Fly Fishing Reports

STOCKS RESERVOIR 2010
The new season is almost upon us and with it comes some of the best sport of the year. The early season on Stocks can be spectacular as the trout are eager to feed and fight extremely hard in the oxygen rich water. The rainbows are in awesome condition they are fully finned, beautifully silver and built like torpedoes. We will spread 4000 of them around the water so many areas will fish well from the first day on February 20th. New for 2010 is our online tackle shop: www.stocksfishingtackle.co.uk where you will find everything you need for the new season and beyond.
You can follow all the preseason news with tips and tactics on the reports page of our website: www.stocksreservoir.com
Likely methods are weighted lures twitched back on floating lines or during clement conditions static diawl backs or buzzers. Just make sure you keep hold of your rod!.
PRIZES FOR OPEN DAY
To get the season off to a flying start 10 prize tagged trout will be released into the reservoir. Once caught they must be taken and brought to the lodge in order to claim the bounty.
BANK HOUSE FLY FISHERY
Spring is a great time to visit Bank House, it’s a beautiful water and holds some cracking trout. Buzzers or fry patterns fished tight to the islands should score well. Tight Lines. Ben Dobson

Happy New Year from all at Stocks Reservoir,
Preparations for our opening day on February 20th are well under way. The fish for start of the season are looking awesome: full sharp fins, really silver and built like torpedoes….Can’t wait!
Just thought you would like to see the monthly stats for last season before this one gets under way (See table below).
Also here are some of the Stocks regular’s best achievements over the year gone by, they’re pretty impressive.

1.    Paul Davison: Paul is a Stocks regular and good friend to the fishery. He has maintained his place on the England team with another cracking season and it has come as no surprise to us that he has been asked to captain England in the 2010 Autumn International. Paul is famed for his dry fly expertise and his results over the past couple of seasons have shown him to be one of England’s very best fly fishermen. Paul fishes for the Ospreys and early in the season they tragically lost their well loved captain Davy Hodgson. They honoured him in the way he would have chosen by becoming the 2009 Lexus Champions. Well done guys.
2.    Darren Booth: Darren is another Stocks regular and he has represented us for many years along side his Stocks Greys G-Tec team mates. He has been extremely consistent in the competition circuit for several seasons and has gained the respect of many anglers up and down the country, not just for his fishing ability but also for being a nice guy. The latest of Darren’s successes started when he caught a 21lb 8oz rainbow from Stocks, this was his ticket to the Trout Masters fish off. He won our local final and represented us in the Grand final on Grafham Water. As the only angler to catch from both bank and boat and with the most fish Darren was crowned the 2009 Trout Masters Champion.
3.    Ian Gaskell: I am glad to say that over the past few seasons I have had the pleasure of fishing along side Ian in the Stocks Bowlander Falcons. But it was in the Lexus European Individual that Ian really set the world on fire. The final was held on Chew Valley last autumn and the fishing was very tricky. Against a top class field Ian used a Stocks pattern the black widow on an SSi to be one of just three angler to catch five trout. Ian’s bag included some cracking grown on Chew trout and he beat the other two on weight to become The 2009 European Individual Champion. He won a Lexus RX450 car for a year and to top it all one of the rainbows in his bag was the biggest of the match so he also won a weeks fishing holiday to Norway with John Horsey. That’s what you call winning in style!
4.    Bob Cooper: Bob is another member of the Stocks Falcons and last season he showed us why we nick named him Sir Bob and that at 70 years of age he is still a force to be reckoned with. His season got off to a great start when he fished his way to top individual in the spring disabled international match on Brenig. He then won a gold medal in Scotland as part of the successful England disabled team. To finish the season off nicely he once again found himself at the top of the pile as he re-qualified for the 2010 team…..Good angling.
5.    Bill Orrell: Bill is a Stocks season ticket holder that doesn’t fish the on the competition circuit but perhaps he should. He is at home on both the river and large still waters, but Bill’s specialty is seeking out those specimen trout and he’s very good at it. Last year Bill caught seven Stocks doubles and many more over 5lbs but amazingly amongst his catch was the season’s biggest rainbow and the season’s biggest brown. He fished in the doubles club fish off at the end of the season and won it with; yes you’ve guessed it, a big fish. This earned Bill a free season ticket for 2010. He also won £100 and The Duncan Hesketh Trophy for catching the biggest brown. But his story doesn’t end here. Historically this is the third time he’s won the doubles club fish off, the second time he’s won the Duncan Hesketh Trophy and in total he’s caught 37 double figure trout over six seasons! Bill’s favoured hunting ground is between Granger Point and Davy Jones, where he moves between all the spots that have produced for him in the past. His favoured method is a floating a 15ft leader and a home tied black tadpole variant he’s named the Cyril.
6.    Chris Guthrie and the Stocks G-Tec Team: Nick Halstead, Darren Booth, John Calvert, Steve Welsh , Mike Laycock and Carl Nixon. The Stocks G-Tec team has been sponsored by Stocks for many years and they have become great friends. This year they came 7th in the Lexus International Team final and the end of the year they won the Rio 4s. Chris Guthrie was in great form, in the Lexus International final on Rutland he showed brilliant skill with small dries to take the top Individual spot, something he had almost achieved earlier in the year whilst fishing in the English final on Chew. Impressively he was top individual in the Rio 4’s as well!
7.    The Stocks Harriers: Steve Bland, James Vann, Bob Fitzpatrick, Phil Burgess, Paul Kitchen, Andy Taylor and Steve Lind. The Stocks Harriers became the first Bowlander team to reach an International final when they qualified in the Anglian on Rutland Water. To prove it wasn’t a fluke they did again a few weeks later in the Lexus on Chew. It was brilliant team effort with some great catches right round. Bob Fitzpatrick also did very well in the individual matches picking up three new titles.
8.    The Stocks Barracudas: Peter Scholes, Richard Hood, John Hood, Steve Ainsworth, Paul Bannister & Charlie Mitchell. The Barracudas became the second Bowlander team to qualify for an international final. Well done guys I am sure there are more to come.

