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 

Lodge – 01536 770264 & Fishery Mobile 07834581424

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/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 10^th September   Rod Av:   2.4     Water Temperature: 20-21°c

The Algal bloom that threatened towards the end of last week, welcomed in the week with vengeance, as the still, hot, sunny conditions finally took its toll. There was a thick Algal bloom that covered the southern end of the reservoir. Now there are a couple of ways of dealing with Algae, you either avoid it by searching out clear areas, predominately up wind, or you fish under it as Algae very rarely covers the whole depth. Those venturing out in the morning chose the former as the boats travelled up to the general area of the Willows where fish had been found previously & the water was clearer. By mid-afternoon there was a gentle North-Easterly breeze that began to push the Algae in the Main Basin downwind, freeing more clear water. Fish were caught as in previous days, high up in the water, on Dries or a washing line. Those fish down by the Willows were caught predominately on the Dries with fish willing to come “Blind” to a well-presented Dry Fly. Foam Daddies & the Midas both, unsurprisingly, featured well on the catch returns.

Tuesday brought with it a moderate breeze which fluctuated between a South Easterly & a North Easterly. This made avoiding the Algae somewhat challenging as clear patches became inconsistent, but there were some clear patches & fish were caught. Those fishing the clear patches caught very well on top of the water tactics; Dries & Washing Lined floating lines & there were some very high catch returns recorded. The clearer & therefore most productive areas were the Willows down to Stoke Dry & across the open water, between the Island & the Point. As previously mentioned, another method for fishing with Algae present, is to fish underneath it be that on tip lines with deep fished Nymphs or on Sinking Lines using Boobies. Either can be a great method on their day & some of those who tried that, caught very well on Fast Sinking Lines & Boobies. In areas where the band of Algae isn’t deep, getting under it can be achieved by fishing with Intermediates & Long Tip Lines.

Whatever breeze there was earlier in the week was a distant memory on Wednesday as bright sunlight & flat calm conditions welcomed anglers. The lack of breeze also meant that the Algae was still which made locating clear water challenging. In addition, the water temperature continued to rise so it became very little of a surprise that anglers found fish hard to come by with few fish caught. Wednesday also saw us host the England Disabled Fly Fisher, National Qualifier with 14 anglers taking to the water, producing a rod average of 1.7. Congratulations to all those that qualified for next year’s International & a special mention must go to Neil Hodgson who was the top rod on the day with 5 fish. Neil caught his fish at the Willows & in front of Robbo’s Cabin on a Mid Glass with a Sparkler Booby on the point & Cormorants on the Droppers. Another method that worked for some was a washing line fished on a long Tip Line with Hoppers fished on the droppers.

Thursday brought with it an inconsistent, gentle breeze from the Northeast with clear, bright skies. To make the conditions even more challenging, the consistent high air temperatures finally began to raise the water temperature. With high water temperatures, algae & a flat calm, Thursday turned into a very challenging day. Those that did catch caught mainly on the washing line on long tips or intermediate lines from various locations around the reservoir. The most consistent area proved to from the Willows to Pollards Leap, where Eyebrook Member Stuart Bilsdon caught his 3 fish which was an excellent return for the day.

Friday was yet another extremely hot day, with very little to no wind. The reservoir spent the day in a flat calm with most of the fish caught during the slightly cooler mornings. Foam Daddies featured well on the catch returns with fish willing to feed off the surface during those cooler spells. During the afternoons, very few fish were caught & those that were, were caught on lures on sinking lines. The algae is still present & it became challenging to found clear water due to the lack of wind.

With similar weather to the previous days, Saturday saw the water temperature increase to 22°c by mid-afternoon. Despite the water temperature increase, the algae in the main basin begin to dissipate which opened this area for long drifts. Subsequently there were fish caught in the Main Basin, but the were caught deep on sinking lines with Buzzers, Nymphs & Lures. Eyebrook members Neil Shilton & Bob Margery both had productive days, Neil on his Float Tube landed 6 & Bob landed 7 fish on a morning session. Both anglers fished lures deep on Di 7s. The England Ladies practicing for tomorrows National Final, also found fish deep on Di5’s & Di7’s, but they found that colour was key with bright, blob patterns catching well. Elsewhere, Ian Watts chose to present buzzers deep on sinking lines & had a very productive day from the Main Basin.

Sunday started with bright, clear & calm conditions but as the day progressed, light cloud started to build, brought in by a light easterly breeze. By late afternoon these light winds brought with them some strong winds, thunder, lightning & heavy rain before reverting to a flat calm & bright sunlight again. These variable conditions did not seem to affect the fishing too much where fish continued to get caught deep in the Main Basin with Nymphs, Cormorants & Lures on Sinking Lines. Sunday saw us host the England Ladies National Final where they went on fish to a Rod Average for the day of 3.5, which given the conditions was excellent. Congratulations goes to Sam Edmunds who was crowned Champion again & well done to all competitors. Everyone caught & it was great to see you all again, along with some new faces. We also hosted a group from Fly Fishing Large Reservoirs which saw 20 anglers take to the water. Well to all fishing in some challenging conditions & a special mention must go to Mike Smith & Craig Middleton who had 10 fish each. That’s a great return on a tricky day.

With cooler weather to come, the outlook for the forthcoming week looks good where we should see the water temperature begin to drop & the fish move up in the water column.

Upcoming Events.

17 September – All-Abilities Friendly Fly-Fishing Club – 12 + 3WB’s.

2023 Eyebrook Closing Date.

The last day of fishing on Eyebrook is Monday 20^th November.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48-to-72-hour forecast.

XC Weather – https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/LE16_8RP use this link for Eyebrook.

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Eyebrook Reservoir.

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Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings For details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 10^th September Rod Av: 1.0  Water Temperature:21c – 22c+

Monday, start of the week with our algae bloom continuing. We recommended anglers looked at Eyebrook or Draycote. Looking back through our records we would have to go back over 15 years to see algae this bad.

Tuesday through to Sunday the forecast for the heatwave peaked on Friday & Saturday with our surface water temperature at 7am registering 22c+

With the high daytime temperatures, we recommended anglers either moved their booking to this coming week & cooler forecast or they went to Eyebrook or Draycote. Not surprising few rods fished Thornton.

Looking forward to this week I have posted the weather forecast on our

Facebook page www.facebook.com/FlyFishStore

Twitter page www.twitter.com/FlyFishStore

Instagram page www.instagram.com/flyfishstore/

Its certainly a typical September forecast which is good for fly fishing.

Thornton still has algae although its starting to improve, we recommend you call the Thornton lodge for latest updates 01530230807.

Thornton 2023 last day of the fishing season Thursday 30th November

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48 to 72 hour forecast.

XC Weather – https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/LE67_1AR use this link for Thornton.

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Thornton Reservoir

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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/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Exclusion Zone  Due to the work being carried out on the Hensborough Bank there is an exclusion zone in place, clearly marked with yellow buoys. Under no circumstances are anglers to enter this area as there are divers in the water.

Week Ending:   Sunday 10th September 2023  Rod Av: 2.3  Water Temperature: 20 °C

Monday was flat calm with bright sunshine, and one of those days when there were no fish showing on top at all. The few anglers that did venture out fished mainly on sinking lines over the deeper parts of the reservoir and in the Aerators. There was only a total of 4 fish caught for the day and these were caught early, on such flies as snakes and minkie boobies.

Although Tuesday was bright, at least we had a good breeze here at Draycote Water. Anglers fared much better than yesterday with the rod average rising to 3.8. Some anglers were catching fish early on with a washing line fished off a midge tip, but as the day progressed it became apparent that a fast glass or a DI3 was needed with snakes or cormorants. Stuart Lee and Peter Elliott had 2 dozen fish to the boat between them using blobs, boobies and cormorants. Mr Rob Keeber and Mr Alan Wither caught well over 20 fish between them using a DI3 and snakes down in Toft Shallows. Mr McNicolls party also used snakes fished on sinking lines to net a bakers dozen.

The welcome breeze of yesterday, was nothing more than a distant memory, as still & bright conditions returned for Wednesday morning. By the afternoon though there was some resemblance of a breeze which provided a brief respite from the oppressive heat. Despite the weather, the reservoir fished well for those fishing Sinking lines & for those fishing the Washing Line on Long Tip lines. Draycote members & regular boat partners, Lee Patten & Peter Elliot caught well on 12ft Tips, landing well into double figures. Whereas Rob Keeber & Alan Withers, opted to fish Di 3 Sinking Lines with Snakes & were rewarded with well over 20 fish between them.

Draycote’s form continued to improve on Thursday, with fish caught on a variety of method from various locations. Dries proved to be a productive method for All Water Member Ed Douglas, who went on to land 9 fish on F-Flies & on Crippled Midge patterns. Ed remained as mobile as possible, which can be tricky when there is a lack of wind, achieved this by frequently moving his boat & not spending too long in areas that are not producing.  Draycote members Dave Kennell & Eddie Mitchell also had a productive day, choosing to fish washing lined floaters & they went on to land well into double figures, as did Gordan Bramwell, another Draycote member. From the banks, Mr Goldney fished a Blue Flash Damsel for what proved to be a very good morning, going on to land 7 fish, which is a great return.

Friday brought with it flat, calm conditions, that resulted in reservoir resembling a sheet of glass. By lunchtime, there was light cloud built that dulled the sunshine for the remainder of the day. At times like these it is best to push down on to the fish a bit, perhaps starting with an intermediate line and lures. Most of the fish in these temperatures will move into the deeper cooler water, but this is not always the case. At the moment we have a large number of fish here at Draycote on the feed in Toft Shallows. Craig Middleton used a coral cormorant on a midge tip to net 4 fish from near the Nature Reserve. Mr D Molyneaux also caught 3 fish in Toft Shallows on sinking lines and fry patterns.

We could feel the heat on the pontoon early on Saturday morning, and by 9 o’clock it was flat calm with bright sunshine, and very warm. There were a good number of anglers who took to the water, catching a few fish first thing just off the front of the pontoon. Through the middle of the day everything went a bit quiet, before picking up again sometime after 4pm. Jon Crowley got straight on the water and headed to M buoy to net 4 fish on a sinking line and lures, before returning to the pontoon by 10:30. Mr Stuart Wallaces group had 9 fish between them, which they caught on sinking lines and snakes over M buoy and around the Aerators. Dan and Elliott Quinn caught 16 fish between them using boobies on DI7 lines in the aerators.

Sunday started flat calm and warm, but with good cloud cover. There was a forecast for heavy rain and thunderstorms later in the day, but these never materialised. Once again the fishing was set to be a challenge with most anglers opting for sunken line techniques, mixing it up a bit with small competition sized boobies or bigger lures such as snakes and minkies. Draycote regular Kasidit Leoviriyakit, tried his hand on the bank under very challenging circumstances, and managed 3 fish. Kas fished from the Swans nest around to Lincroft Point using snakes and fry patterns. Draycote staff member Lee Henfrey and his boat partner Nigel Keeber used booby bashers and small competition sized sparklers to net 7 good fish near Y buoy. The lads were counting down 40 seconds and back drifting with a very slow retrieve. Season permit holder Tom Roberts had 3 fish to the boat during a morning session. Tom used a coral boobie on a sinking line to catch his fish up near the Valve Tower and in the Aerators. Frazer Duffy, senior and junior, used snakes on DI7 lines to net 9 fish between them.

Competitions Due at Draycote:

EFFA- 14^th September 18 boats.

Airflo Sheild Final- 16^th September 36 boats.

Mid Northants- 17^th September 20 Boats.

Draycote’s closing date

The closing date for Draycote for this season will be Thursday 30^th November 2023.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48 to 72 hour forecast.

XC Weather – Forecast for CV23 8AB | XCWeather use this link for Draycote

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Draycote Water

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 

Lodge – 01536 770264 & Fishery Mobile 07834581424

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/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 03^rd September   Rod Av:   5.0          Water Temperature: 18°c

Eyebrook started the week in the same vein it finished the last with fish occupying the upper layers of the water column & getting caught on Dries & the Washing Line from the boats & from the banks. Beginner member Alex Hardy took to the banks & landed 6 fish from the Hawthorns in a short morning session which is a great return. Mr Burdett fishing a Last 4 Hour also caught well down the Hawthorns, landing 4 fish on Foam Daddies. On the boats, All Water Member Ed Douglas landed well into double figures from the area of the Main Basin, all of which came to the dries. Ed caught on Bob’s Bits, F Flies & CDC Emergers. Enjoying a morning session was John Balladon, who landed 15 fish on the Washing Line fishing a Candy FAB on the point & a Nemo Cruncher & Muskins on the droppers. Another angler to do very well on a Candy FAB was James Britton. James fished a Diawl Bach & a Hares Ear with it & went on to also land 15 fish. Our resident Guide Lee Henfry took Fred & Cohen Jones out on a 4-hour guide & had a great morning catching on the Dries, north side of the Valve Tower, tight into the Dam wall. Fred & Cohen Jones then went out & enjoyed an afternoon session consolidating what Lee had covered with them in the morning.  For further information on the Guiding & Tuition services we provide, please use the following link: https://www.flyfishtuition.co.uk/

Tuesday saw a moderate south-westerly breeze bring overcast skies for the majority of the day which was perfect for long drifts across the Main Basin targeting fish in the upper layers. Subsequently the reservoir fished very well with both the banks & the boats producing some excellent returns. The Hawthorns continues to fish very well for the Bank anglers with fish getting caught above the weedbeds on Dries or the Washing Line. Richard Joy had a very productive bank session landing 17 fish on Diawl Bachs presented with a FAB/Blob Booby on the point of his Washing Line. On the boats it was a similar story to the previous day with large numbers of fish caught on either Dries or the Washing Line. Fish were caught throughout the Main Basin with fish being caught from the Dam Wall to Robbo’s Cabin frontage & along the Leicester Bank to Sam’s Dyke. With regards to fishing the Dries, the Foam Daddy featured high on the catch returns as did Muskins, Diawl Bachs, Nemo Crunchers & FABs for those fishing the Washing Line. A special mention must go to youth angler Cohen Jones, who had a great short session landing 8 fish, all on Foam Daddies. Well done, Cohen, that’s a great effort.

Wednesday brought with it what can only be described as changeable weather. What started as a gentle south-westerly breeze developed into a moderate to strong, gusty north-westerly which brought with intervals of heavy showers & bright sunshine. Generally the fished remained high in the water column, although the spells of extended sunshine did result in the fish dropping down slightly & then coming back to the surface when the conditions change. The most productive methods remained the washing line & when conditions suited, the Dries, with the most productive area being the Main Basin. The Foam Daddy continued to feature highly on the catch return as did FAB’s, Diawl Bachs, Crunchers & Muskins.

There was a bright, clear started to Thursday with the reservoir in a flat calm. This remained so until lunchtime until a southerly breeze brought in some much-needed cloud cover.  Due to the stillness early on, there was a slight algal bloom which hampered some areas of the Main Basin until the wind increased. Yet again the reservoir fished well with fish caught from the boats & the bank. The bank anglers caught well along the Hawthorns where All Water Member Jim Greasley landed 15 on a washing line & also on the Dries. Round in Mucky bay Nigel Woolnough targeted the naturally feeding fish & was rewarded with 9 fish all taken on natural patterns fished over the weedbeds. From the boats, within the productive Main Basin, Dogwood bay held a good number of fish & were caught on Foam Daddies, the North Side of the Tower was also holding fish, as was Robbo’s Cabin frontage. Another All-Water Member, Mark Hunt, had another productive day landing 18 fish on the Dries: Yellow Owls & Foam Daddies proving to be the most effective. As previously reported, the washing lined Floating Line was another method that was catching well & as it proved for Jude Tuffs who landed 11 on FABs & Nymphs.

The reservoir continued to fish well Friday with fish still being caught in the upper layers. Eyebrook members Ian Steele & Bill Law had a very productive morning session landing 17 fish to the boat on the washing line from the area of the Main Basin. Another Eyebrook member, Nigel Savage caught well on a greased-up size 16 Hares Ear & out in his Float Tube was Ian Jobe, also caught very well. Initially going out to fish deep, Ian found the fish a lot higher up & changed to a tip line & fished the washing line. Ian found a lot of fish in front of Robbo’s Cabin, landing 10 fish on one drift.

Saturday brought with it some initial overcast conditions which disappeared after lunch to reveal clear, bright skies. Consequently, the change in weather made the fishing challenging for some. Thinking outside of the box & trying somewhere different, Eyebrook Member, Mick Farrell ventured down to the Willows & had a very successful day fishing the Dries. Mick landed well over 20 fish with the Midas & a Tan Foam Daddy being his most productive patterns. Others to catch well on Foam Daddies were Andrew & Nigel Farmer who landed well into double figures from the Main Basin. Thomas Long, also fishing the Main Basin, opted to fish nymphs on a Floating Line & was rewarded with an excellent return of 16 fish. Thomas found Diawl Bachs & small Black Buzzers to be his most effective patterns.

Initially there was a misty start to Sunday which eventually cleared due to the rising sun & revealed flat, calm conditions across the whole reservoir. With the sun beating down on the water & no wind to move the water, Algae quickly began to form in the Main Basin, with other parts remaining clear. Sunday saw us host the Eyebrook Flyfishers Single Fly match which saw 8 anglers armed with their Foam Daddies, take to the water. The reservoir fished very well & between they produced a rod average of 6.6 which was great given the conditions. The Willows produced a great number of fish with the fish happy to take the Dries & for those fish the competition, Foam Daddies. Congratulations goes to all the prize winners, Mark Goodge/Dick Spicer for the smallest fish & Dave Etty for the largest fish. Elsewhere, Mr Hollins had a great day, landing well over 20, fishing deeper, pulling boobies on a sinking line out in open water, off the Island. On the banks, down by the Hawthorns, was Ian Gadsby, who had a great bag of fish, landing 11 once a gentle breeze cleared the Algae. Despite far from ideal conditions, the Reservoir fished very well & it was a great end to the week.

Take A Friend Fishing 29^th July to 3^rd September 2023, a great opportunity to introduce a family member or friend to a Free day’s fly fishing. Your guest will share your permit with the availability of a free day’s rod licence.

