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A warm welcome to the WDAC Game section. The Club has two beautiful dedicated trout venues, three lakes in total at Winterborne Zelston and Rawlsbury.

See below for details on how to buy your game tickets and for up-to-date game-related news.

FEBRUARY LAKES REPORT

Hello All,

Winterbourne Zelston.

After a number of setbacks our weed boat finally arrived and you can see the results in the photos below. Literally tons of weed cut and then lifted out onto the bank. This early year trim will hopefully last a while before warmer conditions cause higher growth rates.  It gives us all a chance to fish in relatively clear weed free conditions!

MARCH 1st Rawlsbury.

The opening of Rawlsbury will commence tomorrow on the 1st March. Please take great care on the track down to Chapmans which is very soft and slippery at the moment. Can I remind you to sign in at the farm as usual as this is part of our lease condition.

WORK PARTY

Last Tuesday we held a work party organised by Bob Spurgeon and he obviously got in touch with the weather gods because the day turned out fine. Much of the marginal weed has been cleared and the grass strimmed where necessary. We have also stocked all the Rawlsbury lakes which considering the wet weather this February was quite a feat.

Of course it’s a growing tradition that every year the fish stockist gets stuck in the field at Chapmans and our friendly farm manager John is shown here pulling him out.

Below is our new fish carrying trolley which was used to stock the top lakes. Bob’s invention of course!

Also please take note that on Saturday the 9th March, Rawlsbury will be closed to members for the day as we are hosting an event for the Poole & Wimborne Fly fishing Club.

March 12th AGM

On Tuesday the 12th March we will be holding our Annual General meeting for the Trout section where I will revue 2023 and how it has performed in relation to past years. The venue is as normal in the Royal British Legion Hall, 76A Blandford Road BH21 3HQ. Doors will open about 7pm and the meeting will start at 7.30pm. Hope to see you there!

Some of you reports for the month are as follows:-

• went to WZ today arriving at 1330. I had it to myself and fished anti clockwise from the 4 platforms. Nothing from the first which usually produces but I had three takes on the second and landed one nice 3.4 pounder on my usual white Apache. There were fish showing in the

corner between the first and second platform but I couldn’t interest them in a variety of dries, bugs and lures. I fished on round from the other platforms but no more takes and packed up at 1630.

• I fished WZ late evening yesterday first using a green damsel, I lost three fish very quickly and discovered that the hook wire had straightened! I changed my fly to an orange something or other and quickly took a nice 4lb rainbow. By this time, it was nearly dark so I came home. Fun evening though!

• a lot of weed – it really is growing a bit tall in places. (I know it is to be cut soon!) Having said that there was plenty of clear water.

2 on an Apache 1 at 3 1 at 4 ¼. One fish was empty. The second contained one corixa and one snail.

• I had 3 fish on Friday 9th Feb. 4.8, 4, and 4lb. All on black Apache fished slow and deep. Fished for 2 hours in evening in rain, which cleared to lovely sunset as it got dark. Lots of surface activity.

•  Fished WZ today, bright sun, biggish ripple, took my two on a small lure 2.5 & 3lb. Lovely fish, fought like tigers

• The weather was pretty horrid with a cold driving wind & drizzle. Making casting tough. However, I caught two super quality trout 1 x 4lb 4oz the other 3lb 10oz. Both full finned & fought long & hard.

The first was on a black buzzer, the second on a hot head Diawl Bach. Because of the wind I did try a Montana & viva for extra weight, but with no takes.

I thought with the wind & oxygen in the water, the fish would be fired up and chasing, but it seemed they wanted small flies & slow, maybe the cold water slowed them down?

When the wind died briefly I saw a couple of fish over the chalk in the middle of the lake, (which was a pig to reach in the wind), but when I managed to reach it, I caught. So after all it was enjoyable if tiring!

• Another day in the "office" So nice to have a usable depth of water again! Took both of my fish (3lb.6oz& 4lb 7oz) on slow fished blue flash damsel, surprisingly the larger was full of hard cased caddis, from the bottom sand I guess, great day, more to come!

• 2 @ about 4 ¾ lbs.

Have been tying lures and boobies, the latter since the weed has been cut! So tried them to start with.   Did no good at all with either. Lures and boobies, light and dark!.  So having wasted an hour, I then switched to a Diawl Bach under the indicator, which has done well in the past. Produced nothing – and amongst the other 3 fishermen there, only one had landed a fish, so conditions were not so easy.

Finally did what I should have done in the first place – tied on a pale buzzer or pale shrimp to represent a hoglouse. Went for the buzzer about 4 feet down – deeper than usual since nothing much was on the surface. That fly wasn’t in the water more than a couple of minutes, before it was taken. Good fish, went to the backing, and near 5 lbs. Spooned – full of pale olive hoglice? (hoglouses?) Them anyway. Tied on a similar coloured shrimp, since they look very similar.  Two casts and another good take and a strong fish. That one came off – shrimps are not great hookers, but I have an idea when tying to improve.  Tried again. Another couple of casts, hooked a third fish. Landed that one. Again, hoglouse.

• Strong, chilly, NE wind making casting difficult. Tried a brown # 14 nymph. The wind moved the fly line and fly. No effort by me. Took a 2.8 and a 4.4 quite quickly near the steps beyond the hut. The smaller fish had been attacked badly around its anal orifice.

• Nice day, two fish 2lb 8 3lb 5 . Fine lines, buzzers and shrimps, great fight as well,

Walsley (Wally) Welch, a well-known member of WDAC has sadly died on the 10th February.

He loved his fly fishing and was also an enthusiastic member of Poole and Wimborne Fly Fishing Club, and was for many years secretary of Wimborne Flytyers which still flourishes teaching aspiring tyers and casters. For several years he organised charity competitions and was particularly gifted at gaining sponsorship for local businesses...these events still continue and to date over £11,000 has been donated to worthy local causes.

Wally's favourite fishery in recent years was Winterborne Zelston. He was a regular with friends and rarely missed his weekly visit. Many good fish were caught, mostly on his favoured diawl bach.  Such a shame that deteriorating health and a desperately wet winter restricted his visits in recent time. He loved 'putting the world to rights' ably assisted by me and his other friends. The ears of Trump, Putin and Johnson should definitely be ringing!

Wally will be missed.

Let’s hope for some dry weather in March to give us all a chance to try our luck!

Best wishes and tight lines,

Paul

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