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

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

Main Entrance Road Maintenance – The Great Easton Road main entrance to Eyebrook is now open as normal.

Week Ending: 23 April 23                    Rod Av: 5.7    Water Temperature: 11°C

The week started with a very light southerly breeze with plenty of cloud cover. Throughout the day there were some extended periods of bright sunshine which raised the air temperature & intensified the buzzer hatches. The reservoir fished very well with some very high catch returns recorded from both the banks & the boats. Eyebrook member Roy Swinfield had a great morning from the bank up at Stoke Dry fishing the old road. Roy landed 27 fish on a Washing Line with a Booby Cruncher on the point & Buzzers on the Droppers, which is a great return on the bank. From the boats, there were a lot of fish caught from Stoke Dry down to Robbo’s Cabin & out across the middle. Around the shallower areas, the Washing Line has been the method whereas, across the middle, straight lined buzzers have also taken a good number of fish. All water member Lorenzo Serrano fished over by the willows & had a very productive day on Washing Lined Buzzers, landing well over 40 fish. Mr Quigley & his boat partner Mr McGuigan down on a Short Break, drifted the open water between the Chestnut & the Willows & also landed over 40 fish on Buzzers & Dries. For one of our great valued short breaks please use the following link https://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/short-break-packages/.

Well what a difference a day makes. The warm, light southerly breeze of the previous day gave way to a strong, gusty, cold northerly wind, that brought with it extended periods of bright sunshine. The combination of bright sunlight & strong winds is rarely conducive to favourable fishing conditions. However, this seemed to be amplified given how the weather was the opposite of the previous day & we all know how trout like a weather change…? Subsequently, it was a slow start to Tuesday fishing wise, with very few fish caught in the morning. By the afternoon, the fish had become accustomed to the change in the weather & consequently, there was a lot more fish caught in the afternoon. Following on from their previous success, Mr Quigley & McGuigan fished buzzers to great effect, landing over 20 fish to the boat, most of which came in the afternoon. All Water Member Albert Coales also had a productive afternoon, landing 14 fish on dries & Hoppers.

The wind remained from a northerly direction for Wednesday. However, it was no way near as strong as the previous day & there was a decent amount of cloud cover. The reservoir fished very well with good numbers of fish caught from both the banks & the boats. Eyebrook member, Keith Johnson caught well from the bank, landing 15 fish from Stoke Dry fishing nymphs on a Washing Line. On the boats, enjoying their last day of a 3-day Short Break Package, Mr Quigley & McGuigan landed well over 20 fish on the Dries & Buzzers throughout the day. John Watt led a party of 8 anglers who landed over 91 fish between them on a mixture of Dries & Nymphs. The most productive area was the Northern end of the reservoir with good returns coming from Stoke Dry to the Willows. The fish continue to feed well on Buzzers & are willing to take Nymphs or Buzzers on the Washing Line or on Dries when the conditions suit. All Water Member Lorenzo Serrano & his boat partner, Eli, had a great half day session, landing well over 20 fish on Washing Lined Diawls with a Foam Daddy on the point. If FAB’s are not working as a point fly on the Washing Line, it is worth trying a more subtle alternative. Foam Daddies, Booby Hoppers & Booby Crunchers are always worth a shot.

It was a bright, clear & cold start to Thursday. The northerly moderate ensured that the southern end of reservoir remained a couple of degrees cooler than the north. The winds of late, seem to have cleared a high degree of the coloured water from the previous bouts of heavy rainfall. As the day progressed the wind intensified & brought with it extended periods of sunshine. This made for very challenging conditions, particularly from the bank where the effects of an unpredictable wind could be truly felt. The boats fared a little better & a few fish were caught in the morning, but the excessive wind made it difficult to fish your flies effectively. Much later in the day, the relentless sunshine gave way to overcast conditions, which had a positive impact the fishing with anglers catch rates gaining pace. The boats started to catch quicker & the banks switched on. Ed Solomons, fishing a Last 4 bank permit, landed 5 fish on what proved to be a very successful session. Overall, what started as a very challenging day turned into a very productive day for some as the reservoir produced a very credible daily rod average of 5.1.

There was a damp start to Friday which soon petered out leaving an overcast sky, with considerably less wind than on previous days. Subsequently, the reservoir fished well to the Dries with regular visitor Max Woolnough landing 7 fish on a black Shipmans Buzzer. Eyebrook Member Mick Farrell also enjoyed a productive day on the Dries, fishing a Claret Midas Mick landed 12 fish from various locations. It was obviously one of those days that the fish preferred Dries sat on the water rather than in the surface film. Off the bank, Gary Mickley had another productive session landing 12 fish from the Old Road up at Stoke Dry on a small Cats Whisker. Elsewhere, adopting a mobile approach, another Eyebrook Member Neil Shilton landed well over 20 fish from his Float Tube from various locations. Generally, the most productive area remains the Stoke Dry end of the reservoir with fishing Dries when the conditions are right &/or Buzzers fished static being the most productive methods.

Just as Friday had started, Saturday was also a damp start that dried out & brought a few bright intervals during the afternoon. Whatever light breeze there was, was now from the south, which was different to previous days, so there was sure to be a small period of adjustment with the fish’s feeding habits. The fish were still feeding on buzzers, but them seemed to be somewhat deeper than found previously. Regular bank angler Roy Swinfield decided to take to the boats & was joined by his regular fishing partner Lyndsay Bates. They had a very productive day landing over 30 fish on static Buzzers fished relatively deep. Another boat pairing to have over 30+ fish was Mr Turner & Mr Adams who also fished static buzzers deep to great effect. With the fish seeming to be feeding in the deeper water, the boats fared better than the banks today. There were still fish caught from the bank, but they were not being caught in the numbers they were previously.

Sunday had started the same as the 2 previous days, damp in the morning with light drizzle & dry in the afternoon. However, today the afternoon brought with it some extended periods of cloud which were brought in by a 180° direction change in the breeze. The fish continued to feed on Buzzers, moving further out & feeding in the deeper water, which made the bank angling challenging at times. Fish were still caught from the bank & in good numbers too. Eyebrook Member had 10 on washing lined nymphs & Ed Solomons enjoyed a very fruitful last 4-hour session, landing 9 on nymphs. Saturday also saw us host the Alex Booth, Colwick & Foremark joint club competition which saw 15 anglers take to the water, they landed 50 fish between them, giving them a rod average of 3.3. Elsewhere on the boats, fish were caught on a variety of methods from various locations. Nymphs & Buzzers are still taking a good number of fish, as are Dries when the conditions permit. Alternatively, lures will still catch plenty of fish; Gary Owen & Mick McLintic had a very productive day landing over 20 fish between them on a Pink Booby. The most productive areas remain, Sam’s Dyke to the Cowshed & the Willows to Stoke Dry. The fish are very respondent to the weather, sitting in deeper water when bright & moving in the shallower margins during periods of overcast spells to feed. It is important that we remember to fish the conditions, rather than what we think is going on, the fish will be there.

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Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

2023 Membership details Visit   www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/season-permits/ for details of our 2023 membership options

Week Ending: 23^rd  April   Rod Av: 5.4    Water Temperature: 11c+

Monday with a cooler than forecasted easterly wind, led to tricky fishing conditions. Most fished in the shelter of the wood and opposite the lodge. Stuart Thompson caught 3 for his mornings session fishing off the corner of the wood, Pete Hunt caught 5 fishing a bung opposite the lodge with A Wilson catching 8 on buzzers again opposite the lodge. Anglers reported fish moving off and on during the day.

Tuesday strong easterly wind made for some difficult fishing conditions. Andre Russell on his first trip in the tube fished booby patterns to take his 6 fish. B Sibley and M Clay also fished boobies to boat their 9 trout for a morning session. Most anglers found the conditions difficult in the easterly wind with all the rods off the water by 3pm

Wednesday and another day with a strong easterly wind forecast, with only 1 rod Richard Price going out. Richard fished a fast sinker with a blue flash damsel booby and humungus booby to catch 8 trout for his mornings visit.

Thursday and yet another day when the cold easterly picked up around lunchtime, with the boats all heading towards the shelter of the wood. Despite the wind overall a good day with the rod average 4.5+ Mark Cowley and Ian Leach fished Sink3 & sink5 lines with buzzer, blob & booby patterns to boat their 12 trout, P Moore fished the Markfield arm during the morning catching 4 & losing just as many on a booby.

Friday and similar conditions to the last 3 days, lighter easterly winds to start the day which built to be quite windy from 11am onwards with the boats again fishing along the shelter of the wood and Thornton arm. Anglers reported seeing fish moving but found them easier to catch on sink 5 and sink 7 lines with booby patterns, cats whisker and damsel. John Bebbington caught 11 with K Cowen catching 6 for his mornings visit. By 6pm the wind was starting to drop and swinging to the south in line with the better forecast for the weekend.

Saturday and a flat calm greeted the rods at 7.30am, its been a while since weave had a flat calm! A few fish could be seen feeding off the surface with most of the anglers finding a fast sinker with various booby patterns, but especially blue flash damsel booby or cats whisker caught best. Keith Cowen caught 12, Jan Webber caught 20+ with Brian Sibley & Stuart Thompson boating 19 for their visit. Neil Bates fished a standard cats whisker to catch his 8 trout for the afternoon visit. Mark Hunt persevered fishing with straight line buzzers catching 8 including a rainbow of 3lb.

Sunday surprisingly wet conditions greeted the anglers, lots of birds working the surface. We hosted our local angling club Thornton Fly Fishers fishing their Spring Boat Pairs Competition. They fished the morning session 8.30am to 2.30pm fishing to a 4 fish kill permit & catch Release. Excellent mornings fishing as they averaged 7.3 catching in excess of 90 trout. Winners were T Smith & M Quilley with I Leach & M Cowley second. L Serrano fished the morning session catching into double figures, he went home for lunch returning later to do the same again. Despite all the birds on the water the most successful method was sinking lines with a variety of boobies but especially the blue flash damsel booby, blue flash damsel nymph & standard cats whisker

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Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

Week Ending:     23^rd April 2023           Rod Av:  2.9   Water Temperature: 9°C

Event – Boatmen / Boatwomen required.

Draycote 19^th May hosts the seniors International with teams from England, Scotland, Wales & Ireland. We require boatmen / women for the event. You will receive £30.00 & a Draycote or Eyebrook boat voucher. If your interested or require further information contact Tom Bird at the Draycote Lodge 01788 812018

A nice start to the week with overcast warm conditions with the wind starting from the Southeast before moving to the Northeast later in the day. On the bank Mike Nolan fished buzzers at Lincroft Point to land 5 fish. With fellow Draycote Fly Fisher, John Pearson landing 2 fish again on buzzers fishing along side Mike. On the boats Gordon Bramwell fishing with Eddie Mitchell landed 24 fish to the boat fishing in Toft using buzzers. John Pendleton & C Elliot also used buzzers to land 11 fish to the boat with black and red buzzers being their best pattern. Andy Birkett & Brent Vinall landed 14 fish to the boat while taking advantage of a 3 day package break. Using straight lined nymphs and buzzers and also landing fish on dries. All water member Ed Douglas used dries all day to land 12 fish with crippled midge and bob’s bits being his best patterns.

A much windier day Tuesday from the Northeast teamed with bright sun, certainly not the ideal conditions to be out on the water. All water member James Greasley landed 3 fish off the bank using buzzers at Lincroft Point, with Colin Day landing a brace. On the boats Lee Patten & Peter Elliot fished in Toft, the pair used buzzers on a midge tip and also snakes on a sinking line to land 20 fish to the boat. Tony Labrum and John Elderton landed 8 fish again using buzzers with a very slow retrieve. Chris & wife Aneta landed a dozen fish out on Biggin Bay. While on second day of a 3 day package Andy Birkett & Brent Vinall fished buzzers and Diawl Bachs on a midge tip in Biggin Bay to also land a dozen fish. Ahead of his afternoon shift fishery ranger and guide Lee Henfrey boated 16 fish just to the side of Lincroft Point near E Buoy. The key Lee said was to fish a long leader with 4 buzzers on a short line off the midge tip and fish it right to the hand with all of his fish coming on the lift at the end of the cast. With his best fly being as gold vicar.

The wind remained in the same direction for Wednesday but thankfully wasn’t as strong in the most part as the day previous. Will Hunt fished from the bank for the last four hours to land a brace of fish on buzzers and Lincroft while Jon Cousins landed 3. On the boat fishery ranger and guide Lee Henfrey took Jason Hermon out for a 4 hour guide. With Lee’s help Jason landed a dozen fish on buzzers either on a midge tip or under the bung. With the best area being Biggin Bay, for any tuition enquiries give Tom a call on 01788 812108. Fishing in Toft from a boat Tony Broadway & Pete Allen enjoyed a good day landing 20 fish to the boat using a floating lines with Hares ears and buzzers. Andy Birkett & Brent Vinall fishing their final day of a 3 day package landed 17 fish to the boat using a team of buzzers in Biggin Bay.

A bright and blustery day on Thursday with some heavy gusts made for difficult fishing at times. Mr S Morey had a brace from the bank, whilst Mr M Hock had 3 fish on buzzers from Lincroft Point. Season permit holder Paul Havard caught 8 fish whilst straight lining buzzers around the Valve Tower. Bob Barfoot caught half a dozen fish on black buzzers using a midge tip line in Biggin Bay. Frazer Duffy, (senior and junior) had 10 fish to the boat between them in Biggin Bay using white snakes.

It was a slightly damp start on Friday morning but cleared up as the morning progressed. The rod average for the day turned out to be an impressive 3.9, but that did not tell the whole story. Throughout the morning anglers reported seeing fish in the surface but found them very difficult to catch. It was definitely a day for plenty of patience and slow buzzers on a floating line. It was a slow day on the bank with only a brace caught here and there. Out on the boats young Paul Walker had 15 fish during an afternoon session using a combination of damsels and buzzers. Ken Williams and Ray George had 4 fish between them to the boat, all on buzzers. Martin Hancox ventured out for an evening session to net 4 fish from a drifting boat in Biggin Bay. Season permit holders Ian Richardson and Bob Smith had nearly 30 fish to the boat and remarked on a cracking day. Ian and Bob both used midge tip lines and buzzers.

