Fly Fishing Reports

Report Author:　　　 Pete
Best Catch:　　　22 fish by Rob Denson
Heaviest Bag:　5 fish weighing 13lb by John Morgan-parker
Best Rainbow:　　　 4lb by Rob Barton
Best Brownie:　　　 N/a
Bank Rod Av:　　　 3.53 fish per angler
Boat Rod Av:　　　 7.37 fish per angler
Sport: After heavy rain overnight the reservoir is full to the brim this morning this didn’t put the fish off with the boats and the Northern shallows still on fire. Travelling angler John Morgan-Parker had a fantastic day angling taking 12 fish whilst drifting the Shallows fishing a medium sinker with an orange blob and a booby, taking a 5 fish limit of 13lb. Also on the boats regulars Rob Denson and Derek Moore took 29 trout to their boat finding the now well used method of a sweep di5 and olive and black mini lures or blobs. Regular bank angler Dave Flitcroft decided after reading the reports to take out a boat and have a go at fishing on the drift and was immediately into fish from around Willow Island with Various buzzers. Dave finished the day on 5 fish and commented on the fact that hed had a great day, and will definitely be fishing from the boat again.

Back on the bank things are starting to pick up again. Rob Barton headed off to the East Bank at Halsteads Hike and took 4 fish on a half day ticket. Also on the bank Glynn Ryding took 6 fish from Bell Point on a Black and Green Booby. It looks like the forecast bad weather has now began to move away as im writing this report its a flat calm on the res with fish rising and buzzers everywhere. See you out there Pete.

Sport: The weather wasn’t up to much today with a cold east wind and showers on and off for most of the day. Despite these conditions there were still some great catches made with the northern shallows being the place to be. Tom Anderson and Colin McClocken had a super mornings sport landing a staggering 36 trout between them, all in a half day session! They found the northern shallows crawling with trout and used a tadpole fished on a medium sinking line to catch them. Also out on a boat and into the trout was Mark Tyndall who landed 14 fish. Mark also found the northern shallows productive with a sinking line and various lures being his winning tactic. We could do with the weather improving but if it does or if it does not one thing is for sure, the northern shallows will still be lifting with trout. Just check out todays boat rod average! See you on the water Paul.

Date:                            Sunday March 28th
Report Author:       Ben
Best Catch:               18 trout for Dave Morris
Heaviest Bag:          2 trout for 9lbs 8oz
Best Rainbow:        8lbs Dave Morris
Best Brownie:         7lbs to Dave Zalans
Bank Rod Av:         2.71
Boat Rod Av:         7.56
Sport: It was a windy start to the day which made fly presentation and control difficult, so not surprisingly, mini lures and patterns designed to be retrieved out fished the more realistic nymphs and buzzers. The boats were definitely the place to be. Al Beaumont and Dave Morris once again showed everybody how it’s done. They caught steadily all day from quite a few different areas and ended the day with 33 trout to their boat. Here are a few factors that I think contribute to their consistent success.
1.    They always fish from a drifting boat. This means that they are much more likely to find hot spots and they don’t overfish one area where the trout have been spooked. An added bonus to drift fishing is that other anglers can join in the drift share the good sport.
2.    They work the depths. Matt talked about the Di5 sweep line in an earlier report and this is a line that they use to great effect to explore the different levels.
3.    Good conversion rate. By not striking at pulls and tugs when flies are being retrieved they don’t move the flies away from the pursuing trout. Instead a continued retrieve will often result in the line going tight and the rod can just be lifted under the tension of a well hooked fighting fish.
4.    Good Technique. They are very good at trying different retrieves until they have found the most productive one. Incidentally if you haven’t fished ‘the hang’ or ‘the lift’ before now then ask any of us in the lodge to show you, I guarantee it will increase your catch rate.
5.    Confidence. They fish with patterns that they have previously done well on or that they know are very likely to work well. You fish so much better when you are expecting to catch so try to build up a selection of flies that you have confidence in.
6.    Good Angling! Something that grows a bit every time you go fishing.
(If you normally fish on the anchor and fancy a go at drift fishing ask to borrow my drogue from the lodge I’ll leave it behind the counter. If you want to buy one the Greys or Wychwood drogues sold in the shop are perfect.)

