First Cast ... Now that Santa has sleighed away for another year, we wish A Happy New Year to all of our members and welcome to the first 2016 edi on of your ‘The Big Puddle’.
Looking back over the 2015 season, it’s been a mixed year dominated by difficult weather condi ons, mainly strong changeable winds. It has been an o en frustra ng season with fewer fish in the net.
However, Rutland gave us some of its finest dry fly and floa ng fry fishing during the season and even as I write some fine, fit trout are being caught on floa ng lines with dries, nymphs and fry pa erns s ll working in the depths of Winter. It’s not been a year for big numbers of large fish, although a good few have been caught, however, the fish are in great shape and feeding well in the unusually mild December condi ons. Let’s hope that with more than usual trout s ll in the lake we can look forward to catching some heavy over-wintered fish of which Rutland water is famous, when the lake opens in Mid-March.
It’s been a quiet couple of months from the boats, with bank fishing producing be er results. A sma ering of predator anglers have been jigging the depths in search of Zander, resul ng in fewer numbers but bigger average size this year. RWFF hope that you have enjoyed the Winter social evenings at the Cricket Club, we’ve had good a endances for these evenings and if you’ve missed them so far, please come along in January and enjoy some great real ale, smashing sandwiches, interes ng talks and a bit of fun with like-minded fellow fly fishers. What’s not to like about that! See the reports of the evenings in this edi on.
Random Casts: Do Fish Feel Pain? The ques on of whether fish feel pain while being caught by anglers, can o en s r up a heated debate, par cularly from non-anglers. We can all feel proud of the fact that due to the fact that as we love fishing, we will do all we can to protect the fish’s environment and support the diligent prosecu on of polluters, poachers and rule breakers. Thus protec ng our favoured quarry. With- out anglers, many rivers and lakes would be forgo en, poisoned waste lands, devoid of wildlife and fish. Much as game shooters are responsible for well managed bird filled woods and moor- lands, we want our waters to be pris ne, clean and full of life. However, the an ’s may say that’s all very well, but then to hook them and inflect pain is not such a noble ambi on. Let’s look at a snapshot of the latest studies and current opinions. Though bear in mind that knowledge of pain even in humans is not fully understood so any theories are not 100% conclu-
2 sive. The interna onal Associa on for the Study of Pain (IASP) defines pain as “an unpleasant sen- sory and emo onal experience associated with actual or poten al ssue damage” . If we consider this regarding to a fish, are they capable of having an unpleasant sensory and emo onal experi- ence? I humans, if for example, you stand on a nail, the process begins with a nerve impulse star ng at your foot and travelling to your brain. This message travels to the brain via ‘no ceptors’.
The relevant part of this is that there are 2 different types of no ceptors- A-fibres and C-fibres. A-fibres travel very fast directly to the spinal cord and are responsible for the immediate reac on which tells us that we have stood on a nail and produces the (similar to a knee-jerk) reac on of taking our foot off the nail. C-fibres travel much slower to the base of the brain (known as the thal- amus) telling it that it’s going to hurt. These are responsible for the severe, throbbing, on-going actual painful experience, seconds a er the ini al injury.
I humans, a typical sensory nerve contains over 80% C-fibres, whereas fish have around 4-5% only and sharks and rays have no C-fibres at all. Human brains also have a complex ‘Limbic system’ responsible for memory, emo ons and behaviour. Fish do not have this limbic system. So fish cer- tainly have a different sensory system to humans. They have A-fibres which produce the reflex ac on to injury, but they lack of C-fibres which produce the emo on of pain. To put it simply they know that something is amiss but are unlikely to interpret this as a nega ve feeling.
These are to a certain extent s ll theories and current beliefs but it’s creates some interes ng ideas on fish behaviour. Does a trout jump a er being hooked as a response to pain or a sensa on of a foreign object in the mouth or simply an ins nc ve resistance against being pulled in an unde- sired direc on?
Are the flamboyant reac ons of this golden dorado (right) a re- sponse to pain or simply a in- s nc ve ac on against being pulled in an undesired direc on?
There is an excellent YouTube video of a pike hooked on dead- bait for minutes before the line snapped leaving the hook and bait s ll in its mouth.
The pike rests for a moment then proceeds to pick up a 2nd deadbait and is landed and returned seemingly unharmed and unstressed. See h ps://youtu.be/wOpGA4m7sXk Experiences like these may lead us to believe that fish do not experience pain as we understand it. In fact it seems that a fish’s behaviour is mostly influenced by A-fibres and are therefore its ac ons are primarily reflex- ive, automa c and ins nc ve. Almost totally subliminal and involuntary.
3 We have all experi- enced badly injured fish suffering from horrendous slash wounds from cormo- rants as shown on the right or pike and are s ll ac vely feeding.
If we accept this then we open up more the- ories of fish behaviour and why fish take our fly.
Why do they feed at certain mes and not at others? How do salmon travel thousands of miles to their river of birth? It may be all to do with those A-fibres, the reflex/ins nct nerves producing totally reflexive and subconscious behaviour. Meaning in feeding terms, that trout for example see something which looks like food and they’ll ins nc vely snap at it. Their lack of long term memory (limbic system) may mean that if they’ve been successfully ea ng green buzzers all day, they’ll ins nc vely keep ea ng green buzzers, forge ng that yesterday, black buzzers were their ‘dish of the day’.
When an anglers comments… “….they want it on a Di3 sweep, with a slow figure of 8, something with a bit of orange in, and hang it before you recast” has the angler come up with the holy grail for successful fishing or has he just found a pod of trout at a certain depth and induced their reflex to take a fly. Who says this will work the next day.
In short, we can believe that a trout’s behaviour is all about reflex and their emo on of pain or lack of it is perhaps not something which we can totally comprehend. A wild animal’s ins ncts are more advanced than ours but their emo onal transla on is virtually non-existent. BUT, and there’s always a BUT the fact that we don’t really know for sure makes it all the more interes ng anyway! Acknowledgements to Bluewater boats and Sportsfishing Mag, Dr J.Ibrahim, Sneddon. What issues would you like to bring up? Send your le ers to rutlandwaterflyfish- [email protected]. J Rob Waddington Editor.
Rob is a well known Rutland guide and qualified trout and spey cas ng coach and Orvis endorsed guide.
He has fly fished for 45 years for many different species around the UK and overseas.
4 The Lake Fishery and Bank Report from John Wadham. The lake level is at last rising a er what, for us at least, has been a rela vely dry autumn: certainly, compared with the horrendous condi ons to be found in the North West of the country. Our commisera ons go out to all those to all those suffer- ing at this me.
The lake water is very clear with some sca ered weed beds. However, despite the paucity of weed cover and the clarity of the water, in many cases, fish can be found feeding very close to the bank: especially, early and late.
The result of the abnormally very mild days and remarkably mild nights: when some mes the tem- perature has not fallen below 14°C has been that the marginal temperature has been at an all- me record high for the me of year at 10°C. This appears to have the effect of keeping the fish feeding very consistently.