Saturday was overcast and dry with a light northerly breeze. Once again a slow start to the morning soon developed into a good days fishing. Out on the bank Mr J Fox caught a brace on buzzers from Toft Shallows. Mr M Hock also caught a brace on buzzers from the bank but this time from the Old Pipe in Biggin Bay. Out on the boats Mr M Edwards and Mr C Taylor netted nearly 20 fish on buzzers from various areas around the reservoir. In house guide Lee Henfrey had 16 fish to the boat during a morning session. Lee drifted over Musborough Shoal using a barred olive booby snake on a DI5 sinking line. Saturday saw Draycote Water once again host one of our very successful tuition days with 6 students taking part. A good mornings classroom work was quickly followed by some casting practice behind the Farborough Dam, before spending the afternoon on the pontoon, where some of the participants got into some hard fighting fish the pictures for the day can be found on the Facebook page www.facebook.com/flyfishstore

A cloudy day Sunday, with rain arriving at midday with a North wind. On the bank The Draycote Fly Fishers Association held a morning bank match, with good numbers in attendance. Looking at the catch report it was clear that the best catches on the day came to the anglers who opted to fish a washing line. Fishing at the Cornfield and then the Old Pipe, Dave Atkins landed 5 fish washing line buzzers and crunchers. With Mark JJ also fishing the washing line, however, it was the tequila FAB that landed most of Mark’s fish using an 18 foot leader on a floater. Fishing at Lincroft Point Will Hunt landed 4 fish. On the boats new all water member Pete Webb using a Di 5 sinking with a pink snake to land half a dozen fish. Fellow all water members Frazer Duffy Snr & Jnr landed 13 fish also using Di 5 sinking lines with snakes. Just taking a morning boat David & Gary Turner used buzzers in Biggin Bay to land 8 fish. Draycote member Martyn Hancox used dries and also snakes in a short afternoon session to also boat 8 fish.

Looking ahead to next week, the weather looks great with light winds, overcast skies and warming air temperatures. Perfect conditions to get out on the water, with a further load of 3,000 fish arriving this week. We are expecting some great catches.

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

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

Main Entrance Road Maintenance – The Great Easton Road main entrance to Eyebrook is now open as normal.

Week Ending: 16 April 23                    Rod Av: 6.5    Water Temperature: 10°C

It was a relatively quiet start to the week & what a difference a day makes weather wise. The previous high pressure had succumbed to a low pressure that brought with it heavy showers & a moderate to strong south westerly wind. The fish continued to feed on the abundant buzzers, however the strong wind pushed the hatching buzzers out into the middle of the reservoir & the fish duly followed which made them difficult to locate initially. Once found, they would readily take black buzzers fished on a washing line or straight lined. Chris Hartley & his boat partner John Wilson had a great day finding buzzer feeding fish in the open water out from the Chestnut. They had over 30 fish between them on the washing line with a FAB on the point & Buzzers above it. Off the bank Eyebrook Member Dave Etty enjoyed a very successful session landing 9 fish on black & a Grey Boy Buzzer.

After an initial bright start Tuesday was a day of very heavy showers & a strong southerly winds. Chris Hartley & John Wilson returned for the 2^nd day of a 2-day package & enjoyed a very successful day on the boat, once again landing over 30 fish on Buzzers & FABs on the washing line. From the bank, Eyebrook Member Roy Swinfield fished Buzzers down by the Chestnut & landed 15 fish which is a great return. The Chestnut area & across to the Willows, is, as it does this time of year holding a lot of fish.

There was a clear bright start to Wednesday, which as forecast, deteriorated into a very wet & very windy day. The mean windspeed was just below our boat limit of 25 mph with buffeting gusts that brought a series of very heavy showers. The wind direction was a consistent southerly so the boat anglers that did venture out, found themselves fishing under imposed restrictions limiting them to the south of the Island & the main basin.  Fish were caught throughout the day on Tip Lines & Nymphs from various locations within the Basin. From the bank, All Water Member Ian Jobe ventured up to the Chestnut & fished between there & the Cowshed. Fishing Nymphs on a Floating Line, Ian had a very productive day landing 17 fish which was a great return given the conditions.

Thursday saw a moderate to strong wind swing round to the West which brought with it some isolated heavy showers & periods of bright spring sunlight. These changeable conditions made the angling somewhat challenging as the fish continuously moved in & out of the margins & up & down the water column. During the overcast spells they would feed confidently in the margins & higher in the water column. Whereas during the brighter spells, as expected, the fish moved out & into deeper water. The bank anglers fared slightly better than the boats with some excellent returns. Eyebrook members Roy Swinfield & Keith Johnson landed 16 & 14 fish respectively, fishing between the Chestnut & Cowshed on the Leicester Bank. Both were fishing Buzzers & Nymphs on floating lines. Local angler Dale Birch landed 6 on what proved to be a very productive Last 4-hour session on the Buzzers & Nymphs along the Leicester Bank. A massive congratulations must go to Cameron Kell who whilst out fishing with his Grandad, James Vasey, hooked & landed his first ever Rainbow Trout. Well done, Cameron, that will be the first of many, we are sure.

The reservoir fished very well on Friday yielding a rod average a daily rod average of 12.2. The weeks earlier winds had coloured the Rutland bank meaning that any anglers would need to concentrate their efforts on the Leicester Bank. The most productive area was Sam’s Dyke with great catch returns being recorded from the banks & the boats. Eyebrook member, Dean Shilton had a very enjoyable day out in his float tube landing a very high number of fish on Lures & Nymphs. On the boats, Fishery Guide Lee Henfrey & his boat partner Martin Rowson also had a very productive day landing over 50 fish between them on the Diawls on the Washing Line. All Water Member Kev Hart got amongst the fish also, catching on Buzzers, Nymphs & Kev even managed to catch a few on the Dries. From the banks, regular visitor Gary Mickley had a great Last 4-hour session landing 17 fish on the nymphs. It is becoming increasingly obvious that the fish around the banks are very sensitive to weather conditions. When it is overcast, they will feed right in the margins but when there is an element of sunshine, & without any prominent weed beds to hold food, they will move further out into deeper water.

Due to the previous evening of heavy rain, Saturday saw Eyebrook’s water level raise significantly overnight. This did not seem to affect the fishing too much as the fish continued to feed hard the buzzers & were consistently caught from various locations. The most productive yet again though, seemed to be Sam’s Dyke, where fish were caught throughout the day on Buzzers & Nymphs on either the Washing Line, Straight Lined or the Bung. When the fish are feeding on the Buzzers it is worth noting that these buzzer feeding fish will in fact happily take nymphs, particularly Diawl Bachs & Muskins. You don’t need to fish buzzers to catch buzzer feeding fish. Saturday also saw Eyebrook host the Annual Dave Carter Masonic Charity Pairs Match in aid of Cancer Research UK. Fished to an 8 fish pairs limit with prizes for the Heaviest Pairs Bag & the Largest Fish, 14 anglers took to the water & caught 106 fish between them producing a rod average of 7.5 which was a great return. Well done to all participants, who not only fished very well but also managed to raise a significant amount for the chosen charity. Congratulations to the prize winners, Tony & Phil with a bag weight of 16lb 3oz & Mr Bingham who had the largest fish of 2lb 5oz’s.

Sunday brought with it a very light South-South Westerly breeze & intermittent bright spells. There was a lot going on at Eyebrook on Sunday what with the Eyebrook Fly Fishers holding a bank match, the All-Abilities Friendly Fly Fishers (AAFFF) out on the water & resident Instructor Mike Oliver held a bank tuition course. Mike took his course through all the basic elements of Fly-Fishing including Casting, Knots, Flies & Entomology that make up a Trout’s diet. For anyone interested in attending a tuition course, please use the following link https://www.flyfishtuition.co.uk/. The Eyebrook bank match was, as always, a keenly contested affair with the prizes for the biggest & smallest fish. Ian Jobe took the largest fish with a cracking Rainbow of 3lb 4oz. Whereas Clive Moore took the smallest fish with a Rainbow that was somewhat smaller. Between those attending, they produced a rod average of 7, which is a great rod average for a bank match. Well done to all. This was the AAFFF’s first visit of the season to Eyebrook, where 26 anglers of varying experience took to the water. They had a very successful day with everyone catching & the 26 anglers caught a total of 200 fish, giving a great rod average of 7.69. The reservoir continues to fish very well with fish feeding hard on buzzers. The most productive methods continue to be Buzzers or Nymphs fished on the Washing Line with a FAB on the point or Straight Lined; Buzzer on the Point & Diawl Bachs above it.

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Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

2023 Membership details Visit   www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/season-permits/ for details of our 2023 membership options

Week Ending: 16^th April   Rod Av: 2.8    Water Temperature: 9c+

Monday was a damp windy day with no boats out.

Tuesday was a better morning which turned wet in the afternoon. Fish are starting to move around the reservoir with Martin Hosking catching 11 at various depths. Barry Deeley fished an intermediate with a green and white humungus to catch his 7 trout, with Paul Martindale catching his 7 trout on buzzers.

Wednesday, we cancelled the boats as average wind speed exceeded 25mph

Thursday & Friday with the forecast for rain, heavy at times and a blustery wind, few anglers took a boat out, those that did fished the morning session when the forecast was at its best. P Wrigley caught 4 for his mornings fishing with John Bebbington catching 5

Saturday with the heavy rainfall during Friday afternoon & into the evening raising the level by 2 inch & reducing the clarity. Sinking lines with white & green booby, sparkler booby & UV Damsel produced best. Bob Jones caught 11, Keith Cowen caught 9, B Sibley caught 8 with J Webber catching 7 mostly on Sink 7 lines and booby. M Needham fished an uv damsel for his 5 trout.

Sunday, clarity continues to improve with a few trout to be seen feeding across the main basin. Most found success with fast sinkers and booby patterns, black and silver, cats whisker booby and orange booby. S Swinfield & S Zeleny caught 6, S Parnham & L Lawrence caught 7 with A Lilley catching 6 for his mornings visit. Most fished 30 to 80yds off the bank opposite the lodge, wood and around the corner towards the end of the wood. A few fish were taken during the late afternoon by boats drifting across the main basin.

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Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

Week Ending:     16th April 2023           Rod Av: 4.4     Water Temperature: 8°C

Event – Boatmen / Boatwomen required.

Draycote 19^th May hosts the seniors International with teams from England, Scotland, Wales & Ireland. We require boatmen / women for the event. You will receive £30.00 & a Draycote or Eyebrook boat voucher. If your interested or require further information contact Tom Bird at the Draycote Lodge 01788 812018

With gusty strong winds and rain forecast it was a welcome sight Monday, to see the wind speeds down on what was forecast. However, this didn’t last long and the strong winds soon picked up in the later part of the morning. On the bank Draycote season ticket holder Stephen Dewhurst landed 4 fish on buzzers from the Swans Nest. On the boats member Ian Reeve took his Grandson Cian out with the pair boating 7 fish, with Cian landing 3 of them. They fished buzzers under the bung in Rainbow Corner, to see some pictures of Cian follow the link www.facebook.com/flyfishstore. Richard Walker fished with P Davies with the pair landing 5 fish with 2 coming to a white minkie fished on a sink tip and the other 3 coming to a black buzzer. Gordon and Cam Elder landed 5 fish on a hares ear from Rainbow Corner.

It was certainly a hit and miss affair at Draycote on Tuesday as the wind blew up and down and some heavy showers drifted through. Mr K Williams and Mr C Barkley had a brace between them to the boat , while Mr R Bannister also caught a brace. Season permit holders Bob Smith and Ian Richardson had 17 fish to the boat between them using buzzers on the bung, as well as white snakes fished on a DI 5 sinking line.

Another day plagued  by winds on Wednesday, with the strong winds resulting in the boats not being able to head out. However we did have some hardy souls venture out on the bank. Mr Mould landed a brace from the bank in Toft. With Mr Humphries enjoying a great day in the gusty conditions landing 9 fish all on buzzers fished down in Toft, a great catch in the wind.

A much nicer day Thursday with blue skies and the winds dropping back enabling the boats to take to the water once again. The wind was a little gusty in the morning from the Southwest but by the end of the day it had dropped back to leave much more pleasant conditions. Fishing from the bank Phil Cross landed a brace of fish on a cat’s whisker. On the boats Dennis Tidmarsh used the same flies to land 4 fish including a 4lb overwintered fish from the Draycote Dam also using a Cat’s Whisker. Ian Johnston fished for a half day in the boat to land 11 fish on buzzers, commenting that the fish were sitting at 5ft down. All water members Fraser Duffy Snr & Jnr fished for the second half of the day landing 16 fish, although left no comments on how they had caught their fish unfortunately.

Much lighter winds Friday, swinging to the Southeast, with showers throughout the day. As a result of the lighter winds the angler were able to get to areas and hotspots that had been difficult to fish comfortably in the previous day. All water member Norman Perkins fished from the bank to land 3 fish on buzzers in Toft. Draycote member Stephen Dewhurst fished for an afternoon on the bank landing 7 fish all falling to buzzers fished in Toft. On the boats Ed Douglas was pleased to find a large number of fish moving first thing in the morning from the Farborough Dam wall. Landing 6 fish in his first drift and going onto land 18 all on dries. Ed found that a size 12 crippled midge and a bob’s bits on the droppers the key to success. Fishing from a boat in Toft, Ian Richardson & Bob Smith landed 20 fish to the boat. Using a mix of methods some fish came to a Di 5 sinking line and a booby with the others coming to buzzers fished under the bung at 12ft. Father and son duo John and Dan McElligott landed 17 fish to the boat using buzzers on a midge tip in the morning then a pink snake in the afternoon.