Full details visit the website https://takeafriendfishing.co.uk/

The event is supported by the campaign partners Angling Trade Association & the Environment Agency

Upcoming Events.

06 September – England Disabled Fly Fishers, 15 Boats + 2 WB’s

09 & 10 September – England Ladies National, 15 Boats.

10 September – Fly Fishing Large Reservoirs, 10 Boats.

17 September – All-Abilities Friendly Fly-Fishing Club – 12 + 3WB’s.

2023 Eyebrook Closing Date.

The last day of fishing on Eyebrook is Monday 20^th November.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48-to-72-hour forecast.

XC Weather – https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/LE16_8RP use this link for Eyebrook.

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Eyebrook Reservoir.

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Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings For details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 3^rd September Rod Av: 1.0  Water Temperature:18.5c – 19c

Despite some excellent fishing towards the end of the week previous Monday & Tuesday fishing of this week proved challenging due to the continued algae we have.

Wednesday anglers fished the morning session due to the algae with fast sinking lines and booby patterns generally fishing best. P Hunt & J Thomson fished fast sinkers with a sparkler booby to catch 5 for their mornings fishing with T Holder back for a second trip catching his 3 trout on a blue eyed damsel booby. Water temperature due to the cooler nights is just below 19c.

Thursday our water temperature at 7am is 18.5c going the right direction for the autumn. Algae is still an issue were advising rods to fish the morning or take a trip to Eyebrook or Draycote.

Friday, Saturday & Sunday algae has remained and is quite thick in some areas. When the breeze was from the east the anglers who did go out found clearer conditions from the Markfield arm across to the smaller yellow buoy on Sunday with a southerly breeze the clearer water was from green bay / dam area. Fast sinking lines with damsel booby, sparkler booby and minkie booby worked best.

During the week we recommended anglers fished Eyebrook or Draycote with their clearer conditions and good fishing. Thornton will bounce back as soon as the algae reduces.

Thornton Angling Club, Monday 11^th September from 9.00am to 2.00pm have their clubs annual seniors boat competition. Contact the lodge to have your name added to the event.

Thornton 2023 last day of the fishing season Thursday 30^th November

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48-to-72-hour forecast.

XC Weather – https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/LE67_1AR use this link for Thornton.

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Thornton Reservoir

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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/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Exclusion Zone  Due to the work being carried out on the Hensborough Bank there is an exclusion zone in place, clearly marked with yellow buoys. Under no circumstances are anglers to enter this area as there are divers in the water.

Week Ending:   Sunday 3^rd September 2023  Rod Av:3.4   Water Temperature:  18°C

Overcast skies Monday and Northwest winds, with the wind dropping later providing a nice ripple on the water. All water member Andy Lillie fished with Graham England with the pair boating 12 fish from a morning session. Using suspender Minkies and also daddies, fishing near Lincroft Point. They spooned the fish to fish that they have clearly been feeding hard on sticklebacks. Draycote member John Dickens used dries all day to land 9 fish with Crippled Midge and Bob’s Bit being his most productive patterns. Gary & David Turner also fished dries to land their fish, taking 5 in an afternoon session. Ian Watts & Rob Toptalo enjoyed a great days sport landing 30 fish to their boat. The fishing a washing line on a floater, but found it was when the popped and pulled the boobies the caught the majority of the fish. The pair drifted from C Buoy down to Y Buoy finding the fish closer to Y in the morning but as the day progressed caught more at C Buoy.

Tuesday, the winds the winds swung to the Southwest with more overcast skies and some rain later in the day. Mick Cronin fished from the bank at the Old Pipe in Biggin Bay landing 4 fish on suspender minkes. With Micks largest fish being a cracking 5lb 5oz rainbow. Draycote member Jim Kelly also fished the bank landing 3 fish all of which took a blue flash damsel fished on the point. On the boats Dave Atkins landed 7 fish in a morning session. Using a white snake fished on a Di 3 sinking line, with Dave’s best area being a drift from E Buoy towards Lincroft Point. Ian Morris landed a dozen fish using pin fry patterns and a Silver Invicta. Drifting from A Buoy to M Buoy in the morning and then M Buoy to Y Buoy in the afternoon. Sticking to dries all day Kevin Rees used Crippled Midge and Bob’s Bits to also land a dozen fish.

A brighter day Wednesday with winds that started in the West first thing in the morning which then later went to the Northwest. Draycote members Mike Garner & Tony Broadway fished from Lincroft point using fry patterns to land a brace each. Fishing from the boats Ian Richardson & Bob Smith enjoyed a good days sport landing 15 fish to their boat. The  pair fished with Di 3 sinking lines with a Humungous on the point and cormorants on the droppers. Landing their fish from Albert Bottom drifting towards E Buoy commenting on a “very good day” Draycote member Peter Elliot fished with Stuart Lee over from Canada landing 27 fish to the boat. They also fished in Biggin Bay and around Lincroft point but found popper hoppers to be their best patterns. John Kirk landed 12 fish while out on the boat, using a floating line with a booby on the point and then hoppers on the droppers.

A flat calm start Thursday with overcast skies from the start. Thankfully a ripple did pick up in the afternoon giving near perfect conditions. All water member Paul Havard landed half a dozen fish using a washing line on a 3ft RIO Midge Tip. Using a small cat booby on the out with a cruncher and cormorant on the dropper, fishing around M Buoy and the exclusion buoys. Draycote member Gordon Bramwell fished with Ken Cooke with the pair landing 20 fish to the boat. Fishing with washing line set up with a FAB on the point and cormorants on the droppers on a floating line. They fished around E Buoy, Biggin Bay, Lincroft and S Buoy. Peter Jefferies fishing with Keith Buckley landed 15 fish using dries and also a washing line. S Charter used a candy booby on the point of his washing line and small Diawl Bachs to boat 10 fish. Draycote member Kevin Rees used dries all day to land 19 fish with his best patterns being Bob’s Bits and Crippled Midge.

A fairly calm, overcast day on Friday with just enough breeze for the occasional ripple. This summers weather has been genuinely kind to us with steady fishing throughout , and Friday was no exception, with the western end of the reservoir features heavily on the catch returns. Mr G Day and Mr A pierce caught 3 fish between them from the bank using fry patterns such as minkies. Ruth and Tony Kirk had 4 fish to the boat between them using humungus and gold ribbed hares ears. Ian Reeve and Cian Lewis had a dozen fish to the boat on crippled midge, blobs and diawl bachs. Stuart Lee and Eddie Mitchell caught 16 fish on dries and lures fished on a midge tip. Season permit holder Ray Rawlings caught half a dozen fish using a washing line and cormorants drifting around A buoy and in Rainbow Corner. Mr K Bowen and Mr D Botterill used FAB’s to net 18 fish between them from a drifting boat.

Despite the forecast for Saturday we had light breezes and good cloud cover right through until late afternoon. Again Draycote did not disappoint, producing a rod average of 5.1 on what should have been a difficult day. Hares ears, buzzers and crunchers showed up everywhere on the catch return as well as blobs and FAB’S, mostly fished on floating lines or midge tips. Season Permit holder Alan Grant took to the bank near the old pipe in Biggin  Bay to net 4 fish on a floating line and buzzers. Staff member Mark Braun had a cracking day over in Biggin and Duns Bay, netting a total of 11 fish on boobies and black buzzers. Jon Crowley netted a dozen fish during a morning session on ginger midas and claret bob’s bits. Jon worked the outer edge of Duns Bay, past D buoy, as well as A buoy and Rainbow Corner. Young Ed Douglas had 15 fish to the boat on dries such as crippled midge, bob’s bits and culs.

Flat calm and bright sunshine was the order of the day on Sunday here at Draycote Water. The algae came up like pea soup and made for difficult fishing at times, although the anglers made the best of it, managing a rod average of 2.7. Kasidit Leoviriakit took to the bank to net a total of 4 fish. Kas used fry patterns on a floating line near the Old Pipe in Biggin Bay and up on the Tower Bank. His best fish weighed in at 3lbs 12 oz. Season permit holder Richard Walker managed a brace to the boat early doors on big reds down in the Cornfield. Mr Peter Webb caught half a dozen fish on a slow tip line and FAB’s whilst drifting near A buoy up[ near Rainbow Corner. Staff member Lee Henfrey had 14 fish to the boat using a fast glass line and snakes. Lee plied his trade out in front of the pontoon early on in the day and remarked that the fish had gone off by 11 o’clock.

Competitions Due at Draycote:

EFFA- 14^th September 18 boats.

Airflo Sheild Final- 16^th September 42 boats.

Mid Northants- 17^th September 20 Boats.

Draycote’s closing date

The closing date for Draycote for this season will be Thursday 30^th November 2023.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48 to 72 hour forecast.

XC Weather – Forecast for CV23 8AB | XCWeather use this link for Draycote

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Draycote Water

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 

Lodge – 01536 770264 & Fishery Mobile 07834581424

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/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 27^th August   Rod Av:  5.3        Water Temperature: 19+°c

It was another calm start to the week with a moderate southerly wind developing as the day progressed. This brought with it some extended periods of sunshine that meant the fish sat slightly deeper in the water column. Subsequently the washing line became the most productive method with fish taken on the buoyant point fly, be that a FAB or Foam Daddy & also on the Nymphs fished above it. Dries did work but only when the conditions suited & the Foam Daddy proved to be the most productive dry fly. All water members Ian Jobe & Andy Lilley both had productive morning sessions, landing 7 & 11 fish respectively. Ian opted for his float tube, targeting the slightly deeper laying fish whereas Andy targeted the fish in the upper layers with Dries & the Washing Line. Both anglers fished the Main Basin with a mobile approach, with the north side of the tower into Harrisons Corner noted as a particular hotspot.

Tuesday brought with it a moderate to strong westerly wind & bright sunshine with occasional cloud cover. The fish behaved exactly as you expect them to, laying a foot or so deeper during the extended periods of sunshine & feeding off the surface when there was sufficient cloud cover. Subsequently, the Washing Line continued to fish well as did the Dries when the conditions suited, with Foam Daddies once again featuring high on the catch returns. With regards to the washing line, small buzzers as an option on droppers have taken a few fish of late which indicates we are experiencing the seasonal late buzzer hatch of very small buzzers. From the boats, Eyebrook member Bill Law had a very successful day on the Washing Line, landing 7 fish on a morning session from various areas in the Main Basin. From the banks, David Coxon enjoyed his short session landing 4 fish from the casting platforms on the Leicester Bank. David used a small buzzer to tempt his fish. Well done, David, 4 fish from the bank in August is a very good return.

Wednesday, saw the weather continue in the same vein as the previous days but with less wind. The reservoir continued to fish well from the banks with both Jim Deacon & Steve Barlow land 4 fish from the area of the Hawthorns & Casting platforms. On the boats, there were still a high number of fish North side of the Tower up into Harrisons, tight in along the Dam wall with Brian White landing 8 fish on lures & Kieron Black landed 7 fish from the same area. Due to the bright sunlight & little wind, Dries did not fish that well with flies presented sub surface performing better on the day.

The reservoir fished well on Thursday with fish being caught on a variety of methods from the banks & the boats. From the banks, anglers caught along the Leicester bank from the casting platforms to Sam’s Dyke fishing Dries, Floating Fry & on the Washing Line. Eyebrook Members Roy Swinfield & Malcolm Thompson caught 8 & 4 fish respectively on the Washing Line & Dries. Whereas Max Woolnough opted to fish Floating Fry & was rewarded with 6 fish. On the boats it was a similar story with the Washing Line & Dries dominating the catch returns. The most productive Dry Fly was the Foam Daddy with both All-Water Members Steve Fairgrieve & Mark Hunt both catching very well on them in the Main Basin. On the Washing Line it paid to fish either a FAB or a Blob Booby on the point with either Nymphs or Cormorants on the Droppers. If the colourful Blob patterns didn’t catch, they done a great job in attracting fish into the other flies on the cast. Another All-Water Member, Mick Glover, used this method to land his 15 fish on what was a very productive session.

The Dries & the Washing Line continued to fish well on the Friday. Eyebrook Member Dave Shaer fished the Washing Line with colour on the point & went on to land 9 fish in a very productive morning session from the Main Basin. Another to catch 9 fish was All-Water Member Ed Douglas. Ed opted to fish the dries & found his most productive patterns to be the CDC F-Fly & also a Crippled Midge. Also from the boats, more Eyebrook Members, Bill Law & Ian Steele had a very productive morning session landing well into double figures on the Washing Line. From the banks Nigel & Max Woolnough chose to target the feeding fish along the weed beds of the Leicester Bank. Fishing Corixa patterns they encountered plenty of fish but found them to be not quite so obliging when it came to entering the net. A massive congratulations must go to Last 4 angler, Dave Huish who caught his first ever trout on a fly rod. Well done, Dave, here is to the first of many…!

Saturday started with light westerly breeze with clear skies & as the day progressed, the cloud cover began to build & by midday the conditions were nye on perfect. The wind eventually swung round to the Northwest & brought with it some changeable conditions, bright spells & heavy rain littered the afternoon. The reservoir fished very well throughout the day with some excellent returns recorded from both the banks & the boats. Dries fished very well off the banks with Eyebrook Member Malcolm Thompson & Mr Heawood landing a high number of fish on CDC’s & Foam Daddies from the Hawthorns. As well as Dries, boats anglers also caught on the Washing Line, where the Main Basin continued to fish very well with plenty of anglers getting into double figures. Eyebrook member Bob Margery had a great morning session landing well over 20 fish on the washing line, fishing close into the Dam Wall above the Valve tower.  Whereas All Water Member Mark Hunt, fished a couple of Foam Daddies down the wind lanes that were forming across the open water in the Main Basin & also landed over 20 fish. Not to be out done, Neil Shilton in his Float Tube also got in on the action landing well into double figures, also from the Main Basin.

Sunday saw the reservoirs excellent form continue yielding a daily rod average of 9.8 which is excellent for August. Great returns were recorded from the banks, Float Tubes & the boats with plenty of anglers landing well into double figures. From the banks, the Hawthorns continue to fish well wish fish caught on CDC’s over the weedbeds & later in the afternoon, on Sedge patterns. Malcolm Thompson returned & had an even better day than yesterday, targeting the fish feeding in the weed beds. Whether it was in a Float Tube or on a boat, the Main Basin fished exceptional well with the fish remaining high up in the water column & getting caught on the Washing Line & on the Dries. The most productive Dry Fly remains the Foam Daddy, whereas on the Washing Line it was again important to fish a bit of colour on the point in the form of either a FAB or a Blob Booby. As for the droppers, Cormorants, Diawl Bachs, Crunchers all featured highly on the catch returns. With the Main Basin being a relatively large area, it has also been important to remain mobile & cover as much water as possible by fishing on the drift.

The forecast for the forthcoming week indicates that there is more cool weather to come. Coupled with the longer nights, this could lead to a reduction in water temperature which means that the excellent form we are experiencing here at Eyebrook looks set to continue.

Take A Friend Fishing 29^th July to 3^rd September 2023, a great opportunity to introduce a family member or friend to a Free day’s fly fishing. Your guest will share your permit with the availability of a free day’s rod licence.

Full details visit the website https://takeafriendfishing.co.uk/

The event is supported by the campaign partners Angling Trade Association & the Environment Agency

Upcoming Events

03 September – Eyebrook Fly Fishers – Single Fly, 8 Boats.

06 September – England Disabled Fly Fishers, 15 Boats + 2 WB’s

09 & 10 September – England Ladies National, 15 Boats.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48-to-72-hour forecast.

XC Weather – https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/LE16_8RP use this link for Eyebrook.

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Eyebrook Reservoir.

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Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings For details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 27^th August Rod Av:3.1   Water Temperature: 19c – 20c

Monday and a quiet start to the week with only a couple of members out on the water.

Tuesday a much busier day, algae was again an issue, but a good breeze helped, overall a good days fishing with a 4.5 rod average. Generally fast sinkers with various booby patterns caught fished across the main basin. Arthur Olding caught 15 for his mornings visit with Pete Cox catching 12. Ian Leach and Mark Cowley boated 12 on various boobies fished on a sink 7 & sink 6 fly lines. Best of the fishing was generally during the morning into early afternoon.

Wednesday with light winds and a hot day forecast algae was about which saw most of the anglers fishing with a tip line down to fast sinkers. P Hunt caught 13 on a fast sinker with a blue damsel booby, Richard Price caught 8 also on a fast sinker with a flash damsel booby, with Tim Holder returning to fly fishing catching 4 on a sinking line with damsel booby patterns. Dave Slessor caught 5 trout fishing on a midge tip and fast sinking lines. Overall, a good day with a 3.8 rod average.

Thursday similar start to the day as Wednesday, very humid, light breeze & algae. Breeze picked up and came from the north westerly. There was a fair bit of algae with most rods deciding to fish the morning session. Phil Moore caught 4 but had lots of pulls & fish that took short, he fished a fast sinking line on the drift with various booby patterns. Tim Russell & Ron Rudge caught 5 for their mornings visit with P Birdsall & Mick Norman boating 5 trout.

Friday surface water temperature at 20c with algae about. Despite the conditions anglers fished the cooler morning session with fast sinking lines & a variety of booby patterns fished on a 3ft or 6ft leader, producing a rod average 4.0 Chris Sayer caught 7 with S Zeleny & Swinfield boating 6 for their visit.

Saturday, overcast morning, surprisingly humid with algae about again this morning. Forecast is for a cooler day with light showers. Overall, a challenging day with Jan Webber top rod for the second Saturday in a row with 5 trout caught on a fast sinker 7 line & booby patterns. John Bebbington spotted gulls feeding on the fry along the stones, moving to this area he fished fry patterns under the surface boating 3 trout.

Sunday, cooler overnight dropped the surface temperature to 19c. Algae unfortunately still an issue for Thornton. The morning session continues to fish best with a fast sinker & various booby pattern on a 3ft or 6ft leader generally best. Orange, red & damsel, minkie boobies have worked best although on Sunday Neil Bates caught 8 fish for his mornings visit on a sparkler booby.

With the cooler evenings & a much cooler forecast for the coming week we will hopefully start to see the algae clear. Current surface water temperature has dropped to 19c & should continue to drop. As always call the lodge for latest fishing report.