The most produc ve banks, without any doubt, have been from the Finches to Armley Wood and from East Creek, via Normanton Church to Fantasy Island. Hotspots here generally have been the harbour wall, just east of Normanton Church and from the blue pipes to the dam.
When the wind has occasionally blown from the north, Yellowstone and Stockie Bay area have been produc ve. The best fish have been caught from the harbour itself and near Fantasy Island. The main diet here seems to have been corixa, shrimps and occasional fry.
Grebes and Cormorants are feeding heavily on fry and are a sure indicator that trout will not be far away.
So, consequently, GRHE, CDC, bits and floa ng fry have proved the most affec ve tools for the job. In some areas, the fish have stood off and it has been necessary to wade to reach distant weed beds. However, much be er to remain on the bank and take care that, in the very muddy areas, you don’t cloud up the water downwind of where you are fishing and for other anglers downwind of you.
Isn’t it extraordinary, how the Browns suddenly turn up towards the end of the season! They are also regularly caught in March and April. This might indicate that their ideal feeding water temper- ature is what we have at the moment, 10°C.
It is gra fying to note that the rainbows stocked in the la er part of the season have been able to maintain very good condi on and to have had access to what appears to be a reasonable food supply. They are mainly around the 2lb mark. However, season cket holder Roy Taylor of Oakham managed a 4lb 9oz specimen recently. See details under members’ catches later in this edi on.
5 Outlook The season ends on January 31st and if the present weather condi ons remain, fish should be con nuing to feed right up to the end of the month. And then approximately six weeks later will we will be back fishing for them again! In view of the catch rate for 2015 it is reasonable to sup- pose that there are a good number of fish le for the start of the 2016 season.
Looking back over 2015, the over-riding factor which affected catches and limited fishing spots was the ever persistent and frequently changing wind direc on. Let’s hope for something a li le quiet- er and more setled in 2016.
John Wadham has been fishing Rutland since it opened and
has a wealth of knowledge on our lake. A fountain of knowledge, he has wri en a number of excellent books on the subject, including RUTLAND WATER: BANK ANGLER'S
Boat Report Due to inclement windy condi ons the new late season openings have not made much of a differ- ence in anglers’ catches. To have the extra me to fish in December and January is a bonus but it does correspond with the grimmest weather of the year and is not for everyone. Your editor is s ll wai ng for a North wind to fish his favourite spots but it does give us the op on for which we should be grateful.
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A Typical Winter Breeze on the Lake Occasionally good numbers of fish are coming out from the south shore from East Creek, down to Norman- ton Church right the way through to the hotspot (just before Fantasy Island), with anglers catching up to eight fish in a session.
A couple of weeks ago one boat pair recorded 8 fish limits taking dri s off the Normanton bank.
Predator fishing This has been a bit hit and miss recently with some boats doing well and others struggling. Pike to mid doubles have been caught and Zander to 17lb ne ed. The main headline is that the banks are fishing best as trout are feeding close in on shrimps, fry and nymphs. Early morning and late a er- noon seem the best bet with, frustra ngly, the fish coming on apparently, ‘every other day!’ Let’s look forward to some Spring weather and early season buzzer fishing in March and April. Report from Rob Waddington.
7 Here’s a review of 2015, a much appreciated account from our own Rutland Water Rangers, thanks guys …
2015 Season Summary Fish Stocked – 77,950 - including 4000 Browns. Pre Season stocking 12,100. Fish caught – 28,937 (9403 returned). Best Brown-of 7lb 6oz and best Rainbow of11lb 14 ½oz.
Boat Fishing Overall a good season from the boats, Yellowstone held fish throughout the year and Manton pro- duced some notable bags of overwintered fish when condi ons were good. The North Arm shal lows promised to deliver some fine sport but unfortunately this was short lived, during this me some challenging but rewarding dry fly sport took place with the fish feeding on corixa.
Fish could be found over deep water seemingly ‘in the middle of nowhere’ from quite early on in the season and this con nued throughout the season.
A no ceable trend with anglers not fishing late evenings from the boats means that a lot of anglers are poten ally missing out on the best sport of the day. The Tuesday night boat league that is fished from May through to August during the evening produced plenty of fish and in some cases 8 fish limits in less than 3 hours on some occasions! Food for thought…?
8 Bank Fishing The ‘early season’ bank sport didn’t seem to last that long this season with the fish moving off the banks. It was interes ng to note that once bank sport slowed the boat anglers were s ll picking up fish along the Normanton Bank circa 100m + out and these fish contained large numbers of shrimp. The most likely explana on for this being that these fish were visi ng the banks early/late in the day, feeding hard and retrea ng to deeper water. Buzzer sport again didn’t seem to last for very long, did last years chironomids not successfully populate the ‘bank anglers’ zone of the reser- voir perhaps? The arrival of this years pin fry provided some very challenging (infuria ng!) fishing from the bank, with areas seeming alive with fish but not easy to tempt. If we think back to April, Bill Coppin landed a superb 9lb 5oz rainbow from the bank at Stocky Bay on a size 14 Diawl Bach. A prime example that ‘you never know what the next pull will bring you at Rutland’.
The Reservoir/Fish Behaviour As men oned earlier it was no ceable that numbers of rainbows migrated to the open water and stayed there for long periods. Seemingly ignoring the established food around the shoreline such as corixa, snail, shrimp and fry these fish did not seem to be finding a great deal of food in the open water. When caught it was evident that these rainbows were silvered up and fin perfect ex- amples of the species but slim in the body and had obviously not been feeding hard and put very li le weight on. The Browns however were in excellent condi on and not showing the ‘slim’ char- acteris cs of the rainbows with 119 recorded over 4lbs. The wind was a feature of this season, we seem to have been ba ered by strong winds all season causing boats to be cancelled on a number of days. These strong winds didn’t seem to come from a consistent direc on for any length of me either, not giving the fish me to se le in any areas. Tight lines to all! Rutland Water Rangers.
RWFF Chairman’s Report 2015 Presented at the AGM on the 12th November 2015. It’s been another busy year at the club and I am pleased to report that it has been a successful one. Again this year, your commi ee have been very ac ve organising members events and promo ng the club in many different ways, which I will talk about later. I would like to start by saying that the club is maintaining a healthy membership and it’s been good to see more new members joining the club again this year. It’s vitally important that we con nue to develop our membership as this allows us to be a much stronger club and I will outline later what we are doing to encourage people to join. But I would also ask the members to help us by promo ng the club with friends and people fishing at Rutland.
On to the events of the year We had another full winter programme which was very well a ended by members. An open day was held here at the cricket club in March always a great pre-season chat and a chance to get peo- ple interested in the club. The compe on season got underway in May and we will hear more about that later. There was ‘Big Daves’ Bus Trip to the BBFI in February which was a great success and very well supported. The club has a ended a good number of the game and country fair’s in
9 the region this year including Burghley, Rockingham and the Rutland County Show. These are im- portant events for promo ng fly fishing and our club. Whilst many of the commi ee supported these I feel we need to specially recognise the efforts of Dave and Josie Porter and Brian and Pat Bonner who have relessly set up our new tent and packed it away in all weathers and made it look very professional inside with fly tying demonstra ons and club promo onal material. Special thanks go to Peter Gover for sourcing our new tent it will allow us to do so much more.