Saturday dawned again with good fishing conditions and great returns from all across the reservoir. Draycote regular Stan Hillman had 3 fish from the bank whilst Mr T Ward caught a brace. Mr Steve O’Farrell caught 16 fish from the bank down in Toft Shallows using a combination of buzzers in the morning and snakes through the afternoon. Out on the boats Mr Nathan Brain had 8 fish to the boat once again using a combination of buzzers and snakes. Mr D Davies and Mr J Rydell caught 10 fish between them using size 16 buzzers fished around X and G buoy. Season permit holder Martin Hancox ventured out for an afternoon session in a boat to net 3 fish, and returned one in excess of 5lbs. Mr John McVay had 15 fish to the boat using red and black buzzers.

Good conditions for Sunday, with overcast skies teamed with light winds from the Southeast. On the bank Alan smith landed 6 fish with 2 of them coming to bung and buzzers and the other 4 falling to lures. On the boats husband and wife household members Debbie & Sean Gilbert enjoyed a great day. They landed 20 fish from Lincroft point on blue flash damsels and black buzzers in size 10. Fellow household members James Alexander and Alan Sharp landed 10 fish on black buzzers from Toft. Trevor Moore & James Maplethorpe fished in Biggin Bay near E Buoy landing 32 fish all on Buzzers. Fishing small size 12 & 14 black buzzers and commented “on a great day”. We also had both 2023 England squads for the home internationals out enjoying a squad get together. With the team enjoying good fishing using buzzers in mainly in Toft either straight lined or on the bung.

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

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

Main Entrance Road Maintenance – The Great Easton Road main entrance to Eyebrook is now open as normal.

Week Ending: 09 April 23                    Rod Av: 9.0    Water Temperature: 10°C

There was a cold, clear start to Monday which warmed as the day progressed. More importantly though, it was dry which given the weather at the weekend was a welcome break. The water clarity was still in a state of deterioration at the start of the day but by late afternoon it was starting to clear. It was a quiet start to the week & out of those venturing out, All water member Ian Jobe had a very productive day. Fishing from the float tube, Ian landed 14 fish, catching along the margins up the Willows & Stoke Dry on nymphs.

After a frosty start, Tuesday developed into a right & sunny, spring day. Once the air temperature had increased & the sky had begun to fill with Buzzers the fish started to feed. Fish were caught from both the boats & the banks with various methods. Stewart Normington straight lined Nymphs from the bank & had a very productive day landing 17 fish from the Hawthorns/Sam’s Dyke area. Max Woolnough worked out the fish preferred Buzzers fished static, so he opted to fish black buzzers under the Bung for his 10 fish. Elsewhere, Eyebrook Member Gareth Brooks & his boat partner Clive had 19 fish to the boat fishing the early season favourite, Black & Green lures down the Hawthorns. The Eye brook is now running clear which means the water clarity up the top end of the Reservoir will start to dramatically improve.

Wednesday brought with it a light south westerly breeze & plenty of cloud cover. By late morning/early afternoon there was a light drizzle that developed into light rain brought in by a now moderate south westerly wind.  As predicted, the water clarity up the top end of the reservoir had improved & consequently this whole general area fished very well. Experienced & knowledgeable Fishery Guide Lee Henfrey was out with All Water Member Ed Douglas, knowing that the top end of the reservoir would more than likely clear first, they headed up to Stoke Dry. Getting into fish straight away they had a very productive session landing a high number of fish on Washing Lined floaters with a FAB on the point & nymphs above it. Also on the boats, fishing day 2 of a 5-day short day package, Fergie Ferguson caught a lot of fish 3ft down on the Bung. Fergie was also fishing the Rutland Bank, but a bit further along from Stoke Dry towards the Willows. The fish along the Rutland bank were feeding hard on Buzzers & were getting caught consistently throughout the day. The most productive methods for these fish were either straight lined buzzers, washing lined buzzers or the bung. From the bank, Eyebrook member, Keith Johnson had a good session landing 6 fish on small black Muskins from Sam’s Dyke. The fish seem to be moving slightly further out from the margins & those wading seem to be the more successful.

It was a very damp start to Thursday, with the rain giving way to bright sunshine in the afternoon. The wind had swung round to a North Westerly by late morning & built in strength as the day progressed. Bright sunshine & a strong wind always makes the fishing more challenging. Given the conditions, the reservoir fished very well with fish caught from the boats & the banks. Those on the bank found it more of a challenge when the wind changed & began to colour the Hawthorns & Sam’s Dyke. Eyebrook member Roy Swinfield had a productive day, fishing natural patterns on floating lines, down at the Hawthorns & Sam’s Dyke. Max Bazeley & Keith Johnson both landed 6 fish from the same area, which was very respectable, given the cold winds & conditions. There were some great catch returns from the boats with the visiting Paisley Patterns Fly Fishing Club enjoying the first day of a 3-day short break landing 90 fish between 5 of them. Rob Green also had a great day, landing over 20 fish whilst teaching his daughter to fly fish. The fish have been feeding hard on the buzzers & have been caught on the Bung, Washing line & straight-lined buzzers. The most productive boat area has been the Rutland bank from the Willows to Stoke Dry.

Despite an overcast start, Friday developed into a great example of a warm spring day with hardly any breeze. This saw the fish continue to feed hard on the buzzers throughout the day & subsequently Eyebrook again fished very well. There were some very high catch returns recorded from various locations, but the most productive area remained the Willows down to Stoke Dry. Fish fell to Buzzers fished in all manner of methods, Washing Line, Straight Line & under the Bung. Those on the washing line found the Nymphs to be more successful than Buzzers. Being lighter, they remained in the fish feeding depth for longer with the black Muskins proving to be a particularly effective fly when fished on the washing line. Which is particularly useful when fishing the shallower areas. There were a few anglers out practicing for the forthcoming Greys Pairs qualifying round & some fish were found in the Main Basin, Dogwood to Sam’s Dyke area. Now this could well be a case of that the fish from the latest stocking, were finally beginning to make an appearance, time will tell.

Saturday was a very similar script to Friday, both weather wise & fishing wise. The only real variation was that the fish that were found previously in the basin & along Dogwood to Sam’s Dyke were now very prominent & showing up in great numbers. This would surely pose a question or two for the Competitors of tomorrows Greys Pairs about where to start. What would not help with this, was that there was still plenty of buzzer feeding fish getting caught on Buzzers & Nymphs over along the Rutland Bank, from the Willows down to Stoke Dry. Today also marked the last day of a 3-day visit for the Paisley Patterns party who had an exceptional 3 days on Eyebrook. Between the 5 of them they had 255 fish between them over the 3 days. Well done all, we look forward to seeing you all again in September. From the banks, Eyebrook members Bob Margery & Steve Lawrence had 7 & 6 fish respectively in Dogwood Bay, fishing the Washing Line with a Fab on the point & Nymphs above it.

Sunday saw Eyebrook host the latest round of the Greys Pairs. Fished to a 12 fish boat limit, with a time bonus, all 19 boats reached their limit. In the build up to the Competition the Willows to Stoke Dry had fished really well & fish were beginning to show from Dogwood to Sam’s Dyke. On the day the Rutland Bank just did not fish, probably succumbing to weeks previous angling pressure. The Leicester Bank, however, did fish, with all the Pairs getting finished there, even those who initially started on the opposite bank. Fish were caught on a variety of methods, pulling on sinking lines, nymphs under the bung, washing lined nymphs & straight-lined buzzers. Well done to all competitors & congratulations to all those that qualified for the 2023 Final on Lyn Brenig. Elsewhere, Eyebrook member Malcolm Thompson landed 8 fish off the bank down the Hawthorns to Sam’s Dyke on nymphs. It has been best to remain mobile to find the fish, even on the banks, if you have had no interest in 30mins….. move.

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Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

2023 Membership details Visit   www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/season-permits/ for details of our 2023 membership options

Week Ending: 9^th April   Rod Av: 4.3      Water Temperature: 9c+

Monday and at last a decent weather forecast. Fishing proved to be trickier than expected although Howard Davies found the winning combination of black diawl bach which caught him 11 trout. Other anglers caught with floating or midge tip lines with #14 #16 black buzzer, cruncher, diawl bach. With the lighter winds it must be worth looking down the Thornton arm.

Tuesday & a better days fishing with a 5.0 rod average. Anglers took our advice with the better forecast allowing anglers to comfortably fish the Markfield arm. Anglers caught using a DI5 with black & green or silver black humungous or fished a midge tip or floating line with #14 black buzzer, #12 cruncher. Mark Stone caught 5 for his mornings visit, S Fairgrieve & K Cowen caught 12 with H Wood & P Mee catching 16. Dave & Sharon Ryalls fished an indicator to catch their 10 trout with P Broad fishing a diawl bach to catch his 8 trout. D Gillfillan also fished a morning session catching his 8 on humongous patterns.

Wednesday, fish are opposite the lodge, wood & corner of the wood with anglers also finding fish down the Markfield arm to the Tern raft. Yesterday afternoon martins were working the main basin all afternoon, a sure sign that a hatch was taking place. Richard Dayman caught 20+ with the majority down the Markfield arm past lonesome pine on his white & green pattern. Greg Weatherdon caught 6 off the corner of the wood on damsel and diawl bach with Martin Hosking catching his 6 on various patterns, cats whisker, fab, cormorant & crunchers.

Thursday and a wet start to the day, which improved by 9.30am. Anglers took our advice and fished the corner of the wood down into the Markfield arm. Our guide Lee took Chloe & her grandfather out for a two hour experience session catching 6 on buzzers under a bung, photographs on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/FlyFishStore Dave Pritchard fished buzzers in front of the lonesome pine catching 4 trout with T Lorrimer catching the majority of his 6 trout down the Markfield arm.

Friday an early frost gave way to a light wind and at times warm sunshine. Majority of the anglers fished from the corner of the wood and down the Markfield arm using sink 3 lines or floaters. The bung is also working, 6ft leader below the bung with top dropper 3ft point fly 6ft. Black buzzer #14 #12, small cats whisker, blue flash damsel were the top patterns. S Wilson & D Dyer caught 12. Ian Leach & M Cowley boated 13 for their visit with L Serrano catching 12. John Bebbington fished black buzzers to catch his 8 trout with Chris Sayer catching 7 for his mornings visit on a variety of patterns.

Saturday with another early morning frost it was mid morning before the fish started to feed. Opposite the lodge and down the Markfied arm. Sink 3 lines with blobs, cats whiskers and buzzers or a floating line with diawl bach, small black nymph patterns and buzzers. Howard Davies caught 15 for his mornings visit on a black diawl bach, Keith Cowen fished a cats whisker to catch his 6 trout with B Sibley & M Clay catching 11. Mark Hunt fished an afternoon catching 9 on diawls and bobs bits. Bobby & George caught 30 on boobies and buzzers.

Sunday with a south westerly offered good conditions. B Perrie caught 11 on black buzzers, All Water member J Reynold caught 10 also on black buzzer with N Organ and Mick Revell fishing from their float tubes catching 19 on diawls, cruncher and damsel. With the area opposite the lodge and down the Markfield arm best with the majority catching 30yds+ off the bank.

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Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

Week Ending:     9th April 2023           Rod Av: 4.4     Water Temperature: 8°C

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Monday turned out to be a good day for fishing with good cloud cover through most of the day, and a light  south easterly breeze. Season permit holders Peter Allan and Tony Broadway had 7 fish to the boat in Biggin Bay, all on hares ears. Ed Douglas had 9 fish to the boat on buzzers fished static on a floating line.

Ian Reeve and Ian Hibberd had over 20 fish to the boat and were able to show us some cracking photos on the pontoon yesterday evening. The fish fell to buzzers and black and green snakes. It was good to see Eugene Hughes back out on Draycote. Eugene netted over 20 fish to the boat using humungus fished on a DI 7 line around M, Y and P buoy. Bob Smith and Ian Richardson had 10 fish to the boat between them near the Tower Bank. The pair caught their fish using a mixture of boobies fished slow on a DI5, and buzzers fished on the bung.

Tuesday was a beautiful day to be out on the water. Light breezes and good cloud cover meant that through the early part of the day fish could be seen moving in the surface of the water. There is now a good spread of fish throughout the reservoir with reports of good catches coming from a wide variety of areas. Draycote regular Stan Hillman fished from the bank to net a brace on damsels fished on an intermediate line. Lee Henfrey and fishery manager Tom Bird took to the water to net over 20 fish on a mixture of buzzers and hares ears during a morning session. The pair fished along the Farborough Dam and down in the Cornfield. Season permit holders Paul Walker and John Falconbridge had nearly 30 fish to the boat between them but said that it was a struggle through the early part of the day. A of their fish came to damsels and black buzzers at the western end of the reservoir. James Maplethorpe and Trevor Moore plied their trade in Biggin bay and the Cornfield netting a god number of fish on black buzzers fished on a floating line.

A southerly wind Wednesday which did later swing into a Southwest, with the day starting overcast with rain starting late morning. On the bank Draycote season ticket holder Mark Smith landed 6 fish on a Cat’s Whisker fished on a floating line. With fellow season ticket holder Jim Kelly landing 5 fish on buzzers and a green lure. Taking 1 fish in Rainbow Corner, with the others coming from Toft later on in the day. Andy Berkett & Brent Vinall out on the boats landed 23 fish using buzzers and then pulling with snakes. Draycote member James Alexander landed 10 fish using olive snakes from Toft. Mr N Whatton & T Waddington enjoyed a great day landing 34 fish on buzzers and Diawl Bachs from Toft and then along the Cornfield. Mr T Rowley & G Beagarie landed 27 to the boat catching on buzzers in the morning along the Farborough Dam wall before heading up to the Draycote Dam wall and catching on lures.

