February Fishing Reports

I'm sure everyone has their thoughts firmly on the spring fishing just around the corner, but you have to admit sport has been excellent during the winter! The latest news from our fisheries is: -

Loynton Trout Fishery is fishing well with high average catches and plenty of double figure rainbows coming out. Best flies are lures and buzzers fished in the upper 6 feet of water. Sport has been consistently good to these tactics on floating lines and intermediates all winter.

Willington Lake Trout Fishery has seen some wonderful grown on trout caught over recent weeks. Several rainbows between 6-8lbs have been landed. Fishing has been patchy with short feeding spells spread throughout the day. On cold windy days go for intermediate lines with small fritz lures or damsels, while on warmer days the best catches have come to black, olive and red buzzers fished on a floating line.

Sport at Marton Heath has been good with a rod average around 5 fish. On settled days small nymphs, buzzers and periodic dry fly fishing has been good.

Danebridge is fishing consistently well with some larger rainbows being caught. The fishery is well sheltered from the elements providing shelter for trout and anglers alike on rough days.

Despite the variable weather this winter I find that the above tactics have been consistent from late October to date. We have not used anything more than a slow sink line and on many days have fished floaters only with success. It just goes to show that watercraft and finding the fish are the most important element in obtaining consistent catches.

Tight Lines

Steve

Do anglers want to catch big trout?

Big trout fishing seems once again to be a hot topic in fishery circles!

One take on the situation is that anglers are not interested in catching large double figure trout. The claim is that the demand for this branch of fly fishing is shrinking. Fisheries targeting this branch of the sport such as Avington trout fishery, Dever Springs, Lechlade and others are out of touch with demand.

If that is the case internet search requests don't reflect it. Every day many people actively search for information on these fisheries and big trout fishing. Every day many anglers fish such waters around the UK. Certainly a number of venues have added individual specimen trout lakes to attract this market.

At the end of the day stillwater fly fishing would be pretty boring if all venues provided the same facilities. There is certainly demand for catching big trout, all anglers want to catch a bigger one!

If you are a fly fisher wanting to catch big trout then stalking is one of the most consistent techniques. For more information visit our stalking trout page.

If you have an opinion on this topic please post your comments here!

Tight Lines

Steve

They are rainbow trout not stockies!

I'm glad to see it's not just me who is getting fed up of fishing magazines refering to fish as "just stockies" or some equally negative term. In the February issue of Trout Fisherman it seems Peter Cockwill is also fed up of the situation.

The vast majority of fly anglers in the UK spend most of their time fishing for stocked trout. It is impractical for the situation to be otherwise as there is not sufficient wild trout fishing available to cope with demand.

One moment the writer is saying something like "landed another stockie" and over the page calls another stocked fish a "pristine specimen". Anyone reading some articles would be forgiven for thinking them written by the anti angling brigade such is the negative terminology. It makes my blood boil!

Let's refer to our catch as a rainbow or brown trout, fish or something similar. As Mr. Cockwill says "show some respect for your quarry".

If you have thoughts on this topic, post them here. I'm keen to here what others think.

Tight Lines

Steve

Why fly fish in winter?

This is the question many anglers still ask. The rich history of fly fishing in the UK seems at times seems to hold us back. While many traditional aspects of the sport continue, fly fishing is moving forward for the better!

Now that many stillwater fisheries open year round or at least have an extended season, anglers throughout the country can fish during the winter. In most cases the fishing is some of the year's best and here's why.

Trout by nature are cold blooded creatures requiring high levels of disolved oxygen to thrive in their environment. During the winter low water temperatures mean high oxygen levels, so during the short feeding spells fish activity is often very high.

Not only that but when you hook up the trout go like rockets! Helped by the oxygen rich water, the fish fight better than at any other time of year. Added to this is the spice of large trout, grown on or stocked, their is no doubt that if you want to catch big trout winter fishing is best!

Tight Lines

Steve