & Boat Session
Lodge & Bank Open – 7.30am – 7.00pm
Full Day Boat – 8.30am – 7. 00pm
Morning Boat – 8.30am – 2.00 pm
Afternoon Boat – 2.00 pm – 7. 00pm
Last 4 Hr – 3.00 pm – 7. 00pm
All Anglers Off Site – 7.15pm
Follow Us on social media
Facebookwww.facebook.com/Flyfishstore
Twitter www.twitter.com/FlyFishStore
Instagram www.instagram.com/flyfishstore/
Local Angling Club is Eyebrook Fly Fishers, they have a Facebook page Eyebrook Fly Fishers
A reminder of our Covid operating procedures at our fisheries, Draycote – Thornton – Eyebrook.
All our counters have a Perspex screen fitted with hand sanitizing points as you enter the lodges.
Ensure you remove any litter from the boats especially any food wrappings, bottles, cans etc & place it in the dustbins provided.
Covid Operating Procedure While Visiting Draycote Eyebrook & Thornton Trout Fishery
Pontoon Access Guidelines Posted at the Pontoon Walkway-
Returning to the pontoon
BE PREPARED TO WAIT for their instructions for you to come forward & secure the boat to the pontoon.
Draycote gutting room is closed
Eyebrook Weekly Fishing Report.
Tel: 01536 770264 email: lodge@flyfisheyebrook.co.uk
Web Site www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk Online Shop www.flyfishstore.co.uk
Our COVID-19 Guidelines http://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us/
Fishery Report: Week Ending: Sunday 13th September 2020
Government has announced that mandatory Face Coverings will be required to be worn within all shop in England from Friday 24th July, these can be a Buff type, scarf, mask etc.
This mandatory rule will cover our shops / lodges
Following on from a very productive weekend, Monday continued to provide great sport for those venturing out in the boats. Bank angling is still proving difficult at the moment but will gradually improve as the water temperatures start to drop due to the cooler weather and the longer nights as well as the weed starting to drop off. Simon K once again has continued a great streak of fishing trips by once again getting in to double figures fishing small ginger quills. Ian Jobe was taking a break from being in a boat with Clive Moore and ventured out in his float tube to take 10 fish while paddling around the main basin.
Tuesday rolled in and the fish certainly came out to play. Anglers were experiencing action all over most of the reservoir. The trout were mainly coming to small buzzers or Diawl Bachs fished washing line method. Others were having just as much action on dries such as big reds, and CDC’s. Some anglers were taking fish on Blobs, Cormorants and Damsel nymphs. A. Metcalf and D. Metcalf were top boat pair on the day using a selection of Appetizers, GRHE and Diawl Bachs. All water ticket holder P. Walker had an excellent day bringing over a dozen fish to the boat on Buzzers and diawl bachs.
Wednesday continued on from where Tuesday left off Season ticket holders Clive Moore and Ian Jobe each put over a dozen fish in to the boat. Obviously capitalising on the information that Ian had gathered while out float tubing on Monday. Simon K once again having a phenomenal day on the water fishing small buzzers taking well over a dozen fish. If this carries on, we will have to get him on the staff roster. Former Scotland International John Ross popped in for a day on the water while on a break and put over a dozen fish in the boat on black buzzers with orange cheeks on a floating line. Dougie Skedd had similar action fishing a fast glass line, claret cruncher and red holo diawl bachs. The sport produced on Wednesday gave us a rod average of 6.8 for the day. Just a small indication of how well the lake has been fishing lately.
Thursday saw The Bull Fly Fishers join us for a small club gathering. A very sociable event where the members gathered under the big tree for lunch in a socially distanced group to enjoy their picnic and have a laugh. Charlie was the overall winner of the club meeting with his bag of 4. Congratulations Charlie. As the weekend approaches and the competitors for the weekend heat of the Scierra pairs hit the water to practice. We could see that a lot of folks were being a bit more secretive of their catch returns, so as not to give away how well they were doing on the approach to the main event. However, most of the anglers out on the water managed at least half a dozen fish to the boat on a multitude of different patterns, but mostly fished on a floating line or midge tip on a washing line.
Friday seen Eyebrook with almost the whole fleet out on the water. Mostly pairs practicing for the Scierra Pairs. The reports coming back are that it has become a bit more challenging. This may be due to the fish seeing so many flies or just responding to boat pressure. Obviously, this could make the Scierra pairs heat more challenging on Saturday.