A wet start to Thursday with the wind remaining on the Southwest before swinging into the Northwest later in the day, with the sun making an appearance in the afternoon and thankfully Draycote avoided the heavy local showers. On the bank season ticket holder Bob Askew enjoyed a great days sport landing 17 fish from the Swan’s Nest using a Cat’s Whisker. Out on the boats Draycote members Ian Richardson & Bob Smith enjoyed a good day landing 29 fish to the boat. The pair also recorded “plenty of overwintered fish up to 4lb” They fished the Tower bank and used Buzzers under the bung to land their fish. Felicity Appleton & Derek Moore fished at the Swan’s Nest in a boat landing 38 fish and like, Bob who was on the bank used Cat’s Whiskers to great effect. Andy Berkett & Brent Vinall fished their final day of a 3 day break boating 37 fish. The pair opted to fish straight lined buzzers all day and remarked it had been a “great 3 days”

A frosty start to Good Friday which soon warmed up leaving a beautiful warm spring day, with light winds from the Northwest. Fishing from the bank John Hall landed 4 fish from the Cornfield using a Damsel. Taking advantage of the last four hour ticket from the bank Mr J Mackay landed 7 fish all on buzzers from Toft, a great catch in a short 4 hour session. On the boats David & Gary Turner landed 22 fish to the boat using buzzers. They found the fish in the morning tight along the Cornfield at Dougie’s Gap where the trees come down to the waters edge. Then in the afternoon at the Tower Bank, with both anglers commenting that the fish while tight to the bank were sitting deeper that expected. Draycote member Ian Reeve fished with Colin Granger with the pair boating 13 fish. With the best flies being buzzers and a small Cat’s Whiskers, landing fish from Toft, Farborough Dam Wall and Biggin Bay. Another boat that used Cat’s Whisker to great effect was that of P Sutton & R Andrews who landed 22 fish. Draycote member Martyn Hancox used a white tadpole to land 11 fish in a 5 hour session. Fishing up around the Tower Bank and then later in the day at the Flat Stones Paul Newnam & Matt Crisp boated 16 fish all taken on buzzers including 2 cracking fish at 6lb.

A near identical day weatherwise as the day previous, as a result of the 2 warm days, there had been huge of large buzzers. On the bank Mr J Fox enjoyed a great days sport landing 12 fish all on buzzers, from Toft. Tom Rochford also fished from the bank landing 4 fish on buzzers and Diawl Bachs. Out on the boats Chris Tuck and Christopher Jarratt landed 23 fish with the best method being the bung. With the key to fish the flies deep with most of the fish taking at 12ft. The best area the lads found was along the Tower Bank. Andy lane fished a midge tip with a team of buzzers in Biggin Bay and the Cornfield to boat 22 fish with his best flies being a crisp packet buzzer. Ben Beckwith & Dave Dixon also fished buzzers to land 14 fish between them. Ian Spicer landed 14 fish all of which took black buzzers on a midge tip with his best fish a fantastic overwintered rainbow which can be seen here www.facebook.com/flyfishstore

Sunday started fairly bright and calm and stayed that way through most of the day. Season permit holder Andy Jordan caught a brace from the bank on red cormorants. Local angler Paul Lloyd caught half a dozen fish from the bank. Paul fished at the Swans Nest using 12 foot slow tip line and black buzzers. Draycote regular Stan Hillman caught 9 fish whilst bank fishing from the Tower Bank using blood worm patterns, black buzzers and hares ears. Out on the boats season permit holder Les Lerigo netted a total of 10 fish from the Cornfield on a mixture of snakes and buzzers. Jim Smith and Ed Douglas had over 30 fish to the boat using buzzers and dries at various points around the reservoir.

On Sunday we ran our very popular Rio and Sage day. This is a day when we are visited by Simon Gawesworth of RIO, Peter Knox and Chris Anderson of SAGE along with Jim Fearn & Martin Robinson of Guide Flyfishing. It’s an opportunity for anglers to come along and meet the people who help design RIO & SAGE products, with the opportunity under their guidance to try out various RIO lines and SAGE rods. There was also the opportunity to go out fishing with RIO & SAGE products under the guidance of our Draycote guiding team, Lee Henfrey, Jim Sheehan & Tom Bird. The day was both extremely busy and successful with all staff and guides fully booked throughout the day. A quick lunch was eaten on the move in between the morning and afternoon sessions before things finally came to a close at 6pm in the evening. At this point in time, just to show how keen they are, our visitors from across the pond went out fishing for a couple of hours, with all of them hooking into some good quality trout to finish off what was a very successful day.

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

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

Main Entrance Road Maintenance – As of Tuesday 04 April, the Great Easton Road main entrance to Eyebrook should be open as normal this week. For the latest info, please call the Lodge on 01536 770264.

Week Ending: 02 April 23                    Rod Av: 6.2    Water Temperature: 9°C

The week began with a light variable wind that changed direction throughout the day. After a chilly start, the air temperature increased & by late morning the sky was full of early springtime buzzers. This reflected in the fishing, after a slow start to the day with a few fish caught, there was a lot of fish caught by late morning through to late afternoon. Both the bank & the boats anglers caught well with some excellent bags recorded. Members Ian Jobe & Roy Swinfield both landed 19 fish from the banks, on buzzers. Ian chose to fish the Chestnut area with buzzers on a washing line whilst Roy opted straight lined buzzers at the Hawthorns & Sam’s Dyke. From the boats, Household Members, Liz & Mike got well into double figures fishing buzzers in the margins at the Hawthorns. What was noticeable was by late afternoon as the sun had disappeared behind the hills & the temperature had dropped, the buzzer hatch was done.

There was a calm, overcast start to the day on Tuesday. However, by mid-morning there was blustery southerly wind & some heavy showers that abated by mid-afternoon. The unsettled weather did not detract from the fishing as there was fish caught throughout the day from the bank, the boats & float tubes. Fishery Guide Mike Oliver had a very productive afternoon session from the bank fishing a team of buzzers down the Hawthorns. Mike landed 10 fish in total, just letting them swing around on the prevailing wind. From the boats, fish were caught from various locations; the Chestnut, Mucky Bay, Hawthorns & Sam’ Dyke. Black Buzzers fished very slow, or static were the order of the day as fish were caught consistently throughout the day & consequently there were some good catch returns from the boats with anglers catching into well into double figures. The Pike are also beginning to feed with regular visitor Nigel Woolnough landing 2 upper doubles in what was a productive afternoon after a wet late morning.

The reservoir continued to fish very well on Wednesday with good numbers of fish being caught from both the boats & the banks. The Leicester bank from the Hawthorns to the Chestnut has proven to be both very productive & very consistent with naturally feeding fish found all the way along. What has been increasingly noticeable, is the importance of the temperature when it comes to early season buzzer fishing. During the warmer mornings, the buzzer fishing has been prolific whereas, late afternoon has been seen all catch rates reduce. This is due the drop in temperature that occurs this time of year by late afternoon. The reservoir has fished better in the mornings now for 3 consecutive days. There have been some high returns recorded with All Water Member Norman Perkins landing 14 fish off the bank. Norman fished a cast containing a blob, buzzer & a Diawl Bach down at the Hawthorns. On the boats, Eyebrook members Liz & Mike Rawson had a great day catching well over 20 fish on Buzzers also down by the Hawthorns. Another member, Albert Coles, had a great afternoon session catching well into 20’s from various locations. Albert found that small black buzzers were his most effective fly pattern.

Thursday brought with it some relentless, blustery southerly winds that favoured those fishing the Hawthorns & Mucky Bay. Eyebrook member Roy Swinfield & All Water Member Lynsay Bates opted for the Hawthorns & were rewarded with a very productive day as they caught consistently throughout the day. Fishing small, black buzzers on either the Washing Line or Straight Line they landed 19 & 20 fish respectively. Another Eyebrook member, Mick Farrell opted for Mucky Bay where Mick fished Muskins on a washing line to tempt his 9 fish. From the boats Household Members Liz & Mike Rawson enjoyed their final day of their latest visit with 18 fish to the boat on Buzzers. Liz & Mike have had a very productive 4 days with us despite having to contend with some of the finest examples of, typically British, springtime weather. It was great to see you both & we look forward to your next visit.

Friday started off very wet & remained very wet for the rest of the day. Those who braved the elements were rewarded with some excellent fishing with the reservoir yielding an 8.9 rod average for the day. Yet again Buzzer patterns & Nymphs featured very highly on the catch returns with both the banks & the boats being equally productive. Mick Farrell returned after his previously successful bank session, but this time from the boats. Mick went on to have a very productive day with his boat partner Mr Harris, landing well over 20 fish to the boat. From the banks, regular visitors Nigel Woolnough & Garry Mickley landed 15 & 14 fish respectively with Garry opting to fish Diawl Bachs rather than Buzzers. The Diawl Bach is an excellent suggestive nymph pattern that Buzzer feeding fish find hard to resist. Being a lot lighter than a buzzer, it sinks slower, so therefore it will spend more time in a potential fish holding zone before it sinks too deep. A truly great pattern that catches fish all year round on any venue. The most productive areas remain the Leicester Bank, from the Hawthorns to the Chestnut.

After the overnight deluge of rain, the water clarity was set to deteriorate throughout the day as surface run off from the surrounding fields & the Eye Brook running high & coloured would begin to take its toll. As the day progressed the north of the reservoir, from the Island upwards, bore the brunt of poor water clarity. The southern end continued to fish well with Buzzers & Black Nymphs again featuring high on the catch returns. Fish were caught from the banks & the boats who benefited from targeting the margins as these presented the greater clarity. The most productive methods were either straight lined buzzers or washing lined Nymphs & Buzzers on a tip line or floater. Household Members Albert Coales & Rob Edmunds enjoyed a very successful day, landing well over 20 fish to the boat. Another Member, Mark Hunt, caught very well fishing Nymphs on a 6ft Tip Line finishing with 14 fish to the boat. Saturday also saw the start of the England Ladies open weekend which saw 10 anglers take to the water to hone their skills for the forthcoming season. They all had an enjoyable day catching plenty of fish, with the most successful flies being Buzzers on either the washing line or fished straight lined.

Sunday saw the water clarity deteriorate further as the Eye Brook was still carrying a lot of coloured water. There were still fish caught from both the boats & the banks, as the fish continued to feed on Buzzers. The most productive area remained the Hawthorns & Sam’s Dyke as finding the better water clarity proved to be critical. Eyebrook Member Steve Lawrence had a great day off the bank given the clarity, landing 10. Steve fished an Orange Blob in Sam’s Dyke. Other members Malcolm Thompson & Dave Etty also had a good day landing 6 apiece from the bank on nymphs. On the water, Neil Shilton had 9 from his Float tube. Whereas fishing from separate boats, Rob Edmunds & Sam Smith both got well into double figures, which was a great effort given the conditions.

The outlook for the forthcoming week looks great. The weather looks relatively dry with no heavy rain forecast so there will be a noticeable improvement of the water clarity on a daily basis. For updates call the Lodge on 01536 770264.

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Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

2023 Membership details Visit   www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/season-permits/ for details of our 2023 membership options

Week Ending: 2^nd April    Rod Av: 5.3      Water Temperature: 9c

Monday, with light winds forecast a busy day with all the anglers fishing the shallows of the Thornton arm, wood, corner of the wood with floating lines, black green fritz, black gold humungus, cats whisker, bloodworm, black buzzer, diawl bach patterns. Trout are tight on the bank with most been caught within 12ft of the bank. All water member Ian Leach & M Cowley caught 24, L Serrano caught 28, Pete Hunt caught 10 with Andrew Wilson and Carl Bond both catching 8. Anglers reported lots of gentle and missed takes.

Tuesday damp day at times. Again the shallows of the Thornton arm was the area anglers fished with P Wrigley catching 9, Bob Menhams fished a 4 hour session catching 4. It was surprising how the temperature dropped when the rain passed through.

Wednesday mixed weather forecast, nice at times with spells of rain when the temperature dropped, wind was ok, shame therefore anglers cancelled or moved their booking with the day averaging 5. The anglers who did go out took advantage of our morning session fishing 8.30am to 2.30pm. The shallows opposite the lodge continue to fish close in along the margins to floating lines small hares ears, cormorants, black buzzer with black green fritz tadpole or cats whisker.

Thursday another quiet day due to a mixed forecast, it wasn’t that bad, and we enjoyed an excellent day with P Cox catching 11 & J Scott 14. Continuous to be along the shallows with floating line, small viva, hare’s ear and increasing number trout taken on a clack buzzer. An indicator with black buzzers fished at 4ft & 6ft worked well.

Friday with light rain on & off all day we did see a small rise in the water level although clarity wasn’t affected too badly. Steve Proffitt fished the bank opposite the lodge catching 8 on a #12 UV cruncher, diawl bach. John Bebbington caught 7 from a boat. Generally black buzzer & nymphs worked best.

Saturday #12 #10 black buzzer, #12 diawl bach were the top patterns with anglers still concentrating their efforts opposite the lodge, wood & corner of the wood. M Clay caught 8 with Brian Sibley catching 5 with Ian Ash fishing Thornton for the first time from the bank catching 4.

Sunday proved to be a challenging day, everyone caught but they all reported more fish lost or missed takes than fish landed. Clarity is 18inch & improving.

Overall, not a bad week with a 5+ rod average for the week, the rain on Friday did raise the level by a few inches but its nearly back to normal level as I write this report. Looking forward we have good weather for the coming week.

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Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

Week Ending:     2^nd April 2023           Rod Av: 4.04     Water Temperature: 7°C

A lovely start to the week, with what could have been the nicest day of the season so far with warm spring sunshine. However, there was a distinct lack of wind in the morning. These teamed with bright sunshine pushed the fish off the banks making it a day for the boats. However, when the wind did increase Draycote Member Bob Barfoot landed a brace from Biggin Bay on buzzers. On the boats Andy Axon & Sean Porter landed 52 fish to the boat using Buzzers from Biggin Bay and Toft. All water member Ed Douglas again using buzzers but this time straight lining landed 22 fish from Biggin Bay, Lincroft Point and Croft Shoal. Including some cracking fish weighted at 4lb and 6lb taken on the buzzers. Also fishing at Lincroft Point and shoal Sam Smith landed 35 fish using buzzers under the bung. Brendan Thomas & Gary Murray landed 48 fish to the boat again also on buzzers from Toft, Biggin Bay and Lincroft.

Well after one nice day, the weather reverted back to windy and rainy, the same conditions we had for most of the previous weeks. Thankfully the wind was lighter than forecast to start with and remained in the South giving the anglers access to Toft. On the bank all water member Ken Key landed 4 fish using black and green tadpole and buzzers on the droppers. While Alan Topping landed 6 fish from the bank, using buzzers then a Damsel on the point. With the Swan’s Nest proving to be Alan’s most productive area. On the boats Tim Grove fishing his first day on a three day package landed 22 fish. Using black Buzzers in toft and also around Lincroft Point and Shoal in the morning. Chris Reeves and Ian McKenzie also fished in a boat landing 10 fish from Toft.