Take A Friend Fishing 29^th July to 3^rd September 2023, a great opportunity to introduce a family member or friend to a Free days fly fishing. Your guest will share your permit with the availability of a free days rod licence.

Full details visit the website https://takeafriendfishing.co.uk/

The event is supported by the campaign partners Angling Trade Association & the Environment Agency.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48 to 72 hour forecast.

XC Weather – https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/LE67_1AR use this link for Thornton.

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Thornton Reservoir

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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/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Exclusion Zone  Due to the work being carried out on the Hensborough Bank there is an exclusion zone in place, clearly marked with yellow buoys. Under no circumstances are anglers to enter this area as there are divers in the water.

Week Ending:   Sunday 27^th August 2023  Rod Av: 2.9  Water Temperature: 17.5 °C

A bright start to the week Monday, with a gusty wind at times coming from the Southwest.  Peter Evans fished from Rainbow Corner drifting towards Y Buoy to land 3 fish in a morning session. Taking the fish on the booby fished on the point. Paul Cramp also fished for a morning landing 5 fish, using cormorants on a midge tip. Paul drifted the open water through the middle around P Buoy to take his fish with the best being a cracking 4lb rainbow. Draycote season ticket holder Paul Walked landed 14 fish while out on a boat. Paul used a red gold head lure fished on a midge tip to take his fish. Landing them at B Buoy towards the Valve Tower and also down at the Swan’s nest in Toft.

Another bright and breezy day on Tuesday, which made the fishing a challenge at times, as the fish still remain high in the water. However, the bright conditions mean they feed for shorter periods of time. All water member Ken Key battled the strong winds at Lincroft point and was rewarded with a cracking Rainbow taken on a cruncher. Draycote member Tim Davies fished with his son Johnathan with the duo landing 7 fish in a morning session. Using a washing line, with a booby on the point and nymphs on the droppers. With the most productive area being a the Exclusion zone buoys towards M Bouy and then around K Buoy. All water member Ed Douglas stuck to dries for most of the day landing 6 fish with shuttlecocks and crippled midge being his most productive pattern. James Maplethorpe fished with Trevor Moore, between the Draycote Dam and B Buoy. Landing 15 fish between them using small biscuit boobies on the point and Diawl Bachs on the droppers and commented “brilliant day 4 over 3lbs”.

Wednesday was overcast with a light breeze to start with and brightened up as the day progressed. The water quality is pretty good overall, with a little colour at the windward end of the reservoir, which doesn’t seem to effect the fishing too much. As seems to be the standard this season, anglers can be seen catching fish in bright sunshine either on dries or on a washing line just below the surface. On a visit from Canada, Stuart Lee had a great day out netting 11 fish on dries as well as the washing line on a midge tip. Stuart fished near the out of bounds markers on the Hensborough Bank as well as in Rainbow Corner. Ed Douglas and Kevin Rees had a bakers dozen apiece on dries such as crippled midge, bob’s bits and the F fly. Alex Campbell had half a dozen good fish during a morning session, one of which weighed roughly 4 lbs 7oz.  Alex used a DI7 line and a mini tube fly around the Dive Platforms and the front of the Valve Tower.

Thursday was flat calm and bright to start with but got a bit breezy through the afternoon. Due to the flat conditions there was a bit of colour in the water but once again, it doesn’t seem to bother the fish too much. Paul Havard had 3 fish to the boat using a washing line and a tequila blob. Mr Brendan Thomas also caught 3 fish using muskins and stated that he had lost a lot more. Frazer Duffy senior and junior caught 14 fish between them using a mixture of dries and cormorants during an afternoon session. Mike Gillett and Colin Campbell had 4 fish to the boat between them using diawl bachs on a floating line near the flat stones.

Overcast skies and westerly winds on Friday, however despite the good conditions the fishing was tricky. Although the bank anglers enjoyed good sport Stan Hillman and Mick Cronin both landed 5 fish each from Lincroft point. The used floating fry to land their 5 fish and commented on the quality of the fish both landing fish up to 5lb. On the boats we had a number of anglers practicing for the John Watts Fly Dressers Guild match on Saturday so exact numbers and methods where a closely guarded secret. One of the teams practicing for the match landed 11 fish between the 3 of them. There was also similar numbers recorded by the Scottish team of 4. With the tactics that worked successfully being Di 7 sinking lines and lures. Mr David Molineux used a Di 7 sinking line and a sparkler booby to land 6 fish from Rainbow Corner.

The wind on Saturday remained on the Southwest, with a mix of cloud and sun during the day. Draycote member Mike Garner fished from Lincroft point landing 3 fish all on fry patterns. With his first fish being a cracking 4lb rainbow. On the boats Draycote member Jon Crowley landed 7 fish on claret bobs bits in the morning before the sun came out. Drifting from M Buoy out towards K Buoy on ling drifts. Fishery Ranger Mark Braun enjoyed a mornings sport on a day off landing 8. Staring his drift at C Buoy and heading through the Aerators. Using an intermediate line with an orange blob fished with a fast retrieve. Draycote member Chris Pallot fished from A to N Buoy in a morning session landing 4 fish. Including a cracking 5lb 8oz Rainbow, which can be seen on our here www.facebook.com/flyfishstore Chris used a Di 3 sinking with a white and silver Humungus to land his fish. Saturday also saw the fishery host the Fly Dressers Guild John Watts Competition. With 10 regions from all over the UK taking place from Kent all the way to Scotland. Overall there was 117 fish caught for a rod average of 3.0 per angler. With the winning team being the North Kent Salad Dodgers with 23, Second Place went to Trout ‘n Gout with 21 and New Haylie Fly Fishers with 14. The overall top rod was Paul Cramp who landed 10 fish, using a Di 5 sweep in the morning with black hoppers on the droppers and a cat booby on the point. Before swapping to two foam daddies on a floating line in the afternoon. Taking 5 of each method, fishing from T Buoy down to H buoy into Toft and around Lincroft point.

An overcast day Sunday for the most part with a bit of sun later in the day and the odd shower around lunch. Draycote member Richard walker fished for a morning landing 9 fish, taking 5 on dries. Either Big Reds or Orange Daddy with the other 4 coming to a white snake. All water member Ed Douglas also finished the day with 9 fish, all of which that came to dries. Lianne Frost fished with a single FAB on various tip lines or an intermediate to land 8 fish. With Chris Bobby also using the same tactic along with a single CDC to also land 8. Draycote member Paul Mitchell fished with Tim Burn with the pair landing 22 fish to their boat. Using sparkler boobies and FABs fished on various midge tips around Y Buoy, N & M Buoy. All water members Frazer Duffy Snr & Jnr landed 28 fish fishing around Y Buoy. The father and son duo used a 12ft slow tip with a FAB on the point and then crunchers on the droppers.

Take A Friend Fishing 29^th July to 3^rd September 2023, a great opportunity to introduce a family member or friend to a Free days fly fishing. Your guest will share your permit with the availability of a free days rod licence.

Full details visit the website https://takeafriendfishing.co.uk/

The event is supported by the campaign partners Angling Trade Association & the Environment Agency

Competitions Due at Draycote:

Scottish Power- 2^nd September 15 boats.

EFFA- 14^th September 18 boats.

Airflo Sheild Final- 16^th September 42 boats.

Mid Northants- 17^th September 20 Boats.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48 to 72 hour forecast.

XC Weather – Forecast for CV23 8AB | XCWeather use this link for Draycote

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Draycote Water

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 

Lodge – 01536 770264 & Fishery Mobile 07834581424

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/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 20^th August   Rod Av:   4.0       Water Temperature: 19+°c

It was a calm but very damp start to the week & as the day progressed the wind intensified. This put paid to any anglers venturing out on Monday.

Tuesday brought with it some bright, clear skies & a gentle to moderate south westerly wind. The clear skies remained for most of the day with occasional cloud cover. With far from ideal conditions, the reservoir fished very well, particularly to the Dries, where fish were caught across the Main Basin. Other successful methods included the Washing Line with those fishing “colour” on the point, be that a Blob Booby or FAB, catching better than those who opted for a more subtle point fly. Eyebrook Member Roy Swinfield did exactly this, landing 11 fish, coming to the Blob Booby on the point & the Muskins on the droppers. Eyebrook regular, Martin Rowson opted for CDC’s, whereas his boat partner Keith Walker chose the Washing Line & they enjoyed a very productive day landing over 30 fish. Fishing Dries, Mr Fox & Mr Smith also had a good day landing well over 20 fish, once again from the Main Basin. All Water Member Ian Jobe, out in his float tube, spent his morning fishing slightly deeper, looking for some of Eyebrook’s larger resident fish & was rewarded with 11 fish averaging over 3lbs.

On Wednesday the reservoir started in a flat calm & remained that way for most of the day with an occasional breeze that produced a very light ripple. This lack of wind, coupled with clear, bright skies indicated that this would be a challenging day and so it proved. There was however a good number of fish caught from the area of the Main Basin on a variety of methods. All Water Member Mick Glover initially caught well on Foam Daddies but changed later in the day to pulling a Tequila Booby on a sinking line & was a rewarded with an excellent return of 14 fish. Eyebrook Member Victoria Liggins fished Foam Daddies from a drifting boat & went on to have a very productive day landing 7 fish. Nigel & Max Woolnough chose a different approach by targeting feeding fish around the marginal weedbeds. Fishing Dries & Fry imitations they went on to land well into double figures which is an excellent return for a morning session. What were the common themes throughout the day was that despite the conditions, the fish remained high up in the water column & those fishing from drifting boats caught better than those fishing from an anchored boat. It pays to cover more water.

Thursday saw us experience the first algal bloom of the season, with the Main Basin’s water clarity deteriorated to 12 inches at times. This obviously had a detrimental effect on the fishing with very few fish caught. Those that did catch, caught in the morning before the extended sunlight accelerated the algal bloom. During this initial blooming phase, it was very difficult to find clear water as the algae built throughout.

With very little breeze to usher it along, the Algal boom continued to dominate the general area of the Main Basin on Friday. Most of the fish caught today, were caught by those targeting the feeding fish around the weedbeds, be that from the bank or from the boats. The weed acts as a filter to the Algae & there were some areas of water between the weed & the bank. The most productive pattern proved to be a Stickleback popper fry.

Saturday brought with it a moderate southerly breeze that began to clear the Algae in the Main Basin & subsequently the reservoir fished considerately better than it had previously. The Washing Line seemed to be the percentage method with a mixture of either a Foam Daddy on the point or a FAB & Hares Ears or Muskins on the Droppers. Out with his son, Eyebrook member, Mick Farrell enjoyed a very productive day landing well over 20 fish on the Washing Line. As did Ben Beckworth who got well into double figures, also on the Washing Line. Another Eyebrook Member Neil Shilton, out in his Float Tube, landed 8 great quality fish, fishing slightly deeper with lures. On his weekly visit, Bob Margery also got amongst the fish, again on the Washing Line with some colour on the point.

The improvement to the water clarity continued Sunday & yet again the Reservoir fished very well. With most of the fish occupying the upper layers, the Washing Line & Dries proved to be the most productive methods with great returns recorded. With the Washing Line, the choice of the buoyant point fly varied from Foam Daddies, Blob Booby/FAB to Marabou Boobies; Candy Booby, Cat Booby, etc…. The marabou booby is a great choice when fished on a slower retrieve due to the movement of the marabou. On the droppers, Hoppers, Lightweight Buzzers, Cormorants & Diawl Bachs all featured highly on the catch returns. This time of year & with changeable weather conditions we are currently experiencing it often pays dividends to remain flexible in your approach & change your method to suit the conditions, which is exactly what Mr Wilkins & Gray did. They fished Dries in the morning & then changed to the Washing Line in the brighter afternoon & were rewarded with landing well over 20 fish, catching throughout the day. Elsewhere, All Water Members, the Duffy’s, Junior & Senior, caught well into double figures as did Sam & Rob Edmunds.

Take A Friend Fishing 29^th July to 3^rd September 2023, a great opportunity to introduce a family member or friend to a Free day’s fly fishing. Your guest will share your permit with the availability of a free day’s rod licence.

Full details visit the website https://takeafriendfishing.co.uk/

The event is supported by the campaign partners Angling Trade Association & the Environment Agency

Upcoming Events

03 September – Eyebrook Fly Fishers – Single Fly, 8 Boats.

06 September – England Disabled Fly Fishers, 15 Boats + 2 WB’s

09 & 10 September – England Ladies National, 15 Boats.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48-to-72-hour forecast.

XC Weather – https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/LE16_8RP use this link for Eyebrook.

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Eyebrook Reservoir.

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Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings For details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 20^th August.  Rod Av: 3.1    Water Temperature: 19c+ – 20c+

Monday with its forecast was a quiet day with only one boat out for a few hours. Tuesday with a much better forecast had all of the boats out for the morning session with some boats out for the afternoon evening. With the brighter conditions algae also returned. Mixed days fishing overall. Arthur Olding caught 10 on a fast sinking line and orange booby across the min basin. P hunt caught his 5 on buzzers & daddies with Paul Martindale during the afternoon hooking 5 trout & landing 2 on a damsel.

Wednesday with little wind forecast & a bright hot day, algae was an issue across the water. And yet, despite the weather we enjoyed our best days fishing of the week with the rod average at 4.5 The morning session was the most productive fishing from 8am to 2.30pm. Ironically the area opposite the lodge was a productive area along with the deeper water in front of the public car park and across the maim basin. Fast sink tip lines down to fast sinkers with damsel booby patterns, red booby & standard damsel patterns. Richard Price caught 14 for his mornings session, Phil Mee with his granddaughters caught 7, D Slessor caught 4 with P Hunt & J Thomson boating 14 trout.

Thursday, wind had switched to an easterly. With algae still about the cooler morning session fished best with anglers fishing fast sinking lines & booby patterns such as a damsel booby, orange or red booby, olive snake booby on a 3ft to 6ft leader. Martin Hosking fished the morning session boating 7 on booby patterns with Dean Rossi catching 3 for his mornings visit. Unfortunately the afternoon & evening proved challenging.

Friday, easterly wind, cooler morning with some rain, algae still showing, water temperature at 7am was 19c+ Anglers took our advice and fished the morning session which produced great sport with an 8.8 rod average. With the conditions fast sinking lines with a 3ft leader single booby or 6ft leader with a booby on the point and a booby, red buzzer, bloodworm pattern or red diawl bach on the dropper. All water member M Vickers fished with his son and 8 year old granddaughter Luna who caught 4 trout, excellent well done Luna. Matt and his son boating 20 trout. C Sayer caught 12 on various booby patterns with P Wrigley & R Dunster boating 11 trout with some of those caught drifting the Thornton arm. R Michalak caught 6 with the damsel booby being his most productive pattern

Saturday, algae still about with the water temperature 19c+ at 7.30am. Anglers took our recommendation and fished the morning session with fast sinking lines 6ft leaders with tequila booby, damsel booby, red booby and minkie booby working. Jan Webber caught 7 wit B Sibley and M Clay boating 12 fish to their boat with P Cook catching and returning a cracking 3lb perch.

Sunday with the water temperature 19c at 7.30am and still some algae about the morning session fished best with sinking lines and various booby patterns. P Hunt & J Thomson caught 10 for their mornings visit, John Reynolds caught 5 wit Ian Leach fishing an intermediate line down to a fast sinker to pick up his 4 trout. Most fish were caught across the main basin although some were caught down the middle of the Markfield and Thornton arm.

Take A Friend Fishing 29^th July to 3^rd September 2023, a great opportunity to introduce a family member or friend to a Free days fly fishing. Your guest will share your permit with the availability of a free days rod licence.

Full details visit the website https://takeafriendfishing.co.uk/

The event is supported by the campaign partners Angling Trade Association & the Environment Agency.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48 to 72 hour forecast.

XC Weather – https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/LE67_1AR use this link for Thornton.

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Thornton Reservoir

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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/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Exclusion Zone  Due to the work being carried out on the Hensborough Bank there is an exclusion zone in place, clearly marked with yellow buoys. Under no circumstances are anglers to enter this area as there are divers in the water.

Week Ending:   Sunday 20^th August 2023   Rod Av: 3.78   Water Temperature: 17.5 °C

Monday was overcast and windy for the most part with scattered showers until just after lunch. The conditions kept the numbers down with only 14 boats taking to the water, however the anglers pulled out a rod average of 4.6. Ian Richardson and Bob Smith had 17 fish between them using tequila FAB’s and crunchers on a midge tip line. The pair fished around N and Y buoy as well as Farborough Spit.  Mr Peter Evans used orange daddies on a midge tip to net half a dozen fish “Right in the top of the water”. Season permit holder Andy Lilley used dries as well as the washing line technique to catch 5 fish whilst drifting along the Flat Stones as well as in Rainbow Corner. Phil Cross and Steve Windram had 8 fish between them drifting around A buoy using foam daddies.

The great fishing continues at Draycote with Tuesdays rod average coming in at 5.7, even through bright sunshine. The fish are still holding in the top few feet of the water with dries working really well despite the conditions. Bank fishing is ticking along nicely with anglers making the best of the cooler water temperatures. Stan Hillman and Mick Cronin had half a dozen between them from the bank using a wide variety of patterns. Draycote regular Ivor Bullock had 6 fish from the bank in Duns Bay, using flies such as diawl bachs and buzzers. Season permit holders Peter Allen and Tony Broadway took to the bank to net a brace apiece on crunchers fished on a buzzer tip line. Out on the boats Kevin Rees netted 16 fish from a drifting boat on dries such as crippled midge, bob’s bits and the F fly. Draycote regulars James Maplethorpe and Trevor Moore had a bakers dozen between them on diawl bachs and remarked on an excellent afternoon. Kevin Hart and young John Hoskins had nearly 30 fish to the boat between them. The pair fished near N buoy, Y buoy and The Aerators using slow intermediate lines with perch fry patterns and blue flash damsels. Seasoned regular Dave Adkins had 15 fish to the boat drifting near M, N and J buoy using a DI3 line and mini snakes.