Saturday kicked off with very nearly perfect conditions and the forecast said there would be more cloud cover towards lunch time. 20 Boats were competing in the Scierra pairs for 3 places in the final. For me, quite an exciting day as it was my first time hosting a large prestigious competition. 40 Anglers went out and some found fish quite quickly but the fishing was far from simple. First boat back was Rosemary Gunn and Kez Saxton at 13:13. Over the next hour or so, four more boats came to the Jetty. Unfortunately for Rosemary and Kez they were pushed back to 5th place despite their time bonus, the boats that came in after them had managed heavier bag weights.
Congratulations to Paul Runec and James Stevenson who were first with a total weight 30lbs 2/16 ozs.
All Water ticket holders R. Daymon and J. Kirk put in a good performance to land them in 6th position. With each competitor fishing to a 6 fish limit, a rod average of 4 across the competition shows how well Eyebrook fished on the day.
Sunday and the fishing was a little bit more challenging but some anglers managed good numbers. Colwick FF joined us for a small gathering, Rosemary Gunn was top rod with 4 fish for 7lb12oz. Day rods C. White and P. Holm had a good day out bringing 13 fish to the boat fishing boobies and hoppers. Bill Bryson once again joined us and had 9 fish to the boat, 8 of them on his special Canadian wet fly that we still need to see.
Eyebrook is fishing really well at the moment and will only improve as we get closer to the cooler months. The fish will start switching on to the fry in the up and coming weeks, so it might be a good idea to stock up on popper minkies, cats whisker and humongous patterns. All of these patterns are available in the tackle shop
Weekly rod average 3.7
Given the success of daddies for the past few months, fishery staff have put together a bespoke collection of the most successful daddy patterns. These cost £13.50 ( a 10%saving) and are available either direct from the lodge or on line at https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/shop/eyebrook-daddy-selection/
Keep an eye out for up and coming fly selections in the future.
Rod average for the week: 3.7
Weather follow the link for the latest forecast from XCWeather to check the conditions prior to your visit.
Eyebrook forecast our post code LE16 8RP
Our Online Shop www.flyfishstore.co.uk
Visit our online shop we currently have sale & discontinued items with discounts up to 50% on selected items. https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/shop/category/sale-items/
Eyebrook Tackle Shop is open & now under the management of the fishery, stocking Fulling Mill, Airflo, Shakespeare, Vision, RIO, GREYS, SAGE, LOON, FARIO, WYCHWOOD, Leeda
Competition
—————————————————————————————————————————–
Tuition & Guided Sessions
From July 1st we are pleased to announce that we will be resuming our 1:1 casting tuition for the latest guidelines on the tuition will take please safely under Covid-19 please visit www.flyfishtuition.co.uk for bookings please call Tom on 01788 812018.
Opening Hours & Boat Session
Lodge & Bank Open – 7.30am – 7.30pm
Full Day Boat – 8.30am – 7. 30pm
Morning Boat – 8.30am – 2 pm
Afternoon Boat – 2 pm – 7. 30pm
Last 4 Hr – 3.30 pm – 7. 30pm
All Anglers Off Site – 7.45pm
Follow Us on social media
Facebookwww.facebook.com/FlyFishStore
Twitter www.twitter.com/FlyFishStore
Instagram www.instagram.com/flyfishstore/
Local Angling Club is Eyebrook Fly Fishers, they have a Facebook page Eyebrook Fly Fishers
Eyebrook Weekly Fishing Report.
Tel: 01536 770264 email: lodge@flyfisheyebrook.co.uk
Web Site www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk Online Shop www.flyfishstore.co.uk
Our COVID-19 Guidelines http://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us/
Fishery Report: Week Ending: Sunday 6th September 2020
Government has announced that mandatory Face Coverings will be required to be worn within all shop in England from Friday 24th July, these can be a Buff type, scarf, mask etc.
This mandatory rule will cover our shops / lodges
A sunny flat calm to Monday got the fishing get off to a tricky start with the fish being put off with the bright sun. Mr D Turnell found a way to tempt the fish landing 11 fish using small buzzers in the main basin. With Tony Fox & A Smith landing 12 to the boat once again in the main basin, on a mix of dries and also washing lining nymphs on a midge tip. All Water season ticket holder Mark Hunt also landed 6 fish on a single yellow owl casting at moving fish, and commented how patience was required as the fish moved around in a large area feeding before coming across, he fly.