The wind’s Wednesday certainly did not reach the forecasted speeds which was a welcome surprise, although we did get treated to the rain during the morning. Season ticket holder Richard Collier fished from the bank in Toft landed a brace of fish using a Damsel pattern including a lovely 3lb rainbow. On the boats Tim Grove on his second day of three landed 9 fish on black buzzers. Also on the water we had the Civil Service fishing their regional qualifier for the final later in the year. 17 anglers took to the water landed 113 fish for a rod average of 6.6. With a number of anglers having the 16 fish limit for the competition which was made up of 4 kept and 12 released. The best tactics on the day being buzzers on the droppers with a blue flash damsel on the point on various different midge tips. With the majority of the fish coming from the Cornfield, Lincroft and Toft.

Another unpredictable day as regards the weather on Thursday, with some strong southerly gusts skimming across the surface of Draycote Water. Under such conditions it’s good to see that Rainbow Corner is producing some good catches, particularly on buzzers. Paul Havard had 9 fish from Rainbow Corner using a midge tip line and a mixture of black buzzers and muskins. On the Third day of his fishing trip, Tim Grove caught a dozen fish using buzzers and hares ears on the bung. Mike Oliver caught 3 fish whilst bank fishing near the Old Pipe in Biggin Bay.

Lighter breezes on Friday allowed both boat and bank anglers to take advantage of the good sport to be had along the northern shoreline. Mr S Hill caught half a dozen fish from the bank on damsels and black buzzers, taking fish from the Tower Bank, Biggin Bay and the Cornfield. Leigh Cheshire and Paul Denton had 9 fish from the bank between them using buzzers in the Cornfield. Season permit holder Stephen Dewhurst also took to the bank to net 3 fish in the Cornfield on Nymphs. Ray Rawlings caught 8 fish from a drifting boat in the area of the Swans Nest and the Cornfield, using nemo crunchers and white snakes.

A mixed day weatherwise Saturday with warm spring sunshine at times and some showers later in the day. On the bank  Stan Hillman used buzzers and a Damsel on the point to land 11 fish. David Hoppe also used buzzers to enjoy a good day on the bank landing 7 fish. With buzzers also proving to the way for Mark Parsley with 6 fish. On the boats John McVay landed 15 fish with a black and red buzzer being his most productive patten. With he hotspots being School Slips, Inlet & Cornfield. Fishery ranger & Guide Lee Henfrey fished from a boat in the morning landing 17 fish on Buzzers fishing down the Farborough Dam including some cracking fish with the best a rainbow estimated at 8lb. New fishery ranger Mark Braun also fished for a morning landing 8 fish all on black buzzers taken along the Cornfield. John Jessop on the boats landed 13 fish using buzzers and FABs along the Cornfield. Draycote season ticket holder Martyn Hancox landed 10 fish on a half day boat using a white tadpole.

A colder feel to the day Sunday with a North wind and overcast skies first thing in the morning. Which later in the day give way to some very welcome spring sunshine which resulted in a good buzzer hatch. On the bank we saw the Draycote Fly Fishers Association, fishing their first bank match of the season with 17 anglers fishing. It proved to be a challenging day on the bank which surprised most given the conditions. Winning the match was Mike Nolan who used buzzers on the Tower bank to land 4 fish including a cracking rainbow which can be seen by following the link www.facebook.com/flyfishstore In Second place was Kevin Jones, a new fishery ranger with 3 fish again taken on buzzers. Outside of the match there was a couple of other noticeable catches. Alan Grant landed 6 fish from Lincroft Point on buzzers. Then just down the bank at Dougie’s Gap Simon Ringer landed 8 fish on buzzers. On the boats Kevin Hart & Dave Pacey landed a dozen fish from the Farborough Dam wall with everyone being overwintered with he fish falling to boobies fish on sunk lines. Rob Middleton who was later joined by his brother Craig boated over 20 fish using buzzers with Toft, Cornfield and Farborough Dam proving to be the best areas. All water member Ed Douglas straight lined buzzers all day landing 24 fish with Cornfield and Toft being his best areas.

Event – RIO SAGE day at Draycote Sunday 9^th April, we have Simon Gawesworth from RIO, Chris Anderson & Peter Knox from SAGE & Jim Fearn from Guide Flyfishing onsite from 10.00am to 4pm.

If you’re looking for advice on any RIO or SAGE products call in, we are providing light refreshments.

Event – Boatmen / Boatwomen required.

Draycote 19^th May hosts the seniors International with teams from England, Scotland, Wales & Ireland. We require boatmen / women for the event. You will receive £30.00 & a Draycote or Eyebrook boat voucher. If you are interested or require further information, contact Tom Bird at the Draycote Lodge 01788812018.

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

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

Main Entrance Road Maintenance – The Main Entrance to Eyebrook will be closed for general access this week due to essential maintenance of the approach road & cattle grids. For access to the fishery, please use the Alec Lane Gate entrance. For further info please call the Lodge on 01536 770264.

Week Ending: 26th March 23                    Rod Av: 4.2     Water Temperature: 8°C

Monday at Eyebrook saw the water clarity on the windward area of the Hawthorns & Sam’s Dyke improve to 4-5ft in some parts & consequently those areas fished well. Eyebrook member Roy Swinfield landed 12 from the Hawthorns fishing a floating line & 3 black Diawl Bachs & Mr Hawley landed 6 from the same area on small black Buzzers & a Iven’s Green & Brown. First time visitor Mateusz had a day to remember Fly Fishing for Pike, on only his 3^rd cast Mateusz hooked into one of Eyebrook’s many larger females. After a hard fight she came to the net & tipped the scales at 23lb. It just goes to show that the big girls are starting to move.

There was a blustery damp start to Tuesday which developed into very bright conditions & a strong south westerly wind. Strong winds & bright is never a good combination & made fishing somewhat challenging. The water clarity remained the same as the previous day, particularly around the margins & as a result the Hawthorns yet again fished well. There were 24 fish caught between 5 rods giving a bank rod average of 4.8, which is a great return given the conditions. Top rod on the day was All Water Member Norman Perkins who fished a Blob on the point & small black nymphs on the droppers & finished the day with 11 fish. The boats are finding it more challenging due to the water clarity with the clearer water being found close to the bank.

Wednesday’s morning damp, overcast, blustery conditions gave way to bright, warming spring sunshine in the afternoon. At 5-6ft, the water clarity had improved on the previous days & this was reflected in the catch returns as the reservoir fished well from both the banks & now the boats. The Hawthorns continued its fine form with some good bags coming from that area, especially for those fishing small black nymphs slow – static on Floating Lines. Letting your flies swing round naturally in breeze can be deadly method as the fish find them hard to resist. It was clearly apparent that those intent on fishing quick from the bank struggled. From the boats, All Water Members Clive & Ian found a lot of fish in front of Pens at the Chestnut area off the Leicester Bank. By the end of the day they had a high number of Fish from that area on a variety of methods & techniques. The fish were relatively high in the water column & the most productive lines proved to be Floating Lines & Short Tip Lines with dark nymphs being their most productive flies. It was great to see the boat anglers doing well & with the water clarity improving day by day, the prospects are looking great.

Thursday saw the reservoir continue to fish well, with fish still being caught along the Hawthorns on small dark natural patterns fished slow to static. Eyebrook member Dave Schofield had great short morning session landing 10 on bloodworm patterns fished on a floating line. Another Eyebrook member, Dave  Searson, landed 5 as to did Fishery Guide Mike Oliver. Both fished floating lines & nymphs to tempt their fish. First time visitor Karen Walker also had a productive day landing 4 fish, again from the Hawthorns area. Glad you enjoyed your visit, Karen; we hope to see you again soon.

Eyebrook fished very well on Friday yielding a daily rod average of 7.6. The Hawthorns to Sam’s Dyke area was yet again the most productive bank area where dark nymphs fished slow to static either straight lined or washing lined was the order of the day. Eyebrook member Roy Swinfield had a very productive day landing 22 fish straight lining Diawl Bachs & was closely followed by Max Woolnough & Mick Farrell who had 18 & 14 fish respectively. Max chose to fish Diawl Bachs & Crunchers on a washing line whilst Mick opted for black Muskins to tempt his fish.

Saturday started with a strong south westerly wind that brought with it periods of bright sunlight & isolated showers. The unsettled start to the day did not deter from the fishing as there were caught from the very start all the through the day to the end. Fish were caught on a variety of methods from both the boats & the bank. From the bank, the washing line featured very heavy on the catch returns with fish mainly falling to the nymphs; Crunchers, Diawl Bachs, Muskins & Buzzers. If they were dark & fished slow to static, the fish would find them hard to resist as they cruised up & down the banks. During the brighter spells it was noticeable that they would sit further out & move into the shallows when it was overcast. Eyebrook member Mick Farrell built an excellent bag of fish from Mucky Bay, catching 10 on the washing line. Mick also managed to tempt 4 of his fish on CDC’s later in the day as the wind subsided. Garry Mickley had 12 fish from the Hawthorns on Diawl Bachs & Keith Johnson had 10 from the same area on black Diawl Bachs & Muskins. From the boats, Sam Edmunds had a very productive day, landing 15 fish on a variety of methods from various areas. Sam caught on the washing line, pulling on a mid-glass & also on dries, with the most productive area being Sam’s Dyke. Covering a lot of water, fish were also caught up past the Chestnut & off the Island.

Sunday brought with it a wind change of 180° with the previously prolific Hawthorns Area being initially subjected to a still North Easterly. As the day progressed, the wind swing round to a Northerly which made this more accessible to bank anglers. Fish were caught throughout the day from various locations including a cracking Brown Trout from Stoke Dry for Luke Maylin. Luke fished a Black Snake in relatively shallow water to tempt the magnificent fish which wasn’t weighed & it returned strongly. Elsewhere, Eyebrook member Neil Shilton had a productive day out on his float tube. Neil concentrated his efforts at the northern end of the reservoir, landing 13 fish on a variety of methods. Off the banks, Sam’s Dyke & later in the day, the Hawthorns, continued to be productive. Fishery Members Dave Etty & Lynsay Bates fished small buzzers in Sam’s Dyke for the majority of the day & were rewarded landing 8 & 7 fish respectively.

Eyebrook also hosted it’s first tuition day of the season, where under the tutelage of Instructors Tom Bird & Mike Oliver, 3 participants were taken through the basics & taught how to cast a fly rod. Taking to the boats in the afternoon all 3 went on to catch their first ever trout on a fly rod. All of them had a great day, despite the very cold Northerly wind. Well done to all. For anyone interested in our Tuition Courses please follow this link: https://www.flyfishstore.co.uk/?s=tuition&s_cs=true

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Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

2023 Membership details Visit   www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/season-permits/ for details of our 2023 membership options

Week Ending:26^th March 2023    Rod Av: 5.4    Water Temperature: 8c

Monday and a quiet start to the week with angler moving their bookings due to the forecast. Although we had some rain in the morning by lunchtime the wind had dropped and the sun was out. With the water clarity 18inch+ the trout have moved into the clearer water along the shallows. Bob Menhams caught 4 for his 3 hour visit with Andrew Wilson catching 16 for his full day visit. Both found fishing a floating line with a black & green tadpole or cats whisker on the point with a diawl bach on the dropper anchored 30 yards off the bank casting tight to the margins is where they found the fish with most hooked 10ft off the bank.

Tuesday, some overnight rain had reduced the clarity by a few inches but the shallows along the bank opposite the lodge in front of the wood to the corner of the wood was the area to fish. Again, a floating line with black & green tadpole with diawl bach on the dropper cast tight to the bank produced the fish. P Cox caught 9 on diawl bachs, P Wrigley caught his 7 on black & green with Pam Shuttleworth catching 3.

Wednesday and a brighter with a few showers. Visibility is still 18inch+ and we advised everyone to fish floating lines, black and green lures with yellow blob, diawl bach on the dropper and fish close into the margins opposite the lodge and wood. Jason Bishop and Carl Bond caught 6 with B Deeley catching 5 with the overall average for the 4.0

Thursday with the wind forecast as brisk south westerly the Thornton arm with the shallow bank opposite the lodge and in front of the wood offered the best fishing out of the wind. Water level keeps dropping and our clarity is around 2ft. All Water member Jim Greasley bank fished opposite the lodge catching 10 trout, Ian Leach and Mark Cowley caught 8 with L Serrano catching double figures. They all fished floating lines with various patterns working, black and green fritz, green pea, cormorant, black cruncher, diawl bach with most of the trout caught within 12ft of the bank.

Friday and another day with the brisk south westerly with boats fishing the calmer water opposite the lodge and concentrating their efforts close to the bank. Same method as the day before working with Dave Pritchard catching 8, J Bebbington caught 4 with some of his fish coming from the middle of the Thornton arm with L Serrano catching 17 close along the bank.

Saturday and the first of the summer visitors have arrived the sand martins, busily working across the main basin. Change to the wind direction with a strong colder north, north westerly greeting anglers. Certainly a more challenging day than earlier in the week with anglers picking up some fish in the middle of the Thornton arm. Sinking lines with green & black booby & small black snake on sink 3 & sink 7 lines.

