Anglian Water Report April 2nd, 2013

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Latest News and Information from

Week ending 31 March 2013

Fishery News

• Rutland Water opens with a fantastic rod
average of 6.84!
6lb 12oz Rainbow wins Rob Holloway the Independence Day Trophy

• Young anglers shine at Grafham Water
England Youth Development Day is huge success thanks to some great volunteers and promising talent

• Anglian Water Tackle shops Sonic Special

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!

We are also offering FREE wading boots with SK3 and SK4 waders.
These promotions are for a limited time only.

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

There was an excellent start to the new season at Rutland Water with lots of limits taken and a catch return rate of 6.84 on Opening Day. This was a huge achievement considering the freezing conditions. The best Rainbow recorded on Opening Day fell to Lincolnshire angler Rob Holloway who netted a superb conditioned 6lb 12oz specimen from Whitwell Creek. This fish rewarded Rob with the Independence Day Trophy and £70 of Anglian Water Tackle vouchers.

Ice was found in some areas with one angler losing fish with ice cutting through his leader! Anglers had to wear numerous layers of clothing to keep warm. Both bank and boat anglers found fish with the usual early season lures accounting for most fish. However, good numbers of fish were recorded on nymphs and even more surprisingly some were taken on dries off the banks. Amongst the stock fish were numbers of well conditioned over wintered Rainbows in the 3-5lb class.

On the second day of the season Rob Layton of Holcot, Northamptonshire, netted a quality Rainbow of 7lb 8oz. The fish fell to a black tadpole fished on a floating line from Sykes Lane frontage. Fish were also caught from the snow capped dam right down to Barnsdale in the North Arm and to Old Hall Bay in the South Arm.

Anglers came from far and wide to fish the opening weekend including father and son duo John and Paul Sturge from Margate, Kent, who are regular visitors to Rutland Water. John and Paul recorded 6 consecutive limits between them during their three day holiday package. A good number of these fish were in the 2-3½lb category and taken on buzzers. The pair left happy with the fish they encountered if not a little cold!

19,200 fish were stocked pre season with another delivery planned this week. Although cold weather is again forecast the fishing has been excellent.

Forthcoming events
Beginners courses 10,21 & 27 April; 4,11 and 25 May and other dates throughout the season.
Alan West Memorial 5 April
Lexus European Individual qualifier 7 April
Lexus European Team Qualifier 8 April
Anglian Water Spring Rudder Match 20 April (leg one of five)
Dave Hodgson Memorial 5 May.

Grafham Water
Fish week season 249 Returns 63 Rod average 3.95
Grafham Water has fished well for both bank and boat anglers alike. Peter Oldham, a member of Invicta Fly Fishers, caught the biggest Rainbow of the week, a cracking overwintered fish of 4lb 8oz. Gordon Swain, from Co Durham, caught the heaviest bag of the week taking 8 fish for 23lb 7oz. Gordon boat fished from the Seat, Gaynes Cove and the Willows using a sinking line with small black lures.

One of the highlights of the week, and the season so far, was the very successful Youth Development Day organised by England Youth Flyfishing in conjunction with the Angling Trust. This was hosted at Grafham Water on Easter Saturday, 30th March. The following account is written by Simon Le Hane one of the dedicated mentors who accompanied the youngsters out on the boats at Grafham Water.

“The development day for novice and intermediate anglers was planned to be in two distinct halves. The session before lunch was classroom based with some casting tuition on the bank, whilst the afternoon was a practical boat fishing trip which was one on one with a mentor.

As parents, students and mentors arrived at Grafham Lodge for the 9.30am start, the day was overcast, cold and with a steady 14mph wind from the north east. Everybody had been warned to dress correctly for the near zero temperatures, so it was no surprise to see varied trapper hats and ski clothes on display.

The students headed to the warmth of the class room tutorial with instructor Allan Sefton, while the mentors grabbed fishing kit and headed out in fishing boats to locate the fish shoals for the afternoon session. The day was tailored to the individual’s previous experience. The programme covered equipment necessary, rods, reels, lines and flies as well as how to tackle up and how to tie knots.
The session then covered ‘what makes a trout tick’ as well as trout behaviour, biology of the trout and gutting your catch!

The mentors all returned to the lodge in time to take their students onto the water at 12.30. Better still all mentors seemed in a positive mood as they greeted their pupils and discussed the tactics that had caught them fish in the morning. The mentor / student pairings took to the water and most boats headed to the north shore of the reservoir. It was at the’ top of wind’ and the wave was more of a ripple, it even felt a coat warmer than the boat dock!

Boats spread from Cove Point, past G buoy, Marlow Bay and the Willows and started to fish. The mentors had mostly decided that it would be more productive for the students to fish at anchor because the fish were close to the bottom.

