Latest News and Information from

Week ending 26 May 2013

Fishery News

• Young stars shine at Grafham Water
Top youngsters fish English Youth National

• Pitsford Water hosts Midland Heat of Anglian Water Airflo International
Bob Church lands best fish of the match

• Anglian Water Tackle shops Sonic Special
Back by popular demand
Special offer on a Sonik SK3 #7/8 Reel for £59.99 which includes 3 spare spools, plus 1 x extra FREE spool loaded with an SK3 Floating line – worth £30.00!

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 3,183(season 16,470) Returns 475 (2,889) Rod average 6.7 (5.7)
Rutland Water is fishing well with plenty of limits. Fish are still being taken in many areas. Buzzer fishing is at its best at the moment with good amounts of fish movement in the evenings in settled weather conditions.

Competition news
Tuesday Night Boat League
Fourteen anglers fished the third match in the Tuesday Night Boat League series. Keith Jones of Wittering was in winning form with 8 fish for 22lb 5½oz. Paul Wild took second place with 8 fish for 21lb 1½oz including the best fish on the night at 4lb 6½oz. In third place was Chris Evans with 7 fish for 16lb 9oz.

Rudder match (leg 2 of 5) 25 May
Nine Pairs fished this popular match. Peter Harradine took the best fish at 5lb 12½oz and Aidy Naylor the best Brown at 2lb 4oz.
1st John Wotherspoon & Ziggy Lesiakowski 16 fish for 46lb 13oz
2nd Graham Pearson & Al Owen 16 fish for 45lb
3rd Rick Broom & Mick Atkinson 16 fish for 38lb 13oz
4th Jim Watts & Martin Hearth 16 fish for 35lb 9oz

Best Rainbow 7lb 6oz taken by John Miller of Edinburgh.

Best Brown 4lb taken by Brian Allsop or Warsop, Notts.

Best methods Buzzers/nymphs on floating/midge tip line from boat or bank. Dries are also worth a try in the evening. Boat anglers worth trying sinking lines around the aerators.

Best boat areas The main basin, bottom of both arms, Hambleton Wood.

Best bank areas Normanton, Sykes Lane, the Dam, Armley Wood to Barnhill Creek, Sailing Club, New Zealand Point, East Creek.

Fish stocked 3,000

Mid week boat winner Steve Crowder of London.

Forthcoming events
Beginners courses 22 and 29 June; 7,14,21 & 28 July and throughout the season.
Tuesday Night Boat League
Anglian Water Floating Line 8 June
England Qualifer ‘Odds & Sods’ 16 June
Anglian Water Airflo International Midland Heat 19 June
Mid Summer Rudder match (leg 3 of 5) 29 June

Grafham Water
Fish week 832 (season 8,613) Returns 157 (1,679) Rod average 5.29 (5.12)

Grafham Water continues to fish well with 25% of anglers catching their limits. One of the highlights of the week was the England Youth National fished at Grafham Water on 26 May. See Competition News below for the full story.
The biggest bag and Rainbow caught this week was by Bob Wallinger of Leicester, Bob caught a superb overwintered rainbow of 7lb12oz on a Di 3 line with a Silver Tube from the I Buoy area. Bob’s bag limit on the day was 8 fish for 35lb12oz.

Boat anglers are enjoying the cream of the sport with most areas on the reservoir producing good catch rates. Sanctuary Bay, Savages Creek, Valley Creek, Gaynes Cove, A, I, G and D Buoys, Church Bay and Deep Water Point have all produced good fishing on floating lines with Black Buzzers, Diawl Bachs, Black and Green Tadpoles, or Di 3 lines with Blobs, Boobies, Cormorants, Humongous and Silver Tubes.

Bank anglers have once again found fishable areas hard to come by but Deep Water Point, Gaynes Cove and Hill Farm have all produced good fishing when the weather conditions have been favourable. The main tactics for the bank anglers have been floating lines with Diawl Bachs, Gold Ribbed Hares Ear, Crunchers and Damsel Nymphs.
Competition news
Invicta Tuesday Night Boat League week 2
Eight anglers fished last week’s boat league catching 22 trout for a rod average of 2.75, top rod on the evening was Ade Bell, Ade caught 7 trout.
1st Ade Bell 7 fish
2nd Alan Briggs/ Richard Slater 4 fish
3rd Tony Day 3 fish

EYFA National
English Youth Flyfishing Association
Last Saturday Grafham Water hosted the English Youth National. 30 Juniors competed for the 10 places up for grabs to represent England in the 2014 team when the International will be hosted by England.
The boats spread out from the start with some heading toward the dam and Gaynes Cove area, some to Savages and the rest towards the West bank and the Nature Reserve Frontage. The best fish was caught by Aaron Carnie – a beautiful over wintered typical Grafham rainbow weighing 5lb 13 7/8oz. The Top rod was Oliver Avis from Manchester. Oliver, a previous winner of this prestigious match in 2011, recorded 8 fish by 4:20pm for 22lb 5oz.

Many thanks to all the boatmen who gave up their day to take these juniors out, the Top boatman prize went Ashley Cooper with a combined anglers weight of 35lb 8oz.

