Fly Fishing Report @ 14th January 08

My apologies for the light posting currently, early January means getting some site updates done ready for Spring. This has also meant light fishing for me around a few client days. Still we are pretty much done now, so that is going to change!

The trout don't seem too bothered by the very changeable weather we have had. The few anglers venturing forth post New Year have had some good fishing. Loynton, Watermark, Bushyleaze, Lechlade and Cound all report good sport. Loynton, Watermark and Lechlade are producing the bigger fish as usual.

Top flies have been mini damsels, buzzers and various lures with colours varying according to the trouts' mood (and what they have already seen). Brighter stalking bugs in yellow and white also working well along with weighted HE nymph.

One big update that will roll out to the site early February is a fly fhop update. This will continue our theme of offering a small range of highly effecive patterns including some specials, though this year we are expanding the range in response to customer feedback!

I've further refined a couple of my own patterns, expanded the colour range for our stalking bugs, put together a range of fly sets for stillwater and river and finally introduced a range of dry flies. In all the selection will offer a good variety of what freshwater fly fishers need for 2008. So if your fly box needs reloading, look for further news in early February.

Best Fishes

Steve

Fly Fishing Report 3rd - 9th June 2007

Well I said the easy fishing was over and so it proved this week. The fishing has been more challenging and anglers have had to take their chances or rue mistakes made.

Willington, Watermark, Loynton and Carsington have all produced fish for clients, largely by us targeting feeding fish and presenting our flies too them. You only have to look into the water now to see it heaving with life forms. If your fly is not in front of the trout you can forget catching.

It has also been a week of what might have been, with two cracking fish coming adrift during truely thrilling fights. The first a big rainbow I would estimate at 9-10lbs at Watermark, then a cracking brown estimated at 4lbs+ from Carsington. I'm still not sure who feels worse when clients loose big fish, them or me!

Average water temperatures on our stillwaters are now 16C in the surface layers and heating up on hot days. When the fish go down, don't just switch to lures, a long leader and nymphs size 14 - 18 will often catch some surprisingly good fish.

I'm looking forward to getting back to the river during next week!

Keep the faith & tight lines

Steve

Fly Fishing Report 27th May - 2nd June 2007

Varied conditions this week, with some very cold mornings early on, giving way to much warmer afternoons and pleasant evenings. At least I managed to stay dry for a week!

Water temperatures are good everywhere, Carsington is still fishing exceedingly well. On calm days a floating line with buzzers, PTN and damsel are all you need. If the wind gets up use the same flies on an intermediate.

Loynton although not producing the bigger catches of winter and early spring is providing anglers with good sport, averaging 5-6 takes per day per angler and 3-4 fish on the bank. Still some good doubles coming out.

Willington has again provided great sport this week with plenty of surface action to hoppers and damsels, while subsurface a PTN is taking nymphing fish everytime. Catches of up to 8 fish per angler.

Watermark has been a little slow, mainly due to the explosion of daphnia and pin head fry. Trout have so much food infront of them your fly has a tiny chance of being the one they take! The water is crystal though, so by stalking fish you can make sure your fly is right on the fishes nose. This method is getting the takes when all else fails.

Still have a few dates available in June, email for latest availability.

Tight Lines

Steve

Fly Fishing Report 20th - 26th May 2007

Well this week saw the big change, on the lakes Trout started to target Damsels in both the nymph and adult form. Numbers have been increasing over the past two weeks and damsels are now everywhere, amazing when you consider this is four weeks early!

The other big change happened on the river. The trout have started to get full, bellies are bursting from the feast of mayfly, olives and midges. Yesterday trout were noticeable by there absence at the surface during the morning. PM and a few stragglers in the form of mayfly duns hatched and the odd spinner fluttered by, though in vastly reduced numbers. The trout however did react, almost sensing the end of a feast, trout grabed what they could the moment flies hit the surface!

I always see spring as ending with May, though June often provides similar fishing. This year Summer fishing is now very much here, the better fishing will start to swing toward afternoon and evening if the hot weather continues, and no doubt fishing will get more challenging as the water becomes a soup of trout food.

The easy fun fishing is coming to an end, now we can look forward to good fishing which requires that bit more thought, provides lessons and makes us better anglers if we chose to listen!

Tight Lines

Steve

Fly Fishing Report 13th-20th May 2007

This week's report should really be a Cotswold fly fishing report, as I've been guiding there all week other than our course yesterday at Willington. If recent weeks have produced excellent fishing, this week has been out of this world!

Five days on the river Coln produced more chalkstream wild brown trout than I can remember for clients, with several fish of 1-2lbs landed. We fished nothing other than dry fly from first thing in the morning to evening, such was the hatch activity of midge, olives and mayfly.