Also out on a boat today Derek Moore was fishing over the Northern Shallows he had ten fine trout all of which fell to either an orange blob or a green pea. Paul Bebb was guiding with David McCabe and Joan Lindsey they took ten fish to 4lbs from Willow Island on various lures.
The shore was bit tougher once again Bell Point was a hot spot and so was Hollins Bay. The bank anglers did however have more success on the nymphs and buzzers. Dave Zalans was no exception he caught the lovely 7lb brownie pictured below on a black buzzer from the stream channel in Hollins. He also lost another monster from the same spot and guessed that to be another brownie.
Tight Lines Ben

Dave Zalans with a 7lb Brownie caught on a black buzzer.

Report Author:　　　 Pete
Best Catch:　　　15 fish by Peter Andrews and Stuart Mcaughey
Heaviest Bag:　1 fish weighing 13lb 11oz By Des Ashcroft
Best Rainbow:　　　 13lb 11oz by Des Ashcroft
Best Brownie:　　　 3lb by Lee Cowking
Bank Rod Av:　　　 1.53 fish per angler
Boat Rod Av:　　　 4.22 fish per angler
Sport: This morning looked perfect with light winds and cloud cover but unfortunately the wind increased as the day progressed making presentation a little tricky, This was felt mostly by the bank anglers. Gary McCormack kept on the move to take his 4 fish with various lures doing the trick. Also on the Bank graham Carruthers had 4 fish from hartleys on a half day ticket. Fishing just up the bank from graham on Bell Point Gareth Evans was top rod off the bank with 5 fish. A lime Booby doing the trick

Today we had 16 anglers from the Carlisle Angling Association out on the Boats Again the Northern Shallows accounted for the majority of the fish taken several of the anglers had 5 fish, In second Place Mr Proudfoot had 7 fish all falling to black and green lures, but the top angler on the day was Keith “trouthunter” Wood who took 9 cracking trout whilst in the Northern Shallows. Keith was pulling blobs on sinking lines to take his fish. Also on the boats regulars Peter Andrews and Stuart McCaughey had 30 fish to the boat using Black and green or olive lures fished on floating or intermediate lines, a very slow retrieve was the order of the day. Stocks Guide our own Paul Bebb was out with Alan Marsden and Gerald Nowicki today they had a cracking days fishing with 9 fish to the Boat including a cracking 9lb 11oz rainbow. On any other day this would have been enough to take the biggest fish but today Des Ashcroft had a leviathan of 13lb 11oz. This was des’s only fish of the day but quality counts! See you in the lodge Pete

Des Ashcroft 13lb 11oz Rainbow

Date:    Friday 26th March
Report Author:    Matthew
Best Catch:    16 fish for Alistair Beaumont
Heaviest Bag:
Best Rainbow:    Several at 4lb +
Best Brownie:    Neville Pinheiro 10lb
Bank Rod Av:    3.1 fish per angler
Boat Rod Av:    5.1 fish per angler
Sport:  Changeable day weather wise and an influx of water overnight can often spell the makings of a tricky day. However the fish are still there and it is often just a case of finding the right depth. Doing just that was regular Alistair, Fishing a Sweep line Alistair had the advantage of covering variable depths. For those of you unfamiliar with this line let me try to explain: - The line consists of a Di3 front followed by a belly of line equal to a Di 5 then a further length again equal to a Di 3. If you’re still following me you will be able to imagine the result, a cast that fishes 3 depths in one chuck. The results can be phenomenal and I think we may see more and more from this line as the season progresses. Do feel free to ask us in the shop to explain the principles again as I have been sat here for 40 minutes trying to put in to text what I can explain in just a few minutes!
Alistair finished a short session with 16 fish all falling to black lures on the above mentioned line.
Elsewhere on the water surprisingly little Diawl bachs still did the trick and no one fishes them better than regular Anton Gysbers  netting six fish in all but 2 hours! Anton fished Hollin’s bay with a very slow retrieve being paramount to success.
Lures from Bell Point were well swum today with any of a black and green guise doing the trick. Often Bell Point will always prevail in gusty conditions with the fish cruising up and down the margins.
Landing himself in the doubles club today Neville Pinheiro with a lovely Brown just tipping the scales at 10lb. Neville found the fish from a drifting boat again from Bell Point.
Rob Jones and Chris Roberts found 13 fish between them drifting down into the Causeway with buzzers and Diawl Bachs on floating lines been the most productive.
Taking to the water once again was our Paul with Gary Lloyd between them they netted 19 fish with the green pea staying true to form. Incidentally Gary has hardly ever lifted a fly rod and under Paul’s watchful eye he took 5 fine trout home for the pot!
All in all a super day with some challengeable fishing however as is often the case the right method brought the rewards!
Here’s to a good weekend.
Tight lines Matthew.