A tricky day Wednesday with sunny warm overhead conditions and a near flat calm that occasionally the wind swinging around during the day. As a result it was a more challenging day than we have experienced the last few weeks here at Draycote. Draycote member John Dickens used either dries of snakes to land 5 fish, fishing around N Buoy. Chris Mills & Dave Gould landed a dozen fish between then on lures, with Chris using a green leech and Dave using boobies. Mr D Randle landed 7 fish from his boat, fishing around M & N Buoy. Mr Ron Herbert despite the sun found dries to be productive landing 7 fish using CDC shuttlecocks. Mr James Kavanagh fished for a half day landing 4 fish. Overall it was a challenging day, with no stand out fly or methods. However, it shows that even in the sunny conditions the fish will still come up for a well presented dry.

A cloudy start to the day with the wind remaining on the Northeast with the sun arriving later in the day. On the bank Draycote member Jim Kelly fished in Toft to land 5 fish using pheasant tailed nymphs and Damsels. Fly fishing newcomer Sunny Walker also fished from the bank having had a couple of casting lessons with Tom. Landed his first ever fish a cracking 4lb silver Rainbow taken on a sparkler booby in Toft. A massive well done to Sunny, and we hope it’s the first of many more. On the boats Jim Dempsey used a Di 7 sinking line with a snake to land 5 fish near Y Buoy. Draycote member Ian Richardson & Bob Smith landed 11 fish between them using either a midge tip with cormorants or a DI 5 and a snake. The pair found the best area to be around N & Y Buoy as well as the Farborough Dam. Ian Reeve fished for a morning landing 8 fish. Taking 5 of them using a washing line at the Old Pipe in Biggin, taking the other 3 at Rainbow Corner on a snake. Draycote member Lee Patten fished with Stuart Lee using either dries or washing lining tactics or dries landing 19 fish. Dave Kennel used 2 daddies and 2 Diawl Bachs on a 12ft slow tip to land 9 fish. Drifting from H Buoy out towards P Buoy and Middle Shoal. Fraser Duffy Snr & Jnr landed 14 fish using a Di 3 sinking line with a team of cormorants.

Once again we had a Northwest wind on Friday, with overcast skies and rain for the morning. Before it did brighten a little around 4pm ahead of more rain later in the day. Draycote member Kevin Rees used dries all day to land 8 fish using crippled midge and f flies, drifting off the Farnborough Dam wall heading out towards P Buoy. Fellow member John Dickens also used crippled midge to great effect landing 9 fish. We also had a number of anglers also taking to the water ahead Wychwood Fly Fishing Championships on Sunday. As expected most of these anglers kept their cards close to their chest with regards to tactics and methods. But there was some good numbers reported of 20, 18, 16 fish being caught by individuals. Craig Middleton landed 16 fish using a variety of tactics. With his best being daddies on a 12ft slow tip when it was overcast and then caught pulling when the sun made an appearance in the afternoon. Dave Currie & Terry Bayes also used daddies to great effect landing 20 fish to their boat.

The weekend saw the fishery host the Wychwood fly fishing championships with 100 anglers competing to win £1,000 first prize and £2,000 worth of tackle to the top ten. Saturday the competitors took to the water for the official practice day. Southwest winds with overcast skies greeting the anglers with sunny spells at times. Specific tactics where a closely guarded secrets, however, the general feeling that there was a good spread of fish with hotspots around N Buoy, X Buoy and H Buoy down into Toft. With the fish sitting high in the water even when the sun was out but cloud cover produced the better fishing.

Sunday and the day of the match, there was differing forecast with some giving bright sun all day and other giving a mix of cloud. It was the latter that proved to be correct with cloud cover at times, with Southwest winds. From the start the boats split with half the fleet going to N Buoy and the other half heading to H Buoy and Farborough Spit. Ben Dobson got off to a flying start landing 6 fish before 11.30, but the sport slowed as the day progressed. Martin Griffiths also got off to a good start landing 3 early fish near K Buoy. Around lunch the wind picked up slightly meaning there was a bit more of a wave then a ripple. The winner on the day was James Rice from Wales, James used a 12ft slow tip with a black booby on the top dropper, muskins and a cormorant on the droppers with another black booby on the point. His beat area was around N Buoy and it was once the wind picked up in the afternoon he found the fishing more productive. After finding on practice that the fish seemed keener for a chase once the wind picked up, so swapped his figure of eight retrieve for a slow roly-poly. Overall there was 413 fish caught for a rod average of 4.13, with the majority of the anglers catching on washing line with buoyant flies on the point or top dropper with cormorants or nymphs on the droppers. With the areas found in practice to be most productive. The best fish of the match brought to the scales was a cracking fish caught by Bryan Brown of 5lb 1oz that took a booby.

Take A Friend Fishing 29^th July to 3^rd September 2023, a great opportunity to introduce a family member or friend to a Free days fly fishing. Your guest will share your permit with the availability of a free days rod licence.

Full details visit the website https://takeafriendfishing.co.uk/

The event is supported by the campaign partners Angling Trade Association & the Environment Agency

Competitions Due at Draycote:

John Horsey Wychwood Individual Fly Fishing Championship Individual Competition Sunday 20^th August entry details https://flyfishingchampionships.uk/

Jim Watts Trophy Fly Dressers Guild 26^th August.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48 to 72 hour forecast.

XC Weather – Forecast for CV23 8AB | XCWeather use this link for Draycote

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Draycote Water

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 

Lodge – 01536 770264 & Fishery Mobile 07834581424

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/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 13^th August   Rod Av:  3.5        Water Temperature: 18°c

Monday saw a moderate south westerly breeze push round to a westerly as the day progressed which brought with it some extended periods of sunshine. The fishing remained challenging in the Main Basin with plenty of fish being seen but very few willing to take a fly. One angler who did catch a few was All Water Member Ian Jobe who landed 6 from his Float Tube. Ian fished lures on different sinking lines to tempt his fish but very few of those took his flies at depth, with all his takes coming either at the start of his retrieve or at the end.

There was a gentle westerly breeze on Tuesday which brought with it consistent cloud all day with the occasional light rain. The reservoir continued to be challenging with the fish in the Main Basin proving to be, once again, temperamental to tempt. One angler who found a method that worked on the day was All Water Member Mark Hunt who fished a small, single Dry Fly on a long leader to land 9 fish. This was an excellent return on the day. Off the bank, Eyebrook regular, Nigel Woolnough targeted the fish feeding on Sticklebacks around the weedbeds & was rewarded with a couple of hard-earned fish from the Chestnut & Sam’s Dyke. Nigel proved once again just how important it is to target feeding fish with the relevant representation of a food item the fish are known to be feeding on.

Wednesday started in a flat calm with bright, clear skies with fish seen moving across the Main Basin. A gentle southerly breeze quickly developed but the skies remained clear. On a short morning session was Brian White, quickly got amongst fish on a tan Foam daddy & he ended up landing 4 fish after being connected to several others. Elsewhere, All Water Members Ian Jobe & Clive Moore landed over double figures after finding fish later in the day. Clive & Ian used lures drifting across the Main Basin.

Thursday started the day with flat calm conditions & bright, clear skies. As the day progressed, a moderate to strong southerly wind developed & the skies remained clear for the duration of the day. On the boats fish were found tight along the Dam, along Harrisons to the netted bank, in front of Robbo’s Cabin & also in the open water of the Main Basin. Eyebrook Member Victoria Liggins had a very productive session landing 7 fish on Foam Daddies whereas, another Eyebrook Member, Stuart Bilsdon & his regular fishing partner Tony Tibbert, caught very well on CDC’s once they had located the fish.  Out on a short, guided session, Francois Olivier under the watchful eye of Guide & Eyebrook Manager Lloyd Thompson, also had a productive session. They caught a good number of fish on a variety of methods, from pulling lures on a sinking line to a washing line fished on an Intermediate Line, finding fish 2-3ft down. For further information on the Guiding services we provide, please use the following link  https://www.flyfishtuition.co.uk/guiding/. On the banks, Malcolm Thompson yet again found the fish willing to take a Floating Fry over the weedbeds down at the Hawthorns, landing 3 fish in a morning session.

The weather was much the same as the previous day with the only difference being that there were some extended periods of cloud. Subsequently, the reservoir fished much the same with the fish remaining high up in the water column & some good returns recorded. From the boats, Mr Hastie & Mrs Simms caught very well fishing Nymphs on the washing line in the Main Basin. Out on his Float Tube, Tony Barkley, was another to catch very well. Conducting long drifts through the Basin, Tony landed 14 fish on a variety of flies & lines.

Initially Saturday saw a moderate southerly breeze, with a good amount cloud cover. However, by the afternoon the wind had built & there were some extended periods of sunshine. Subsequently the reservoir was more productive in the morning than the afternoon as fishing conditions became challenging. Despite the deterioration in the weather, overall, the reservoir fished very well with some great returns recorded from the boats, float tubes & the bank. The Main Basin as it has been, was holding a lot of fish & these fish were feeding hard throughout, succumbing to most methods that targeted the upper layers, washing lined floating lines, straight lined floating lines & Dries. From the banks, regular visitor Malcolm Thompson returned for what proved to be a very productive morning, landing 12 from the Hawthorns. There was a large contingent of Float Tubers on the water, all of whom caught with Tony Barclay being the top rod amongst them landing 12 fish. Members Bob Margery & Andy Lilley both enjoyed productive morning sessions in their respective boats, landing 12 & 14 fish. Bob used the Washing Line with a FAB on the point, whereas Andy used Dries & the Washing Line to tempt his fish.

It was an overcast start to the day with light southerly wind that had developed into a strong, gusty wind by early afternoon with some extended periods of sunshine. As in the previous day, this made fishing in the afternoon a tad more challenging than it was in the morning. Benefitting from the better weather in the morning was a Mr Bridge, who fished a Blob Booby on the point on his washing line with Cormorants & Nymphs on the Droppers to land 20 fish in a morning session. Another to catch over 20 fish was All Water Member Mark Hunt, who fished a team of Foam Daddies to tempt is his fish. Elsewhere, Eyebrook Member, Neil Shilton took to his Float Tube & fished deep with lures looking for some overwintered fish & was duly rewarded with 7 fish to 4lb. From the banks Malcolm Thompson had another productive day targeting the fry feeding fish down by the Hawthorns. Malcolm fished Hares Ear CDC’s over the weedbeds & went on to land 5 fish. The Main Basin remains the most productive boat area with fish being found throughout. From the bank, the Hawthorns continues to fish well & the Dam wall is historically a very productive bank area this time of year.

Take A Friend Fishing 29^th July to 3^rd September 2023, a great opportunity to introduce a family member or friend to a Free day’s fly fishing. Your guest will share your permit with the availability of a free day’s rod licence.

Full details visit the website https://takeafriendfishing.co.uk/

The event is supported by the campaign partners Angling Trade Association & the Environment Agency

Upcoming Events

03 September – Eyebrook Fly Fishers – Single Fly, 8 Boats.

06 September – England Disabled Fly Fishers, 15 Boats + 2 WB’s

09 & 10 September – England Ladies National, 15 Boats.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48-to-72-hour forecast.

XC Weather – https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/LE16_8RP use this link for Eyebrook.

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Eyebrook Reservoir.

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Thornton Fishery Weekly Report – 01530 230807

Email: thornton@flyfishstore.co.uk

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

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings For details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 13^th August Rod Av: 2.2    Water Temperature: 20c+

Monday a northerly wind, surprisingly strong at times. Surprisingly few fish reported to be seen feeding off the surface compared to the weekend. Pete Hunt fished an intermediate line in front of the public car park, an area that does produce some shelter on a northerly. Pete caught 13 on a tequila blob and buzzers with most offers in the top 3ft.

Tuesday westerly breeze some fish moving but didn’t fish as well as expected. Most caught on floating lines, tip lines or intermediate with daddies, claret hopper, small buzzer & nymphs. Most rods fished the morning session with P Martindale out for the afternoon evening, it was the part of the day we saw most fish moving with Paul hooking 5 but landing 3 mostly to the claret hopper.

Wednesday busy day, all the morning boats out with some booked for the afternoon & evening. Best of the sport was from 11.00am onwards it was a bit disappointing that a flat calm came during the last few hours. It was a varied day of methods taking fish, Stuart Thompson landed 4 fishing a #14 Bibio on a floating line. Mid-morning onwards R Price fished a blue flash booby on a short leader off a fast sinker to boat 7 trout with Ian Leach & Mark Cawley boating 11 to small fabs, diawl bach, cruncher. Bob Jones caught his 5 trout on a black buzzer & diawl bach. First time all year we have seen some algae, its not an issue as long as a breeze moves it. Best fishing area was across the main basin.

Thursday & a hot day as forecast which has also led to an algae bloom. Busy day with all of the boats out during the morning with some boats back out for the afternoon / evening. The hot weather did have an impact on the fishing with the best catches coming to fast sinker and booby. Peter Wrigley opted to fish a floater with a 20ft leader and small red diawl bach, fishing from an anchored boat letting the flies sink and then a slow retrieve boating 4 trout but reporting other fish hooked and lost. On the fast sinkers sink 7 with a short 6ft leader with a damsel booby, red or orange booby & white minkie booby worked best. D Rossi & C Rossi hooked 10 landing 5, S Winram landed 10 with J Hibbert out for the last 4hr catching 4. A slow, very slow retrieve was the most successful method.

Friday following yesterday’s mini heatwave our water temperature was back up to 20c+. With the hot weather the algae bloom had most of the rods set up fast sinkers sink 7 lines with short leaders of 6ft with a single booby or a 6ft leader with a dropper at 3ft and point fly at 6ft. Tim Barnes fished a booby on the point and a diawl bach on the dropper with 2 fish taking the diawl. Steve Zeleny & S Swinfield caught 12 fish and were off the water by midday, their booby drift was out of the public car park to the yellow buoy. C Sayer for the morning session boated 16 he found the drift from the yellow buoy to the wood bank was best for him. Carl Bond caught his 6 trout on a fast sinker and booby from various areas across the basin. A variety of booby patterns worked from a minkie booby, orange booby, red booby, cats whisker booby and at this time of year damsel booby. Excellent day with a rod average 5

Saturday, fresh breeze & noticeably cooler, there was less algae bloom than the previous two days. Surprisingly following yesterday good days fishing today it switched off with 1 rod catching 1 fish while everyone else blanked. The only reason I can put to it is a massive change to air pressure.

Sunday and an improvement J Reynolds caught 9 fishing a Sink5 on the drift down the Markfield arm to cormorant and booby patterns. K Cowen caught 5 on an olive damsel, overall a rod average 2 for the day.

Algae conditions over the weekend were starting to improve.

Take A Friend Fishing 29^th July to 3^rd September 2023, a great opportunity to introduce a family member or friend to a Free days fly fishing. Your guest will share your permit with the availability of a free days rod licence.

Full details visit the website https://takeafriendfishing.co.uk/

The event is supported by the campaign partners Angling Trade Association & the Environment Agency.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48 to 72 hour forecast.

XC Weather – https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/LE67_1AR use this link for Thornton.

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Thornton Reservoir

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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/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Exclusion Zone  Due to the work being carried out on the Hensborough Bank there is an exclusion zone in place, clearly marked with yellow buoys. Under no circumstances are anglers to enter this area as there are divers in the water.

Week Ending:   Sunday 13^th August 2023  Rod Av:  4.22 Water Temperature: 17 °C

A bright start to the week, with the wind starting in the West but soon swung round to the Northwest, with cloud arriving in the afternoon. On the bank Draycote member James Kelly landed 4 fish, taking all of them in the morning despite the bright conditions from Toft. James, fished with silver Thorax pheasant tails and Diawl Bach’s to land his fish. On the boats Peter Elliot fished with Lee Patten with the pair landing 19 fish, drifting over the middle using Grunters. All water member Ed Douglas also fished dries to land his dozen fish. Ed kept changing his flies in order to keep catching and found that it was the afternoon that fished better with his best flies being crippled midge, shuttlecock CDC and Klinkhammer. Fellow dry fly fan Kevin Rees also used dries all day to land 16. Using his standard size 14 skinny cripple midge. All water member Pete Eville fished with Mark Lee with the pair boating 22 fish. Using an Airflo 6ft slow tip with a Candy FAB on the point and hoppers on the droppers. Draycote members Ian Richardson & Bob Barfoot finished with 24 fish to the boat. With the pair using either a Di 3 sinking line, Intermediate or Midge Tip with a snake on the point, cormorant in the middle and a blob on the top dropper. The best areas they found being Y, N & M Buoy. All water member and former manager Kevin Hart enjoyed a fantastic days sport, landing 24 fish. Keving fished over Musborough using suspender fly patterns on intermediate or floating line.

An overcast day Tuesday with drizzle for the most part of the afternoon. On the bank Alec Twaites enjoyed a great morning landing 5 fish from the old pipe in Biggin Bay. Alec used a white humungus on a floating line after spotting the fish chasing fry, after closer examination after taking his first fish. They were feeding on sticklebacks, and the white humungus accounted for his further 4 fish. With some really quality fish amongst them putting fish back of 5lb. Beginner member Andrew Tasker also found good sport in the morning from the bank landing 4 fish. On the boats Draycote member David Stott landed 8 fish using an intermediate line, with a cats whisker and a black booby. Taking his fish from Toft and also Lincroft point. Brendan Thomas fished around N & Y Buoy landing 10 fish pulling tequila FABs on an intermediate line and commented on the “quality fish” Ed Douglas once again used dries to great effect landing 15 fish with cripple midge and shuttlecocks being his best patterns. Fishery Ranger & guide Lee Henfrey went out fishing after his morning shift landing 16 fish. Using a RIO 3ft midge tip with a white snake on the point with cormorants and hoppers on the droppers using a slow roly-poly retrieve. With Lee’s best areas being around N buoy and Musborough Shoal and like Alec, commented the fish are hitting the fry around the weed.