One day was spent guiding sight fishing at Watermark trout fishery, where Vic Burford had a truely dream day! He landed 5 trout over 4lbs topped by an excellent 8lb brownie and lost 3 other big fish while attempting to prevent them reaching the safety of overhanging tree branches. The water is in excellent condition with visibility of around 10 feet down.

Saturday took me to Willington for our nymph & dry fly course, which proved highly successfull, with several brown trout being landed on parachute adams, F fly and PTN despite rough conditions. There are plenty of trout actively feeding and good sport on both nymph and dry fly.

Tight Lines

Steve

Fly Fishing Report 5th-12th May 2007

Well the weather this week has been more like spring, but that has not stopped some excellent fishing.

Loynton has produced several good fish, the largest 24lb 7oz. Everyone seems to be fishing black flies at the moment, my advice is try something different if no one is catching!

Watermark is fishing amazingly well with some excellent brown trout to 5lbs+ being caught. The early season algal bloom has now cleared, so stalking big trout is now possible again.

Willington produced catches of up to 12 fish per angler for us this week on both buzzer and dries.

Carsington continues it's spring form, with buzzers and small nymphs taking plenty of fish. On rougher days swap the floater for an intermediate to improve presentation.

The river Coln has been amazing, buzzing with fly life and rising trout every day for most of the day. Mayfly have been coming off for the last 10 days but this weeks weather change has kept hatches low in number and the trout are still not 100% on them. Best flies are currently olives and midge patterns. Wild brownies to 1.5lb landed this week. As the trout target the mayfly, some bigger fish will be landed!

Other waters showing early mayfly action are Willington, Marton Heath, Bushyleaze, and river Leach.

Must wrap up now, busy day ahead!

Tight Lines

Steve

Fishing Report 18th - 24th April 2007

Another week passes & spring is moving on fast. With no sustained cold weather this past winter weed has not died back much in most lakes. Now with the outstanding April weather, weed beds have sprung to life. This is nothing to worry about as I wrote last year in tactics for weedy waters.

Back to now, fishing remains excellent on all waters. The stars of the week have been Willington where small nymphs and dry fly sport have caught plenty of brown and rainbow trout for clients. Best fish went to Alan Guy, a brownie just over 4lbs!

Carsington is fishing it's head off, most days all you need is a floating line, long leader and buzzers. A big difference to years gone by and justification for the revised stocking policy.

Loynton has had some very good days and slower days, the latter usually following a very busy day at the fishery. Plenty of good fish coming to the bank though, well into double figures. Don't just assume this venue is a lure water, we catch many fish on natural patterns and there is a mass of corixa in there this year. Our beginners course here this weekend is a sell out. We are also running several courses for anglers looking to improve specific fly fishing skills this year, so check out our fly fishing courses for more details.

Watermark trout fishery provided clients with continued sport, catches of 6-8 fish per angler all taken on skinny buzzer patterns. Rivers too are in fine form, the Coln seeing steadily increasing hatches of olives and midge, with some early sedges and the odd hawthorn around to make a few more trout look to the surface for food.

We still have a few days available for guiding in early and late May, so be sure to email me for details of our lake and river trips.

Fishing Report 9th-17th April 2007

Right now we are pretty much where I left off in the last report. The weather has been amazing, my freckles are starting to join up forming my very own tan and the fly fishing is great!

I've been busy with fly fishing tuition most days at Loynton and Watermark, both of which fished very well. Floating lines with buzzers, scruffy damsel, leech and PTNs picked up fish for everyone, the best a 6.5lb rainbow in mint condition for Mark Coupe during a weekend break!

Remaining days were taken up guiding on the river Coln, where clients landed caught an average of 14 wild brown trout per day. Fish have been loath to take dries so far despite increasing hatches of midge and large dark olives, prefering to munch shrimp and olive nymphs. A few trout were caught on F fly and parachute adams, but most have been taken on HE shrimp and PTN.

Good sport has also been had at Bushyleaze, Willington and Carsington fisheries, where buzzers and floating line tactics have accounted for many fish in the fine weather. The same tactics have caught well at Marton Heath, Danebridge and Cound.

On the big fish scene Lechlade and Loynton are producing good numbers of doubles, though stalking at Lechlade is made rather difficult by the heavy algal bloom currently present. It is a case of either waiting for a big fish to show high in the water and right by the bank or fish the hot spots blind.

Tight Lines

Steve

Fishing Report 1st-8th April

Yes I have just realised I jumped in time with last weeks report (title said the end of April instead of March). I've corrected the error!