Sport: The weather conditions were not far from being ideal today with cloud cover lasting for most of the day and a stable, warm wind, not bad for the time of year. Once again there were good catches made and some super trout landed both from the bank and from the boats. On the bank today was Ken Whiteside who include in his 6 fish catch a lovely rainbow trout that tipped the scales at 9lb 4oz. Ken fished the bank all the way along from Bens beach and into the quarry with various lures being effective for Ken. Also on the bank, this time in Hollins bay was George Taylor who landed a total of 8 trout. As with other successful anglers George found various lures working well. The boats continued to fish very well with the usual areas, northern shallows and willow isle, continuing to be productive. Phil Price had an excellent half days sport fishing landing a total of 9 trout. Phil caught all his fish on a black mini lure from Newclose bay and the shallows. Our own Pete took to a boat for the day with Tom Bird. They landed a total of 18 fish with various traditional wet flies fished on di5 lines being their best tactic with the northern shallows being the best area. Melvin Wood and Mike Goodchild had a super days fishing. They also caught a total of 18 fish between them. They found fish at willow isle and in newclose bay with black and green fritz and orange blobs accounting for the majority of their fish. See you on the water Paul.

Date:    Wednesday 24th May
Report Author:    Matthew
Best Catch:    16 fish for Paul Davison
Heaviest Bag:    5 fish for 14lb James Long
Best Rainbow:    11lb 8oz Bill Orrell
Best Brownie:    Nick Halstead 7lb 8oz
Bank Rod Av:    3.2
Boat Rod Av:    6.1
Sport:  Although the day was pretty wet the fishing has remained fantastic! Neil Parkinson and James Long had a super session with 16 to the boat. They found the fish pretty much everywhere with a floating line and lures doing the business.
Paul Davison and Steve Smalley had 25 fish to the boat with a variety of small pulling lures doing the damage, Paul said that the fish seem to have moved some 70 yards out from the bushes and are much keener to chase a fly.
Scores too for the buzzers with regulars David and Joan finding the fish from the top of Gull Island.
From the shore Bill Orrell does it again with 2 yes 2 double figure Rainbows! Bill finished the day with 13 fish. Using his tried and tested black lures Bill walked from the Jetty round to Bell Point with a stealthy approach winning the day. I don’t know how he does it!!
Top fishing once again. Tight lines Matthew.

Report Author:    Pete
Best Catch:   12 fish by Robert Shelton
Heaviest Bag: 5 fish weighing 11lb by Robert Shelton
Best Rainbow:    6lb by Paul Davison
Best Brownie:    N/a
Bank Rod Av:    2.33 fish per angler
Boat Rod Av:     4.45 fish per angler
Sport: The reservoir was like a mirror when i arrived this morning, with fish rising freely.  A breeze soon got up and the conditions looked perfect. Resident guide Paul Bebb had regulars Robert and George Shelton for a days fishing, they started the day at Paul’s favourite spot Grindys lawn and were straight into fish with a couple in quick succession. They then moved to the top of Willow Island and again were into fish, in fact paul commented on the fact that they had fish from every where they stopped. All their fish were taken on Buzzers fished just off the bottom. Robert finished the day as top rod on 12 fish and George had 6. Also on the boats David Manning had 8 fish from the Northern shallows again taken on Buzzers fished on an intermediate line.  Andy Hulls was also on the boats today with his son Matt they had 7 fish between them from willow island mat beat his dad 5-2 on the day and found a peaches and cream booby his top pattern.
The Bank proved a little trickier today. Alan Owen though showed the way with 4 fish on a half day ticket fishing From Bell point and down through hartleys on various lures. With another stocking put in today including some cracking double figurer rainbows and browns it should liven things up a bit. See you out there Pete.