A warmer day Wednesday, than we have experienced recently with air temperatures touching 25°C. However, with all the colder weather the water temperature remained cool. Mike Garner fished from the bank landing 4 fish, two on cormorants and two on Silver Invicta. With the fishing coming from Lincroft Point & The Swan’s Nest. Fishing from the boats Mr Gregory from America fishing his final day on a 3 day package, landed 6 fish. With 2 of the 6 being grown on Rainbows of 4 & 5lb, catch on a minkie fished on a Di 3 at N Buoy. Draycote members Ian Richardson & Bob Smith landed 21 fish to their boat, drifting around Musborough Shoal and M Buoy. The pair used Di3 sinking lines or intermediate with cormorants, FABs and snakes all taking fish. Mike Gillett & Colin Campbell fished a washing line to land 11 fish to their boat with most of the fish taking the FAB, with Toft being their best area. The best catch of the day came to the boat of Matt Harris, who struggled during the day. Until around 5pm a huge buzzer hatch took place, and as the wind dropper “nearly every fish in the lake was on the surface feeding” Using a 10ft #4 to help present the flies quietly in the calm conditions Matt landed over 40 fish all on dries.

Another warm day on Thursday, with temperatures reaching high 20s, although thankfully the water temperature still remained at a fish friendly 17°C first thing in the morning. Jim Dempsey fished for a morning landing 6 fish from the boat. Using a Di 3 and snakes to start before swapping to a Di 7 to take a further 4 fishing around Y Buoy. Ian Morris fished down in Toft using a foam daddy to land his 5 fish. David Holding & Geoff Brooks fished around N & M Buoy using a midge tip line with a sparkler booby on the point and hoppers on the dropper to land 5 fish. All water member Pete Webb fished with S Charter with the pair boating 11 fish, but unfortunately left no comments as to how. Fellow all water members Fraser Duffy Senior & Junior used a washing line with a FAB on the point to also land 11 fish. Making the most of the last four hours Draycote member Peter Elliot fished with David Hoppe with the pair landing 10 fish between them on dries fishing around A Buoy and Rainbow Corner. Make the journey from Bristol Dave Reynolds & Paul Golding landed 20 fish between them on a mix of washing lining and also dries later in the afternoon.

Friday was calm to start with but turned bright and blustery as the morning progressed. Once again, we had a good amount of anglers take to the water and use a wide variety of methods to make some good returns. Alex Campbell caught 3 fish on cormorants  fished on a DI3 line during a morning session. M bouy and the Flat Stones were his best areas. Ed Douglas used dries to good effect, catching 10 fish on bob’s bits, the F fly and shipmans buzzers. Debbie and Sean Gilbert fished near the Hensborough Bank used humungus and crunchers to net 3 fish between them. Kevin Rees had a bumper day, netting a total of 17 fish on dries such as crippled midge and the F fly. Kevin Hart and John Hoskins had a bakers dozen between them using a fast glass and a DI5 line, with lures and boobies.

An overcast start Saturday, with sun arriving later in the day with quite a gusty Southwest wind. Jon Crowley took to the boat for a morning session to land 8 fish drifting from M Buoy to K using a black and green snake on a Di 5 sinking Line. As well as using a popper fry fished on a floating line. Steve Barby fished with boat partner Mike used the Rudder to great effect lading 19 fish to the boat fishing with snakes and tubes around Y Buoy & X Buoy. Husband & Wife Neil and Sue Potts fished in Rainbow Corner using a washing line. With a FAB on the point and nymphs on the dropper and also the Bung to land 5 fish. Draycote member Paul Walker using a Damsel on the point and Diawl Bachs on the droppers to land 19 fish. Fishing around Rainbow Corner to A Buoy and then M drifting to K Buoy.

Much better conditions on Sunday with overcast skies all day, with the wind remaining in the Southwest but at times was a little gusty. All water member Kevin Hart fished with Dave Pacey with the pair boating 19 fish. With Kevin using fry patterns such as olive zonkers, mini snakes and also floating fry. While Dave went for FABs and a Damsel. Catching their fish off the Draycote Dam Wall and also the Tower Bank. James Alexander fished for a morning landing 10 fish, drifting from N Buoy to X Buoy using a brown foam daddy fished on a floating line. Draycote member Paul Mitchell fishing with Tim Burn found washing lining and then dries to the their best method landing 26 fish to their boat. Bob Fitzpatrick fishing with Sir Bob Cooper landed 24 fish to their boat drifting from Rainbow Corner towards A Buoy on “various nymphs” All water members Frazer Duffy Snr & Jnr caught 24 on a mix of FABs on a washing line and also dries drifting around M Buoy, A Buoy and N Buoy. Overall a great end to the week with the rod average ending on 5.11 fish per angler.

Take A Friend Fishing 29^th July to 3^rd September 2023, a great opportunity to introduce a family member or friend to a Free days fly fishing. Your guest will share your permit with the availability of a free days rod licence.

Full details visit the website https://takeafriendfishing.co.uk/

The event is supported by the campaign partners Angling Trade Association & the Environment Agency

Competitions Due at Draycote:

John Horsey Wychwood Individual Fly Fishing Championship Individual Competition Sunday 20^th August entry details https://flyfishingchampionships.uk/

Jim Watts Trophy Fly Dressers Guild 26^th August.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48 to 72 hour forecast.

XC Weather – Forecast for CV23 8AB | XCWeather use this link for Draycote

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Draycote Water

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 

Lodge – 01536 770264 & Fishery Mobile 07834581424

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/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 06^th August   Rod Av:    1.4      Water Temperature: 18°c

It was a quiet start to the week with a few boats out. There was a quite a breeze at the start of day but as the day progressed the wind abated & by early evening the reservoir was a covered in a gentle ripple. Of those to venture out, All Water Member Mark Hunt had a very productive late afternoon session landing 7 fish, on the dries, drifting from Dogwood, past the tower & onto the north side of the Dam. Elsewhere there were a few fish caught along the weedbeds of the Hawthorns on nymphs on a washing line.

Tuesday brought with it, a strong westerly wind & consistent cloud cover. The fish remain high up in the water column but were reluctant to feed off the surface in the strong wind & rough water. The strong westerly also put paid to fishing down past Robbo’s towards the Willows, an area that had previously held, as the water was too rough & slightly coloured due to the waves hitting the shoreline. This meant that most boats were fishing the Main Basin, an area that does hold fish, but they do not give themselves up easily due to previous angling pressure. As the day progressed the wind reduced & water softened & fish could be seen moving just under the surface. Those targeting moving fish fared better than those that didn’t with fish willing to turn onto any flies that were in their vicinity. When fishing is as challenging as it is, we must remember to remain mobile in our approach, cover a lot of water & put as much distance as possible between boats, giving us plenty of clear water to fish, particularly in front of our boat. It may also pay to put as much distance as possible between our thicker fly line & our flies by fishing as long leaders as we can with a single fly.

With very similar weather conditions to the previous day, Wednesday saw us host the English Disabled Fly Fishers Presidents Cup. This blind pairs competitive format, saw 15 anglers take to the water on what proved another challenging day. Between them they caught 25 fish which gave a very creditable rod average of 1.7. Dries across the Main Basin proved to be the most productive method as the anglers covered a lot of water in search of catchable fish. All reportable that finding fish wasn’t the issue but getting them to take a fly was. Congratulations must go to the winning pair of Mark Goodge & Chris Martin who between them caught 6 fish which was excellent on such a challenging day.

Thursday brought with it a change in wind to a north westerly & it initially brought some very bright spells which disappeared as the day progressed, leaving solid cloud cover by late afternoon. Thursday saw us host The English Fly-Fishing Association (EFFA) which saw 39 anglers take to the water & catch 53 fish between them, giving a rod average of 1.55, well done to all. Congratulations goes to Mick Facey who was top rod on the day with 6 fish which is a great return given the challenging nature of the fishing right now. Mick fished a Washing Lined Floating Line & caught on FAB’s & Muskins on the droppers. Another who landed 6 fish was Eyebrook member Malcolm Thompson who fished the bank on the Hawthorns & caught on Blue Foam Daddy & also CDC Hares Ears. That is a great return from the bank in August.

Friday was an extremely quiet day with only a few anglers venturing out & they found the fishing to be very challenging due to recent angling pressure. When fishing for pressurised fish it will pay dividends to scale down fly sizes & tippet diameters.

Saturday was a washout due to prolonged excessive rainfall.

Sunday was a better day weatherwise, mainly dry, with periods of bright sunlight & some isolated showers later in the day. Boats anglers found that fishing dries through the Main Basin was the most productive method. Whereas from the Banks, Malcolm Thompson returned & enjoyed a great morning session along the Hawthorns. Having spooned the fish he had caught previously; Malcolm had identified that Sticklebacks had been the main food item of the fish he caught on Thursday. Armed with small Popper Fry Malcolm subsequently went on to take 5 fish from the weedbeds at the Hawthorns. Well done, Malcolm, great angling.

With some cooler evenings forecast for the week ahead, it will be very interesting to see what impact it will have on the water temperature & consequently the fishing.

Take A Friend Fishing 29^th July to 3^rd September 2023, a great opportunity to introduce a family member or friend to a Free day’s fly fishing. Your guest will share your permit with the availability of a free day’s rod licence.

Full details visit the website https://takeafriendfishing.co.uk/

The event is supported by the campaign partners Angling Trade Association & the Environment Agency

Upcoming Events

03 September – Eyebrook Fly Fishers – Single Fly, 8 Boats.

06 September – England Disabled Fly Fishers, 15 Boats + 2 WB’s

09 & 10 September – England Ladies National, 15 Boats.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48-to-72-hour forecast.

XC Weather – https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/LE16_8RP use this link for Eyebrook.

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Eyebrook Reservoir.

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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 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 6^th August   Rod Av: 2.8    Water Temperature: 18.5c+

Monday, the weather forecast with cloud, rain & fresh wind was certainly on the side of fly fishing for the time of year with the fishery averaging 5 for the day. Good to see N Proctor & A Proctor returning to fly fishing & catching on daddies. Andrew Wilson fished claret hopper & claret bumble to catch his 6 trout with Gary Owen fishing the afternoon session catching 10 trout on dries & suspenders.

Tuesday it was floating & tip lines been the best method with the majority of trout taking daddies, #14 diawl bach, #12 #14 claret buzzer, #14 #16 olive buzzer, damsel nymphs & #12 #14 fabs. P Hunt caught 9 on daddies for his morning session. D Hussey fished the afternoon with diawl bach & buzzer catching 9 with R Jordan finding a cats whisker pattern worked best for him boating 5 trout for a morning session. Fish moving at times, it pays to fish a lighter leader, thinner diameter and a long leader and single fly at this time of year.

Wednesday, it pays to follow our local weather on the two links below, our weather was far better than the national forecast, rains not an issue & at this time of year rain & associated cloud is good for our sport. Only one angler fished M Hosking who fished the morning session catching 4 & had follows & offers off others, generally floating line & dries.

Thursday, northerly wind today which may make it easier for the rods to target the fish in the Thornton arm. Various method worked during the day, floating line, tip line with dries and washing line to fast sinkers and booby. Dries, orange and natural daddies, claret hoppers and shipman’s. 6ft sink tip lines a small fab, #14 diawl bach, hares ear, buzzer patterns, on a fast sinker olive booby or red booby. Tim Russell & Rudge caught 13 for their mornings visit, M Cawley & Ian Leach caught 9 with K Hampton catching 5. Generally during the day Main basin, green bay top of the Markfield arm produced best. Afternoon and evening dries worked for B Morris boating 3 fish starting in the Thornton arm.

Friday north wind had the boats in the Thornton arm with J Scott who usually drifts finding an anchored boat opposite the lodge and a 6ft tip line with #14 fab on the point #14 black pennel helping him to boat 11 trout. P Wurm fished the last 4 hours with his son catching 5 trout on a shipman’s from the Thornton arm across the main basin.

Saturday a quiet day due to the weather, a strong easterly wind and rain, heavy at times.

Sunday morning the wind had gone northerly, better conditions. Water level within the reservoir had risen by 6inch, clarity was good with the water temperature down to 18.5c Didn’t generally fish as well as expected with most anglers catching 1 or 2 fish on floaters or fast sinkers & booby. Mark Hunt fished from late morning 11.30am to 6pm fishing a long leader low diameter 0.178 which makes a difference. Daddies, claret cdc had him rise 18 trout boating 11 for his session.

Despite the rain, water clarity is still good, we are seeing some larger claret buzzer hatching, water temperature dropped to 18.5c over the weekend. I do believe leader diameter leads the way during, especially when were fishing for trout that were caught & released.

Take A Friend Fishing 29^th July to 3^rd September 2023, a great opportunity to introduce a family member or friend to a Free days fly fishing. Your guest will share your permit with the availability of a free days rod licence.

Full details visit the website https://takeafriendfishing.co.uk/

The event is supported by the campaign partners Angling Trade Association & the Environment Agency

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48 to 72 hour forecast.

XC Weather – https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/LE67_1AR use this link for Thornton.

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Thornton Reservoir

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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/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Exclusion Zone  Due to the work being carried out on the Hensborough Bank there is an exclusion zone in place, clearly marked with yellow buoys. Under no circumstances are anglers to enter this area as there are divers in the water.

Week Ending:     6^th August  2023      Rod Av:  5.70  Water Temperature: 16-17 °C

The weather forecast for Monday was a lot worse than the day turned out to be. The wind stayed in the south west and was steady for the most part , interspersed by the odd rain shower. The fishing itself can only be described as excellent, and with only 5 boats on the water, turned in a rod average of 12.6. Once again, most of the action is to be had at the western end of the reservoir over the deeper water, in Rainbow Corner, and down the Draycote Dam towards the Valve Tower. Peter Elliott boated a dozen on the dries from Rainbow and around the Inlet. Young John Dickens had nearly 20 fish to the boat, all on crippled midge patterns. Graham Homer caught his 9 fish using a washing line and crunchers. The boat pairing of Ian Richardson and Bob Smith caught well over 20 fish between them and remarked on “An excellent day” . Ian and Bob used crunchers on a washing line with a booby on the point, and fished at  M buoy, the Tower Bank and in Rainbow Corner.

Overcast conditions Tuesday, with winds coming from the West with the rain holding off. On the bank Tony Broadway used a washing line with crunchers, before changing to crippled midge finishing with 8 fish from the Tower Bank. Draycote member Alan Grant also fished the Tower Bank using a humungus booby on an intermediate line landing 7 fish. Including a fantastic 8lb rainbow.  On the boats all water member Andy Lillie fished with Graham England, with the pair landing 16 fish on a morning boat. They fished daddies and FAB drifting from Rainbow Corner to A Buoy and also in Dunn’s Bay to land their fish. Also fishing on a morning boat Dave Atkins landed a dozen fish, with a washing line and also a snite snake. With Dave’s best drifting being the Valve Tower to Dunns and then M to N Buoy. Ed Douglas stuck to dries all day landing 14 with crippled midge and F flies being his most productive pattern. Ed drifted from the Draycote Dam towards B Buoy and then out to Y Buoy to take his fish. Another angler who opted for dries all day was Kevin Rees who landed 19 fish, also using crippled midge and F flies. Kevin found the best area for him was drifting from M Buoy out towards N Buoy. Lester Booth & Nigel Nixon landed 20 fish to their boat drifting from Rainbow Corner. Using a wide variety of dries big reds, Shipmans, hares ear CDC and Red Hoppers.

The weather forecasters certainly got Wednesday weather wrong. The forecast was for very strong wind and thundery downpours. While the wind was a little gusty in the morning, the afternoon gave near perfect conditions with a light ripple and overcast skies. With only one heavy rain shower early evening. As a result of the poor (wrong) forecast it was a quite day at the fishery. On the bank Draycote member Mike Garner landed 3 fish, 2 from Rainbow Corner and 1 from Lincroft. All on different flies, cruncher, cormorants and a green pea all landed Mike fish. On the boats Ed Douglas landed 13 fish, 8 of them falling to dries once again cripple midge of F flies proving to be his best patterns. Tony Sharples fishing his second day of a two day break landed 3 fish on buzzers. However, the fish he landed where of great quality a 8lb & 4lb rainbow taken on buzzers. Fishery ranger & Guide Jim Sheehan took Jason & Brooke Sarrow out on a boat beginner session. Having mastered the casting they went on to land 11 fish in the fishing element all taken on the washing line. To see pictures if the session please visit www.facebook.com/flyfishstore Fishery Ranger Kevin Jones took to the water after his morning shift to land 9 fish using a FAB on the point and then hoppers on the droppers fished wet. With a number of fish coming from the Farborough Dam Wall near J & T Buoy. Rob Hepburn took advantage of the last four hours to land 7 fish on dries with small CDC and daddies proving to be his best patterns.

Once again, not the most accurate of forecasts, with bright sunshine, and the westerly wind a bit stronger than was required. As we have learned over the past few weeks, these conditions don’t necessarily put the fish down. Anglers continue to catch on dries and a washing line fished off a floater., or pulling in the top few feet. Season permit holder Paul Havard had 11 fish on a washing line with back crunchers. Young Richard Walker used a purple snake to net 7 fish during a morning session. Frazer Duffy, senior and junior, had over 30 fish to the boat between them during an afternoon session, mainly on FAB’s. Mr Jon Morgan Parker used buzzers on a washing line as well as dries, to net 17 fish from a drifting boat at various points around the reservoir.

A bright and breezy start on Friday morning saw Draycote once again produce good returns for all concerned. A lot of the fish seemed to have moved over the shoals with Musborough in particular fishing very well on the washing line or dries. Some anglers are taking fish on the larger floating fry patterns, but this seems to occur more on the Draycote Dam wall and near the inlet in Rainbow Corner. Season permit holder Craig Middleton used grunters to net well over 20 fish from a drifting boat over Y buoy and Musborough Shoal. Young Ed Douglas used various dry fly patterns such as crippled midge and cul’s to net a good number of fish over open water. Chris Bobby and Leanne Frost had over 20 fish to the boat between them drifting over A, M, N and Y buoy. Debbie and Sean Gilbert used buzzers and diawl bachs to net a good number of fish between them from the Draycote Dam and commented on “A Great Day”.