Sunday with a poor forecast anglers moved their bookings to another day

With our water level dropping back to its normal level & our clarity improving it was good to see at long last the trout moving back into the margins especially on the milder days when we had the south westerly winds. Despite the weather an excellent rod average 5.4 for the week

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Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

Week Ending:     26^th March 2023           Rod Av:  5.8     Water Temperature: 7°C

A mild start to the week with the temperatures hitting double figures with the wind coming from the Southwest which was a little gusty at times. On the bank Draycote member Tony Broadway fished for his first trip of the season. Landing 6 fish on size 12 black buzzers fished on a floating line from along the Cornfield. Fishing from Toft on the bank John Dickens landed a dozen fish on the morning using tadpoles and snakes before taking a boat for the afternoon and landing another 18. Mr J Cheeny fished from the bank on his first ever Draycote Bank visit and landed 6 fish. Using a black and green lure first thing and then buzzers in the afternoon, with Rainbow Corner being the best area. On the boats fishery guide and ranger Lee Henfrey took Mike Kennedy out for a 4 hour guided session. With the aim to show Mike how to catch more fish using sinking lines and understand how they fish. With Lee’s help this is exactly what happened. With Mike, landing 11 fish using sunk lines with Croft Shoal being the hotspot. If you’re interested in any guiding please contact Tom on guiding.tuition@flyfishsotre.co.uk All water member Lorenzo Serrano landed a good cricket score using lures down in Toft near the nature reserve buoy. With former fishery manager Kevin Hart using a Di 5 in the morning and buzzers in the afternoon to land 33 fish from Middle Shoal.

A windy day Tuesday coming from the Southwest again and even stronger than the previous day. As a result it made getting on the current hotspots a little uncomfortable. On the bank Draycote member Alan Grant fished in Toft with a blue flash damsel using an intermediate line to land 5 fish. All water member Jim Greasley also fished in Toft using a green pea to land 10 fish. On the boats Sam Smith fished with Albert Coales with he pair boating 18 fish, using a Di 8 sinking line and boobies with the hotspot being Croft Shoal. With some nice overwintered fish also making an appearance in their catch.

More strong winds Wednesday made it a difficult day for the anglers to be able to once again get on the hotspots. Fishery Ranger & Guide Lee Henfrey fished with Martin Rowson with the pair landing 8 before deciding to call it a day early due to the strong winds. First thing in the morning the took fish from Croft Shoal then once the wind picked up, fish came from Farborough Dam and Rainbow Corner. Using a Di 5 sweep with a mix of boobies and cormorants. Draycote member Graham Homer fished in Rainbow Corner out of the wind to land 8 fish on Diawl Bach’s & Buzzers. With All Water member Pete Eville also catching up there boating 8 fish taking advantage of the last four hour members boat.

The same as the previous days, Thursday was a windy day with heavy showers in the afternoon as well. Due to this only a few anglers headed out to brave the wind and the rain. Ian Spicer fished from a boat landing 4 fish from Rainbow corner using a washing line set up with buzzers and a FAB on the point. Draycote members Ian Richardson & Bob Smith landed 9 fish from Rainbow Corner including 2 cracking overwintered fish caught by Bob. The best method was to us a Di 5 sinking line with a humungus, however Ian did land one using the bung with buzzers.

Friday followed the same pattern as the previous few days, with winds set to abate on Sunday. Most rods once again headed for the shelter of the Draycote Dam and Rainbow Corner, and whilst these aren’t seen as current hotspots, they are producing. Rob and Craig Middleton headed out in a boat for a couple of hours to net half a dozen fish between them. Season permit holder David Stott had 7 fish to the boat using buzzers on the bung. Brendon Thomas and Gary Murray caught half a dozen fish using snakes fished on a DI3 around the Inlet in Rainbow Corner. Draycote regular Martin Ashby used buzzers on the bung in much the same area to net a total of 5 fish.

Saturday was once again a hard days fishing with heavy winds blowing in to Toft. Those who ventured out mainly spent their time in Rainbiow Corner,to with the odd drift through Biggin Bay when the wind allowed it. Phil Mee and John Kirk had 10 fish to the boat which was very good considering the conditions. Phil and John used a mixture of buzzers, nymphs and snakes  to tempt their fish to the boat. Mr T Long had 4 fish to the boat on buzzers, all from Rainbow Corner. Season permit holder Graham Homer netted half a dozen fish from a  boat using diawl bachs fished on a floating line.

A much better wind Sunday with it swinging to a Northeast with showers in the morning but thankfully these cleared up as the day progressed. While the Northeast wind meant the anglers where able to get on the hotspots of the previous weeks it was a very cold day. On the bank fishing for the afternoon season ticket holder Martyn Hancox landed 10 fish from along the Cornfield and Toft. Using a black and green tadpole on the point and buzzers on the droppers. The boats enjoyed good sport with Buzzers featuring well on the catch report. Ed Douglas landed 24 using buzzers on the bung from Biggin Bay. All water members Fraser Duffy Snr & Jnr landed 34 fish to the boat with buzzers also being their nest tactic. Steve Cullen fished with Tony Baldwin with he pair landing 35 to the boat using buzzers and boobies in Biggin Bay. The All Abilities Friendly Fly Fishers had their first club day, with 23 anglers landing 158 fish for a rod average of 6.87 with Buzzers proving to be the most popular and successful tactic. The main hotspot for the AAFFF was down in Toft near the nature reserve buoys.

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

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

Week Ending: 19th March 23                    Rod Av: 2.3        Water Temperature: 6-7°C

Monday at Eyebrook was dominated by the weather. With heavy rain, very strong winds there was no anglers venturing out.

Due to the recent weather the water clarity was very poor with visibility down to around 1ft. This did not deter George Hall from taking a boat for a short session. George managed 3 fish from the Hawthorns to Sam’s Dyke area which is a great return given the lack of water clarity.

Wednesday was another quiet day on Eyebrook. The water clarity remained an issue, however it did improve as the day wore as the colour started to drop out. By mid-afternoon the visibility was between 1 & 2ft.  Those that did venture out still caught however where the Hawthorns remained the most productive area with fish getting caught on Buzzers & Lures fished from the bank.

It was a damp start to the day Thursday with light southerly winds which made for favourable bank conditions. The water clarity is improving day by day with the shallower area around banks being first to clear as the sediment particles begin to drop through the water column. Eyebrook member Mick Farrell had a very productive bank session landing 6 fish & reporting a lot of interest throughout the day. Mick used a Di3 & Boobies with a slow retrieve to tempt his fish.

Fridays start was damp & cold which developed into a warm, bright spring afternoon. The wind was a light southerly which remained consistent all day. The water clarity continued its improvement with visibility now being at 2ft +. Subsequently, the reservoir fished very well off the bank with fish getting caught all down the Hawthorns to the Island. Fish were caught on a variety of lines with black flies proving to be more successful than lighter coloured ones. The key seemed to be to fish your flies slow, giving the fish plenty of opportunities to see them. Garry Mickley had a very productive day, landing 18 fish on a 5ft tip line with a Black lure on the point & Black Diawl Bachs above it. Eyebrook member Keith Johnson had 10 fish on a Kate McLaren & Black Diawl Bachs.

Saturday saw both the boats & the banks busy. With the water clarity now at 3ft, fish were caught from both. Those fishing the margins faired better than those on the boats opting for open water. As previously mentioned, the sediment clears from the shallower areas first as it has less distance to fall. So at this time of year, when there is sediment in the water, the banks & margins are areas that with have the better clarity of water & affords the greater possibility of fish seeing your flies.

Sunday was a very quiet day with a few fish caught from the boats & banks but in no great numbers. With the weather for the forth coming week looking increasingly unsettled, targeting the areas that have better water clarity will become of paramount importance.

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Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

2023 Membership details Visit   www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/season-permits/ for details of our 2023 membership options

Week Ending:19^th March 2023    Rod Av: 0.9      Water Temperature: 8c

Quiet start to the week with average wind speeds exceeding 25mph our cut off point for allowing boats out. Reservoir levels are high due to the snow melt & rain with visibility around 1ft. Although it’s disappointing to lose days to the weather we need the rain to ensure ground water levels are normal or above normal to ensure any high summer temperatures have as little impact as possible on reservoir levels. It’s the joys of earning a living around the weather.

Tuesday to Thursday with the high levels & coloured water we recommended that anglers didn’t fish or went to Draycote.

Friday, water level was returning to normal, visibility was improving with two members deciding to fish the morning session. J Bebbington caught 2 up the Thornton arm with L Serrano catching 3 from the corner of the wood. Sinking lines with black coloured boobies worked best.

Saturday morning with the level continuing to fall our clarity is around 18inch. Fishing wasn’t easy with anglers picking up an odd fish along the wood and corner of the wood with black booby or black humungus best on a fast sinker.

Sunday with our clarity at 18inch+ and as the colour / sediment drops from the top downwards it meant the clearer water would be closer to the bank. Bob Jones caught his 4 fish limit doing just that, catching his first fish on a fast sinker & booby but due to catching weed changed to a floater & a black & green lure. Fishing opposite the lodge and casting tight to the bank he caught a further 3 & missed a few as the takes were tentative.

Challenging week due to snow melt & rain which raised the level & bought in dirty water. Currently our level is dropping & returning to normal, clarity is improving daily & currently 18inch+. Last weeks stocking has increased the head of fish to 3450 rainbows we would therefore weather permitting expect to see the fishing improve. Contact the lodge for latest updates.

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Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

Week Ending:     19^th March 2023           Rod Av:   13.92     Water Temperature: 6-7°C

After the snow and cold weather of the previous week, we all hoped that the bad weather was behind us and that spring would start to spring in earnest. Although, the Great British weather had other ideas with strong winds over 30mph stopped the boats going out. When this was teamed with heavy rain showers it certainly was a day for the hardy anglers. Two such anglers were D Clawson & D Bray, the pair fished in Rainbow Corner and enjoyed great sport landing 24 fish between the two. Using a floating line with a black and green goldhead. Great angling on what was certainly not a very pleasant day on the water, but it beats being stuck in an office at work.

The wind swung to the Northwest, Tuesday and dropped considerable from the previous day with the temperatures also hitting double figures, although the wind did make it feel cooler. Fishing from a boat Mark Frost & Richard Webb enjoyed a good days sport landing 27 to the boat using black & green lures and also Diawl Bachs, with their best area being Biggin Bay. All water member Pete Eville fished from a boat enjoying a good day’s sport landing 16 fish. Using a tequila booby fishing along the Farborough Bank, with the same tactics also accounting for some fish out of Biggin Bay. On the bank new member Peter Jefferies fished for his first ever time on the bank. Only fishing for a couple of hours before the cold got the better of him, Peter landed 1 and lost one more. Using a black and green lure from Rainbow Corner with the one landed being a great 3lb rainbow.

It was dull and overcast for most of the day on Wednesday with light breezes and the odd spot of rain through the afternoon. The bank anglers have been faring well over this early part of the season with some good returns coming from the north shore and Toft Shallows. Young James Kelly had a bakers dozen from Lincroft Point on black and orange lures, while Mike Garner caught his fish from the Cornfield. Peter Elliott and Lee Patten had an absolute hat full of fish from the bank down in Toft Shallows using DI3’s and snakes. Out on the boats anglers were also doing extremely well Adam Larbalester and Ben Bayliss had over 30 fish each to the boat using a mixture of snakes, nymphs and lure patterns. Ian Morris plied his trade around the Valve Tower and Lincroft Point on small boobies fished deep and slow to net 16 fish from a drifting boat.

A windy day with rain in the afternoon on Thursday, which deterred some anglers from venturing out. Although those that did enjoyed great sport, Mike Oliver fished on the bank in the afternoon from 1pm onwards. Landing 27 using a black lure on the point and then pheasant tail nymph on the droppers and buzzers. The best area Mike found was down the Cornfield all the way up to Lincroft point and then in Biggin Bay as well. On the boats Lianne Frost & Chris Bobby landed 32 fish using a DI 5 sinking line and various boobies and blobs. Also using Di 5 lines to great affect, Fraser Duffer Snr & Jnr who landed 40 fish to the boat. The hotspots for the boat anglers seemed to be Toft, Lincroft Point and Biggin Bay.

A much improved day weather wise on Friday with mild conditions and a touch of spring in the air. And the mood these fish are in will definitely put a spring in your step here at Draycote because once again the rod average is through the roof. (14.9). The best of the fishing for both bank and boat anglers is along the northern shoreline running from Biggin Bay down to the Cornfield. Season permit holder Mr Paul Walker netted 26 fish from the bank . Paul used minkies and diawl bachs to catch his fish in Biggin Bay. Another season permit holder Mr Paul Walley caught a dozen fish from the bank at Lincroft Point using a Pitsford pea. Mr M Baggott and Mr D Jinkins also took to the bank to net 16 fish between them on black lures from Toft Shallows and the Cornfield. Young Ian Richardson and Bob Smith had an unholy amount of fish to the boat yesterday 88 in all. The lads used cormorants fished on sinking lines in Dougies Gap to tempt their fish and remarked on a red letter day. Mr David Mason had 20 fish to the boat using boobies and buzzers. Mr James Carr and Mr Tony Rowley had nearly 40 fish to the boat between them on buzzers and boobies and remarked on a great day.

Saturday morning dawned with overcast skies, and light showers. It was a fairly mild day overall with quite a few anglers taking to the water. Mr N and Mr M Hollingshead ventured out on to the bank to catch 19 fish between them. They fished mainly in the Cornfield using a mixture of patterns such as damsels, diawl bachs and crunchers. Season permit holder Simon Ringer caught 8 fish from the bank during a morning session, all on buzzers. Mr John Hartley also fished buzzers from the bank to net 7 fish from Biggin Bay. Draycote regular Stan Hillman caught 15 fish from the bank on lures from various points along the northern shoreline. Saturday was the practice day for the 6 x 4 competition so some anglers were playing their cards very close to their chests. However we still managed a rod average of 8, with once again lots of fish being caught from the boats in Toft Shallows, along the Cornfield and in Biggin Bay.