It is great to see the Stocks regulars achieving such heights. The Stocks Bowlanders are going from strength to strength and more and more teams are pushing for places in the international finals. It is only a matter of time before we take our first title!

Monthly stats for 2009

The Stocks Reservoir and Bank House Team would like wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New year. We would also like to thank you for all your custom during the 2009 season and we hope you enjoyed your time spent on either of the fisheries.
I will post a full report on what has been a fantastic season before the New Year and I will also include some great news for 2010.
Remember Bank House Fly Fishery will remain open throughout the Christmas and New Year period and should continue to be ice free due to our water circulation system.
Once again have a great Christmas
Ben, Charlotte, Jan, David, Matt, Pete and Terry.

Date:    Saturday 14th November
Report Author:    Matthew
Best Catch:    7 fish for Rick Nuttall
Heaviest Bag:    5 fish for 8lb 8oz Rick Nuttall
Best Rainbow:    Rick Nuttall 4lb Returned
Best Brownie:    Several at 2lb +
Rod Av:    1.4 fish per angler

Sport:  Despite a pretty nasty weather warning of which not much materialised, the fishing has been pretty good! Rick managed 7 trout and with each fish bringing a £15.00 share of the pot he managed to haul £105.00. Rick fished from Bell point with a floating line and a damsel lure, a fly that can really do the trick this time of year.
Both Ian Gaskell and Pete Kirk managed 2 fish, with pretty much the rest of the field managing a fish each.
Regular Lee Cowking correctly guessed the total number caught and received a £60.00 tackle voucher.
Over all a cracking little competition fished in Great Spirit.
A better weather forecast this week ahead should see some good sport for the last couple of weeks of the season.
Tight lines Matthew.

The Stocks n Shares fishing competition.

This Saturday (14th of November) Stocks Reservoir is holding a fishing competition with a difference called Stocks n Shares.
The idea is that everybody puts £20 into a pot and then every fish you catch throughout the day will earn you one share of the pot. Also for each entrant we will donate a £5 tackle shop voucher that will be won by the angler who most closely predicts the total amount of trout that will be caught in the match.
With this format the harder the fishing the more each fish will earn you. For example 20 anglers entered it would give a pot of £400 if they only caught 4 trout between them each fish would be worth £100. However if they caught 80 trout each fish would be worth just £5 and you would need 20 of them to win £100. In both scenarios someone would also win a £100 tackle voucher.
It will be fished to fishery rules and you may fish from either the bank or boat. Boats may anchor up and will cost just £10 (£5/ angler) to hire for the day. You must take the first five rainbow trout you catch after which you must debarb and carry on fishing catch n release.
This is the last open competition of the 2009 season it should great fun and it is a good chance to have a final fling on Stocks before we close on November 30th. The competition will run from 9:30am to 4pm. If you would like to enter you can do so by e-mail or by calling stocks on 01200 446602.

WIN A SEASON TICKET FOR NEXT YEAR.
If you have caught a double figure fish this season on Stocks Reservoir then you can enter the doubles club fish off which will be held on Sunday November 29th. Amongst other things you can win a season ticket for the 2010 season! There is no entry fee you just need to purchase a full day ticket from the lodge and weigh in by 4pm. Please call the fishery on 01200 446602 or email us to register your place.