Similar conditions Tuesday with very light to no winds and bright sun, although, with a much cooler start to the morning with 8 degrees air temperature at 7am. Eyebook season ticket holder Roy Swinfield & Lindsey Bates landed 10 fish from the boat fishing around the main basin with a team of nymphs. Season ticket holder Simon landed 12 fish casting very small size 14 buzzers and small ginger quill wets at rising fish, Simon also landed a cracking 3lb 8oz rainbow which was returned.
Wednesday and the conditions are close to ideal. A gentle breeze and overcast. With our water temperatures now hitting 11 degrees, there is a defined difference in the trout’s feeding habits. Early in the morning the fish were rising all over the main basin area and into the open water areas. Early on, a few fish were tempted by dries in the surface. The strength of the wind increased slightly around about lunch time then steadily dropped to a level where a drifting boat could cover a lot of water comfortably. At this point the fish were no longer as prevalent in the surface. Anglers that noticed the change quickly adapted their approach and had results almost instantaneously. Nick Dunn was quick to notice this and made some adjustments and had 2 fish in 2 casts straight away. Nick and his boat partner for the day managed to hook and land over 20 fish to the boat fishing a midge tip with 2 diawl bachs, a buzzer and a sparkle booby. Most of the fish came to the nymphs, but a sparkle booby at this time of year can pick up bonus fish that are starting to feed on the fry.
Thursday, yet again another great forecast for getting out on the lake. Word has been spreading fast that the fish have switched on due to the cooler conditions. Chris Bobby and Leanne Frost popped back in before lunch time for a quick break and told me they had 15 to the boat in quick time out in open water drifts. They didn’t hang around long before venturing back out to enjoy the great sport out on the water. Mr D. Skins had a fantastic day getting well into double figures fishing washing line method with Crunchers, Diawl Bachs, Buzzers and Boobies. A. Tibbort and S. Bilsden had a fantastic day as well bringing double figures of fish to the boat each. Nick Dunn was out once again, this time guiding Mr Hives, as a beginner he managed to get in to double figures under Nicks watchful eye. Hopefully this will be the beginning of a lifelong passion for fly fishing for Mr Hives that we all know and understand.
Friday and the sport continues to be on form again with a lot of fish falling to Hoppers in the waves and a selection of buzzers and nymphs taking fish from all over the reservoir. The fishing is still more prolific from the boats, but a few anglers are picking up some fish along the banks. Martin Blakeston hosted Peter Gathercole for a few hours after he had finished his morning shift. Between them, they managed over 20 fish to the boat between them fishing CDC’s, suspender buzzers and a combination of orange and yellow owls.
Saturday was a very busy day, and almost every boat in the fleet was out. Yet again, the fish were falling to small buzzers or diawl bachs fished on a washing line method. D Purves and D Pozzi had an outstanding day with well in to double figures to the boat. Most of our anglers who had a lot of action were mostly drifting out in open water, fishing a washing line method with either a sparkle booby on the point of a foam daddy. Billy Bryson got in to double figures out in the main basin fishing a wet fly that he tied for fishing out in Canada. Obviously, the staff are intrigued and would love to see this little creation.
Now that we are at the end of the week, word has spread that Eyebrook is really coming into form and Sunday did not disappoint. A lot of our anglers managed to get well spread out across the lake and found good sport wherever they went. Those fishing from drifting boats definitely capitalised on the sport from the hard feeding fish by fishing FAB’s with olive crunchers, washing line style. The orange daddies have been accounting for a good number of fish as well. Nymphs and buzzers are working extremely well at this time of year, especially smaller sizes, some folks have had fantastic sport on size 14’s and 16’s.
This time of the year is fantastic for the fiery brown hopper and the claret hopper. Try twiddling these flies back behind a foam daddy or an orange FAB. Towards the end of the month, the fish will more than likely start chasing fry. Don’t be afraid to drag some boobies/ muddlers through the surface to entice the chase. This time of year can have some very exciting things happening on the water.
Given the success of daddies for the past few weeks, fishery staff have put together a bespoke collection of the most successful daddy patterns. These cost £13.50 ( a 10%saving) and are available either direct from the lodge or on line at https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/shop/eyebrook-daddy-selection/
Keep an eye out for up and coming fly selections in the future.