The Sunday Bank Mee ngs started in April and con nued through to October. These were popular again and brought a number of new members into the club and they really do have a club feel about them. These are something we can develop. In August ‘Big’ Dave organised a ‘Fly Fishing Open Weekend’ at the fishing lodge with Anglian Water. This was a great success and again a very big thank you to Dave, Josie, Brian and Pat for doing this. Thanks also to the volunteers who came down to take people out on the boats.I believe they managed to help everyone catch a fish. A great event for the club and Anglian Water.
I must men on the great support Anglian Water have given the club again this year by providing free boats for Dave’s Open Weekend and allowing newcomers at the bank mee ngs to ‘fish for free’. Also I think our new senior warden Andy Ainsclough has done a great job at the lodge taking over from John Seaton and has con nued to support the club in our efforts to get more people fly fishing.
In August however, we had some sad news. As many of you know John Maitland passed away. We lost a friend, a true gentleman and a great fly fisherman. John’s contribu on to the club was huge and he will be sorely missed. John Wadham will say a few words about John later. At the end of August we had a fantas c day’s fishing at Gra am in John’s memory, fishing against GWFFA for what is now the annual ‘John Maitland Trophy’. 26 anglers fished in great condi ons and we man- aged to win by only 1lb 8oz to bring the trophy home. Perhaps where it belongs this year!
It’s good to take part in these interclub matches in the year, I always feel that it cements the club iden ty and really promotes a good team spirit, which was certainly the case at the Hinckley Shield in October. It was tough fishing for many seasoned anglers on the banks of Rutland but we did OK against GWFFA, Greenweld Persuaders and Invicta, but despite a great performance by member Steve Crowder, Greenweld Persuaders came away as top team on the day. We managed 2 teams this year finishing 2 and 3 and I was pleased that one of our newest members and rela ve new- comer to fly fishing Simon Edwards had the confidence to fish and successfully put weight on the scales for the club.
The Club Team has had yet another very successful year under the leadership of our club captain Mike Gunnell. I won’t steal his thunder at this point, Mike will tell us more about the Major Clubs Championship in a while. It is at this point I would like to congratulate Paul Wild our treasurer for gaining an England Cap this year. Paul has had a couple of great seasons performing excep onally in compe ons and this is a well deserved reward.
10 Whilst s ll on the subject of events, many of you have asked why we didn’t run the youth fly fish- ing day this year. We gave this a lot of considera on early in the year but we decided to take a break from it because we considered that over the last 3 years we have seeded the interest of fly fishing with many young people who will in the future take up fly fishing. We thought it would be be er to put our efforts into the ‘Monthly Bank Mee ngs’ and other smaller ‘taster events’ as we felt these would provide a be er development pla orm to get children and adults fishing more regularly, giving them the right skills to ‘go it alone’. The ‘Youth Day’ was a great event and we enjoyed running it but it clearly requires a lot of planning, organisa on and resources, not to men- on the number of volunteers.
On to the fishing at Rutland this year. It’s a story of 2 halves. The boat fishing has been reasonable but the bank fishing has been arguably the toughest we have seen for 20 yrs. I was pleased to hear this from John Wadham as I personally found the bank fishing very tough in April and May, and in 15 visits I had only caught 15 fish (nothing to do with my personal challenge of using Diawl Bach’s all season)! Things did pick up and I think it was very much a case of ‘right place’ ‘right me’ for many anglers.
The quality of fish has been very good and by all accounts there should be a large head of fish in the lake for the la er months of the season. There have been good numbers of fish caught ‘close in’, between the church and the dam in recent days feeding on ‘Shrimp’ and it’s going to be inter- es ng to see how the ‘Shrimp’ is going to change the fishing next season. And of course it is im- portant for us all to observe the biosecurity measures at the res to prevent the spread of the shrimp to other waters.
On to our Newsle er “The Big Puddle”. This is so important to the club and I believe to you as members. The quality of this newsle er is now outstanding and there aren’t many clubs out there producing a publica on of this standard. As ‘Editor’ Rob Waddington should be congratulated for this. Recently John Wadham took a copy of the Newsle er to an Angling Trust Mee ng and they commented on how they thought it was excep onal. Long may they con nue Rob! Please do send your photos and news through to Rob as this material is so important.
Looking to next year our members can expect a full and interes ng line up of events. Our winter programme dates are all planned, together with the season compe ons, bank mee ngs and open days. There is probably more I could men on, but as I look forward to another enriched year of fly fishing with the club, it just leaves me to finally thank the commi ee and the members for their support and commitment to the club. Thank you. Chris Evans November 2015
RWFF chairman Chris, fishes regularly on Rutland. An angling trust Level 2 coach, he’s the driving force behind development of Youth programmes within the club.
11 Compe on News AW Rutland Water Fur & Feather 2015 Results
Despite the unse led weather leading up to Sunday’s match , this years Fur and Feather has to be one of the best turn outs in a long me, 48 anglers took part.
1st place went to season cket holder Mar n Hearth of Hambleton having ne ed his 6 fish for 13lb 11oz, Mar n’s six fish limit was taken on – yes - you’ve guessed it – humungous - from the Normanton Bank.
2nd place went to Iain Barr with 6 fish for 13lb. Iain found fish in very shallow water at the head of Barnhill Creek, fishing a floa ng fry on the point coupled with two nymphs. Ian stood well back from the bank to achieve this catch.
Ma Gregory came 3rd with 4 fish for 8lb 8oz. Ma also had the best fish at 3lb exactly. All 3 an- glers went away with Christmas hampers. The best areas were along Normanton, Transformer to Finches and Barnhill Creek on the peninsula, fry pa erns temp ng the trout. Huge thanks to every- one for taking part this year, to Jon Marshall for preparing the hampers and to Nigel Savage and Ben Farnsworth for officia ng. Fish were caught from the Transformer, the Finches, Barnhill Creek on the Peninsula and the Normanton bank.
Summary of Major Clubs Results for RWFF 2015 As most of you will already know, we won the Associa on of Major Fly- fishing Clubs’ Group One tle for the third year in a row this year, and for the sixth me in the last eight seasons.
We finished on 30 points this season, five ahead of Fish Hawks on 25, Solider Palmers on 23, Gra am on 18, Bewl Water on 16 and Queen Mother, who were relegated, on 14. We did this by coming second in the opening round at Gra am in April when we earned 5 pts.
In May we went to Draycote, where we came first with 130-11 and chalked up 6pts. Then it was back to Gra am in June where we had our worst result of the season, finishing fi h with 81-04 for just two points.