Tight Lines Ben

Date                                Saturday October 31st to Friday November 5th
Report by                    Ben
Best Catch                   10 trout for Chris Guthrie
Best Bag                       5 trout for 11lbs 4oz Chris Guthrie
Best Rainbow            4lbs 13oz for Bob Fitzpatrick
Best Brown                  Several at 2lbs +
Boat Rod Average    2.25 fish per man
Bank Rod Average    2.00 fish per man
Sport: On Saturday we hosted the 2009 Rio 4s Championship and 10 teams of four took to the water to make their bid for the 2009 title and the eight hundred pounds worth of tackle that goes with it. The weather was good with a light westerly wind and overcast an sky, the only factor that threatened to dampen the sport was the recent increase in water level. However, soon after the competition started at 9am, we saw a couple of rods bent over as lively trout tried to bury under the boats of the anglers and the match was well and truly under way. Scottish international and Stocks G-tec team member Steve Welsh took an early lead and by lunch time he had completed his bag of five fish. Steve was the first competitor to debarb and start releasing fish. He fished a two fly cast with minkie on the point and a claret booby 10 feet away on the dropper. Most of his morning’s catch came from in and around Hollins Bay. Fellow G-tec angler Chris Guthrie followed team orders and started out on dries with little success, but after a quick chat with Steve he switched to plan b with almost immediate results. Chris and boat partner Pete Scholes fished their way along Ben’s Beach where Chris took three nice trout. They then moved over to the west side of Gull Island where Chris tempted a further two. At this point Chris offered Pete some of his special fruit cake and told him that it would change his fortune, Pete happily accepted. The cake did seem to do the trick and Pete was now matching Chris fish for fish. We will have to get the recipe! They landed a further five trout apiece which lifted Chris’s tally to 10 and earned him the title of 2009 top individual.
Jock Kettles from The Hungry Trout team was also amongst the trout, he was fishing close into the Willows along the east bank with a cat booby, Jock landed six fine trout with many other tugs and pulls. The fish are currently well spread over the reservoir and we saw some good catches from The Northern Shallows, Willow Island, Curry’s Cast and Barn Quarry as well as the previously mentioned areas. At the end of the match the 40 competitors had caught 90 trout, not bad considering the influx of new water and the earlier than usual finishing time of 4pm.
The results were as follows:

Team Results
1st.  Stocks G-Tec:         Darren Booth, Chris Guthrie, Steve Welsh and Carl Nixon
2nd. The Hungry Tout:   Alec McEwan, Jock Kettles, Derek Keenan and Gus Shepherd
3rd. Ayr Travellers:       Daniel McCormac, William Reddicks, Alec Bowler, Kevin Andrews
4th. Stocks Barracudas:  Peter Scholes, John Hood, John Sykes, Paul Moore
5th. Fishing Buddies:     Rob Denson, Phil Burgess, Billy Thompson, Richard Hood
6th. Stocks Harriers:      James Vann, Steve Bland, Bob Fitzpatrick, Steve Lind
7th.  The Fluff Chuckers: Ian Gaskell, Tom bird, Tom Hayes, Ryan Mathews
8th.  Ayr  Travellers A:    Peter Edge, John Anderson, Simon Littlejon, Stuart McCormac
9th.  The Pie Eaters:         Andy Cooper, Phil Green, Ryan Feber, Rick Nuttall
10th. Jet2.com:                 Peter Jones, Simon Chatman, Steve Chatman, Mark Foster

Top Individuals
1st.  Chris Guthrie with 10 trout
2nd. Steve Welsh with 8 trout
3rd. Jock Kettles with 6 trout
4th. Peter Scholes with 5 trout

A big thank you to RIO and Guide Fly Fishing for their generous sponsorship of this match, the total prize fund exceeded £2000!

On the shore the bank anglers were also catching trout with Bell Point, Hollins Bay and Ben’s Beach being the hot areas. Like the boat anglers, success was found with minkies but they also caught on dry daddies and long lining nymphs. Since Saturday the adverse weather conditions kept all but the hardiest of anglers away. However we have continued to have good catches to fry patterns and some good catches to nymphs along the East Bank.
The weather next week looks good for fishing with the wind dropping away and a lot less rain. Tight Lines Ben