My student, Joshua Clayton, was happy enough to set up his own tackle and tied on his own fly. It was only during conversation that I realised his father was the head fishery warden at Pitsford reservoir!

Grafham Water continued

I carefully motored the boat into Marlow Bay near the jetty and ‘dropped the hook’ in about ten feet of water. We had both put on fast sinking lines and I had chosen a Black n Green booby tadpole on the point with a Cat’s whisker on the dropper, while Joshua had chosen an Orange blob. I was immediately impressed with the reasonable distance that Joshua could cast, my job to get him catching fish had just become a lot easier, hurray!

A couple of casts and I caught a fish on the black n green and it was quickly followed by another. I suggested that Joshua alter his retrieve to the ‘roly poly’ and change his fly colour. He quickly tied on one of my black n greens, cast out and successfully hooked a fish. He played the rainbow and netted it proficiently. After high fives and smiles he cast again eager to get another.

The weather was dramatic at times with snow storms sweeping across the reservoir and then you would bask in sunshine but there was always the ever present wind chill keeping the temperature near zero.

Joshua had caught his first Graham fish, he went on to catch his largest ever trout (3lb 7oz) and his most fish in a day (7) and I was ‘well chuffed’.

Back at the boat dock there were lots of happy students and proud mentors, more friendships had been forged from the common love for fly fishing.
It was clear that all the mentors had only one aim of the day and that was that their students caught fish and they all did, the largest of the day being a 5lb 8oz rainbow caught by Harry Mason. Even three complete beginners to fly-fishing Joshua and Alex Hoxey-Smith and Alex Farley all caught their first Grafham trout.

Martin Matthews from Norwich caught 6 trout with his largest being 4lb 11oz. Most youngsters kept 2 of their fish carefully returning the rest for another day.
Huge thanks to everyone who assisted to make the experience for these youngsters a successful one.”

Written by Simon Lehane

Best Rainbow 4lb 8oz taken by Peter Oldham

Best methods Bank – most lines fished slow with Pitsford Peas, damsel nymphs, diawl bachs and black boobies.
Boat – Sinking lines with buzzers, black and green lures.

Best boat areas Seat, Gaynes Cove, Willows, G buoy, Deep Water Point and Hedge End.

Best bank areas Willows, North Dam, G Bank and Deep Water Point.

Fish stocked 2,000.

Mid week boat winner Brian Beattie of Peterborough.

Forthcoming events
Beginners courses: 6,13,17 & 28 April; 5,19,26 and 30 May and throughout the year.
Anglian Water Spring Rudder match 13 April
Bob Church Open 14 April.
Lexus European Indivudal Qualifier 26 April.
Lexus European Team Qualifier 27 April.
GWFFA vs EDFA 28 April.
Anglian Water Airflo International Individual Final 11 May
GWFFA Inter Club Floating Line match 12 May

Pitsford Water
Fish week season 102 (season 445) Returns 35 (147) Rod average 2.9 (3.0)
Anglers who have braved the weather conditions (ice covering the Small Half first thing most mornings) have been rewarded with fish from both bank and boat. Alan Worley took six nice fish from the bank whilst fishing a booby. John Fletcher had fish from the North Shore on midge tip and black buzzer. Boat anglers Stephen Smith and his partner caught seven fish and an angler fishing from a single man boat caught four fish including a good specimen of nearly 6lb.

Fish are still deep and are being taken on sinking lines with boobies or on intermediate lines with a weighted fly on the point. The best fly colours are black and green or white and green with flies fished slowly.

Best Rainbow 5lb plus.

Best Brown 3lb 8oz (returned).

Best boat areas Narrows, Causeway Car Park to Gorse Bank.

Best bank areas Cliffs and Gorse Bank.

Mid week boat winner Paul Bryan of Leicester.

Beginners courses: 7,14,20 & 26 April; 8,12,18 & 31 May and throughout the season.

Ravensthorpe Reservoir
Fish week 86 (season 502) Returns 26 (173) Rod average 3.3 (2.9)
Those brave enough to tackle the weather conditions have been rewarded. Local angler Nick Bartlett fished from a boat at the Coton Car Park area and landed 13 Rainbows. Nick used an intermediate line and a black and green lure.

Mark Hunt decided to fish the buzzers on Sunday and landed five superb Rainbows. Mark fished to the right of the Island, all his fish fell to the point fly. The best fish of the week fell to Steve Tomalin of Kingsthorpe, Northampton. Steve fished from Platform 13 with floating line and a red buzzer and landed a Rainbow of 6lb 8oz – a personal best for Steve.

Best Rainbow 6lb 8oz taken by Steve Tomalin of Kingsthorpe.

Best boat areas Island, Coton Car Park.

Best bank areas Platforms 13 and 4, Dam.

Mid week boat winner N Bartlett of Bugbrooke, Northants.

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