Another good week of fishing, all waters again fishing well. I have done several tuition days at Loynton, which has fished mainly very well, with good numbers of fish and several doubles to 20lbs landed. Best flies have been mobile patterns such as guineas, scruffy damsel, leech, cats whisker, zonker though buzzers have picked up a few fish in the last couple of days. (Sorry Dave, you and Liam hit the slow day!)

Carsington continues to fish well, some days floating lines and buzzer are picking up good catches, while a sinking line and lure is picking out the bigger fish. Browns to 3lb+ and rainbows to 5lbs landed.

The brown trout season has now started and good fish to low doubles have been landed at Watermark and Lechlade (Watermark fished very well while we were there 6 fish landed on small nymphs and buzzers). The river Coln is looking well, though still had a little colour in it during our visits. Most action to small PTN and shrimp flies, with sporadic olive hatches triggering the odd fish to rise to a parachute adams.

Great weather, good fishing and it's only early April! What more can you ask for? Availability for April is now only 3 days, early May I still have good availability, along with the last week at the moment. If you are planning a trip, let me know dates ASAP as bookings are coming in daily now.

Tight Lines

Steve

Fishing report for 10-23 March

Yes I know in my last report I said weekly, but we have been so busy, today is the first chance I've had to blog. I promise to try harder!

Simply fishing is good! Prior to the cold snap of the past week, a lot of trout were consistently feeding in the top 4 feet of water on the lakes by late morning, nymphs, wets and dries being effective.

The colder weather has put them back to winter feeding, fish moving a little deeper generally 4-8 feet, moving up some days around mid day. Success has been consistent, with clients catching rainbow trout of 2-13lbs using scruffy damsel, olive nymph, black and red buzzers, MFF leech and MFF zonker flies.

Good numbers of doubles are being caught at Lechlade (4 came out yesterday, including a 12lb fish to our client Mr. E Duggar), Loynton (over 50 doubles caught here in March)and Cound (12 that I know of landed so far in March). Lechlade is holding a green colouration from a recent algal bloom currently, making a sight fishing a challenge. If you want to stalk a biggie pick a bright day!

This weekend sees both Carsington Water and Willington Lake Trout Fishery open for the 2007 season. Both are open from Saturday 24th March, with the prospect of some excellent fishing for browns and rainbows from the start.

Carsington is stocking weekly this year, introducing rainbows in addition to the brown trout for which this venue is well known. Expect to see some big browns from this water during 2007! If you are planning a trip see our Carsington Water page.

Willington has received a stocking of 2000 rainbow and brownt trout to supplement the excellent head of grown on fish, so expect the season here to start with a bang.

I am on both waters next week, between bookings so expect an update on the fishing. If you want to book a guided day or tuition, April and May are filling up fast. I have 7 days left for April and May is already half full! For enquiries call +44 (0)1782 394564 or email enquiries.

Tight Lines

Steve

Hello Spring

Spring fishinng conditions are rarely stable, but the current spell of excellent weather is getting the trout on the fin! I've been on the water at both Cound and Loynton trout fisheries this week. In both cases plenty of rainbows are moving within 6 feet of the surface. Buzzers, damsels, mini lures, hares ear, olive nymph, pheasant tail nymph fished on a floating line and 10-15 foot leader have worked well.

Both venues have produced several doubles, Loynton having the largest at 20lb 14oz. Once again anglers have been catching numbers of trout, with as many as 15 rainbows in a day to one successful fly fisher! Top flies for MFF clients this week have been the Scruffy Damsel and Olive Nymph.

Sure good fishing is about making the most of conditions you have. Spring being as fickle as can be, weather conditions are bound to be variable. Make the most of this current spell and hit the water while it lasts!

Tight Lines

Steve

February Fly Fishing Report

I could get used to this kind of weather! Yesterday we were on the water and I spent most of the day not wearing a coat. Unbelievable for February.

The dramatic increase in temperature during the last two weeks has triggered the slight algal bloom on a number of lakes usually seen late March. I'm not getting too excited though, it could all change yet.

In the meantime clients and I (when I'm not guiding) are taking advantage of the chance to fish small buzzers, nymphs and yes dry flies to some very fit rainbow trout.

Not many really big rainbows are coming out at the moment, but good numbers are being caught at Lechlade, Cound and Loynton to around 12lbs. Depending upon conditions (as always) lures and larger nymphs are the key some days, while others the trout flee in panic at such offerings. When this happens it's small nymphs and buzzers. Oh and if the weather holds one or two fish on the dry!

I can feel spring already, yipee!!! What did I say about not getting excited?

Tight Lines

Steve