Sport: The weather was a bit changeable here today with heavy showers one minute and bright sunshine the next and with the strong breeze it felt a bit cool. There were some good catches made again today with the boat anglers probably getting the best of the sport as Willow island and the northern shallows continue to fish very well. Phil Ashcroft fished from a boat and landed 8 trout, all caught from the northern shallows with a gold head green pea being his effective pattern. The best catch from a boat today went to Craig Wisdart and Ian Drysdale who tempted a total of 20 trout to their boat. Like other successful anglers they too found the northern shallows productive but this time a bibio pattern was their most effective fly fished steadily back from in amongst the sticks. If you are out on a boat over the next few days and weeks give this area a try, you will find the trout right in amongst the sticks, strong tippet material advised!

See you on the water Paul.

Date:                                Sunday March 21st
Report by:                     Ben
Best Catch                     22 trout for Carl Nixon
Best Bag                          5 trout for 11lbs 8oz Alan  Nairn
Best Rainbow               10lbs 8oz Dave Jones, 8lbs 4oz Bob Parry, 7lbs 6oz Bob Cooper
Best Brown                    5lbs Mr? & 4lbs 7oz Ray Sanders
Bank rod average       7.9 fish per man
Boat rod average        8.9 fish per man
Sport: Wow what a great day! The returns handed in showed that 30 boat anglers caught 267 trout and 35 bank anglers caught 278 trout. The place came alive!
Today we held the GREYS G-TEC PAIRS, where one member of each pair fished from the shore and the other from a boat. Competitors kept their first three trout and every fish returned there after added 2lbs to the weight of their first three. The conditions were good, an early mist had lifted by the start at 10am, and the trout were playing ball right from the off. Jim Pickford took an early lead on the boats, fishing a gold head cats on the point and a black and green lure on the dropper, other anglers were also building respectable scores. However, over the middle of the day the wind picked up and the sun came out and for a couple of hours the fishing went hard. The only angler that continued to catch well throughout this period was Billy Thompson who switched to a fast sinking line with an orange blob and a Montana nymph. During the early afternoon the cloud covered the skies once more and the wind dropped away and the sport picked up once again. Carl Nixon who only had one trout to his name at lunch time, made an inspired choice as he switched to a black minkie on an SSI line fished with a fast figure of eight retrieve. Boy did it work. Over the course of the afternoon, during an arm aching session, Carl landed a total of 22 trout and he ended the match as top individual and the first privileged winner of the Nigel Haigh trophy. A trophy dedicated to the late Nigel Haigh, a great friend, a great angler, and a man who helped put Stocks Reservoir on the map.
Ian Greenwood also fished the Northern shallows to take 18 trout and Billy Thompson ended the day with a very respectable 16.
On the shore the fishing was almost as good. Stephen Lind was top rod with 15 trout from Newclose Bay. Steve fished blobs to great effect to take most of his fish, but there were great catches also taken on nymphs and wets. Carl Nixon’s partner Rick Nuttall was keeping up his side of the deal fishing with great skill to take 12 fine rainbows from Bell Point. This combined effort secured them both pole position and earned them the top prize of a Greys Platinum XD Comp special each worth £400.  In second place were Jim Pickford and Ray Sanders who had 25 trout between them and in the third place gnashing at their heels were Mark Tyndal and Ian Greenwood with 23. The best fish was a 7lb 6oz rainbow caught by Sir Bob Cooper from Phil’s Flats. There were many other great catches outside of the competition the reservoir has really started to fish well. Just remember that if the sun shines it pays to go down, watch the cloud cover and alter your fishing methods accordingly. Tight lines Ben
Ps A big thanks to Darren Booth, Nick Halstead and the rest of the team for all their help.