A fantastic day at Draycote Sunday with all anglers enjoying great sport. On the bank manger Tom Bird & fishery instructor and guide Mike Oliver hosted the first beginner bank day of the season. A great day was had by all the participants, and they went on to land 12 fish from Lincroft Point. With the best flies being a white and chartreuse tadpole fished on a floating line. Member Paul Walley fishing along the Cornfield landed a bakers dozen using a black and green booby on an intermediate line. With fellow member Mark JJ landed 6 alongside Paul, again on a black and green lure. Fishing at Lincroft Point in the morning Richard Walker landed 6 fish using black buzzers. On the boats we hosted the first round of the 6X4 competition. Who informed us that the there had been some very impressive catches the day before and that they expected the water to fish well again on Sunday. This proved to be the case with the 56 anglers producing a rod average of 21.4 fish per angler. With the best area’s being Toft, Croft Shoal, S Buoy and Lincroft point with the majority of anglers catching fish on Di 5 & 7 sinking lines with boobies, cormorants and blobs. Although Buzzers also featured well on the catch report with a 3ft Midge Tip and a team of buzzers working well. If you want to see any pictures and posts about with either the tuition day or competition please visit www.facebook.com/flyfishstore

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

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

Week Ending: 12th March 23                    Rod Av: 3.0        Water Temperature: 5°C

The week started with a moderate northerly wind that saw both the air & water temperature begin to plummet. This made the trout fishing somewhat challenging & fish hard to come by, particularly from the boats. The banks fared better with All Water Member & Eyebrook regular Ian Jobe landing 11 fish from the bank on lure patterns. Ian started along the Hawthorns & he moved frequently further along the bank picking up fish as he went. Other catches from included Mr Hawley & All Water Member Jim Watt who had 5 & 4 fish respectively. From the boats the Pike anglers proved to be more successful than the trout anglers with quite a few fish to 8lb being caught. The big girls did not make a showing on this day, but it is only a matter of time before they do.

Tuesday proved to be even colder than the previous day & the water temperature had dropped to 4°C. The water was 1°C colder than the previous day which would have a detrimental impact on the fishing, so it proved. It made the fishing beyond challenging & therefore very few fish were caught. The trout did make an appearance but only in 1’s & 2’s.

The cold weather continued Wednesday & so did Eyebrook’s challenging start to the season. Robbo’s cabin did produce some fish however, where fish were caught from both the banks & the boats. The boat anglers caught using lures on sinking lines fished relatively slow. Whereas the bank anglers caught fishing small nymphs which contained a small element of some kind of flash. Targeting the naturally feeding fish these small flashy nymphs proved to be a convincing imitation of the Corixa the trout were feeding on.

The weather Thursday & Friday were very typical of a British springtime with numerous bouts of snow, wind, rain, frost & sunshine. These changeable weather conditions were enough to deter the very hardiest of anglers & the fishery remained extremely quiet.

It was a very cold & clear start to Saturday. The reservoir resembled a mill pond & remarkably, fish could be seen moving across the area of the Main Basin. The Hawthorns proved to be the most productive area with the bank anglers catching on Intermediate Lines & White Humungus Boobies.

Sunday saw an increase in air temperature & the fishing really kicked into life with the reservoir producing a daily rod average of 7.08. Fish were caught from both the bank & the boats with the most productive area being the Leicester Bank from the Lodge to Sam’s Dyke. Fish were caught on a variety of flies & methods from Black & Green Lures being pulled to Diawl Bachs fished static on a Washing Line.

The forecast for the forthcoming week is one of changeable conditions with strong winds. However, it is also one of increased air temperature & from a favourable direction for the bank fishing so the recent upturn in form looks set to continue.

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Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

2023 Membership details Visit   www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/season-permits/ for details of our 2023 membership options

Week Ending: 12^th March    Rod Av: 4.5     Water Temperature: 7c

Weather Forecast

The national weather forecast for the UK is likely to have an impact on us this week, although as I write this report locally its not too bad. I’m often asked which weather forecast we follow, we use two

https://www.xcweather.co.uk/ which you can also download as an App, all you do is enter the fisheries post code

Thornton LE67 1AR,   Draycote CV23 8AB,    Eyebrook LE16 8RP

The other weather forecast we follow is https://www.windy.com/ and again all you do is enter the fisheries postcode

We find both to be pretty accurate 48h to 24hr before your visit.

Fishing Report

Monday with a mixed forecast only one angler took to the water new Thornton member Martin Hoskins who was rewarded with 10 trout taken on a fast sinking line with a black and green booby.

Tuesday, how wrong could the national weather forecast be for the midlands, no rods and we had worst days in February when anglers went out fishing! By late morning the sun was out. Follow the local forecast.

Wednesday, snow flurries and a bitterly cold easterly. One angler member Carl Bond took a boat out for a few hours catching 1 fish on a fast sinker and a black nymph before the cold drove him off the water.

Thursday, Friday snow arrived causing local disruption to travelling with no anglers on the water. Saturday & following a quick thaw the reservoir level rose & water clarity was reduced to 1ft, with no rods out fishing.

Sunday following a bit of rain and the continued thaw the water level in the reservoir continued to rise with clarity reduced further. Couple of rods decided to give it a try, Richard Smith caught 1 and had other offers to a black humungus with John Reynold catching 6 on a fast sinker and a black and green booby.

With the reservoir running over the overflow due to the snow melt and rain our visibility is currently 1ft but will improve with this weeks forecast as always we recommend you call the lodge for latest updates.

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Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

Week Ending:     12^th March 2023           Rod Av:  5.9        Water Temperature: 4-5°C

A cold start to the week with the temperatures dropping down to single figures and the a strong Southwest wind blowing. However, it didn’t seem to upset the fish to much as the rods who took to the water produced a 7.25 rod average. Draycote member Peter Elliot headed out on the bank using a black snake on a fast glass to return 16 fish from Dunn’s and the Cornfield. Another angler who found the fish at Dunn’s was Bob Barfoot who landed 7 fish on small buzzers in size 12 & 14s. New member Richard Collier also used the more natural approach landing a brace on Pheasant tailed nymphs with a further one on a viva. On the boats Brett Vinall & Andy Birkett started there first of a 3 day break returning 22 fish to the boat using boobies on sunk lines. Ian Morris also used a booby with some cormorants fished slowly at the Cornfield & Alberts Bottom landing a baker’s dozen. Anglers Bob Smith and Ian Richardson fishing in Toft and later in Biggin Bay also boating 13. With the best flies being bloodworm patterns, blobs and small snakes.

The cold weather continued Tuesday with very cold conditions 1°C mixed with some rain at the same time for the morning. Although in the afternoon the sun came out, making it much more pleasant day still cold but certainly more enjoyable to be out on the water. The previous days of colder weather and certainly knocked the fish off a little from the previous days. Season ticket holder Alan Grant fished for a few hours off Lincroft Point to land a brace using an intermediate with a damsel. Regular last four hour anglers Slav & Jony fished in Dunn’s again using various early season lures such as black & greens, snakes and cats whiskers. David Harrison fished from the boats with his best area being G Buoy in Toft fishing keep with a white snake. All water member John Kirk found the fish off Lincroft Point using the Bung and black buzzers. Brent Vinall & Andy Birkett fished for their second day landing 17 fish. The duo found that a Di 3 link with boobies to be most effective in the morning. While it was the Booby Basher in the afternoon that caught the fish. With the best areas being Toft, Biggin Bay and Lincroft Point.

An awful weather day Wednesday with North east winds fixed with snow and sleet showers for nearly the entire day, making it feel well below freezing. As a result we only had 3 anglers arrive at the fishery. Draycote member Dave Kennel fished off the bank to land a very welcome fish from the Cornfield. Then out on the boats we had Brent Vinall & Andy Birkett on the final day of their 3 day break. They once again used booby bashers and boobies. Landing 9 fish from around Farborough Spit including some cracking overwintered fish. Pictures of the fish can be seen on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/flyfishstore

Heavy snow and very inclement conditions put an end to any chance of fishing over Thursday and Friday, and indeed due to local road conditions Severn Trent closed Draycote over both days.

A light but cold north easterly breeze greeted us on Saturday morning, with the promise of reasonable fishing conditions throughout the day. Draycote did not disappoint from either the boat or the bank and is fishing well at the moment. Mr A Joseph fished from the bank in Toft Shallows to land 7 fish on a small orange lure. Mike Hunt landed half a dozen fish from the bank on an olive snake in the Cornfield. Out on the boats Mark Braun netted 16 fish using damsels on a fast glass in Toft Shallows. Ray Rawlings also boated 16 fish using green and black lures on a DI7 off the Cornfield. Young Mike Garner and Ian Ross had 20 fish to the boat between them using black and green lures fished along the northern shore.

The best day of the week arrived Sunday and the anglers who fished on the day enjoyed good sport with a rod average of 6.2 fish per angler. Bank angler and Draycote season ticket holder Jon Crowley landed 11 fish from Rainbow Corner using a blue flash Damsel fished on either a Di 5 sweep or on a midge tip. Also, fishing in Rainbow Corner Steve Orton using a brown buzzer to land 7 fish. Draycote member Richard Walker fished along the Northshore using a fast sinking line and a booby to also land 7 fish. Mr J Mackay fished in Toft in the afternoon from the bank to land 6 fish on blue flash damsels. On the boats all water member Kevin Hart fished with Dave Pacey landing 35 fish to the boat. The pair fished in Toft, Cornfield & The Farborough Dam with intermediate and medium sink lines. With the best flies being various boobies and tadpoles. All water members Fraser Duffy Snr & Fraser Duffy Jnr used Di 5 sinking lines and boobies to land 36 fish landing the fish from Toft, Cornfield & Biggin Bay. Jared Burton & L Jones fished from a boat along the Cornfield using Olive Snakes to land 28 fish.

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

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

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

Week Ending: 05 Mar 23                    Rod Av: 6.1         Water Temperature: 5-6°C

The start of 2023 season brought with it a stiff North Easterly breeze with plenty of cloud. The pre-season stocking had been completed & due to the recent lack of rain the water clarity remained very good for this time of year. The reservoir fishing very well, yielding a rod average of 7.8, with some high returns being recorded from both the bank & boats. The common dominator was that anglers needed to be fishing extremely close to the bank which obviously favoured the bank anglers initially. In the areas that the boats could get close to the margins, there were some extremely rich pickings to be had. All water members Ian Jobe & Clive Moore had an extremely productive day. Fishing the north side of the tower up into Harrison’s corner, casting at the Dam wall & moving their flies back quickly using a roly-poly retrieve they were to record a very high catch return. On the banks, fish in high numbers were caught from various locations, from Dogwood Bay to the Island & over at Harrisons Corner to the netted. Harrisons fished well from the off with Eyebrook Member Bill Law catching 8 extremely quickly. Over the Leicester Bank, fish were caught steadily throughout the day from various locations. Regular visitor Nigel Woolnough landed 14 over the course of his visit, dropping in on various locations throughout the day.

Saturday saw the air temperature decrease & the stiff North Easterly breeze continue. Consequently, the water temperature had fallen to 5°C which meant the trout were in a somewhat lethargic mood. Fish were still caught however, with the bank fishing proving to be more productive than the boats. Sam’s Dyke to the Island was again a prolific area where Jim Bright caught his 5 fish on Diawl Bachs. Fish were also picked up along the Hawthorns. The boats continued to pick up fish along the Dam Wall, North side of the Tower into Harrison’s Corner & also along the Hawthorns into Sam’s Dyke. Sue Potts landed her 7 fish from both the Hawthorns & Dam Wall on Blobs & Boobies. Given the conditions, this was an excellent return.

On Sunday, the wind had swung round to a Westerly & reduced in speed, resulting in a slight increase in both the air & water temperature. As on the previous day, locating the fish was not the issue, being there when they decided to feed was.

Eyebrook member Dave Etty benefited from being in the right place at the right time, landing 5 fish from the Hawthorns/Sam’s Dyke area. Fishing very slowly, Dave used Nymphs to tempt his fish. Whereas other bank anglers found that pulling lures as fast as they could was required to generate interest & elicit a response from the fish whenever they were in front of them. For consecutive days the bank has outfished the boats which is indicative of the time of year & where fish are likely to be found. With the forecast for the forthcoming week indicating cooler temperatures, the bank looks set to continue producing high catch returns.

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Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

Week Ending: 5^th March   Rod Av: 2.8      Water Temperature: 7c

Lost and Found, we have a rod with a sinking line on it which was handed into the lodge. If you’ve lost a rod in the last few months call the lodge, we will need to know the make of rod, reel & type of fly line.

Monday, quiet start to the week with a cold north easterly & rain forecast. Only one boat ventured out & he caught 2 fish before returning to the lodge for a hot drink to warm up.

Tuesday & a busier day with lighter winds forecast. Anglers generally concentrated around the corner of the wood. Barry Deeley fished a sink5 & Humungus to catch 7. Martin Hoskins fished a DI7 with boobies to catch his 12 trout with T Johnson & D Ward boating 7

Thursday and a challenging day with the surprisingly cold wind chill seeing most rods off the water by early afternoon. Tiny Lorrimer and his bunny patterns were top rod with 6 trout on a white and yellow pattern.

Friday Chris Sayer fished a minkie booby pattern to catch 7 trout with all other rods picking up 1 to 3 trout on booby, green pea and cats whiskers.

Saturday and a bit of a better day although the colder than expected wind chill seeing most of the rods off early afternoon. B Sibley and Martin Clay caught 6 trout for their visit, Mark Hunt fished a 6ft tip line to catch 8 on olive or black buzzer. David Woodall fished his new standard midge tip line & buzzers and was rewarded with 2 fish.

Sunday and a calmer day, with a cold chill to it. Martin Rowson & Neil Deakin found the winning combination fishing off the corner of the wood boating 20 trout with snakes proving to be the best pattern. Andrew Wilson fished with booby & buzzer patterns to catch his 5 trout, reporting a small buzzer hatch during a short period of the day.

Water clarity is still good with the water temperature at 7c, cold chill to the wind most of the week. Sinkers with cats whiskers, snakes, black green fritz, boobies various colours worked best with a few fish taking buzzer. Trout are still some distance off the bank but are spread from the top of the Thornton Arm all the way down to the tern rafts

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Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

Week Ending:     5^th March 2023           Rod Av:          Water Temperature: 5°C

Draycote Opening Day video on our YouTube Flyfishstore Channel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHCabibdCIc

The season kicked off with a bang on Wednesday with 88 rods producing a rod average of 10.19. As expected with such a high rod average there was some massive catches from both the boat and the bank. On the bank the hotspots were Toft, bottom end of the Cornfield, Lincroft Point & in between Dunn’s and Biggin Bay. With some slightly different methods depending on the area in Toft, intermediates with blobs and black and green lures featured. While along the Cornfield it was slightly faster intermediates and Di 3 proving to be the most productive with snakes, and longer tailed lure and FABS scoring best. With both areas showing up a good percentage of overwintered fish. Further up the bank it was fast intermediates with snakes and black and greens taking the majority of the fish and the key being a fast retrieve such as a roly-poly. On the boats Toft, Biggin Bay, Croft Shoal and Lincroft point all scored well. With boobies fished on sinking lines proving to be successful along with snakes. However a number of fish did fall to buzzers across the lake and a high proportion of overwintered fish.