A very wet and windy Saturday was had here at Draycote water. The wind strengthened as the day progressed and changed into a northerly bringing with it some quite heavy showers through the afternoon. Those anglers who braved the elements had a good day out,  catching good numbers of fish right across the breadth of the reservoir. John Crowley drifted from the Flat Stones to the Valve Tower, netting 9 fish using a midge tip and foam daddies. Season permit holder Mike Garner ventured out onto the bank to catch half a dozen fish using cormorants, bibios and kate mclarens. Mike tried several different areas before settling for Greys barn down in Toft. Nicholas Hollingshead bank fished near the Valve Tower and netted 6 fish on lures and buzzers. Draycote regular Will Hunt ventured out onto the bank for a last 4 hour session. Will netted a brace from the old pipe tucked in out of the wind on the north shore.  Invicta Fly Fishers took to the water with a total of 26 anglers and in rough conditions produced a competition rod average of 8.0. David Moore provided this report. Storm Antoni didn’t deter 24 brave, (or crazy?), Invicta FFC members from setting out under the dark sky into driving rain and big waves for this 5 th round which with the usual 8 fish limit but the first 3 to be weighed. Cooler weather had dropped the water temperature to below 18’C and prospects of feeding fish were much better than recently but this felt very warm in the wintery 12’C air! Most of the fleet headed down wind towards Rainbow Corner and A buoy starting with long drifts to accommodate the wind. The first hour was lively for most rods with fish high in the water and taking static or pulled nymphs and daddies but this slowed probably by boat pressure and several boats moved further out around X, P and Y buoys where they found fish around the weed beds and most fish examined were full of tiny snails. Fraser Duffy Jnr and Snr are both local to Draycote and unsurprisingly they had the top boats partnering Ron Wheeldon and Jonny Bromilow with a staggering 39 and 34 fish to their boats. With 11 members catching 8 or more The Carl Hunter Bowl was won with the biggest 3 fish weighed and Tony Smith was the winner (6lb-3oz) also catching the biggest at 2lb-13oz. David Moore was 2 nd and Ron Wheelan 3 rd just a few ounces behind. Tony started slowly, watching Mick Facey (now on the move with two legs again) catching steadily before he changed to the same tactic of floating line and 2 FABS suspending muskins and Gimps although the bigger fish took a black and silver lure. They started at Rainbow but moved away to drift from the Helmsley Wall into the open water and finished with 25 between them. Tony Smith is the only member to have caught 8 in all 5 rounds but Fraser Jnr and Jonny Bromilow have achieved this in 4 rounds. It’s your best 6 results that count so it is also possible for several others to take the trophy. The Rod average was 7.5 (187 total and mostly returned) and much better than expected given the conditions. Thanks to Mark Searle for organising and the fishery staff for looking after us and donating a boat voucher for the winner. Also to the various suppliers of our waterproofs !

A bright start to the morning on Sunday, with cloud arriving just after 11am with overcast conditions and the occasional shower, with the wind remaining in the Northwest, but was thankfully a lot lighter than the day before. Draycote members Dave Kennell & Eddie Mitchell landed 25 fish between them using a 12ft midge tip with daddies on the top dropper, nymphs and then a FAB on the top dropper. Drifting around the inlet and also Rainbow Corner. Mr A Smith & M Heritage fished down in Toft using dries all day to land 19 fish to their boat. Martin Rowson & Neil Deakin landed 35 fish to the boat, with Neil opting to use snakes on a fast intermediate and Martin used a washing line to land his fish. The pair fished around the Inlet & Rainbow Corner to land their fish. Gareth Jines & Jeremy Herman used dries around Middle Shoal to boat 18 fish. Overall it was another good day with the rod average for the day just under 5 fish per angler.

Take A Friend Fishing 29^th July to 3^rd September 2023, a great opportunity to introduce a family member or friend to a Free days fly fishing. Your guest will share your permit with the availability of a free days rod licence.

Full details visit the website https://takeafriendfishing.co.uk/

The event is supported by the campaign partners Angling Trade Association & the Environment Agency

Competitions Due at Draycote:

John Horsey Wychwood Individual Fly Fishing Championship Individual Competition Sunday 20^th August entry details https://flyfishingchampionships.uk/

Jim Watts Trophy Fly Dressers Guild 26^th August.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48 to 72 hour forecast.

XC Weather – Forecast for CV23 8AB | XCWeather use this link for Draycote

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Draycote Water +

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 

Lodge – 01536 770264 & Fishery Mobile 07834581424

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/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 23^rd July   Rod Av: 2.8         Water Temperature: 18°c

It was a damp, wet start to the week with light rain developing into heavy showers. By early afternoon the heavy cloud gave way to bright sunshine. There had been an 180° change in the wind direction from previous day which, as expected, made the fishing somewhat challenging as the fish adjusted to the prevailing conditions. Fish were caught in the upper layers on a washing lined tip or floating line. Those that caught better, caught in the Main Basin & had colour somewhere on their cast, be that a small blob booby or FAB on the point or as a top dropper. Most the fish caught today, were caught on the colour.

Tuesday brought with it some good cloud cover & a light North Westerly breeze. Locating fish remained a challenge today with most anglers catching, but not in high numbers. All Water Member Ed Douglas produced a bag of 7 fish which was excellent on the day. Ed caught most of his on Dries from the area of the Main Basin as far down as Robbo’s Cabin frontage. Others to catch on Dries included Mark Goodge & Shaun Higgins who had 3 each on CDC emerging patterns, again from the Main Basin. Another area that held fish was the Dam wall which is where Brian White landed 4 fish on a Green Fritz pattern. Another to catch from the Dam wall was All Water Member Jim Greasley who caught 2 on a Black Shipmans from the Bank.

Wednesday saw another change in the wind direction with yesterday’s North westerly making way to light to moderate Southerly. There were some good consistent overcast skies early on & some sunny intervals later in the day. The reservoir fished very well to the dries with excellent bags for All Water Member Ed Douglas & Draycote Rio Master’s Team member Martin Rowson. Ed landed 17 fish, most of which fell to the Dries with CDC Shuttlecocks & Bob’s Bits being his most successful patterns. Whereas Martin, used CDC Hares Ear patterns to land his 15 fish. The key for both anglers was to remain mobile, conducting long drifts across the Main Basin with the water past Robbo’s holding a lot of fish. Elsewhere, the washing lined floating lines also took a few for other anglers but it has been imperative is to fish this as high as possible in the water. To achieve this the use of a booby on the point helps as it has more foam than a FAB & you can also use a buoyant fly on the top dropper to help keep those flies as high as possible.

Thursday’s weather followed a similar pattern to Wednesdays with the only difference being that the wind increased to a moderate to strong during some parts of the day. The fish remained high in the water column & were caught again on Dries, with All-Water member Mark Hunt landing 8 on CDC Yellow Owls. The Washing line again produced fish with another All-Water member, Norman Perkins landing 5 on Blue Flash Damsel Booby. During the warmer parts of the day, it is noticeable the number of Damsels hatching off. During these periods, the Blue Foam Daddy continues to take fish. The common mistake that anglers are making with the Blue Foam Daddy is fishing it when there is no Damsels hatching. Adult Damsels need to be prevalent for it to be effective.

Friday brought with it some very favourable conditions with a light to moderate west/south westerly winds & consistent cloud cover for most of the day. It was a very busy day with all the boats out & after fishing well in the morning, & still holding a lot of fish, the Main Basin became very challenging by early afternoon. This was more than likely due to angling pressure with a lot of boats fishing in a relatively small area. It paid dividends to ensure that when drifting you had clear water in front of you & that you did not follow a boat down a drift. Another thing that we can do when an area becomes pressurised is to extract yourself from the middle of the pack & drift along the outside of the main body of boats. Fish when pressurised will either stay & become finicky or move to an area where there is still food but less boats, normally the extremities of the main body. This becomes even more evident when the fish are high up in the water column as boats moving cause disturbance. Despite this, the reservoir fished relatively well, with some good returns recorded. Fishing Dries continued to be a very productive method, as did the Washing Line. Fishery Guide Lee Henfrey took to the water on his day off & landed 9 fish on Tan Foam Daddies. All Water Members Ed Douglas & Mark Hunt both enjoyed productive but challenging days on the Dries, landing 11 & 10 fish respectively from various locations.

Saturday initially saw the wind increase slightly which brought with it some periods of extended sunshine. By the afternoon Eyebrook was subjected to strong winds & bright sunshine which is never a great combination.  Saturday also saw Eyebrook host AMFC Group 1 for their latest round which saw 36 anglers take to the water catching 109 fish between them, producing a rod average of 3.02. The was a great rod average given the conditions & testament to the quality of anglers on show. Well done to all. Most of the fish were caught on the Dries, with CDC’s proving to be the most productive. Elsewhere, Eyebrook Member Dean Shilton took to his Float Tube & landed 8 fish fishing deep with Minkie Boobies.

Sunday was another blustery day which by late afternoon it had also become very wet. Those that did venture out found the fishing to be very challenging & there was very few fish caught. During these challenging days & when the fish are pressurised, it can sometimes pay to explore other locations. Earlier in the week fishery Staff Martin Blakeston popped out for a couple hours on his day off. Martin chose to fish CDC’s in the area of the Chestnut & was rewarded with a few cracking fish. So when it is challenging, explore the Reservoir, you may well be surprised where you find fish.

Take A Friend Fishing 29^th July to 3^rd September 2023, a great opportunity to introduce a family member or friend to a Free day’s fly fishing. Your guest will share your permit with the availability of a free day’s rod licence.

Full details visit the website https://takeafriendfishing.co.uk/

The event is supported by the campaign partners Angling Trade Association & the Environment Agency

Upcoming Events

02 August – England Disabled Fly Fishers, 9 Boats + 2 WB’s

03 August – England Fly Fishing Association, 22 Boats.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48-to-72-hour forecast.

XC Weather – https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/LE16_8RP use this link for Eyebrook.

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Eyebrook Reservoir.

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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 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 30^th July   Rod Av: 3.8   Water Temperature: 18c+ – 19c

Start of the week with a northerly wind and rain forecast led to a quiet day on the water. Only 1 rod member A Wilson took to the water, he caught 4 trout on an orange daddy & muddler but reported other fish coming short.

Tuesday, better forecast with all of our boats out for the morning session with some booked for the afternoon & evening. Water clarity remains good. Barry Deeley fished the morning session catching 10, successful method was fast sinker & booby or floating line and claret hopper. Claret hopper, orange daddy, natural daddy, crunchers & #14 diawl bach & damsel patterns were excellent patterns on the day. Alan Wither & Rob Keeber fished the day session catching 26 trout drifting across the main basin. For the afternoon & last 4 hour session proved to be successful with anglers reporting seeing trout, Max Bazeley caught 4, B Morris caught 3 with Greg Weatherdon catching 5. Good days fishing with a 4.3 rod average.

Wednesday bright start to the day with cloud expected & rain forecast from the late afternoon. It proved to be a more challenging day than expected with trout taking short or trout lost while playing them. Fish were caught on fast sinkers, tip lines & floaters with olive or red booby, blob, orange daddy & natural daddy with Ian Leach top rod with his 5 trout.

Thursday, rainfall during the evening has raised the level a little, but water clarity remains good. Richard Dayman fished a morning session catching 13 on a floating line & small #12 #14 fabs, Mick Huffer also fished the morning session with claret buzzers catching 6. J Scott fished a 6ft tip line with size #14 #16 flashback hares ear & small booby hares ear along the stone bank & into the mouth of the Markfield arm catching 13 trout. Jim Brown fished the last 4 hours using a small hares ear to catch his 2 trout.

Friday humid morning with the breeze back into a south westerly. Busy day with boat fishing the morning, afternoon & last 4hr. Some rods found a fast sinker & a red or damsel booby worked best during the morning with the afternoon & last 4hr rods using daddies, claret hoppers, damsel patterns & cdc. The main basin from the dam down towards the Markfield arm fished best, although we did during the day see a good number of fish opposite the lodge in the Thornton arm, Chris Sayer caught 8 for his mornings session with Swinfield & Zeleny also fishing the morning boating 7 trout to booby patterns with Trev & Nev fishing the last 4 hours catching 6 to claret hopper.

Saturday & an excellent days fishing with midge tip & longer tip lines & floating lines best method with daddies, shipmans, cdc & damsel patterns. Best area continues to be from the dam across the main basin down to the lonesome pine, we continue to see fish moving opposite the lodge. Morning & afternoon continues to produce with the last 4hr session also fishing. B Sibley & M Clay caught 10 for their mornings on a diawl bach. B Perrie caught 9 on a shipmans & orange fab with Mark Hunt fishing cdc & daddy patterns to catch 13. Barry & Mapp on their first visit to Thornton caught 21 on damsel & buzzer patterns. Last 4hr Mr Gee caught 11 trout to 4lb on a washing line.

Sunday a quieter day due to the forecast, but what a day with the best fishing of the week. T long fished the morning session catching 16, P Hunt & J Thomson also fished the morning boating 10 trout on a small fab, diawl bach & buzzer with J Parnham fishing the afternoon & evening catching 11 trout

This coming week. Looking at our local weather forecast its good summer fishing conditions, cooler air temperatures 18c to 19c, cloud breezy conditions & light rain at times, are excellent for fishing as we move into August.

Take A Friend Fishing 29^th July to 3^rd September 2023, a great opportunity to introduce a family member or friend to a Free days fly fishing. Your guest will share your permit with the availability of a free days rod licence.

Full details visit the website https://takeafriendfishing.co.uk/

The event is supported by the campaign partners Angling Trade Association & the Environment Agency

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48 to 72 hour forecast.

XC Weather – https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/LE67_1AR use this link for Thornton.

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Thornton Reservoir

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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/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Exclusion Zone  Due to the work being carried out on the Hensborough Bank there is an exclusion zone in place, clearly marked with yellow buoys. Under no circumstances are anglers to enter this area as there are divers in the water.

Week Ending:     30^th July  2023      Rod Av: 4.73  Water Temperature: 16-17 °C

A wet start to the week with cool temperatures, although thankfully the rain did stop just after lunch. With the wind coming from the Southwest. Once again the good fishing continued and we had a good start to the week, with a rod average of 5.35. Once the rain stopped on the afternoon, a couple of bank anglers ventured out. Draycote member Paul Walley landed a brace from the Tower Bank. While Mr Finch Noyes who fished for the last four hours landed 3 fish, also from the Tower Bank on small grey minkies. Out on the boats Ian Richardson & Bob Smith caught fish on a washing line using crunchers on either a floater or midge tip. Kevin Rees once again fished dries with his favourite size 14 crippled midge once again taking fish ended the day on 13. Fellow member John Dickens landed 20 fish also on crippled midge drifting from the exclusion zone buoys towards M & N Buoy. Fishing for an afternoon Colin England & Andy Lille used daddies to great effect landing 18 fish, again drifting from the Draycote Dam out.

The wind swung Tuesday, into the Northwest with overcast skies for most of the day, cool overnight temperatures continued to drop the water temperature to a very trout friendly 16.5°C. On the bank Draycote member Jim Kelly used pheasant tailed nymphs to land 4 fish. Fellow member Richard Walker fished of the Tower Bank landing 3 fish on yellow owls. Mick Cronin fished at the Tower bank to land 7 fish on a midge of sedge’s and also daddies. With Stan Hillman fishing alongside Mick using pearly pheasant tails landing 8 fish. On the boats Lester Booth & Nigel Nixon boated 19 fish between them, using a mixture of dries. Finding their fish in Toft, with the afternoon being the best part of the day for the pair. Members Paul Walker & John Faulkonbridge used a washing line to great effect landing 22 fish to the boat drifting from A Buoy out towards Rainbow Corner. Geoff Allsop & Graham Wood landed 14 fish between them all on dries with F Flies and small daddies being the most productive patterns, and commented “on a great day” Trevor Moore fished with son Robert for the afternoon landed 14 fish with a washing line with Diawl Bachs on the droppers.

A bright start to Wednesday, with cloud arriving in the afternoon and bringing it with it some very heavy rain for the evening. The wind also swung back into the Southwest, after coming from the Northwest the day before. Draycote member Ian Reeve fished a morning boat landing 11 fish. Drifting from Rainbow Corner towards A Buoy either using daddies or a washing line with a tequila FAB on Diawl Bachs. Darn Nataly & Danny Lovegrove landed 21 fish on their boat, with he best area being around Y Buoy. The best tactic the pair found was a washing line, with a mixture of daddies, blobs and Daiwl Bachs. On either an intermediate line or a midge tip. Pete Eville landed 14 fish on dries drifting through the middle around N Buoy & Y Buoy using red bobs bits or a foam daddy. Mr Camm fishing his first of a 2 day break enjoyed a great day landing 16 fish, before the heavy rain set in around 7pm. Commenting that he caught fish everywhere he went from Rainbow Corner to Toft. Using a washing line set up with most of the fish taking the FAB on the point. With the best line being an intermediate when the sun came out and a midge tip in the afternoon when the cloud arrived. Another boat landing 16 fish was Steve Radcliffe and Mike Hill who fished daddies around Rainbow Corner to land their fish.

It was bright and sunny to start with here at Draycote with a light westerly breeze. Once again there is good sport to be had for all concerned. Concentrating your efforts in the top few feet of the water yields the best results but fish can be found at nearly any depth. Gordon Bramwell used a washing line with crunchers to net 15 fish from various areas around the reservoir. Eddie Mitchell and Dave Kennell used boobies, FAB’s and cormorants fished on Airflo’s very popular 12 foot slow tip line, and netted nearly 30 fish between them. The father and son pairing of Frazer Duffy senior and junior, used FAB’s and cormorants to net a bakers dozen during an afternoon session. Mr Dave Naylor and Mr Steve Houlton caught well over 20 fish for the day using hoppers and shipmans buzzers.

A great day Friday, with fantastic conditions overcast skies for most of the day with the occasional patch of sun and the wind coming from the Southwest. Draycote member Dave Smith fished on the boats landing 8 fish using a washing line at Rainbow Corner. With a FAB on the point and cormorants on the droppers and other small mini lures. Fellow member Paul Walker used a midge tip with a washing line of a FAB and Diawl Bachs to land 24 fish. Ian Richardson & Bob Smith landed 13 fish to their boat, drifting near J Buoy into the Farborough Dam wall. Using a mix of methods from dries to a washing line with crunchers on the droppers. Using dries all day John Dickens landed 14 fish with Grunters and Cripple Midge being his best patterns. Also, using dries all day Kevin Rees landed 18 fish all on size 14 crippled midge drifting from the Draycote Dam towards B Buoy. Fishery Manager Tom Bird also took to the water, taking advantage of a day off. Fishing a half day Tom landed 13 fish all taken on a washing line set up. With a FAB on the point 2 nymphs and a orange daddy on the top dropper. The best drift was from the exclusion zone buoys towards M Buoy, however, Tom also caught by J Buoy and also the Draycote Dam Wall.