Report Author:    Pete
Best Catch:    4 fish by Mark Mercer
Heaviest Bag:    3lb by Mark Mercer
Best Rainbow:    5lb by Rob Newton
Best Brownie:    N/a
Bank Rod Av:    3 fish per angler
Boat Rod Av:    2.5 fish per angler
Sport: Firstly an apology as the Internet has been down over the last week this accounts for the lack of reports. Stocks is still fishing well with fish falling to diawl bachs fished on a washing line almost static. Lures are also working well with cats’ whiskers and white Minkies taking their fair share of fish.
Today say unseasonably warm conditions with good cloud cover and nearly a flat calm with just a very slight breeze. This coupled with a hatch of daddies and sedges meant the fish were feeding in the top foot of water. Mark mercer had a cracking days angling with 4 fish all on dry sedges and lost and was snapped by a few more. Rob Newton also had a good days angling from the bank, Rob had 3 fish including a lovely 5lb rainbow he found and orange blob his top pattern. With the warm weather continuing throughout the week the fishing should remain excellent with dries and nymphs working well. See you in the lodge Pete

Date:    Tuesday 20th October
Report Author:    Matthew
Best Catch:    Several bag limits
Heaviest Bag:    Chris Stanley 5 fish for 11lb 8oz
Best Rainbow:    Several fish over 3lb
Best Brownie:    Several fish over 2lb 8oz
Bank Rod Av:    2.00
Boat Rod Av:    2.50
Sport:  Despite some changeable weather conditions the reservoir is still producing some excellent sport. Paul has been on the water a few times this week and has commented on how well it is still fishing. Quote “ get in the right place and the fish are mad keen” the right place seems to be the top of Gull Island or indeed the Shallows. I’m still getting anglers coming in with good results to the nymphs and buzzers. That said some of the weekends best catches have come to mini lure and boobies. On calmer days fish can still be had on the dries with black bits and Daddies taking their share.
On Saturday the 31st of October  we will be holding the Rio 4’s this is a four-man team event fished from 9am until 5pm from the boats. An ever-popular competition with some amazing prizes. Any angler interested in entering a team should get hold of me at the lodge on 01200 446602. If your are struggling to get 4 anglers together again give me a call and I can help you construct a team.
So in short it’s looking as though we are having a good back end to the season.

Tight lines Matthew.

Date:    Week ending the 16th October
Report Author:    Matthew
Best Catch:    Many 5 fish limits and 10 fish for Mark Wilson half day!
Heaviest Bag:    Several 10lb + bags
Best Rainbow:    4lb + for Derrick Moore
Best Brownie:    Several for 2lb +
Bank Rod Av:    Between 2 and 3 fish per rod
Boat Rod Av:    Between 3 and 4 fish a rod
Sport:  Firstly allow me to apologise for the lack of recent reports, due to technical difficulties we have been unable to access the Internet.
What a week though, a real hark back to late summer fishing with Daddy’s on the water good hatches of buzzer and the fish cruising the margins. And dare I say the weekend looks better?? Mark Wilson had 10 trout this week all within 5 hours from Bell Point. Mark fished 2 cats’ boobies on a slow intermediate line. Numerous bag limits all week with fish coming to dries and nymphs alike. Some of the bigger fish have been chasing bigger lures like humongous and damsel patterns. To be honest I would still favour the boat with some great scores coming from around the islands and shallows alike. A drifting boat round the margins is still the way to do it. Having said that I can’t help but be astounded by the number of fish rising right down the middle basin that really is unusual for this time of year. We won’t complain though those fish can prove to be some excellent sport on the dry whilst drifting.
With only about 6 weeks left of the season the water is looking better then ever it is about the perfect height and should produce a good weekends sport.
Tight lines Matthew.

Report Author:    Pete
Best Catch:    7 fish by Dave Flitcroft and John Sykes
Heaviest Bag:    5 fish for 10lb 14oz by Dave Flitcroft
Best Rainbow:    3lb 10oz by Gary Allen
Best Brownie:
Bank Rod Av:    4.5 fish per angler
Boat Rod Av:    2.80 fish per angler
Sport: A lovely autumnal day here at stocks with a cloud coverage and only a slight breeze, near perfect conditions. On The bank Dave Flitcroft  had a cracking days angling with 7 seven fish including the heaviest bag of the day of 10lb 14oz for 5 trout. Dave used a black and green lure all the way along the east bank from granger point tight back to the Boat jetty and commented on the fact he had twice as many pulls as fish so there’s plenty of fish in the feed at the moment. Out on the boats season ticket holder John Sykes had a bumper half days fishing with 7 fish to the boat all his fish fell to an olive cruncher or diawl bach and he found the willows the most productive area with the fish tight in to the bank. Also on the Diawl bachs was Matt Eastham who had 4 fish from the Alders and the Northern Shallows. Again on the Boats Malcolm Hunter and son Jim had 11 fish between them mostly on sinking lines with boobies and Humungus patterns. With the wind from the west again tomorrow the fishing should remain exciting. See you in the lodge Pete