Fishing Reports

Rutland Water Anglers are enjoying excellent fishing at Rutland Water. Rainbows are averaging 2½lb, with a good many others in the 3 to 5lb bracket. Oakham’s Les Dickenson had a good week with a limit on Thursday with fish up to 3½lb and then took a cracking brace of fish that weighed 9lb together. Melton’s Ted Kuzniar has taken some impressive fish in the winter period with rainbows weighing 6¼lb, 5lb and 4¾lb, plus many others. Ted has been using a silver/white boobie to good effect on a sinking line. Fish are still feeding on fry in the two main areas, Whitwell Creek and the Fishing Lodge/ harbour wall. Elsewhere places to try are Yellowstone, Inmans Spinney, the old disabled bay, Normanton and Normanton church to the blue pipes. Fry patterns white/brown/grey minkies and boobies. Black tadpole, black buzzer and diawl bach are the patterns to try.

Bank fishing at Ravensthorpe, Pitsford, Grafham and Rutland continues until 31 December. Tickets can be purchased from vendor huts when the lodges are closed.

Coarse fishing Ardleigh There has been some excellent silver fish sport on both the Butterfly Lake and the western arm of the reservoir. Derek Hughes and Pete Smith had a great mixed bag of fish between them including 50 roach, 50 rudd plus a few perch and some good sized hybrids. Neville Willing had a bag of about 100 roach and rudd while David Rollings and Kevin Kickerson had similar bags while fishing the A12 end of the reservoir. On the pike front sport has dropped slightly but Graham Sharpe landed two pike from the bank at Wick Lane and Clive Baldwin had one of 8lb from the boats.

River Ribble very low and clear Water Temperature on Sunday 12th December was 43 degrees F rain badly needed. I fished a short session with Mick Holgate of Standish taking a super chub of 6-7-0 and a barbel of 9-6-0 plus a smaller chub of 4-5-0 all fish on big chunks of bread flake on a size 4 hook to 6lb line. Gordon Roberts of Manchester had a cracking barbel of 12-6-0 on strawberry flavoured boilie bait fishing near the Tickled Trout. Alan Roe grayling fishing near Long Preston had a good catch of grayling trotting with gentles
as bait.
River Douglas Chub and roach being caught, roach on gentles and caster, chub on bread. Sweetcorn could be a good bait to try for the better size roach. A surprise capture was an out of season trout caught by an angler fishing with bread which was returned.
Prospects on all river depend on getting a lot of rain. River up and down the country are at low level and in conditions like this there is the risk a big fish kill should some pollutant enter a water course. If you see any thing suspicious please telephone the EA 0800 80 70 60