We got back to winning ways however at Pitsford in July where we came first with 104-00 and our new recruit, Graham Hayward was our top rod with an eight fish limit weighing 20-05, finishing
12 third overall out of a field of 36 anglers, many of whom were current or former England interna- onals
It was then down to Bewl Water at the start of September where Graham went one be er and was top rod overall, not just our best rod, but top rod on the day landing another eight fish for 15- 04. In what turned out to be a low scoring match, we finished in first place with 35-05 and another six points. By the final round at Draycote in late September, there was only Fish Hawks who could catch us. But we put the result beyond doubt by finishing in second place to Fish Hawks’ fourth place. This confirmed our sixth Division One tle in the last eight years by a comfortable 5pt mar- gin. So, all-in-all, another great all-round performance from the 14 anglers who took part again this year. For next season, however, there will be a number of changes taking place.
The first is a proposal for a second team, a B team, in the Major Clubs compe on. This proposal has been accepted by the Commi ee, but needs a number of things to happen if it’s going to get off the ground.
To run another team we need about 10 or so anglers who want to take part. We would start in the lowest Division, which is likely to be Division Three. We already have confirma on that a number of anglers from the former Solider Palmers team would like to join Rutland Water Flyfishers for next season – so that would certainly help.
But we also need six or seven (or more if possible) other anglers from within the club who’d like to take part and who would like to put their names forward to fish in these friendly compe ons next season at a variety of different venues. Typically these would be Rutland, Gra am, Pitsford, Dray- cote, Bewl and Chew. When we travel to away venues, we usually share the transport and the costs, and there is usually a meal in a local pub a er every match. So that’s one proposed change for next year – and we’ll be pu ng out some form of communica on invi ng anglers to put their names forward to see if we have enough for a B team next season.
The second change involves myself. A er eight years’ of organizing and fishing in the Major Clubs team, I’m going to stand down from next season. I only originally planned to do this role for a cou- ple of seasons a er Sean Cu ng, who was then club captain, stepped down back in 2007. Now, I feel like I could do with a break and so will be stepping down during this close season. Paul Wild, currently the club’s treasurer, has already agreed to take on the organiza on and running of the A team. I have said that, if we do get enough anglers for the B team, then I will help organize their matches, so that Paul isn’t en rely thrown in at the deep end!
Paul is eminently qualified to do this role, as he has been one of the stalwarts of the Major Clubs team for the last five or six years – and the fact that he is also treasurer will make sor ng out the finances for the events all the easier.
You may also have heard that he has just won his second England cap a er finishing in the top places at the English Na onal Final at Bewl in October. So in my book, he would be the ideal candi- date as my successor.
13 I’ve enjoyed organizing and fishing in the Major Clubs teams for the last eight years – especially as we have been so successful. And no doubt, I will turn out from me to me for either the A or the B teams when required. RWFF B TEAM—Applica on Form and Details can be found on the back page, or on the RWFF website or you can email, post your interest and details to: Mike Gunnell, 4 Hall Gardens, Polebrook, Near Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, PE8 5LJ. Or email to [email protected].
Mike Gunnell is RWFF Team Captain and has fished in the English team three mes, winning two gold's and one silver.
Last season he won the coveted Vision Pairs compe on with team- mate David Lang on Rutland Water, and has been fly fishing compe vely for the last 25 years.
RWFF Winter Programme
Fly Tying Night This is always one the most popular evenings of the Winter programme and this year’s was no excep on. Chris Evans, Dave Porter, Brian Bonner, John Lee, Steve E eridge and John Dracup generously gave their me and exper se to the delight of members.
All in good humour, the evening was the perfect chance to see new pa erns being ed and to get ps on how to make our favourite Rutland flies.
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Predator Night 10th December saw fly fishing and lure fishing expert Andy Lush journey from his ‘Friendly Fisher- man’ shop in Tunbridge wells to talk to a packed Cricket Club about all things predator! For fly fishing purists, his talk was full of interes ng links between the 2 different methods. How essen- al li le tweaks in depths, speed and method of retrieves can make all the difference between success and not. He presented interes ng observa ons regarding fish behaviour of predators ie zander, pike and perch and trout.
Andy didn’t hold back on sharing his hard earned informa on either, such as:
How important it is to use the correct weight of Jig heads weights from 10-50 grams. How a slight breeze to give a dri speed of 0.8 mph improves his catch rate. His use of thin, coloured braid marked at 10’ intervals to cut through the depths and s ll keep in touch. Giving him the perfect presenta on at the vital depth. His use of a Lowrance Depth/fish finder is essen al in finding the drop offs, pipes and fea- tures where Zander are found. The different retrieves for ac ve or non-ac ve fish. He also covered cas ng, ‘dead rod’ techniques, drop shot methods and explained the differences in jig tails paddles and fork tails and why they and when they should be used.
Andy is also a very passionate and knowledgeable fly fisher (with Bewl Water being his local reser- voir) and this was clear in his presenta on. He has sensible ideas on many topics such as reservoir management and C&R and gave us interes ng informa on regarding food items of various species of fish, including trout.
16 A very interes ng evening and all the mem- bers and non-members who a ended were treated to a very special night. Andy sent us this message.
Hi Rob I really enjoyed my stay with you last week and the fishing at Rutland was so good I was hoping to be there again today but the weather gods had other ideas. Will try again Sunday weather permi ng? I hope your members liked the talk as much as I enjoyed giving it.
Andy is a mine of fascina ng informa on and he and his fishing buddy Dr. James Gar- dener spend many days and weeks experi- men ng with new methods and techniques. Here is Andy’s blog from his recent me in Rutland.
Winter Wonderland by Andy Lush The shrill sound of my alarm signals it’s me to get up, 4am! What makes a perfectly sane person get up at such an unearthly me in winter, several hours before dawn? Well I’m going fishing of course I s ll get excited the night before going on another adventure.
17 I suppose I’ve never grown up really despite my advancing years, fishing allows me to return to my irresponsible youth when nothing seems to ma er more than what I’m doing at that moment, “ me stands s ll”. I’m sure anglers wives and girlfriends can tes fy to burnt dinners, missed dates and other arrangements that have fallen foul their other half’s late arrival. So I pack my car in the dark and start my 2 hour journey to my chosen des na on, most of the winter season is spent Zander fishing Gra am and Rutland reservoirs.
Rutland I’ve just spent two days on Rutland on here’s what happened. Day 1, I’m joined by journalist Steve Phillips from ‘Lure’ the on-line magazine specialising in fresh and saltwater lure fishing tackle and techniques. www.lure-mag.com I was doing a feature for the magazine on our approach to jigging for Zander. The weather was lively to say the least, strong westerly winds and persistent rain made it very tes ng condi ons indeed.
I motored into the North arm seeking some shelter I set my boat to dri across the arm to the feature known as the “pipe” which runs down the middle.
I was hoping to find some fish and as luck would have it I caught a couple of small Zander but although I tried other passes along the pipe I failed to find any concentra ons of fish.
Gradually the wind eased, as forecast, so I made the decision to move into the “South” arm where I focused my dri s around the “inlet”. The inlet is where water is pumped into the reservoir; this feature looks like a large whirlpool and can at mes hold large shoals of predators, both Perch and Zander. On this occasion I struggled to catch what was puzzling me was the fact that we were dri - ing up-wind! The drogue that is deployed to slow the dri speed was in fact catching the current and dragging us up against the wind!
