Fishery News

Rutland Water Anglers have enjoyed another good week at Rutland Water with rainbows up to 5lb being taken. A lot of fish are feeding on fry. Craig Barr, of Market Deeping, returned a 13lb brown off the Harbour wall. There are twenty boats available through to Sunday 28 November. Booking is advisable please call the lodge on 01780 686441 for details. Pike fishing at Rutland Water continues until Sunday 14 November. From 1 November no fishing is permitted past the sailing limits on either arms of the reservoir. Best rainbow 4lb 5oz taken by R Oakley of Geddington Best brown 13lb taken by Craig Barr of Market Deeping Best bank areas whitwell, Stockie Bay, East Creek to church Best boat areas Barn hill creek, Stockie Bay, along dam and New Zealand Point Forthcoming events Pike fishing continues to 14 November beginners courses 13 & 21 November 5 December Fur & Feather including a junior category For bookings please call 01780 686441.

Grafham Water Both boat and bank anglers continue to enjoy good sport over a wide area of the north and south shores and the dam wall. The best brown, caught by K Farrow of Shefford, was estimated at 7lb before being returned to the water. John Krailing of Cambridge Invicta had a rainbow of 5lb 8oz. Two visitors from Cumbria had a catch and release boat to land 26 trout between them from the North shore. Small to medium sized dark midges are hatching intermittently through the day, but particularly late in the afternoon, when numerous bats have been emerging to feed close to the lake's surface on the hatching flies. Fry are appearing in some of the trout's stomach contents, but not in large numbers, which perhaps explains why a variety of methods are working at present. Best rainbow 5lb 8oz taken by John Krailing of Invicta Best brown 7lb taken by K Farrow of Shefford Best bank areas G buoy to the bowl of the dam, Plummer and Gaynes cove, the front of the sludge lagoons, Pylon and Perry Point. Best boat areas Hedge end into Church Bay and deep water point Best methods various methods have been successful, including white lures on floating lines or slow sink lines. Small dark dries, nymphs, buoyant fry imitations and boobies on various speed sinking lines. Forthcoming events Pike fishing until 30 November
21 November Fur & Feather, to include junior category

Ravensthorpe Reservoir The winter fishing at Ravensthorpe continues apace with lots of fish from both bank and boat. Lures are taking around 80% of the fish, though some are still going to nymphs as fish feed on hog louse and daphnia. Best rainbow of the week weighed 12lb 8oz and was taken by Graham Pigram of Northampton from the bank with a Pitsford Pea. Alan Judd of Chippenham took a rainbow of 12lb 2oz from a boat with an orange fritz. Yelvertoft's Charlie Watts took a 9lb 9oz rainbow on a black minkie. Ravensthorpe hosted its annual Fur and Feather on Sunday. 34 rods competed with a rod average of 10 (weighing in a four fish limit). Prizes of hampers and Christmas cheer were presented following a meal at The Chequers. Mark Haycock, of Earls Barton, took first place in Anglian Water's first fur and feather of the season. Neal Crowhurst took the best fish of the match at 6lb 13oz. 1st Mark Haycock four fish for 14lb 5¼oz 2nd Neal Crowhurst four fish for 13lb 6oz 3rd Gary Edwards four fish for 12lb 8oz 4th John Brady four fish for 10lb 9oz
Best rainbow 12lb 8oz taken by Northampton's Graham Pigram from the bank with a Pitsford Pea Best bank areas platforms
Best boat areas main bowl Best methods lures, nymphs, hog louse and daphnia Forthcoming events 8-21 November Pike fishing

Pitsford Water Pitsford's Winter bank league started this week. Tackle shop assistant Brian Lloyd from Milton Keynes caught a brace to win the match. The best two weights will win the league with four weeks left. Each match starts with a sausage sandwich and a hot drink, followed by four hours of bank fishing and ends with soup - excellent value at only £11. Best methods floating fry, minkies and tubes. Floating or intermediate line. Best rainbow 6lb 14oz taken by Terry Mitchell
Best boat areas main bowl Best bank areas cliffs, Brixworth Bay, Sermans Mid week boat winner Jane Broome of Leamington Spa Forthcoming events beginners course 13 November
Pike fishing to 28 November 28 November Fur & Feather, to include junior category. 01604 781350 to book.

Coarse fishing Ardleigh The reservoir continues to fish well for pike with a very high number of double figure fish being reported. David Allen landed one of the largest at 15lb whilst bank fishing at Noahs Ark. Kevin Reynolds had several jacks while deadbaiting from a boat along with two better fish in the 11 - 13lb. bracket. Clive Baldwin, as well as catching a 13lb pike, enjoyed some excellent float fishing on the Butterfly Lake with a bag of over 200 roach and perch. On the same venue John Popplewell had roach to 1lb and 25 perch to 1¼lb.

River Severn Some good fishing right throught the river. In the Shrewsbury area roach are being taken on caster. Further upriver grayling are being caught, fly fishers Pat O'Reilly and Sue Parker had some nice fish last week. Loqwer down the river good barbel are being caught with several double figure fish.

River Calder Lancashire Anglers fishing the Hyndburn and Blackburn AA water have been catching plenty of chub with the odd 4lb fish. top baits caster breadflake and crust.

River Wyre Certainly well worth a visit , pike roach chub bream and perch, I would suggest you take some lobworms for bait. A big lob on a size 6 hook air injected in the tail could prove the winning bait. Caster bread and pellets should all work especially if the river is carrying some extra water with colour. There is a good head of bream between 4 and 6lbs in the Wyre.

River Ribble The river is down to summer level, clear with a little flow. At Osbaldeston Prince Albert AS water an angler had a double figure barbel last week on pellet bait. Barbel fishing can be good if you drop on the right area. One day the swim will fish good, go back the next day and its a struggle for a bite. Downstream at Cuerdale good chub and barbel fishing. Fishing is better on the flooding tide. Pellets and boilies are the in baits. I suggest you try cheese paste, bread and lobworms. Several salmon anglers at the backend of the salmon season, caught some good barbel by accident when fishing with lobworms for salmon. There is an unconfirmed report of a double figure barbel on worm by a salmon angler. Mike Osborne travelled down from Cumbria and caught his first ever barbel from the Ribble, bait was pellet. I've just had a personal best chub at 6-15-0 Sadly an ounce off the magic seven pounds but still a great fish. It was like having a dozen Christmases all at once when the needle stopped at 6-15-0. Now the salmon season has ended, I have several good stretches of the rivers Hodder and Ribble where some good chub reside. With a big slice of luck I might even get a seven pounder this year.

River Aire Water down to summer level and flowing clear, fishing is hard. On one stretch of the Bradford NO 1 AA water on Sunday 8 anglers had one bite between them, a small trout. I had a short afternoon session with Leyland Lancashire Solicitor Martin Salisbury author of Where to Fish Lancashire Coarse Fisheries. Baiting with crust Martin had a brace of chub 3lbs and 4-12-0. Downstream in the Keighley area Robert Smith of Bradford had a good pike of 14lbs ona float fished half herring bait. In the same area I had two afternoon sessions getting just one bite which I missed.