The 10 qualifiers were:-
1st Oliver Avis 8 fish for 22lb 5oz
2nd Tom Adamson 8 fish for 18lb 11oz
3rd Garvan O’Connor 7 fish for 16lb 12oz
4th Aaron Carnie 4 fish for 11lb 13oz
5th Freddie Kent 4 fish for 9lb 13oz
6th Will Robbins 3 fish for 8lb 7oz
7th Toff Crowther 3 fish for 7lb 8oz
8th Samuel Mallett 2 fish for 7lb 5oz
9th Calum Smalley 2 fish for 7lb 2oz
10th Graham Hayward 2 fish for 5lb 11oz
Best Rainbow 7lb 12oz taken by Bob Wallinger of Leicester
Best Brown 4lb 6oz taken by Colin Fairgrieve.

Best methods See report.

Best boat areas A,I, G and D Buoys, Gaynes Cove, Savages Creek, Valley Creek, Central Drifts, Sanctuary Bay, Church Bay, Deep Water Point.

Best bank areas Gaynes Cove, Hill Farm, Deep Water Point.

Fish stocked 2,000.

Mid week boat winner Malcolm Fisher of Somerset.

Forthcoming events
Beginners courses: 30 May; 2,8,20,23,29 June; 13,19,24 & 28 July and throughout the season.
Tuesday Night Boat League organised by Invicta
Anglian Water Airflo International Midland Heat 1 June
England Qualifier ‘Odds & Sods’ 30 June

Pitsford Water
Fish week 679 (season 4,258) Returns 144 (1,266) Rod average 4.7 (3.3)
Anglers are enjoying brilliant sport at Pitsford Water with a rod average of 4.7. The best Rainbow of the week was a 5lb 10oz cracker taken by season ticket holder David Newens of Milton Keynes. The best Brown was a spotted beauty of 3lb 10oz taken by T Gunn of Witney, Oxford. One of the highlights of the week was the Midland Heat of the Anglian Water Airflo International – see Competition News below.

The fish are still keen to take buzzer/nymph patterns and there are lots of quality fish in the 3-5lb bracket which are giving great sport. Anglers are coming off the water complaining of arm ache from the fish they are catching and playing.

The best boat areas are the Small Half, Pitsford Creek and the Narrows, whilst bank anglers should try Gorse Bank and the Cliffs.

Competition News
Anglian Water Airflo International Midland heat 25 May
A total of 36 anglers fishing in six teams caught 259 fish for an impressive rod average of 7.19. Hanningfield came out on top on the day with 48 fish for 134lb 14oz including time bonus. Second place went to Greenwell Persauders Blue with 48 fish for 125lb 11oz with Greenwell Red filling the third and final qualifying slot with 47 fish for 121lb 7oz. Top rod on the day was Tim Joyce of Hanningfield with 8 fish for 25lb 13oz, closely followed by Alex Urqhart, the Greenwell Blue Captain, with 8 fish for 23lb 13oz.

Special mention must be made of Bob Church who showed he can still mix it with the best. Bob caught the best fish of the match a fine Rainbow of 5lb 2oz and had a further three Rainbows for a total of 12lb 14oz. Here is Bob’s own account of how he caught his top fish.
“It is very difficult trying to tempt a big wild native trout, when all the boats are in this big competition. I was on great form after catching two small trout which were recent stockies. The secret was to find the correct depth that the big trout were feeding at in order to get a take.

I fished a floating fly line and a team of buzzers. The top dropper at 24 inches down was the key item on the cast. The trout were taking the nymphs as they rose to the top. I hooked first an incredible Rainbow at 5lb 2oz, it took a good ten minutes to bring to the net. This was followed by another specimen of 4lb 14oz. So a lovely brace of fish weighing exactly 10lb – a rarity in a full house of boats.”

1st Hanningfield 48 fish for 134lb 14oz
2nd Greenwell Persuaders (Blue) 48 fish for 125lb 11oz
3rd Greenwell Persuaders (Red) 47 fish for 121lb 7oz
4th Greenwell Persauders (Green) 45 fish for 114lb 9oz
5th Greylags FFC 42 fish for 108lb 6oz
6th The Appetisers 29 fish for 68lb 1oz

Pitsford Water continued

Best Rainbow 5lb 10oz taken by David Newens of Milton Keynes.

Best Brown 3lb 10oz taken by T Gunn of Witney.

Best methods Floating line – buzzers, nymphs, diawl bachs, small lures, blobs.

Best boat areas Small Half, Narrows, Pitsford Creek.

Best bank areas Gorse bank, Cliffs.

Mid week boat winner Mark Turner of Witney, Oxford.

Fish stocked 500.

Forthcoming events
Beginners courses:31 May; 9 and 21 June; 6,10 & 27 July and throughout the season.
Pike beginners course Saturday 20 July

Ravensthorpe Reservoir
Fish week 387 (season 3,295) Returns 70 (679) Rod average 5.5 (4.6)
Ravensthorpe continues to fish well. Mr T Walford from Bednall, Stafford, had a good day this week fishing a floating line with diawl bachs and crunchers he took two and returned 12. He changed tactics in the afternoon and put on a sinking line with a Pitsford Pea and landed a superb Rainbow of 12lb plus which he returned.

One or two damsels were coming off this week and proved to be the fly to use. Floating lines with damsels, buzzer or diawl bachs or intermediate lines on the brighter days are working. The Island to the Catwalk was the best area for boat anglers.

Bank anglers have also enjoyed some good sport with buzzers, diawl bachs and damsel flies. Platforms 11 and 12 are the hot spots.

Best Rainbow 12lb plus returned.

Best methods See report.

Best boat areas Island to Catwalk, Domes.

Best bank areas Platforms 11 and 12.

Fish stocked 500

Mid week boat winner Mr Hartley of Hollowell, Northants.