The water was backing up against the wind too, crea ng some very choppy water, which made it difficult to remain in contact with your lure. A er reposi oning the boat as close as I could to the inlet I cast my jig into the caldron of water and allowed my lure to hit bo om, the retrieve was more “sink and draw” than jigging but two quick fish confirmed that there were some Zander caught. All I needed to do now was work out how to fish in a more controlled fashion? My next move was to posi on the boat on the downwind side and dri away from the rough water. This produced a few more fish including a couple around 5-6lb mark, job done. That evening I was the guest speaker of the ‘Rutland Water Fly Fishers’ where I extolled the virtues of Zander and Zander fishing and how they coexist with trout in the reservoir. There was a good turnout and I fielded lots of interes ng ques ons on the fish, the tackle and the techniques we use, a thoroughly enjoy- able evening was had by all.
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The following day Day 2, I was joined by Dave Ollif, a carp angling customer of mine who wants to broaden his angling experience. Dave has been fishing for Barbel, Chub, Roach, Pike and Perch recently and now fancied catching his first Zander.
A plan was hatched back in the summer when I’d promised to take him to Rutland; this is the per- fect venue to show him the ropes. A er the previous days experience I headed straight to the inlet for a quick fish or two, wrong! Try as we might we couldn’t extract any fish, what was happening? I dri ed along the edge of the nearby drop off and we both caught a very small Zander each, me for a move. I decided to try some dri s through deeper water in the basin which had been unfisha- ble the previous day.
I started in 80’ and dri ed up the slope into 50’ where a small pipe was the feature, bingo, almost every dri one of us would catch a fish, this is more like it. Having caught his first Zed Dave now
19 proceeded to up his PB throughout the day finally ge ng a respectable fish of around 5lb. My day was completed with the capture of a nice Rutland Zed of 9lbs. Not only a Carp angler, Dave Ollif shows he’s a dab hand at Zander fishing too. What a chunk, Andy’s well pleased with this 9lb Rut- land beauty I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Tight Lines in the 2016! Andy Lush
Andy owns The Friendly Fisherman in Tunbridge Wells [TN1 2PS], his shop as you would expect is full of everything a “lure angler” will need. Andy is available to offer advice on all things lure and fly fishing related.
RWFF Champions … Again Well Mike (Gunnell), it’s not only your super hot, champion RWFF fishing team who win prizes ... A small group of RWFF commi ee men drove the 40 minutes down to Gra am Water on a dark winter’s night. They went with a mission.. To take on the best that GWFFA and Invicta can come up with and to give their best in the Christmas GWFFA/RWFF Quiz evening!!! To uphold the honour of Rutland Water and hopefully come away with a free bo le of wine!
The Rutlan’ Danglers were made very welcome by the compe tors, who went by the names such as the (misnamed) ’4 Wise men’ and ‘The Chancers’ . The ques ons were very well put together by Chris McCleod and had some real brain teasers in amongst. The Rutlan’ Danglers performed well throughout and did par cularly well in the ‘guess the name of the female celebrity just by her chest picture round’ and won the whole event by a single point!
A good night all round and a great result. Let’s put a few more teams together next me. They didn’t catch any fish, but they are the RWFF Quiz camps….yeahh!!!!
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DATES FOR YOUR DIARY 7 January - Get Your Tackle Out Methods Evening. Want to dy up your end tack- le? Dropper tangles, bird’s nests and wind knots, break-offs? We have all been there, some of us s ll are! Maybe you can start the new season with a new leader set up, and reap the benefits. It would be great to have some of our members involved, in addi on to the usual crew, so if you would like to do a quick 10 min talk to the group just e-mail ASAP at john91lee@b nternet.com with ideas (include your telephone number if you would like to chat further) 21 January - Fly Tying Evening. Sit back, relax, watch the experts e their favourite pa erns
14 February - Big Dave's Bus Trip to the BFFI! Contact Dave for ckets, last year’s trip was a great success, so no doubt they will sell out fast. Want to win some brownie points on Valen ne’s day? Treat your partner to day out they won’t let you forget for a long me!
18 February - Quiz Night hosted by RWFF. We have invited GWFFA to join us for an even- ing of brain bashing. Quiz Master Nigel Milner will be posing the ques ons, not all about fishing, this is a great social evening, you don't need to be an Egg Head, come and have a laugh
6 March - Li er Pick. Bacon bu y, bag some trash, blow away the cobwebs, admire the views, feel good to be out by the water again, and help a local cause. 17 March - AW Forum & Sale Night. You know that rod you haven't used for the last 3 seasons, or the reel that has been sat on the side-board gathering dust, the wading jacket that for some strange reason is now too small, or the fly line that doesn't match your rod? Here's your chance to move them on to a new home, for a small fee you sell your surplus tackle, and maybe treat yourself to some more, a er all as we all know, there is 'no such thing as too much tackle'. Oh well, we can always listen to what AW have to say about the coming season and the highs and lows of the previous year’s fishing
24 March - Club Dinner. Noel Arms, Whitwell. See emails for booking your seat. Contact John Wadham for this excellent event
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Fish ‘n’ Trips We all do a bit of fishing on holiday, whether it’s cas ng a line off Great Yarmouth Pier or chucking out a spinner from the beach in Spain. Let’s create a regular feature of member’s trips. Ar cles large or small are welcome and of interest to all readers.
GWFFA members Leanne Frost and Chris Bobby have travelled to Alphonse Island in the Sey- chelles. Leanne is a Trigger Fish fana c and her ‘Holy Grail’ is to catch one of these extremely tricky fish on a fly.
Chris’s goal was to catch a GT on fly and on this perfect Island with perfect condi ons they achieved their ambi on in spades! Chris has put an ar cle together for us about their holiday.
Giant Trevally (Caranx Ignobilis) If I had just one word to describe fly fishing for Giant Trevally (GT) then it would be "chaos".
They occasionally appear on the bonefish flats of the Pacific and Indian Ocean at great speed - large black torpedoes looking for bai ish or crabs. To catch one you need to be set up with a 9 12 weight rod, 50lb rated fly line, 100-130lb
22 leader with a 6" fly ed on a 6/0 or 8/0 hook. Because of their size you can easily see these fish at a distance of 200 yards or more. However, generally you are stalking bonefish with an 8 weight rod at the me and you have a ma er of seconds to switch rods and strip out 20+ yards of line from the 12 weight which is held by your guide or fixed to your rucksack. Trying to aerialise the 6/0 hook whilst stripping out line from the reel which is set at full drag is quite a challenge. 6 mes of out 10 the GT has already passed by before you get the fly in the water. The other 4 mes the fly either goes in the wrong direc on or lands on top of the speeding fish and spooks them. Normally you get one or two shots in a day so there is li le me to prac ce and get it right.
