Latest News and Information from

Week ending 22 July 2012

• 84 Youngsters take to fly fishing like ducks to water at Rutland Water
Rutland Water Fly Fishers organise fantastic day of tuition and boat fishing for young anglers

• Sizzling Summer savings at our fisheries

• Purchase 2 x 8 fish day permits for only £30 at any of our trout fisheries!
Saving of at least £14
(2×2 fish plus catch & release at Ravensthorpe)
This permit is for one angler fishing two different days, purchased in July/August and to be used no later than 17 September. Offer applies to Rutland, Grafham, Pitsford and Ravensthorpe Waters. Not valid for match entries.

• Mid week sunset boats from 4pm for only £12
• Season ticket holders can hire a mid week day boat for only £20 during July and August

http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/leisure

Rutland Water 01780 686441; Grafham Water 01480 810531;
Pitsford, Ravensthorpe & Hollowell 01604 781350,
Taverham Mills Fishery 01603 861014; Alton Water 01473 589105
Recreation Dept Anglian Water 01572 653021

Rutland Water
Fish week 944 (season 20,526) Returns 251 (5,219) Rod average 3.76 (3.93)
It wasn’t just the weather that brought out the smiles last weekend – it was the sight of 84 youngsters heading out to fish in Anglian Water boats at Rutland Water.

Rutland Water Fly Fishers Junior Day 22 July
Rutland Water Fly Fishers organised a terrific day at Rutland Water for 84 children last Sunday. The majority of the youngsters were aged 10-13 years. A huge amount of planning had gone into the day with the support of some fantastic volunteers. Members of the Guild of Fly Dressers were on hand to tie flies, the Game Angling Instructors Association taught them how to cast, a pair of seasoned Rutland professionals took them through how to tackle the Big Water and Ladies Fishing took on the important task of boat safety.
Fired with enthusiasm and a good grounding in the basics the youngsters took to the water, ably guided by volunteer boatmen. It was quite a sight to see 42 boats heading out onto the water with an average age of the fishermen being 12. Three and a half hours later 50 Rutland Rainbows were taken to the scales. There were broad smiles all round – even from those who hadn’t caught. It was a terrific day both for the youngsters and for the host of volunteers and sponsors who made it possible.

There are many very good areas of the reservoir producing fish. The most likely area for finding big fish is in the North Arm shallows with fish feeding on corixa.
Fish are being caught in many areas of the reservoir from the Old Hall, New Zealand Point, the fishing lodge frontage, the Main Basin, right down to the North Arm shallows. Tactics are varied with boat anglers using anything from floating lines right down to just sink line. Whereas bank anglers have caught on floating lines with nymphs and even more so on dry flies, especially down the North Arm shallows.

Competition news
Tuesday Night Boat League – week 11
Empingham’s Gary Cooper won the eleventh match in the series with eight fish weighing in at 15lb 15½oz. Three of the seven boats in the match encountered recently stocked fish in Old Hall Bay and it was a matter of ounces separating the top six.
1st Gary Cooper 8 fish for 15lb 15½oz
2nd= Ady Naylor 8 fish for 14lb 13½oz
Rich Cooper
3rd Malcolm March 8 fish for 14lb 12½oz
Keith Jones, who had previously been leading the league by a whisker, missed out on the stockie fest. Rich Cooper is now top with 53 points, six points ahead of Keith. Wing’s Ady Naylor is on 37 points.

Over 50’s Pairs Competition 21 July
22 Anglers took part in very sunny and light wind conditions.
1st Ron Gent & Graham Pearson 16 fish for 36lb 13oz
2nd Alan Stearn & Nigel Angus 7 fish for 17lb 8oz
3rd Robbie Winram & Gary Hedges 5 fish for 13lb 13oz
Robbie Winram took the best fish – a 5lb 9½oz Rainbow.

Best Rainbow 6lb 6½oz taken by Dick Turpin of Abingdon, Oxon.

Best Brown 5lb 2oz taken by Kevin Height of Stanion, Corby.

Best boat areas The main basin, Sailing Club, bottom of both arms.

Best bank areas Sykes Lane, Normanton, New Zealand Point, East Creek, bottom of the North Arm.

Best methods Bank – nymphs/dries.
Boat – As for bank but include various sinking lines with lure/nymph combinations and tube flies.

Mid week boat winner Brian Flack of Orton Longueville, Peterborough.

Fish stocked 4,000.

Forthcoming events
Beginners courses 29 July; 4,15 & 19 August and dates throughout the season.
Tuesday Night Boat League
Anglian Water Loch Style 4 man team 15 August
Floating Line competition date to be confirmed.

Grafham Water
Fish week 883 (season 13,798) Returns 231 (3,614) Rod average 3.82(3.81)
One of the best fish of the week was a Brownie estimated at 10-12lb. This was taken by Andrew Hedger whilst practising for the Southern Final of the Anglian Water Airflo International. Grafham Water continues to fish well with the vast majority of trout being caught in the top four feet of the surface.

Bank anglers have enjoyed a good week’s fishing by using floating lines with gold ribbed hares ear, crunchers, shrimp patterns, diawl bachs, pheasant tail nymphs generally fished close to the margins. The most productive and the most consistent fishing for the bank anglers has been South and Bowl of the Dam, the Seat, Gaynes Cove and the G Bank area.