Rod average for the week: 4.3
Weather follow the link for the latest forecast from XCWeather to check the conditions prior to your visit. Eyebrook forecast our post code LE16 8RP
Our Online Shop www.flyfishstore.co.uk
Visit our online shop we currently have sale & discontinued items with discounts up to 50% on selected items. https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/shop/category/sale-items/
Eyebrook Tackle Shop is open & now under the management of the fishery, stocking Fulling Mill, Airflo, Shakespeare, Vision, RIO, GREYS, SAGE, LOON, FARIO, WYCHWOOD, Leeda
Competition
—————————————————————————————————————————–
Scierra Pairs
12th September 2020 details via Phil Dixon www.scierrapairs.co.uk/heats/
Tuition & Guided Sessions
From July 1st we are pleased to announce that we will be resuming our 1:1 casting tuition for the latest guidelines on the tuition will take please safely under Covid-19 please visit www.flyfishtuition.co.uk for bookings please call Tom on 01788 812018.
Opening Hours & Boat Session
Lodge & Bank Open – 7.30am – 7.45pm
Full Day Boat – 8.30am – 7.45pm
Morning Boat – 8.30am – 2 pm
Afternoon Boat – 2 pm – 7.45pm
Last 4 Hr – 3.45 pm – 7.45pm
All Anglers Off Site – 8 pm
Follow Us on social media
Facebookwww.facebook.com/Flyfishstore
Twitter www.twitter.com/FlyFishStore
Instagram www.instagram.com/flyfishstore/
Local Angling Club is Eyebrook Fly Fishers, they have a Facebook page Eyebrook Fly Fishers
Eyebrook Weekly Fishing Report.
Tel: 01536 770264 email: lodge@flyfisheyebrook.co.uk
Web Site www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk Online Shop www.flyfishstore.co.uk
Our COVID-19 Guidelines http://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us/
Fishery Report: Week Ending: Sunday 30th August 2020
Government has announced that mandatory Face Coverings will be required to be worn within all shop in England from Friday 24th July, these can be a Buff type, scarf, mask etc.
This mandatory rule will cover our shops / lodges
Monday 24th August started out as near to perfect fishing conditions that you could ask for. A gentle wind, mild temperatures, and a bit overcast. As the day went on, it got a lot brighter. During the day fish were seen rising out in open water but were not as obliging towards dry patterns presented to them. The fishing was challenging in the morning, but around 1 o’clock in the afternoon the fish came on to the feed and were taking size 14 buzzers fished on washing line methods. Season ticket holders Lindsay Bates and Roy Swinfield suddenly went from not touching a fish in the morning to then put over 20 fish into the boat by 5PM. M Williams managed 10 to his float tube fishing small buzzers. Simon K once again joined us and had 15 to the boat, once again fishing small buzzers. Most of the anglers that fished the banks reported that they were seeing plenty of fish, but just could not figure out what flies would tempt them to take.
As we are moving towards September, most experienced anglers would be expecting the fish to be moving on to either fry patterns or chasing daddies and hoppers in the surface. But we should never ignore the humble buzzer at this time of year. After all, they are a main food source for all fish species that are prevalent in reservoirs all year round.
Tuesday 25th August, No boats are being released from the jetties due to the forecast high winds. Even the most avid of fly anglers would not even attempt to cast a line in these conditions. Despite the conditions, the fishery management (UK) team are still hard at work returning boats from Draycote.
Wednesday morning and we are still feeling the tail end of the storm. Wind speeds are below our cut off limit and gradually decreasing as the day progresses. Dynamic Duo Ian Jobe and Clive Moore lead the charge out on to the water, braving the strong winds in the morning. By lunch time they had put 5 fish in the boat. With improving conditions, they ventured out on their afternoon session to put a further 10 fish in the boat. Ged O’Donoghue arrived later in the morning and set off just before 11 o’clock and fished right through till the end of the day for 6 good hard fighting fish on daddies, hoppers and grunters. Mark Hunt ventured out for the last 4 hours. The wind had dropped off to the point of a gentle ripple on the water. the fish came right up on to the surface, and Mark was rewarded by taking 14 good fish all on small dries and blue daddies.