I have tried to catch one of these elusive fish on the flats for 5 years and whilst I have had a few juvenile fish on 8 weight tackle the only fish I managed to get the fly in front of flew towards me and dropped the hook. On 6 December 2015, Lianne and I set out to fish the St Francois Atoll in the Seychelles. The season to date had been difficult with lots of wind and rain interrup ng the normal blue skies and sunshine.
As we travelled the 45 mins from the lodge across the ocean to reach the atoll, the guides were telling us that the El-Nino ocean currents this year had caused a migra on of swimming red-crabs which pulled all the predator fish offshore.
However, as we approached the skiffs moored in the lagoon we could see birds working the water on the flats and packs of fish crashing into what was obviously bait fish. As Trout fishermen we have all seen fry-bashing, although it has become an all too rare occurrence on our waters in recent years. The sight was spectacular as fish of 20, 30, 40 lbs were crashing the bait all around.
There was no me for safety briefings - just jump on the skiffs and grab the 12 weight. My first cast sailed towards a boil and a er a couple of pulls I saw a shape charging the fly. Seconds later the line was ght and I struck. I li ed the rod thinking that that the fish would se le like a Trout but instead it charged towards us and I could not keep the line ght and it simply let go. We re- posi oned the boat and I saw another pod 40 yards in front. I managed a cast out about half way and started to strip back as fast as possible - as the fly approached the boat I saw a silver shape coming at full speed and engulf the fly. This me my strip strike was much be er and I was firmly a ached to a very angry GT.
Our guide, Stu, very calmly issued instruc ons - keep max drag to try to prevent the fish going around any coral, whilst he posi oned the boat directly over the fish and then we started the ba le. I could not describe this as playing the fish - simply a tug of war. At all mes the rod was bent double - as soon as I got a bit of line back the fish would take it back. The fight lasted less than 10 mins - then Stu grabbed the 20lb fish and we could then sit back and relax ... objec ve for the week achieved in the first half hour!
23 I followed this up with 2 more in the first morning and the other anglers caught 5 more that first day.
On the second day I caught another GT early on and then Lianne decided to have a go although, by then, the fish were more spooky and did not come close enough to the boat.
However, she did catch a bonefish and before lunch Lianne achieved her ambi on to catch a Trigger fish.
When I followed this up with another great Trigger the head guide, Alec, quickly radioed around asking the others where we could catch a bonefish. We soon found one and I had a flats slam, which is the sort of thing you read about but don't ever expect to happen.
As Alec congratulated me, he quietly said ... you know what we have to do now. I did but it took a while for it to dawn on Lianne as she was handed the 12 weight rod and we set up posi on near one of the channels. With 20 mins fishing me le , Lianne spo ed a shape moving down the channel - a quick cast and couple of strips and it was on. Alec quickly got us away from the coral and Lianne pulled hard to land her GT of around 90cm.
24 Lianne quickly expressed this to be our best day's fishing ever - Alec had to agree as he had never had both anglers get a flats slam on the same day before.
We ended the week with 9 GTs be- tween us and a whole host more lost and broken. The 12 strong party took over 30 GTs which was a record in the 20 years of the fishery.
What a week - Trout will just not seem the same. Thanks to Chris and Leanne for this exci ng story.
Whether it’s from a sun drenched beach or a rain lashed river, please re- member to send in your ‘Fishin’Trips’ stories .
25 Big Dave’s Bus Trip One of the highlights last year was Big Dave’s trip to the Bri sh Fly Fair. By huge demand Dave is organising another spectacular day trip. Book your place now for this great event.
SUNDAY 14th FEBRUARY BUS FARE £15.00 STAFFORDSHIRE COUNTY UNDER 16’S £5 SHOWGROUND PICK UP :- OAKHAM, WILKO’S BRITISH FLY FAIR EMPINGHAM, CRICKET CLUB & FOSSE PARK INTERNATIONAL 2016 CONTACT BIG DAVE- AFTER 6PM on 01780 722065
RWFF Shirt and Hat Offer It’s a great me to order yourself a new club shirt and hat for the new season. Descrip on; The shirts are a great quality Cragghoppers leisure design in sizes S,M,L,XL,XXL, Polyester/Co on em- broidered with the Club Logo and personalised with your name above the pocket. Members price only £30.
The hats are co on embroidered with the Club Logo and have an adjustable back. Members Price only £8. To order; email rutlandwaterflyfi[email protected] giving your size (sizes are quite gener- ous) and your name as you would like it to appear on the shirt (if you don't require your name just state 'Blank') and state your method of payment. Payment; cheque to Mr Paul Wild, 33 Kelthorpe Close, Ke on, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 3RS or bank transfer Barclays Bank, Sort Code: 20-63- 66, Account Number: 10789569, using a reference 'XXShirt' where XX are your ini als.
Fish ‘n’ Tips Some feedback from the RWFF online ques onnaire suggested that all members are not hugely experienced fly fishers and some wish to have winning ps and methods clearly explained. In re- sponse to this we launch the first of a series of FISH’N TIPS! Please send in your ques ons and your favourite ps.
What’s a good knot for my droppers? A 3 or 4 turn blood knot is the most used and strongest of all. Tie the first dropper 6 foot from the fly line, leave around 6-8” of the end poin ng away from the rod. Snip away the tag facing the rod. This beats the tradi onal Blood Knot for strength and speed of tying. Allow about 4-5 feet between each dropper.
26
My Dry flies tend to sink a er a
while. I’m using copolymer leader throughout.
Try this method for super floa ng dry flies: A ach 10 feet of ordinary Monofil- ament to your fly line, clear line of 10lb plus BS.
Using the water knot as above, e to the end of the mono 18 inches of fluorocar- bon (8lb bs minimum). De-grease the whole leader with fuller’s earth or Xink. The mono will sit high in the water and there is so li le fluorocarbon that it won’t pull the fly under, but enough that the fish don’t see it. Ensure you have enough good quality CDC feathers on your suspender nymph for example (mass produced flies don’t have enough cdc feathers and they do get water logged quickly, try using 7 or 8 dcd ps, with a ny applica on of Gink. If they do get wet, a few sharp false casts will dry it off again.
Extra p… have a few similar pa erns so that when you catch a fish you can out on a new fly while the other one dries out properly. Using natural amadou as a drying method is preferable to the powdered material. To fish 2 or 3 dries, a ach a piece of fluorocarbon to the main mono leader as a dropper using the 3 turn water knot.
When should I wade from the bank Possibly never. The last thing you want to do is move the fish away, beyond your longest cast. Wading also tends to colour up the water with silt and mud and spoil not only your fishing but others downwind of you as the water muddies their spot also. Wading into dirty edges to reach clear water further out is fine but try fishing a short line without entering the water first. Tip: Try not to wade where the fish live
My line lands in a clumsy heap in the water Big Phil from Mansfield (sadly now no longer with us) fished on Rutland for many years, he had a great p for this. Perform the longest cast you are comfortable with. Then reel in a few feet. The next me you cast the line stops before your maximum distance and turns over perfectly, enabling the fly to be fished immediately it hits the water.