Boat anglers have also had a good week’s fishing with plenty of bag limits. The main methods for boat anglers have been floating or Di3 lines with gold ribbed hares ear, shrimp patterns, crunchers, diawl bachs, cats whisker and cormorant boobies and dabblers. The most productive areas from the boat are Sailing Club Bay, the Seat, Gaynes Cove, entire Dam, Willows, G and I Buoys, Rectory Bay, also the west bank has produced some good fishing but this has not been as consistent as the other areas at the eastern end of the reservoir.

Competition News
Southern Final Anglian Water Airflo International 23 July
Seven teams took to the water at Grafham Water in a battle for one of three places at the International final to be hosted at Rutland Water in October. Conditions were quite tough and at the end of the day only 1lb separated third place (and qualification) from fourth place. Peninsula Pirates just held on to go through to the International Final along with Blagdon FF Cortland in first place and second placed Team Airflo. The best fish of the match weighed 4lb 5 1/8oz and was taken by Mark Withyman of Blagdon FF Cortland. Steve Winstone fishing for Team Airflo weighed in the best bag at 19lb 13¾oz.
1st Blagdon FF Cortland 29 fish for 63lb 12 5/8oz
2nd Team Airflo 24 fish for 53lb 1 ¼oz
3rd Penninsula Pirates 17 fish for 34lb 12 1/8oz
4th Carbotec Kingfishers 16 fish for 33lb 10¼oz
5th Bewl Chingley Chompers 13 fish for 28lb 5¼oz
6th Team Grand Max 8 fish for 21lb 7 7/8oz
7th Diamonds 6 fish for 12lb 4¼oz

Invicta Tuesday Night Boat League
Five anglers took part in last week’s match, catching 16 trout giving a rod average of 3.1. Top rod on the night was Kieran Bonas from Bedford, Kieran caught 5 trout.
1st Kieran Bonas 5 fish.
2nd David Moore, Richard Slater & Craig Foggo 3 fish.
3rd Malcolm Reece 2 fish.

Best Rainbow 5lb 15oz taken by Bob Ayres of Cambridge.

Best Brown 10 -12lb Returned to the water by Andrew Hedger.
4lb 2oz taken by M Rowson.

Best boat areas Entire Dam, Willows, G and I Buoys, Gaynes Cove, Seat, Sailing Club Bay, Rectory Bay and West Bank.

Best bank areas Bowl and South Dam, Gaynes Cove, G bank, Seat.

Best methods See report.

Mid week boat winner Roland Dean of Coton, Cambs.

Fish stocked 2,000.

Forthcoming events
Beginners courses 29 July; 5,12 & 26 August; 9,19 &23 September and dates throughout the season.
Floating Line Inter Club Match 28 July.
John Watts Trophy (FDG) 25 August

Pitsford Water
Fish week 668 (season 11,337) Returns 203 (2,917) Rod average 2.9 (3.8)
Sport is steady at Pitsford Water with anglers staying on the move finding the most fish. The best fish of the week was a 5lb 6oz Rainbow taken by Stewart Pittendrigh of Pytchley, Kettering.

When conditions are favourable bank anglers have been taking plenty of fish on floating lines with teams of nymphs and buzzers. Catches of six to eight fish continue to be taken. The best areas are the Cliffs, Gorse, Duffers and Stilton with the best method being floaters with damsels, buzzers or hares ear.

Boat anglers are still catching though fish have been harder to find. The best areas are the Boils, Rigbys, North Farm Bay, Cliffs and Grange Farm Creek. Fish are still in the top three feet of water with floater and slow intermediate lines best.

Best Rainbow 5lb 6oz Taken by Stewart Pittendrigh of Pytchley, Kettering.

Best boat areas Boils, Rigbys, Gorse, Grange Farm Creek, North Farm Bay, Cliffs.

Best bank areas Cliffs, Gorse, Stilton, Duffers.

Best methods See report.

Mid week boat winner Ray Buckland.

Fish stocked 1,000

Forthcoming events
Beginners courses 28 July;1,11 & 25 August and dates throughout the season.

Ravensthorpe Reservoir
Fish week 152 (season 6,545) Returns 44 (1,274) Rod average 3.4 (5.1)
Another week of mixed results at Ravensthoorpe with mornings and evenings producing the best sport.

The evening fishing was the best (the week started off hard on the boats with only a few fish caught during the day). Mick O’Farrell had 7 fish on dries at the Coton End. On Wednesday the boat fishing (which had previously been hard) took off with the Jessop brothers boating 30 Rainbows on small lures and buzzers on intermediate lines. Dennis Footman had 7 fish on small blob with diawl bach. Buzzers fished static on small lures such as cats whiskers, minkies and cormorants were the flies for Thursday and Friday accounting for most fish.

The weekend saw a change in the weather with temperatures rising. Mick Griffin and Graeme Smith had good results with static buzzers. On Saturday the England Youth team were at Ravensthorpe where they had an enjoyable day although fishing wasn’t easy. Sunday wasn’t easy for boat anglers although anglers moving around caught fish with the best boating 8.

Bank fishing is still best from the dam – try hares ear, buzzer and diawl bach.

Best Rainbow 3 – 4lb.

Best boat areas Coton End, the Domes, Mongers.

Best bank areas The Dam.

Best methods See report.

Mid week boat winner Peter Collins of Long Buckby.

Forthcoming events
Lexus heat 9 August (Apply now).