The fish were still happy to feed on Thursday with 28 anglers fishing the Eyebrook from either the boats, the bank or float tubes. With the fish mainly in the main basin, and lying in the top two feet of water, a variety of methods were successful, with buzzers, fry patterns, dries and the washing line all taking fish. The bank anglers are still having to work around the marginal weed beds and they caught fish amongst several roach and perch. The boats had the best of the sport with drifts across the basin being most successful. Roy Swinfield and Lydnsey Bates had 12 to their boat, whilst Ruth and Tony Kirk had 10 on buzzers and hoppers. Norman Perkins also had 10 on buzzers whilst Mr Wither and Mr. Turner had 12 to their boat using a variety of flies including diawl bach, crunchers, fry patterns and daddies. Ian Jobe and Matt Lane went afloat in their tubes and both had successful mornings taking 8 and 6 fish respectively.
Unfortunately, Friday saw the weather turn with a strong northerly wind blowing down the reservoir which brought heavy rain all afternoon and evening. A couple of boats went out and caught fish, but they came off as the conditions deteriorated.
Saturday started out dry although the strong northerly was still with us making conditions uncomfortable.
We welcomed several anglers on three-day passes, fishing both here and at Draycote. Mr Jones and his party of 8 came across from mid-wales on a three-day pass and fished the Eyebrook on Saturday. Choosing to drift the main basin, they all caught fish with the best return coming to Christian Jones who landed 12. Dave Etty fished the bank and using the island to provide some relief from the cold northerly wind, recorded eight fish to corixa patterns.
The strong cold wind over the weekend had an effect on the water temperature with the temperature being 15 degrees on Sunday morning. There was still a cold northerly wind blowing down the Eyebrook, although it wasn’t as strong as the day before and dropped off as the day wore on. Besides the groups on package breaks and day anglers, we hosted another outing by the All Abilities Fly Fishers who had 6 boats and both wheely boats. Despite the challenging conditions, Dave Davis from the AAFF managed to put 9 fish in the boat making him top rod on the day. Within Dave’s 9 fish was a good fish of around 4lbs. most of our anglers found the fishing challenging out in the boats. David Foles had 7 fish from the bank on a last 4 hour ticket and really enjoyed the evening rise as the wind speed dropped off towards the end of the day.
With the weather becoming more settled than it has been in a few weeks and the fish starting to play due to the water temperature dropping to 16 Degrees, our anglers are eager to get out on the water and enjoy some of that top of the water sport that Eyebrook is renowned for. Now that we are moving into September, we are looking forward to seeing the fish move on to feeding on the fry which have grown on quite considerably due to the abundance of food in the water for them.
Given the success of daddies for the past few weeks, fishery staff have put together a bespoke collection of the most successful daddy patterns. These cost £13.50 ( a 10%saving) and are available either direct from the lodge or on line at https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/shop/eyebrook-daddy-selection/
Keep an eye out for up and coming fly selections in the future.
Rod average for the week: 2.7
Weather follow the link for the latest forecast from XCWeather to check the conditions prior to your visit. Eyebrook forecast our post code LE16 8RP
Our Online Shop www.flyfishstore.co.uk
Visit our online shop we currently have sale & discontinued items with discounts up to 50% on selected items. https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/shop/category/sale-items/
Eyebrook Tackle Shop is open & now under the management of the fishery, stocking Fulling Mill, Airflo, Shakespeare, Vision, RIO, GREYS, SAGE, LOON, FARIO, WYCHWOOD, Leeda
Competition Scierra Pairs 12th September 2020 details via Phil Dixon www.scierrapairs.co.uk/heats/
Tuition & Guided Sessions
From July 1st we are pleased to announce that we will be resuming our 1:1 casting tuition for the latest guidelines on the tuition will take please safely under Covid-19 please visit www.flyfishtuition.co.uk for bookings please call Tom on 01788 812018.
Opening Hours & Boat Session
Lodge & Bank Open – 7.30am – 8.00pm
Full Day Boat – 8.30am – 8.00pm
Morning Boat – 8.30am – 2.30pm
Afternoon Boat – 2.30pm – 8.00pm
Last 4 Hr – 4.00pm – 8.00pm
All Anglers Off Site – 8.15pm
Follow Us on social media
Facebookwww.facebook.com/Flyfishstore
Twitter www.twitter.com/FlyFishStore
Instagram www.instagram.com/flyfishstore/
Local Angling Club is Eyebrook Fly Fishers, they have a Facebook page Eyebrook Fly Fishers