Compe on Tips Next in this series is an excellent ar cle from RWFF man and England team member Paul Wild with some interes ng and valuable ps for fishing compe ons.
27 Compe on Loch Style Trout Fishing for Newcomers by Paul Wild Compe on trout fishing has been around for a long me now and although numbers have dropped a bit in recent years that is probably mirroring the trend in trout fishing as a whole. Loch style fishing refers to fishing from a dri ing boat, fishing in front of the boat using smallish flies and so excludes anchoring, rudder fishing etc. although Anglian Water does run matches that cater for these methods too. Generally speaking compe on angling is good for the fisheries as the reve- nue from non -local anglers buying day ckets, prac sing (o en on a C&R basis), fishing during the least produc ve parts of the day, o en midweek and o en during condi ons which would deter pleasure anglers helps keep the finances of the big reservoirs going (although I would give Rutland a week to recover a er a major event).
It is also a good way to meet new friends, learn new techniques and enjoy a sociable day on the water. Many of the flies that are standard pa erns for the everyday angler have evolved through compe on fishing, Shipman’s buzzer, the ubiquitous Blob to name but two as innova ve anglers search for pa erns to give them an edge. I have fished Rutland since 1978 from the bank and fished my first loch style boat match with Jim Wa s in the late 1980’s. I remember catching 3 daphnia feeding stockies in the basin on flies that never worked on the bank, ne ng a 5lb rainbow for Jim and hooking him in the back a few mes but he did put me on the pointed end and made me cast over him! Since that me I have fished with a wide variety of anglers, many top interna- onal anglers and had a good day afloat with about 99%. Here are few ps that may help you put a few more fish in the boat:
Prepara on. Before the day of the match find out how the venue has been fishing, speak to your contacts, bailiffs etc. If you have me to prac ce perfect, keep moving trying different dri s line
28 flies etc. and if you find a concentra on of fish don’t sit on them. Even if you cannot fish, a ride around the lake the day before can o en tell you the popular areas. Always get to the venue early so you can take your me se ng up, find out last minute informa on. It doesn’t hurt to see what lines everyone one else is going out on when walking along the boat dock.
… and they’re off!... head warden Andy Ainscough declares the start of a big Rutland Compe on
Sharing the boat. Even though you are compe ng against your partner it helps to work as a team sharing flies, informa on etc. as there can be few secrets on a boat. If it is your home water try and get on the motor end, if your partner has be er local knowledge than you let him take you to the fish. Try and minimise the non –fishing me by having a plan. In team matches communica on is paramount so keep in touch with team mates.
Drogue. Always take a drogues and G clamps, now the trend is for a running line so that the dri can be adjusted to keep the fly line straight in front of you.
Those handy carabiner clips can also help to sink and set the drogues quickly and like to use a thickish polypropyl- ene rope instead of the cord that they are supplied with.
In light winds or when fish are on the top it can be be er to forgo the drogue to cover the water more quickly.
A good drogue can help to slow your dri and by adjus ng the lengths of line or using a single running line you can achieve a minor ‘steer’ to follow banks or hotspots or to keep the dri straight.
29 Rod The ideal rod can perform all styles of fishing. I use 2 old 10’
7# Sage RPL rod which are so enough to fish dries and nymphs but which can s ll throw fast sinking line a long way and cope with the rigors of pulling compe- on lures. Occasionally I may take a different rod as a back up to swap to if lighter more deli- cate presenta on is needed.
Reels I use old LC100 reels, the spools are cheap and fit well in my boxes, whichever reels you use all of the spools should be interchangeable so that you can change lines quickly with the minimum of fuss. Every season I check the braided loops and replace where necessary.
Lines Most compe on anglers I know carry a large range including spares. As a minimum you would need, floater, midge p, fast and slow intermediate, 3, 5 and 7 rate sinkers. This range can be further expanded with sweep and 40+ versions which all behave differently and all can have their day when the trout won’t look at anything else. On fast sinkers a lots of anglers mark the line at about 13 feet from the p to help when fishing the “hang”.
Leaders I use Orvis Mirage fluorocarbon, 12.5 lb when pulling lures or early in the season when the fish are hi ng sta c buzzers hard. Later in the season I switch to 9lb when the fish are a bit more line shy, for dry flies I like to use 10lb Rio Powerflex. There is always a trade-off between more takes v more tangles and snappages with fine lines. I fish mostly Rutland and Gra am where the fish are strong and there is always the chance of a big one so I don’t like to go too fine. Gener- ally I fish a leader of 20-22 foot with 10 foot to the top dropper and 3 or 4 flies evenly spaced. If I am using the “bung “method the point fly will be 12-15 foot from the end of the line I keep a dedi- cated floa ng line and spool with leader on for this style of fishing.
Flies Always try and find out what flies are working and keep a small box in your waistcoat with a small number of pa erns so that you don’t waste me rummaging through big collec ons.
Some fly pa erns lose their edge when they become discoloured, i.e. Cats Whisker so periodi- cally prune your fly box and re- e. I am always looking around; keeping an eye on other com- pe tors where possible to tell how other anglers are catching by the way they are cas ng, retriev- ing, fly line colours etc. I always use an untucked
Blobs can be effec ve compe on pulling flies
30 half-blood knot for a aching flies, its quick, easy , can be easily unpulled with a thumbnail an doesn’t use up too much of your dropper when you e it
Dri s Some compe ons are about fishing efficiently, keeping your flies working in the water at the right depth and area as long as possible. To help this don’t waste me winding in at the end of the dri , a couple of turns of fly line around the reel will keep it under control. If you are going to have a drink or sandwich, do it whilst you are motoring to the top of the dri . Never motor up or across another boats dri and give the bank anglers plenty of room. Later in the season on hard fished waters it pays to fish clear water that has been rested where the fish aren’t so spooky. Some anglers even take tape measures to check how deep the water is although my basket is heavy enough as it is so I don’t do this.
Clothing Always take waterproofs though I don’t subscribe to the view that wellies, fleeces and waterproofs should always be put on at the start of the match regardless of the weather and if I can get away with shorts and shirt I will as I like to be comfortable and mobile on the boat. It’s very easy to get dehydrated on the water which can give you headaches and cause you to make bad decisions so always take plenty of fluid. A coolbox is always good to take, keeps your drinks cools and your catch fresh and more importantly stops it from losing weight.
Enjoy yourself If you don’t enjoy it maybe it’s not for you not everyone has a compe ve nature some prefer to focus on bigger wilder fish with methods that don’t fit the loch style rules. Some fish more to relax, the sport and the reservoirs are big enough to accommodate us all. Most good compe on anglers are good at other aspects of the sport and many of the best nymph and rud- der anglers on Rutland have also done well in some of the well-known compe ons. The prizes are not the reason why people par cipate as they barely cover the expenses but the kudos and acknowledgement from other par cipants that on that day you read the water, analysed and exe- cuted a performance the put you at the top is what we strive for and having a li le luck along the way also helps.
Paul Wild fishes for Orvis Team Rutland and RWFF A team. He takes over the helm from Mike Gunnel as team captain. In 2015 he successfully won a place in the English Fly Fishing Team.
