JULY LAKES REPORT

Hello fellow game fishers,

 

This June weather is on track to be the hottest on record according to the Met office and inevitably this has affected the fishing conditions. High water temperature means low oxygen concentrations, which is bad news for fish and especially cold water fish like our trout. Once the water temperature reaches 20 – 21C, even our native brown trout start to struggle and best practice catch and release can result in unintended mortality.

 

We will continue to monitor the situation and so far so good but as the season progresses there is always the possibility that we will have to close lakes for a few days. Obviously, something none of wants to happen.

 

The good news is that WZ underground aquifers and springs are still running compared to last year where they had stopped by this time possibly due to the lack of lack of spring rain. Our last work party used the Neptune rake to extract quite a few tons of weed to create channels for fishing however, the lake remains very weedy and challenging to fish.

 

On the other hand, At Rawlsbury we are all still enjoying a good day out and your reports reflect this.

 

• Three fish 3lb, 4lb 4oz and 5lb 4oz. Also had one rainbow from catch and release top lake est 4lb all great condition fish. Huge wildlife, grass snakes, tad poles, one very large hornet making a home at the fishing hut. All my fish from the main lake.

 

• Today I bought a ticket for Zelston and had a nice afternoon trying to tempt a rainbow. Only had 1, but a beauty just under 4lbs.

 

• Spent a lovely evening at Rawlsbury yesterday with my son as guest. Peaceful and quiet on a beautiful evening. Lots of fish showing and we had 2 each, 6,5,5 and4 lbs. Also lost a few very feisty fish which jumped all over the place, before diving into the weed. Flies blue flash Damsel and small green nymph.

 

• Return for Saturday evening 17th June. Two Rainbows from Chapmans both around 5lb.Both caught on surface with dry black daddies.

 

• I fished late at Rawlsbury yesterday arriving at 1730. There was no sign of the expected evening rise just sporadic rises in the middle at Chapmans. Having failed on bfd in various sizes I resorted to Apaches . I lost one on a viva Apache and then switched to black and ended up getting two rainbows at Chapmans at 5 pounds and 3 1/2 and one at Cowleaze at 4 pounds. Interestingly , on gutting ,they were full of snails. The usual hard fighting excellent fish.

The whole area at Chapmans from the car park to the tracks in the field were swarming in tiny frogs, all going the same way in an upstream direction.

 

• Nice morning. Wind variable but creating a ripple. Tried a damsel with nil effect  near the second jetty. (A week ago the fish were full of them – that was my reasoning)

A few rising. Switched to a small green buzzer. Landed one and one came off – both pretty quickly. All went quiet, so crossed to the deep channel, fished deeper and had the second in 10 minutes.

 

• I did not start fishing until just before 14.00 and left at 15. 50. I used a 4wt set up, with a 10ft 6ins rod, which is a good dry fly outfit and having has no luck off the jetties I went under the oak trees, where I had seen some consistent rises. Using a size 14 flashback olive nymph I turned one that was on for about five seconds and then, about five minutes later latched into a fish of around six and a half pounds that took me all over the place before throwing the hook.  Having created quite a lot of disturbance, as it was very calm; I went to Cowleaze. There were a number of fish slashing at the adult damsels so I tied on a dry damsel, and cast at a fish that had just swirled at the real thing and got an immediate take, excellent fight and it weighed 3lbs 12oz. I let the water settle and watched, the water has clouded since last Tuesday but the fish can still be seen. I watched a cruising fish in the corner by the dam next to the willow and got a take third cast, it danced around the lower half of the lake and

 

• tried to bury itself in the weed too, it was obviously larger than the first.  I got it to the net  - 5lbs 3oz ! Magic afternoon.

 

• Very puzzling. Fish rising a little sporadically but should have been catchable. I tried my bugs fished both shallow and deep, and various dry emergers and CDC emergers. Finally got on in  Cowleaze, on a tiny GRH spider. It contained a damsel nymph, a couple of buzzers and very small immature corixae.  I had tried those flies on Chapmans, without success, so yer takes yer money and wonders!

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