Despite some heavy afternoon showers, Saturday turned out to be a great day to be out on Draycote Water. The bank anglers are doing well for the time of year with the odd brace here and there. Season permit holder Alan Grant had 3 fish off the Tower Bank on diawl bachs. Young Mike Garner caught a brace from Rainbow Corner using Bibios. Steve Proffitt caught 4 fish from the overflow on the Tower Bank on FAB’s and hares ears on a floating line. Andy Jordan, also fishing from the bank, netted 2 fish from Rainbow Corner on green holographic diawl bachs. Out on the boats Draycote stalwart Jon Crowley netted 11 fish drifting from M buoy to K buoy on orange foam daddies fished on a midge tip line. Scott Graham and Dave Reynolds had a bakers dozen between them using snakes fished on sinking lines. John Brown and Andy Campbell used similar tactics to net 6 apiece. Tim Burn had over 20 fish to the boat using flies such as daddies, FAB’s and snakes, drifting across the middle of the reservoir.

A slightly windy day Sunday, with a very wet afternoon with showers starting around 1pm and continuing for the afternoon. However, the anglers who fished the day enjoyed some more of the good sport that Draycote has been experiencing for most of July. On the bank Stan Hillman fished with Mark Parsley with the pair enjoying good sport. Using a popper minkie Stan landed 5 fish, while Mark used daddies to land 4 fish. On the boats Draycote member Richard Walker fished on a half day boat landing 9 fish. Fishing from near the outlet and the exclusion buoys. Using Big Red’s and foam daddies along with pulling a white muddler.  Neil Deakin & Martin Rowson fished around Rainbow Corner to A Buoy and then drifting off the exclusion zone buoys towards M. Landing 19 fish to the boat, using a washing line and also pulling snakes on a Di 3 sinking line. All water member Frazer Duffy Snr & Jnr used slow sinking midge tip with nymphs and blobs to land 24 fish. With the best area being around M Buoy drifting towards N Bouy.

Take A Friend Fishing 29^th July to 3^rd September 2023, a great opportunity to introduce a family member or friend to a Free day’s fly fishing. Your guest will share your permit with the availability of a free day’s rod licence.

Full details visit the website https://takeafriendfishing.co.uk/

The event is supported by the campaign partners Angling Trade Association & the Environment Agency

Competitions Due at Draycote:

John Horsey Wychwood Individual Fly Fishing Championship Individual Competition Sunday 20^th August entry details https://flyfishingchampionships.uk/

Jim Watts Trophy Fly Dressers Guild 26^th August.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48 to 72 hour forecast.

XC Weather – Forecast for CV23 8AB | XCWeather use this link for Draycote

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Draycote Water +

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 

Lodge – 01536 770264 & Fishery Mobile 07834581424

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/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 23^rd July   Rod Av:  4.4        Water Temperature: 18°c

It was a blustery start to the week where the only consistency with the weather was its changeability, it was consistently changing.  Periods of showers, sunshine & cloud, with moderately gusty winds littered the day. Subsequently, some anglers struggled to locate fish with those catching finding the Main Basin to be the most productive area with the fish well spread. The most productive patterns were Foam Daddies & Damsel Nymphs. When searching open water for fish it is important to maintain a mobile approach by conducting long drifts initially & once fish are located, use shorter drifts to target those fish.

Tuesday started with a flat calm that developed into a gentle ripple with constant cloud cover. By late afternoon, the conditions seemed to be perfect for fishing the Dries. Out capitalising on these conditions was All Water Member Mark Hunt. Mark had decided to conduct long drifts across the open water of the Main Basin, targeting any moving fish & was duly rewarded with an excellent bag of 15 fish, most of which fell to Daddies. Elsewhere, Jude Tuffs took 12 fish on the washing line from various locations in the Main Basin, with her most productive pattern being a Candy FAB. Colin Hendry also had 12 fish from the general area of the Main Basin, catching on various methods & flies. Colin quoted a Size 14 Tequila FAB; Black Booby Hopper & a Midas has his flies that caught his fish. Another angler recording a great catch return was Eyebrook Member Bob Margery who landed 14 fish, 11 of which came in the morning. Bob found an Intermediate Line, with a couple of blobs & Nymphs on it, to be his most productive line. The fish throughout the Main Basin, appear to be very “poddy” at present with many small pods of fish circumnavigating the basin. Before the recent high winds, these pods were less in number but contained more fish, whereas after the winds there are more pods, containing less fish. To counter this, it is essential you cover as much water as possible by fishing on the drift & it could also pay dividends to have a bit of colour somewhere on your cast, be it a Blob or FAB, to act as an attractor.

Wednesday saw a dramatic change in the wind direction. The day started with a gentle southerly & by mid-morning it was a moderate north westerly. The wind change brought it some isolated breaks in the cloud which led to some isolated periods of sunshine. The warmer air temperatures in the afternoon led to an increase in the Adult Damsel activity & a good number of fish were caught on Blue Foam Daddies in the afternoon. When fishing the Blue Foam Daddy, it is important to wait until you see the adult Damsels hatching off & once there is an abundance, then fish them. The results can be spectacular. Other successful methods included Dries & the Washing Line fished on lines from anything from a Floater to an Intermediate. Those fishing the Washing Line found that a bit of colour in the form of a FAB or Blob Booby, either on the top dropper or the point, was essential to success with both patterns featuring high on the catch returns. There were some excellent returns with a lot of anglers catching well into double figures with the pick of those being regular Eyebrook visitor, Martin Rowson who landed well over 20 fish on Hoppers & Blue Damsel patterns. Martin maintained a mobile approach, covering a lot of water, with long drifts through the Main Basin. From the bank, another Eyebrook regular, George Burnham, had a productive Last 4 session, landing 3 fish, some of which were over 3lb. George also reported a good number of larger fish moving & he went on to lose a fish estimated at 6lb.

The windspeed on Thursday reduced dramatically which would prove to make locating fish somewhat more difficult than on previous days. Due to the lack of wind, a drifting boat does not cover as much distance over the water as it would being pushed along by a moderate breeze. This makes location even more important as you cannot rely upon the boat moving to feeding fish. Generally with less wind, the water is calmer & any fish that are feeding high up can be seen from some distance away. In these circumstances, it often pays to move the boat to the fish. When doing so, we must remember to do it as stealthily as possible & stop the boat at least a casts distance away from the feeding fish. Do not charge over to them & stop the boat right on top of them as more than likely they won’t be there. The Main Basin still produced a few fish for those fishing high up in the water column, either on a Washing Lined Floater or with Dries.

The Main Basin continued to fish well on Friday with some very good catch returns recorded. Fishery Guide Lee Henfrey, out on a pleasure day, had a very productive morning sessions landing over 30 fish between him & his boat partner. All Water Member Ian Jobe, also had a productive morning, taking to his Float Tube & landed well into double figures. Out practicing for a forthcoming competition Matt Nuttall, also had 30 fish to the boat, mainly from the Basin area. The biggest difference from the previous day was that there was a more substantial wind & anglers were able to cover more water when searching for the smaller pods in the Main Basin. Fish were caught on a variety of methods, Dries, Washing Line & even on Pulling tactics with a Fast Glass or Di 3 being the preferred lines of choice.

The weekend saw Eyebrook host Round 4 of the very popular 6 X 4 Team Competition, with Saturday being the official practice day & Sunday being competition day. There was contrasting weather for both days with Saturday being extremely damp & Sunday being mainly dry, with periods of heavy cloud cover with sunny intervals. The wind both days was a moderate Southerly. Saturday also saw Eyebrook members Bob Margery & Steve Lawrence take to the water on what was the one of the few non-competition boats out the day. Steve & Bob had a good day landing well into double figures. Those practicing were spread far & wide, searching for fish & honing methods for the following day. Although it soon became apparent that the Main Basin was holding a lot of fish. On Competition Day the Main Basin subsequently fished very well with 51 anglers catching 256 for a rod average of 5.0 with the some the better bags coming to Dries. Other productive methods included the very consistent washing line with colour on the point & nymphs above it.

Outside of the competition, Neil Shilton took to his Float Tube & landed 7 fish, fishing deep & slow & Malcolm Thompson took to the bank. Malcolm fished a Hares Ear CDC over the top of the weed down the Hawthorns & landed 5 fish which was an excellent session off the bank for this time of the year.

Upcoming Events

29 July – AMFFC Group 1, 18 boats.

02 August – England Disabled Fly Fishers, 9 Boats + 2 WB’s

03 August – England Fly Fishing Association, 22 Boats.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48-to-72-hour forecast.

XC Weather – https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/LE16_8RP use this link for Eyebrook.

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Eyebrook Reservoir.

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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 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 23^rd July   Rod Av: 3.1    Water Temperature: 18c+ – 19c

Monday cooler conditions & we saw at times fish moving on the surface. Andy Lilley & G England caught 20 trout for their mornings visit on a midge tip & Airflo 5ft tip lines with small Fab & diawl bach fishing across the main basin, however catching most drifting down the middle of the Markfield arm. Lindsay Bates & R Keeber caught 11 on crunchers & damsel they found the best of the sport to a floating line during late afternoon onwards.

Tuesday with the continued cooler summer forecast with cloud & light rain its ideal conditions for July fly fishing. Most of the trout were caught on floating, tip & intermediate lines with fish to be seen at times, middle of the Thornton arm, across the main basin to the stones, dam & into the Markfield arm. Martin Hosking fished Green bay fishing various patterns to land 4 trout, Arthur Olding fished a floating line with a #10 short shank unweighted cats whisker with Steve Windram catching 9 on a black hopper & small yellow fab. Anglers reported missed offers and trout lost while playing them. Good to see for the 2^nd evening fish moving during the evening.

Wednesday, overcast morning with light rain, our surface water temperature is 18c+ and we could see fish moving opposite the lodge. Quiet day only a couple of boats out but good to see them all catching on floating, midge tip & various tip lines with black hoppers, diawl bach & small fabs with the majority caught in the Thornton arm.

Thursday, a busy day with all of the boats out for the morning sessions with some boats rebooked for the afternoon & last 4 hour session. Mick Miller & R Smith caught 9 for their mornings visit with claret hopper, claret suspender & shipman’s patterns. Tim Russell & Ron Rudge last fished Thornton 35 years ago, they fished the morning session with black or claret hoppers and shipman’s to boat 18 trout. Member B Deeley caught 8 for his mornings session with a DI5 and booby and a midge tip with suspenders, while Keith Hampton fished the morning catching 7 on a floater & hopper to a fast sink and booby. It was good to see rods out for the afternoon and evening session, all reported a good rise, hooking and losing fish with J Parnham top rod for the evening boating 4

Friday and again most rods fished the cooler morning session, Mr & Mrs Warren caught 6, Dave Mee caught 4 on buzzers with C Sayer catching 11 on an olive booby. Plenty of fish moving at times from the Thornton arm across the main basin to the stones & dam wall across to the Markfield arm.

Saturday with the forecast for rain and wind we had few boats out. The anglers who did go out in the rain reported seeing fish moving, which I wasn’t surprised as martins and swallows were down on the water feeding all day. Lots of typical small / tiny buzzers hatching but a few of the larger #10 #12 claret buzzers which we expect to see in mid August were also on the water. Best patterns, daddy longlegs, claret hopper or shipmans on a floater with Jan Webber catching his 7 trout on a DI3 with damsel booby patterns. M Clay caught 5 from the orange buoy area with Mark Hunt fishing from 1pm to 6pm catching 8 on the drift.

Sunday, despite the rain our water clarity is good with more rain showers in the forecast its cooler air temperatures and were seeing fish feeding off the surface from when we opened. Ian Leach and J Gascoye caught 8 for their mornings visit with Dave Leavesley catching 6 for his mornings visit.

Dave Leavesley is chairman of the local angling club Thornton Fly Fishers who at 3pm hosted their annual mid summer social BBQ. They operate social events and competitions during the year with fly tying & guest speaker during the winter you can follow them on Facebook Thornton Fly Fishers. www.facebook.com/troutfishingclub

Current July weather, air temperature of 16c to 20c, rain and cloud is excellent for fly fishing, with an evening rise, last 4 hour been worth a visit especially on the cooler, cloudier evenings.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48 to 72 hour forecast.

XC Weather – https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/LE67_1AR use this link for Thornton.

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Thornton Reservoir

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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/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Exclusion Zone  Due to the work being carried out on the Hensborough Bank there is an exclusion zone in place, clearly marked with yellow buoys. Under no circumstances are anglers to enter this area as there are divers in the water.

Week Ending:     23^rd July  2023      Rod Av: 5.5  Water Temperature: 17 °C

A sunny start to the week, with the cloud rolling in just after lunch with some heavy showers at times. It was a good start to the week, with the good sport continuing. Draycote member John Dickens landed 14 fish all on dries. On a mixture of Daddies and also F Flies, drifting around the Draycote Dam heading towards B Buoy and also Rainbow Corner to A. Another angler who landed 14 fish was Craig Brandson, who also used daddies, however, also found the fish willing to take boobies pulled across the surface. Keeping the dry fly theme going, Kit Doleman landed a dozen fish on daddies and Bob’s Bits. Taking advantage of one of our three day breaks Kevin Levell from Scotland, fished his 2^nd day after fishing Eyebrook the day before. Kevin, fished a washing line to take 7 fish before his last 4 fell to a snake fished on a Di 3 sinking line. David Stott landed 24 fish using dries before changing to small black lures with Viva’s and cormorants taking the majority of his fish.

A change of wind Tuesday, with the wind starting very light from the Southeast, though did go to the Northwest in the afternoon teamed with a rain shower. Before finishing the day back in the Southwest. Once again the anglers enjoyed the good sport that Draycote is experiencing, helped by the cooler July temperatures. All water member Andy Lillie landed a dozen fish from a morning session, landing his first 2 from near the Inlet. Commenting that there was fish moving all over Rainbow Corner but they wouldn’t take his dries. He then moved down near J Buoy to take his other 10 in the last hour. Using a washing line with a Ham & Cheese FAB on the point and then nymphs on the droppers. Draycote members Martin Foster & John Vyse boated 17 fish, drifting around A, M & K Buoy. Either fishing dries or a washing line to tempt the fish. Tim Grove starting his first day or a 3 day break landed a dozen fish. Tim, fished around the Farborough Dam to take most of his fish on either Yellow Owls or a washing line.  All water member Norman Perkins fished at Rainbow Corner to land 13 fish in a half day. With an orange daddy and a green suspender buzzer his top pattern. Paul Davison & Tony Baldwin landed over 30 fish to the boat all on dries with Paul on Midas and Tony on a mixture of dries. Kevin Rees also fished dries to land 37 fish, with crippled midge being his best pattern. With his best area being off the exclusion buoys drifting towards M & N Buoy.

Early heavy showers did not deter the fishermen or the fishing on Wednesday. Once again there is some fantastic sport to be had generally over the deeper water using practically any method at the moment. Dries are working well, as are nymphs fished on a floater, midge tip or an intermediate line. Regular visitor Paul Walker used these very tactics to net a grand total of 19 fish.  The bank seems to be fishing quite well of late with young Mick Cronin catching 10 fish in total. Mick has been regularly fishing both in Rainbow Corner and off The Tower Bank over the past couple of weeks and had reasonable success on foam daddies . Fishery staff member Lee Henfrey ventured out for a couple of hours through the middle of the day and caught a dozen fish, on hoppers, boobies and diawl bachs.

Wonderful calm conditions greeted us on Thursday morning here at Draycote, with a good head of fish rising around the pontoon as we were preparing the boats. It proved a busy day with good returns alround. Ed Douglas had a good day on the dries, netting 19 on crippled midge and the F fly. Simon Ringer had 4 fish to the boat using orange foam daddies. Season permit holder Paul Havard used the washing line technique off a floating line, with black nymphs and a tequila booby. Paul plied his trade around the overflow as well as drifting between Y and M buoy . Bob Askew used a slow intermediate line with black crunchers and a blob on the point to net 9 fish whilst drifting over the open water. Peter Elliott netted 14 fish from a drifting boat on bob’s bits in sizes 12 and 14.

Once again here we are in July with almost perfect conditions for fishing on Friday. The surface water temperature is at 17 degrees and with good cloud cover, the fish are holding in the top few feet of the water. In general, dries are working quite well, but dropping down onto a midge tip line or a slow intermediate, either with nymphs, or a couple of claret hoppers, has produced good returns for some of our visitors. Season permit holder Alan Grant took to the bank to net 5 fish near the Valve Tower. Alan used a slow intermediate line and candy FAB’s. Young Ian Reeve and Colin Grainger had well over 20 fish to the boat between them on a variety of patterns such as tequila boobies, diawl bachs and dries. Ian Richardson remarked on “A Good Day”, after netting 10 fish from a drifting boat. Ian drifted from Y to M buoy as well as fishing near the Tower using a DI3 line and a tequila booby. Season permit holder Mark Hunt  ended the day with 16 fish to the boat. Mark targeted the fry feeders in the morning with floating fry patterns, before drifting the main basin on yellow owls through the afternoon.

Light showers accompanied us as we prepared the boats on Saturday morning and these continued throughout the day. Season permit holder Jon Crowley had a dozen fish to the boat during a morning session using a variety of flies such as muskins and foam daddies. Jon fished mostly around K buoy and the front of the out of bounds markers on the Hensborough Bank. Sue and Neil Potts had over 20 fish to the boat between them. They used the washing line technique with FAB’s and diawl bachs and fished M buoy in the morning, before moving in to Rainbow Corner for the afternoon. Mr M Clayton and Mr E Croote had a good number of fish to the boat, well over 20, on hoppers, crippled midge and blobs.

