Trout & Fly Fishing Reports

From time to time we write short fishing reports to let you know how the lakes are fishing, and the effects of weather and seasons. If you have any specific questions about current fishing conditions please do get in touch.

December fishing

The cooler and wetter weather of December brought better fishing with the water levels in the lakes now back to where they should be. The winter months mean that there is a decreasing amount of natural food in the lakes so the trout are now willing to chase anything with a bit of color and movement. Sink tips or intermediate lines fished deep with a fast retrieve have proved the most successful tactic. The lakes are mostly crystal clear but the light levels have made spotting fish fairly difficult although for the keen eyed angler there are still fish to be spotted and stalked! Unsurprisingly the most successful fly this month has been the ever popular cats whisker or other variations of white lures. But don't discount damsel patterns or the more natural GRHE or PTN.
The beginning of December saw a new stocking of Arctic Char that have proved very popular. The Rockbourne trio (rainbow, brown and char) has been caught three times this month by Rockbourne regular Richard Dunn and once by season ticket holder Dick Johnston. On his first ever visit to the fishery William Camp managed a four fish catch with two of those fish being Arctic Char much to the envy of the other anglers that day! David McClew had a fantastic days fishing when on a half days tuition as part of our Learn to Fish Package managed an 8 fish haul! The Browns have proved to be elusive this month but the average size of the fish landed is just under 4lb. Many anglers have reported that they have lost a number of fish due to the trout taking short and only just being hooked. One angler remedied this by snipping the tail shorter on his lure!

November fishing

November has been yet another very mild month! The water temperature is still up on what we would expect for this time of the year. Four of our lakes, Longacre, Oak, Pine and Spring are all crystal clear, which helps with fish spotting however a keen eye is needed in the low light conditions. Interestingly, a couple of frosts that seem to have encouraged the fish to take anglers&apos flies more willingly. Fishing has been best on the days following some wet and windy weather that has stirred the lakes up.

There have been several browns out to the 4 lb mark with the average being 2½ lb. The rainbows are still averaging around the 3 lb mark with numerous fish caught over 4 lb. Richard Dunn has taken the largest two fish of the month with rainbows of 7¼ lb and 8½ lb. Season ticket holder Tony Moore had a great days fishing on the 8th November taking 5 fish: a 2lb brown and 4 rainbows of 3 lb, 5½ lb, 6 lb and 6½ lb. Stalking tactics, as ever at Rockbourne, are still proving the most successful method. Those who have been blind casting often find the fish have been taking short and nipping at the tails of lures!

October Fishing

October was yet another unseasonably mild month. The water levels were slightly low and the water was warmer than it should be for this time of year. However, the fish have been more active and willing to chase lures! The shorter days have meant that the lakes have started to clear with Pine and Spring Lakes being crystal clear, but as always the light levels make spotting fish fairly difficult at this time of year. The anglers who took their time to spot and stalk fish were the most successful.

There have been several browns out at around the 4 lb mark with the average size 2½ lb. The average size of the rainbows is 3 lb with several fish between the 4lb and 5lb mark being landed. Richard Dunn has managed two fish over the 9 lb mark using stalking tactics this month! The 6th of October produced three good fish with a 7 lb 14oz rainbow to Andy Crossly, a rainbow of exactly 10 lb to Matt Hill and a superbly conditioned rainbow of 12 lb 12 oz to Dean Argent!

September Fishing

August has been yet another dry month and we are in need of some rain but I suspect we will have to wait another month or two before any significant showers appear and replenish the water levels. The fishing can be quite challenging at this time of year due to the water temperature, weed growth and lethargic nature of the fish that are unwilling to chase down lures. So trying some new tactics could be worth a try!
Pine lake is crystal clear, so remember if you can see the fish they can see you! Adopting a stealthy and cautious approach by keeping back from the waters edge and stalking in the shadows has brought the best results. This first week of September has seen Richard Dunn take rainbows of 6lb 2oz and 7lb 4oz using a stalking approach, while other anglers who blind cast have at times struggled. At times the fish have been in very close so casting tight to the bank and gradually casting further out so as not to spook the fish is a good method. The fish learn quickly that lines crashing on the water signals danger! So remember to bring your polaroids and find the fish before you cast!
The average size of the rainbows the last month has been 3lb but there has also been numerous 3.5 - 4lb + fish gracing anglers' nets along with browns from 2.5lb upwards. The biggest fish caught in August was a 9lb 12oz rainbow caught by Mr. Stevenson. Several anglers are still managing to catch their fish limit in these tough conditions, including Mr. F. Parry who had 4 fish between 3lb 8oz and 6lb 8oz.
The popular method of casting out a heavy lure and stripping it back in will not always produce the goods in these warm conditions. An alternative approach such as taking your time to spot the fish and presenting a fly a few feet in front of them and allowing them to take it on the drop has accounted for many fish.
All the usual suspects are accounting for fish and switching regularly between the different flies while trying various retrieves is the best bet. Damsel, cats whisker, alleycat, GRHE, PTN, stalking bugs, buzzers, bloodworm, Montana and sunk daddy�s are all continuing to take the majority of the fish.