Lake District Fishing Report

[Zinky]

Internet Fishing Report by the Friends of Dragonbat thanks Bob

 

Since the last report the weather has thrown everything at us. At the beginning of last week we had torrential rain accompanied by very strong winds and this twice lifted local rivers. Then on Thursday we had a calmer, mainly sunny day with a similar day on Friday. At the weekend we had a fair bit of sunshine but very strong NE winds which have continued through today. If there is east in the wind in the southern lake district then at least we do not get rain..

 

Wych Elm

 

The water became very slightly tinged early last week and for the first couple of days fishing became more difficult as the excess water probably soured the water slightly. There were one or twonil returns.

 

Since then the water is clear again and I was last there on Wednesday giving instruction and the fish had come back on the feed. That day was the first this year at this water where the trout really switched hard onto taking buzzers just as they were emerging and a size 14 Vees suspender buzzer in black was dynamite. Klinkhammers in black also worked well. In the afternoon a trickle of olives came off and olive klinkhammer worked well. For lures, menace varient and cats whisker and various tadpoles are producing and in general nymphs the grhe, ptn and bloodworm patterns all doing well. Bags of up to 15 fish are being taken on buzzers and dries and lures are attracting the big fish with another at 12lbs and a 14lb fish caught. I observed plenty of doubles swimming around.

 

Hawthorn flies are now everywhere and alders are hatching like mad so make sure you have appropriate patterns..

 

Tewitfields

 

Nothing from Les this week but customers report hot action on buzzers, damsels and klinkhammers. An excellent water to fish the bung on.

 

Esthwaite Water

 

Very changeable weather has put the fish up and down so both top of the water and sub surface tactics have been needed. Lures have fished best with cats whiskers,orange tadpoles and zonkers. One of our customers Bill Boyce again took the best bag of 7 fish between 1.5 and 2.5lbs on lures fished deep down.

 

Best areas have included the bank at grubhole, swimming pool and weather bay in the north basin. In the south the cages, strickland bay and 4 tree bay are fishing best. Any method anglers are catching from the ticket office to the outlet, the boathouse on the east bank and the National Trust field plus the bank opposite the ticket office. Given a calming of the wind in the evenings there will be some great buzzer sport.

 

Killington Reservoir

 

It has been extremely wild and cold here so not much fly fishing activity. Any method anglers are catching on both float and ledger with worms and sweetcorn still top baits. Anglers using the now banned power bait are doing well but leaving plenty of evidence floating and in the stomachs of trout !! No reports of any roach but most of this fishing tends to be done a bit later in the year. With twice monthly stockings there are now loads of fish but for comfort pick your day.

 

Ghyll Head, High Newton and Dubbs Reservoirs

 

Similar tactics as for Wych Elm. The strong winds have meant that with the exception of Ghyll Head there has not been heavy angling activity. Buzzer fishing still dominating at Ghyll Head where a variety of black, olive and grey suspender buzzer and buzzer papae imitations are needed for best rersults. Ghyll Head is experiencing a trickle of olives hatching in the afternoon so olive nymphs and dries such as olive klinkhammer, greenwells etc will produce. For newly stocked fish use black and green or orange tadpoles on intermediate lines.

 

High Newton has hoardes of hawthorn flies and if the wind dies off sport will be outstanding. Best dries are hawthorn, black polyrib buzzers and black hoppers. Also buzzer activity so during hatches use black. Dubbs is a wild windswept place and again hawthorns and buzzers will produce. Olives are coming off in the corner opposite the steps so again olive nymphs, klinkhammers etc.

 

It amazes us that at these club waters a lot of the locals still plod on with what produced on 15 March and they seem quite unaware of the obvious activity around them which should be like neon lights telling them what to use.

 

Windermere

 

Fly fishing has not improved since the last report although we have been told of large hatches of black buzzers in the shallows in the south basin accompanied by feeding fish.

 

On the top lining front there appear to be missing the normal trout to 2.5lbs and those being taken are from about 2.75lbs to 4lbs. Is a year class missing or have most been caught. Top liners reporting lots of smaller pike attacking their rapalas. No reports of any large pike this week.No reports this week from the other big lakes except that Ullswater is starting to produce trout in the shallows for fly anglers using traditional patterns.

 

River KentTwo small lifts in the last few days have brought the first sighted salmon and sea trout in the lower reaches. Early sea trout tend to be large but few and far between and very elusive. In fact the first reports of big ones are often from Burneside. If having a go for salmon remeber the EA byelaws as its catch and release until 16 June.

 

Spinning and worming is now allowed fortrout on the Kent Angling waters and day tickets are still £7 until the end of the month. Not many trout anglers out but small mepp type spinners have produced and fly anglers are doing well on spiders, goldheads and small olives.