Sunday morning saw us bailing a lot of water out of the boat after some heavy overnight showers. The day itself was forecast for more rain which just never appeared. Once again Draycote was in great form with the daily rod average coming out at 8.4. Regulars Martin Rowson and Neil Deakin put 2 dozen fish in the boat and were off home by early afternoon. Tim Davies and Chris Pallot had 15 fish to the boat during a morning session using dry fly tactics in Rainbow Corner. Season permit holder Paul Mitchell and Tim Burn had well over 30 fish to the boat between them using foam daddies and FAB’s. Neil Tomkins and Chris Pyke had 26 fish to the boat on the second day of their visit using various top of the water tactics. Staff member Kevin Jones caught half a dozen fish during a morning session using dries at first, before switching to snakes on a DI3 line. Season permit holder Alan Grant ventured out onto the bank to net 3 fish near the Valve Tower.

Competitions Due at Draycote:

John Horsey Wychwood Individual Fly Fishing Championship Individual Competition Sunday 20^th August entry details https://flyfishingchampionships.uk/

Jim Watts Trophy Fly Dressers Guild 26^th August.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48 to 72 hour forecast.

XC Weather – Forecast for CV23 8AB | XCWeather use this link for Draycote

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Draycote Water +

Daily 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 Daily Report –

Lodge – 01536 770264 & Fishery Mobile 07834581424

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/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Date: 19 July   Rod Av:  7.9         Water Temperature: 18°c

Wednesday saw a dramatic change in the wind direction. The day started with a gentle southerly & by mid-morning it was a moderate north westerly. The wind change brought it some isolated breaks in the cloud which led to some isolated periods of sunshine. The warmer air temperatures in the afternoon led to an increase in the Adult Damsel activity & a good number of fish were caught on Blue Foam Daddies in the afternoon. When fishing the Blue Foam Daddy, it is important to wait until you see the adult Damsels hatching off & once there is an abundance, then fish them. The results can be spectacular. Other successful methods included Dries & the Washing Line fished on lines from anything from a Floater to an Intermediate. Those fishing the Washing Line found that a bit of colour in the form of a FAB or Blob Booby, either on the top dropper or the point, was essential to success with both patterns featuring high on the catch returns. There were some excellent returns with a lot of anglers catching well into double figures, the pick of those was regular Eyebrook visitor, Martin Rowson who landed well over 20 fish on Hoppers & Blue Damsel patterns. Martin maintained a mobile approach, covering a lot of water, with long drifts through the Main Basin. Well done Martin that was a great return. From the bank, another Eyebrook regular, George Burnham, had a productive Last 4 session, landing 3 fish, some of which were over 3lb. George also reported a good number of larger fish moving & he went on to lose a fish estimated at 6lb.

Upcoming Events

22/23 July – 6 x 4 Team Competition, 26 boats each day.

29 July – AMFFC Group 1, 18 boats.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48-to-72-hour forecast.

XC Weather – https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/LE16_8RP use this link for Eyebrook.

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Eyebrook Reservoir.

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 –

Lodge – 01536 770264 & Fishery Mobile 07834581424

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/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfisheyebrook.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 16^th July   Rod Av:  5.3         Water Temperature: 18°c

It was a quiet start to the week with only a few anglers venturing out. From a still, cloudy start the weather deteriorated to strong southerly winds with intermittent cloud cover. Most anglers congregated around the Main Basin with the North side of the tower proving to be a consistent area. After the previous day’s successes, Bram Van Der Bos returned for a morning session. Fishing Foam Daddies in the Main Basin, Bram went onto catch well into double figures. Elsewhere, out for the afternoon & into the evening, Mr Cousins had a very productive session landing over 20 fish, pulling lures across the Main Basin. When fishing the Basin it is far more productive to cover as much water as possible, actively searching for fish, rather than sat in one location & waiting for the fish to come to you.

Tuesday brought with it some good, consistent cloud cover & a gentle southerly breeze that developed into a gusty wind by late morning. The reservoir fished well with fish caught throughout the Main Basin high up in the water column with Dries or a Washing Lined floating line proving to be the most productive methods. With the Dries, Foam Daddies featured very high on the catch returns & on the washing line, a more subtle buoyant point fly seemed to be the way to go. On the droppers there was a mixture of imitative patterns, Buzzers, Diawl Bachs, UV Crunchers & small Damsels all caught fish. Locating fish in the open water of the Main Basin can be challenging so covering more water can be critical.  Subsequently, those fishing from a drifting boat were more successful than those fishing on the anchor. Members Roy Swinfield & Lyndsay Bates caught well drifting across the Basin landing well over 20 fish on the washing line & fishing on a day permit, Mr Gee had a great day, landing 21 fish on a washing line, also in the Main Basin. On the banks, Eyebrook regular George Burnham popped down for a last 4 Hour session & was duly rewarded with 4 fish from the Bell.

The weather Wednesday followed the same pattern as the previous day with what was a gentle southerly turning into a strong, gusty southerly by late morning. The fishing also followed a similar pattern to the previous day, with a lot of fish being found in the Main Basin in the upper layers of the water column. Regular visitor Dougie Skedd, started on a Washing Lined floater & caught fish from the off. As the wind strengthened & the waves built, Dougie changed to slow sink tip to dig into the wave & ensure his flies remained just under the surface. Dougie had a great day going on to land 20 fish in total. Others to do particularly well were All Water Members Clive Moore & Ian Jobe who landed well over 30 fish, targeting the fish in the upper layers of the Main Basin. Clive caught very well on a Popper Hopper on the point of his Washing Line. Other fly patterns to feature high on the catch returns were Foam daddies, Diawl Bachs, Crunchers & small FABs.

The moderate southerly wind on Thursday brought with it some unsettled weather which resulted in some periods of extended sunshine & showers. The Main Basin continued to fish very well with some high catch returns recorded. The fish were sat relatively high up in the water column & were caught on Dries, Washing Lined Floaters & Tip Lines. On the washing line it paid dividends having colour either on the point or on the top dropper with a very small FAB proving to be very successful. On the droppers, Crunchers & Diawl Bachs were the preferred choice for many & rightly so as these also featured high on the catch returns. Thinking slightly outside of the box, Eyebrook member Bill Law had a very productive morning session, landing 10 fish on Muddlers, pulled through the wave. All Water Member Ray Jordan also had a good morning session, landing 8 fish on a washing line with a small orange FAB on the point. For those fishing the Dries, they found dries with a larger profile, that sat on the water, such as a Foam Daddy to be more productive than those that sat in the surface film.

Friday saw the weather begin to intensify, with the winds beginning to build & the showers getting heavier. Consequently, it was a quiet day angler wise although it wasn’t a quiet day fish wise as the reservoir fished extremely well with many catching into double figures. Yet again, Foam Daddies seemed to produce some high bags of fish, as did the washing line. Draycote Rio Master team member Martin Rowson had a very productive day with his boat partner, landing well over 30 fish to their boat. All Water Member Ian Leech took a family member out & between them they had 20 fish on the Orange Bodied Foam Daddies.

The wind had really intensified for Saturday, to the point that no boats were allowed out as the mean wind speed surpassed our threshold of 24mph. A few of those who had boats booked, decided to fish the bank where there were a few fish caught from the Dam, on Dries & on the Nymphs, with the southern corner of the Dam being more productive than the north.

The wind had abated slightly by Sunday & the boats were duly allowed out. As the day progressed the wind became gusty & brought with it some very heavy showers & periods of bright sunshine. This unsettled weather seemed to have a detrimental effect on the fishing as anglers struggled to locate fish. First time visitor Sam Jones managed an exceptional bag of fish on the day, landing 8 initially on Foam Daddies & then later small emerging patterns, from various locations around the Main Basin. Eyebrook Member Neil Shilton landed 4 fishing deep with large lures. Targeting overwintered fish, Neil felt there were more fish laying higher in the water column. Also landing 4 was Matt Allen, which was a great return for a Last 4 Hour session. By the late evening, the wind had significantly reduced & Matt targeted moving fish & all his fish came because of him covering moving fish. Great angling Matt, well done.

With a more settled weather forecast for the coming week, the prospects look excellent as the water temperature remains good for this time of year & the fish confidently feeding in the upper layers.

Upcoming Events

22/23 July – 6 x 4 Team Competition, 26 boats each day.

29 July – AMFFC Group 1, 18 boats.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48-to-72-hour forecast.

XC Weather – https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/LE16_8RP use this link for Eyebrook.

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Eyebrook Reservoir.

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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 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfishthornton.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Week Ending: 16^th July   Rod Av: 2.8    Water Temperature: 18c+ to 19c

Monday morning in the cooler conditions at 1.10am we received our latest stocking of 2,095 trout from 1lb4oz to 1lb14oz which took our stocking level in Thornton to over 6,000 trout. These size of trout over the past few years has improved our fishing & catches during these warm summer period.

Monday to Wednesday the fishing has started to improve with our current rod average of 2+ Some report fish been caught on booby, small snakes fished on an intermediate to sinking lines with odd fish taking a single dry fly. With this cooler forecast this week, daytime air temperature peaking at 18c – 20c, wind fresh at times with plenty of cloud & light rain we are seeing a few fish moving.

Thursday with the overcast forecast we had all the boats out for the mornings session with the rods returning a 3+ rod average. Mixture of methods caught from a floating line, tip lines, intermediates to fast sinkers catching with dries, damsels, cats whisker, snakes and booby patterns. The deeper water from the main car park, dam to the stones and green bay produced best. Harold Pritchard fished a size #12 black hopper and smaller diawl bach to catch 9 trout with some of the fish grown on to 5lb+. Paul Martindale fished damsel to boat 7 trout with Steve Windram fishing a floating line with diawl bach and hoppers to catch 6.

Friday, Saturday & Sunday we had a change to the weather, with the forecast for rain & strong wind at times with cooler air temperature. It was certainly wet & windy at times with anglers fishing the morning shelter with the shelter from the wind provided by the dam. #12 black hopper, #14 diawl bach were the best patterns with some fish also taking snakes & small hare’s ear. J Bebbington caught 5 for his visit on a diawl bach, R Smith caught the majority of his 6 trout on a dry black hopper with J Reynolds catching 6 on a diawl bach fished on a midge tip and a DI5 with cats booby pattern.

Weather forecast for the next 7 days is excellent with the temperature between 18c & 20c with cloud and average day wind speed 8mph to 12mph most days, use the links below.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48 to 72 hour forecast.

XC Weather – https://www.xcweather.co.uk/forecast/LE67_1AR use this link for Thornton.

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Thornton Reservoir

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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/

2023 Permits & Pre Payment for Boat Bookings Details of our Day Permits, Package Breaks & our Boat bookings pre-payment policy visit our website.

https://www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk/about-us-2/day-permits/

Exclusion Zone  Due to the work being carried out on the Hensborough Bank there is an exclusion zone in place, clearly marked with yellow buoys. Under no circumstances are anglers to enter this area as there are divers in the water.

Week Ending:     16^th July 2023      Rod Av: 7.1    Water Temperature:  17-18°C

A bright start to the week, however the cloud soon rolled in with the gusty southerly winds, with showers in the afternoon. With the cloud cover once again, dries was the order of the day. With the anglers enjoyed great sport as the fishery averaged 17.11 fish per angler. Draycote members Lee Patten & Peter Elliot enjoyed “another brill day on the dries” landing 49 fish between them. Their best patterns being a bob’s bits and a Big Red. Fellow members Bob Smith & Bob Barfoot also enjoyed “another good day” using a mixture of dries to land their 17 fish which included a number of “lumps” John Dickens found Grunters to be his most productive fly as he went on to land over 25 fish. However, top rod on the day went to dry fly lover Kevin Rees who landed 47 fish. Using crippled midge, drifting from the exclusion zone Buoys to M Buoy and then Rainbow Corner to A Buoy. It’s amazing what a change in the water temperature can do to bring the fish on the feed.

The good sport continued Tuesday, with another double figure rod average. The wind continued from the Southwest and remained gusty at times with showers during the course of the day some very heavy ones in the afternoon. Fishing from the bank Richard Franklin & Paul Smith landed 3 fish all on daddies from Rainbow Corner. However, it was the boats that faired by far the best. Season ticket holder Dave Atkins landed 20 fish all on dries drifting from Rainbow Corner to A Buoy with Bob’s Bits being his best pattern. Brendan Thomas also used dries all day landing 18 fish, with a Grunter proving to be his best pattern and commented “what a brilliant day” Tim Davies fished for just a morning landing 10 on a variety of dries with no one stand out patten. Fishing for their first ever visit to Draycote, Pete Onions & Dave Baldock landed 8 fish between them on dries at A Buoy. All water member Ed Douglas, enjoyed a cricket score day landing an half century all on crippled midge.

Gusty south westerly winds continue at Draycote, alongside some excellent sport. Dave Mason and Louis Butler had a dozen fish to the boat on a washing line and dries.  Season permit holder Mr D Stott caught 9 fish on a mixture of vivas, FAB’s and dries. Young Ed Douglas took to  the water once again fishing dries to net over 20 fish on crippled midge and bob’s bits. Staff member Kevin Jones ventured out,  in between shifts to net half a dozen fish on popper hoppers near N and B buoy. Kevin Hart had over 20 fish to the boat using popper hoppers drifting off the Hensborough Bank and in front of the sailing club.

Thursday started with good cloud cover and a light south westerly breeze, with showers at times during the day. It was a busy day at the fishery with over 70 rods taking to the water looking to enjoy the good sport currently on offer. Once again the fishery fished well with 570 fish caught for a 7.7 fish rod average. On the bank Stan Hillman & Mick Cronin fished in Rainbow Corner and enjoyed great sport, with Mick landing a dozen fish with Stan taking half a dozen. Using various different dries, such as hoppers, Daddies and CDCs. On the boats all water member Andy Lillie fished for a half day landing 14 fish all taken using a single Yellow Owl CDC fishing at Rainbow Corner drifting towards A Buoy. Draycote member Paul Mitchell fished dries all day to land 21 fish to the boat at A Buoy and M Buoy. Steve Owen & Chris Howkins fished around J buoy and the Farborough Dam wall to land 49 fish to the boat using popper hoppers and also daddies. All water member Paul Havard used a washing line set up on a floating line with two nymphs on the droppers and a candy booby on the point, drifting by the Outlet. This set up landed Paul 15 fish and commented on a “lovely day”.

A wet and blustery start to Friday morning still didn’t put a dent in the fishing here at Draycote Water. The rod average is still high, with yesterday coming in at 8.8. Once again most of the fishing is happening at the western end of the reservoir, with a few people catching at J and T buoy.  Mr N Loughrey put 7 fish in the net using Grunters, and hoppers, fishing near A buoy and in Rainbow Corner. Young Kevin Rees once again used the F fly to great effect netting 18 fish on it. Staff member Kevin Jones had 16 fish during a morning session, all on popper hoppers in Rainbow Corner. Sam Edmunds and Alice Edwards had well over 20 fish to the boat between them on a wide variety of patterns.

Very  unpleasant conditions Saturday with wind speeds very close to the limit for letting the boats out teamed with torrential rain showers during the day. As a result of the strong winds we place a restriction for the anglers safety. As a result the boats stayed around Rainbow Corner and around J Buoy. Stan Studdick & Dave Dixon fished in boat together to land 9 fish on dries. Draycote member Jon Crowley landed 5 fish in a short morning session. Using Diawl Bach’s on a midge tip line drifting near N Buoy and Musborough Shoal. Chad & Corey Russel fished in the afternoon ahead of the Greys Pairs match the next day landing 18 fish on a mix of different dries. With he fish coming from the Draycote Dam wall out towards A Buoy and B Buoy.

An improved day Sunday with the winds dropping, although we did have some strong gusts in the afternoon. With the wind dropping the anglers where able to fish all areas of the lake. Fishing from the bank in Rainbow Corner, Stephen Dewhurst landed 6 fish. Amongst Stephen’s catch he also landed a cracking rainbow of 8lbs. Taking 3 of his fish on pheasant tails and the other 3 on daddies. Joining Stephen in Rainbow Corner for a few hours on the bank. Was fellow Draycote member James Alexander who also used pheasant tails to land his 3 fish. On the boats the fishery hosted the final round of the Greys Pairs competition with 16 pairs competing. There was a variety of methods used by the anglers on the day, the first boat in was Graham Willis & Mark Macleod who took their 12 fish by 12.15 using floating lines with daddies. Drifting from the Sailing Club pontoon to J Buoy and then down the Farborough Dam Wall along to the spit. The next boat in was that of Ian Watts & Rob Toptalo who used dries to catch their fish from Rainbow Corner by 12.45. Kevin Richardson & Andy Hoffrock took their 12 from the same area washing lining with nymphs by 13.15. However, they had a small bag meaning they missed out qualification. All water member Jamie Scott fishing with Shaun Devlin landed their 12 by 13.30 using nymphs on a floating line with a FAB on the point drifting along the Farborough Dam. The winning bag on the day came from Sam Edmunds & Alice Davies catching their 12 fish at 14.00pm. While they didn’t catch the quickest bag they went for quality with their 12 fish weighting 31lb 1oz. A fantastic bag of fish with the best tipping the scales at 5lb 9oz. The ladies used Di 3 sinking lines with snakes and sparklers teamed with a roly-poly retrieve. With the best area being drifting past the pontoon towards the wall and then along to the spit. Even though they could see some quicker bags coming to dries, they stuck to their guns and got the reward. Fantastic angling! Outside of the match Ed Douglas landed 16 fish on dries, using a real selection of dries crippled midge, bob’s bits. Big reds, grunters and shipman’s all catching. Drifting just off the pontoon and then around A Buoy and Rainbow Corner.

Competitions Due at Draycote:

John Horsey Wychwood Individual Fly Fishing Championship Individual Competition Sunday 20^th August entry details https://flyfishingchampionships.uk/

Jim Watts Trophy Fly Dressers Guild 26^th August.

Weather: we use two weather forecast pages.

Both options give a good 48 to 72 hour forecast.

XC Weather – Forecast for CV23 8AB | XCWeather use this link for Draycote

Windy App – https://www.windy.com/  on their home page, enter the fishery name Draycote Water +