Similar conditions Thursday with the wind remaining in the Northeast, with an overcast start and the sun making an appearance later in the day. The good sport continued with the rod average for the day 9.25 fish per angler. It was the boats that took the lion share of the sport, as the bank anglers reported the fish moved further off the bank once the sun broke through. However, James Kelly did enjoy some nice sport in the morning from Toft. On the boats season ticket holder Rob Middleton and boat partner Darren Cox enjoyed a good day landing over 30 fish. Using black buzzers on a floating line drifting along the Cornfield landing some great overwintered fish amongst them. Craig Middleton also used buzzers and also egg flies under the bung to land 25 fish in Toft. A George & I George used blue flash damsels in Toft to land 52 between them. All water members Steve Windram & Phil Cross fished at the nature reserve buoys in Toft on a Di 3 sinking line with a cut throat cat and blobs landing 69 fish.

Another chilly day Friday with the wind staying in the same direction with a few light showers in the morning. On the bank Gary Russell landed 7 fish from Toft using heavy black lures fished on a floating line. Simon Ringer fished along the Cornfield landing 6 fish on buzzers. On the boats all water season ticket holder Jamie Scott landed 40 fish using a white booby on a Di 7 before changing to buzzers under the bung. Draycote member Ray Rowlings used a Di 3 & Di 7 sinking with a mix of snakes and snake boobies to land 23 fish.

A slightly warmer day Saturday with the wind speed dropping although the overcast conditions remained. Tim Burn fished the bank at the Cornfield and Dunn’s with Draycote member Paul Mitchell to land 11 fish while Paul landed 5. Using intermediate lines and Di 3 with snakes and black and green lures. On the boats it was a busy day with a number of anglers traveling from Scotland & Wales to make the most of the opening weekend and the great fishing. With them being rewarded for their journey the 12 rods from Scotland landed a very impressive 399 fish for a rod average of 33.25 fish per angler. The lads used snakes, blobs and other lures on sinking lines in Toft to land their great numbers. Rob Edmounds and Sam Edmounds landed 30 fish to the boat using Di 8 sinking line with tadpoles and boobies to land their fish. Sam Smith fishing with Ed Elix landed 61 fish on boobies. With the hotspot for the day certainly being Toft.

The wind swung Saturday to the Southwest, put remained a cold day. Draycote member Paul Walker fished off the bank to land 7 fish fishing from Dunn’s and the Cornfield. With the wind change a number of the anglers bank tried Rainbow Corner for the first this season. Draycote member Jon Crowley was one such angler who landed 10 fish. Some from The Cornfield and the rest from Rainbow. Jon used a blue flash Damsel and a black & green. All water member Andy Lillie also fished in Rainbow Corner landing 3 fish on black & green lures. Airflo’s Gareth Jones also enjoyed a day on the bank with Anthony Cartwright. The pair fished along the Cornfield with the hotspot being the top end where it’s a little deeper. Gareth had the correct method using a 12ft Airflo fast tip with a black and green to land 20 fish. While Tony landed 6 struggling to get the dept with just his floating line. On the boats the Scottish party of anglers continued to catch fish from Toft using the same tactics as the day before, but not quite the same number as the wind direction change slightly knocked the fish off. New all water member Fraser Duffy Snr & Jnr enjoyed a good first day on Draycote landing 39 fish to the boat using lures on sinking lines. Draycote member Ian Reeve also enjoyed a good day landing 16 fish using a small black & green lure teamed with a blob with his best areas being Toft, Dunn’s & The Valve Tower.

Overall its been a fantastic opening week with 2,406 fish caught giving a rod average of 10.25 for the week. Its been great to see both bank and boat anglers enjoying the good sport. We have another load of 1,805 fish arriving this week to help make sure the great sport continues.

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

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

Eyebrook Opens 3^rd March

Main gate and fishing lodge open from 7.30am

Call Lloyd to book your boat 01536770264 pre-payment required for the boat bookings. To speed up the booking process please have your debit / credit card to hand.

Visit the Eyebrook website for details www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

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Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

2023 Membership details Visit   www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/season-permits/ for details of our 2023 membership options

Week Ending: 26^th February    Rod Av: 5.3     Water Temperature: 6c – 7c

Monday, with a brisk cool wind anglers fished from the corner of the wood back up into the shelter of the Thornton arm. Mr & Mrs Warren decided to fish the sheltered water in front of the main car park catching 5 from this area. All Water member John Duncan caught 11 for his visit with Greg Weatherdon on his first visit of the year catching 7. Lee Henfrey returned and fished the 12ft slow tip line with bloodworm & buzzers to catch 17 for his visit.

Tuesday with a good forecast we had all of the boats out, milder day with our water temperature at 6c+. Bit of a mixed days fishing with a rod av of 3.4 Buzzer patterns caught a few mor fish with Steve Fairgrieve catching 6 on buzzer patterns, Bob Jones caught 7 for his visit on a mixture of cats whisker & buzzer patterns. Andrew Wilson fished out in front of the lodge with a DI3 and viva pattern catching 8 trout

Wednesday, although a bit cooler the weather was better than forecast with the fishery returning a rod average 5 for the day. Anglers are finding increasing numbers of trout past the end of the wood down to the tern raft and is well worth a look when the wind allows. 4 weeks into the season the Thornton arm and in front of the wood continues to produce well for the boats. All water members Ian Jobe and Clive Moore caught 14 for their visit with other rods catching on small minkie, booby, cats whisker, bloodworm and buzzers using a 12ft slow tip down to a DI7

Thursday, much cooler start to the day with a brisk northerly wind. With a north wind the end of the wood, lonesome pine down the Markfield arm offered some relief from the cold. It was a day for fast sinkers with a variety of boobies from a cats whisker, white, coral to pink. All Water member John Duncan fished with R Bedder boating 11 trout, Keith Cowen caught 6 on a cats whisker with J Scott catching 8

Friday and a colder northerly wind kept the rods off the water, a quiet day with S Hall & M Bishop on their first visit to Thornton catching 12 trout on a fast sinker & black booby with green eyes fishing along the wood bank & corner of the wood.

Saturday, and a daily rod average 9.1 with anglers finding fish from in front of the lodge, along the wood down the Markfield arm towards the tern raft, unfortunately majority of the trout remain a good way off the bank. Kevin Hart fished with D Pacey catching 23 on booby patterns on a fast sinker and a midge tip with buzzers. N Perrie caught 10 on a black and green fritz with Thornton member Jan Webber catching 11 on fast sinking lines and boobies. Sam & Rob Edmonds caught 20 on fast sinkers and booby patterns. The longer daylight hours are helping to move the water temperature upwards it now sits at 7c

Sunday, and a busy day with all of the boats out on the water. Lee Henfrey & Nigel Keeber caught 26 for their visit with Neil Deakin & Martin Rowson catching 25 trout for their visit. All Water member J Reynolds caught 15 with All Water members F Duffy jnr & F Duffy snr catching 25 for their visit. Fast sinking lines with various booby patterns caught the majority of the trout although Mark Hunt persevered with a midge tip & buzzers to catch 7

Water clarity is excellent, boat anglers are still enjoying the best of the sport with the area opposite the lodge in front of the wood and down the Markfield arm to the tern rafts fishing best. Water temperature is starting to creep upwards and was at 7c by the end of the week.

With only 2 days left for February we have enjoyed an excellent opening month from the boats with a rod average of 5.9 for February

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Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

DRAYCOTE OPENS 1^st March

 Main gate and lodge open from 7.30am

Call the lodge to prebook boats, we will be asking for pre-payment, to speed up the process please have your debit / credit card to hand.

Details on Day Permit & Boat cost are on our website www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

For bank anglers to take your vehicle around the perimeter road you will need to call and book one of the 30 car passes

Severn Trent have major works going on along the Hensborough Dam while the work continues access to and from the bank is from the barrier at the Farnborough dam.

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY

Sunday 9^th April

RIO & SAGE Day with Simon Gawesworth RIO, Peter Knox & Chris Anderson of SAGE & Jim Fearn of Guide Fly Fishing

FREE 1 to 1 casting session with Simon, Peter, Chris or Jim, Trout, Pike, Saltwater or Salmon with any SAGE Rod & RIO fly line you would like to try. Great opportunity for beginners or anglers wanting to improve.

Also 1½hr FREE guided session with one of the Draycote guides fishing with a SAGE rod or RIO fly line of your choice

To book your spot call the Draycote Lodge 01788812018

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

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

Eyebrook Opens 3^rd March

Call Lloyd to book your boat 01536770264 pre payment required for the boat bookings. Visit the Eyebrook website for details www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

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Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

2023 Permit, Boat rates and pre-payment details www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 19^th February   Rod Av: 6.3      Water Temperature: 5.5c

Monday and a milder start to the week with the boats still finding the best of the fishing 50yd+ off the bank. Some boats were into double figures while others were 4 or 5 fish to the boat, it seemed to be down to line choice with a sink 3 working best. All water member Richard Dayman fished a DI3 sweep catching 17 by 1pm on a Fab & cats whisker pattern. John Duncan caught 16 for his visit with Ian Jobe braving the 5c water temperature fishing from his float tube being rewarded with 18, overall rod average 7.6

Tuesday and a cold frosty, foggy morning which didn’t improve until after lunch, but once the sun had burnt away the fog we were left with a milder brighter afternoon. Fishing was slow during the morning but picked up once conditions improved. Andrew Wilson caught 7 on a cats whisker and buzzer, Barry Deeley, Pete Cox, Arthur Olding, Phil Mee all caught 6 fish each on cats whiskers, cut throat cat, humungus & fab patterns on a DI3, DI5 & DI7

Wednesday and another cold frosty start to the day. There are fish at the top of the Thornton and fish now pushing round towards the lonesome pine, but still frustratingly too far our for any reliable bank sport. Lee Henfrey fished with Kevin Hart catching 20 on boobies & humungus. All Water member Mick Glover fished the morning session catching 7 on a black & silver humungus with Ian Jobe & Clive Moore catching 14 for their visit. R Swan & A Trabankowski on their first visit to Thornton caught 11

Thursday, busy day with all of the boats out. Some of the boats pushed further down the Markfield arm with D Pritchard going down the arm catching 5 close to the bank. Keith Cowen fished a cats whisker booby to catch his 6 trout with Martin Hoskins on his first visit to Thornton catching 9 on a DI7 and boobies. R Swan & A Trabankowski returned for day 2 catching 12 with Tony Lorrimer using his rabbit patterns a yellow rabbit pattern on this occasion to catch 9 with Steve Fairgrieve fishing a cats whisker to boat 7 trout.

Friday, we missed the worst of the forecasted winds. Chris Sayer fished a white booby to catch his 7 trout with John Bebbington fishing the much calmer afternoon session catching 6 on a cats whisker. All water member C Middleton had an excellent day catching well into double figures on a white booby.

Saturday, milder day with the water temperature for the first time this season creeping upwards. Forecast of strong winds saw a number of anglers cancelling and inline with our boat fishing pre payment policy received a full refund or the day carried over to their next visit. As it happened similar to Friday the winds were nowhere near as bad as forecast with the anglers who went out returning a rod average of 12 for the day. Neil Shilton took to his float tube fishing a fast sinker with pink booby to catch his 15 trout. All water members Rob & Sam Edmonds caught 25 for their visit on DI7 and boobies with Jan Webber also fishing boobies on a DI7 to catch his 15 trout. Brian Sibley opted to fish a DI3 with black buzzers catching 7 trout with Mark Hunt fishing a 12ft tip line with olive and black buzzers catching 21

Sunday, All water members Fraser Duffy & Fraser jnr on their first visit to Thornton caught 11, Lee Henfrey making the most of his time before he resumes his fishery ranger / guiding duties at Draycote on the 1^st March, fished with N Keeber catching 21 trout to the boat during a morning session. Lee initially caught on DI7 & booby patterns before switching to a 12ft tip line with bloodworm patterns & buzzers. Richard Smith fished a morning session catching 6 on DI7 and booby patterns.

Main area continues to be down the Thornton arm, out in front of the wood and wood corner with some fish been caught all the way down the Markfield arm to the tern rafts. Fast sinkers with various booby patterns with the 12ft tip line with bloodworm & buzzer. Water clarity is good with the water temperature a cold 5.5c

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Draycote Fishery Weekly Report – 01788 812018

Email:  draycote@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

DRAYCOTE OPENS 1^st March

Call the lodge to prebook boats, we will be asking for pre payment Details on Day Permit & Boat cost are on our website www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

For bank anglers to take your vehicle around the perimeter road you will need to book one of the 30 car passes

Severn Trent have major works going on along the Hensborough Dam while the work continues access to and from the bank is from the barrier at the Farnborough dam.

DATE FOR YOUR DIARY

Sunday 9^th April

RIO & SAGE Day with Simon Gawesworth RIO, Peter Knox & Chris Anderson of SAGE & Jim Fearn of Guide Fly Fishing

FREE 1 to 1 casting session with Simon, Peter, Chris or Jim, Trout, Pike, Saltwater or Salmon with any SAGE Rod & RIO fly line you would like to try. Great opportunity for beginners or anglers wanting to improve.

Also 1½hr FREE guided session with one of the Draycote guides fishing with a SAGE rod or RIO fly line of your choice

To book your spot call the Draycote Lodge 01788812018

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Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

Eyebrook Fishery Weekly Report – 01536 770264

Email: eyebrook@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

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

Eyebrook Opens 3^rd March

Call Lloyd to book your boat 01536770264 pre payment required for the boat bookings. Visit the Eyebrook website for details www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/