THE FISHERMAN’S FRIEND our new members LETTERS PAGE An open forum for ALL members to share views, com- ments, gripes, stories. Please email or post your com- ments to us. We have asked all of our members to give us their thoughts & views on the stoning situa on around the banks of Rutland Water.
31 With li le budget from AW, this could be tricky, but it s ll needs urgent a en on. Send us your views. Here’s a note from member G. Alleyne sent a er the AGM.
Hi Rob, Good to see you again last night and share your concerns about the stonework around the lake. I think this will be a tricky subject to get resolved but I think you should fly the flag via the magazine to keep the topic in the news. My sugges ons are: AW will be reluctant to spend any further money-a er all we are not core budget. Demonstrate to AW that foo all is down due to the difficulty of bank access. This in turn means reduced revenue from fishing and car park reve- nues. This message may get through and perhaps cause them to listen. Suggest we trial one area only IE the popular stockie bay to see if an improvement can be made. It may be a joint venture involving some club effort. It seems ironic that the "killer shrimp" thrives on rock forma ons. Ex- cellent magazine which leads me on to another point. Prin ng and sta onery showed a big in- crease sugges ng that the way forward must be via email for the news le er-any thoughts. See you at next mee ng, Tight lines, Gordon.
ED: John Wadham is collec ng members sugges ons to discuss op ons with AW in 2016. Let’s hear your ideas. Email John on [email protected]
Here’s a le er responding to Jason Skilton’s comment in the November issue. Jason Skilton (Pike Anglers Club), in his le er to The Big Puddle (November edi on), cites two main reasons for opposing the taking of any pike or zander from Rutland Water – and, presumably from any other waters. The first of these reasons seems to be a conserva on issue. That – such would be the effect on pike and zander stocks - that there would be a need to restock these predators and, consequently, a need for someone to shoulder the financial burden of doing so.
I think he worries over much. I confess readily to have eaten an Esox or two over the years. I’ve eaten them – once, a long while back - from Fenland Drains. They taste of Fenland Drain. I couldn’t see why the “average Fenland bloke” to quote pike angler Neville Fickling some years ago “likes pike for dinner.” Each to their own, though. Or so I thought. I’ve also eaten them from clean, fairly fast flowing rivers, even Irish loughs and they’re actually pre y good. Large, firm, white flakes of meat and the bones can be quite easily dealt with. I’ve not taken one now, though, for about forty years and can’t see me doing so again. Nor do I know of any angler - on Rutland Water - who actu- ally wishes to take pike from the water. It’s not an issue.
No, the real issue here is the taking of the occasional zander, a fish prized for its ea ng quali es by many of us. Up un l this year anglers have been allowed to take one zander and/or pike only, should they want to - and many don’t want to - not exceeding 3lbs in the case of zander and 7 lbs, I think, in the case of pike. Yet surely nobody can claim that the zander – or pike - popula on of Rutland Water has plummeted as the result of anglers taking the occasional fish for the table. In fact, there seems to be more predator anglers than ever on the reservoir. Not a bad indicator of the health of predator stocks, surely. An even more empha c indicator is the catch rate. Up to
32 sixty zander a day we were told by specialist predator angler Andy Lush in his excellent talk to RWFF last December. They’re pre y he y, healthy numbers.
Now, in terms of fish mortality – and killing zander is the crux of this argument - I would have thought it prac cally impossible for all of those fish to survive. Especially those which – as a result of the depth at which they’re caught - have their swim bladders hanging out of their mouths when brought to the boat. The trick then, as many of you probably know, is to pop the swim bladder with a needle or the hook point and then slam-dunk the fish – Andy Lush used the term “spearing” - from shoulder height, head first back in to the water which, according to one website I read, re- sults in “instant recovery.” Hmm, not quite sure how we know that, but even if these methods are much less brutal and more effec ve than they sound – and I’m prepared to believe they are - I can’t believe that there isn’t the occasional fatality. Andy himself rated the chances of those with distended swim bladders at no more than fi y-fi y. Most advice on returning zander stresses, a er all, their tendency to die very easily.
So, if we accept that some of these fish are going to die – and maybe some zander anglers won’t accept that - where, I ask, is the problem, prac cally or ethically, in taking the occasional one for the pot? At least we use what we kill. And, let’s face it, a fish which dies – despite the best efforts of its captor - a er being returned, isn’t any less dead than one that’s been tapped on the head, is it? The 3lb limit prevents the taking of the bigger breeding stock and trout anglers don’t actually catch very many zander. It’s a good few years – unfortunately - since I caught one big enough to eat. I just don’t fish deep enough.
Mr Skilton’s second reason for not killing any pike or zander was that he loathed the idea of killing any coarse fish. Most coarse anglers do. It’s not something we, in this country - the above men- oned and probably now defunct “average Fenland bloke” apart - have done since fresh sea fish became easily available. On the con nent however, the zander is a prized food fish – as is their cousin, the walleye, in the USA. So prized, in fact, that it’s specialist zander and walleye anglers – not trout fishermen - who actually keep them without, apparently, any recrimina on or guilt. Killing the occasional fish doesn’t kill the fishing. Many unstocked game fishing waters, for in- stance, s ll allow anglers to keep some of their catch. The Lake Dis ct lakes and tarns, Sco sh lochs and lochans, Welsh llyns, Irish loughs and even some unstocked rivers and streams being several waters s ll possessing healthy, self -regenera ng stocks of fish. Yes, there are problems in certain areas we know. Nor can it be claimed that all of these waters are able to regenerate their stock simply because they’re so remote and lightly fished.
The Irish limestone loughs, for example, receive pre y constant pressure but anglers are s ll al- lowed four trout per day. Many anglers, of course, who fish these waters take no fish at all. It’s their choice. Sea anglers, too, do the same – should they want to. There’s no ban, yet, on killing some or all – bass excepted - of your catch. Bass have size limits and quotas, but very few outright bans. Many bass anglers, I know, never take a bass. Some happily take an occasional fish. Cod,
33 plaice, mackerel and other fish are taken, too. And why not? We who happily keep the odd fish for a much appreciated meal don’t care for our quarry any the less than those who’ve never – know- ingly – killed a fish in their life. Surely this is all a ma er of choice. John Lee, RWFF member.
Members Great Catches Not too much to report throughout November and December but Roy Taylor had a lovely 4pound 9oz rainbow in great condi on from Finch’s bank. Its stomach contents included a 2” fry and corixa and was caught on his favoured dry palmered Bits. It was one of Roy’s 3 fish that day but during his latest 5 visits he rose just 3 fish so it’s very inconsistent. A feature of many fish were the leeches seen on fairly lean fish, sugges ng that they are lying deep and not aggressively feeding. Cameron Neil has been catching well on his early morning sessions in Whitwell, Ernie's Point, East Creek and Church Bay on floa ng fry or snakes.
Member Richard Humphrey with a cracking 5lb 15.5oz Brown caught in October. Caught any good fish recently? We need your pictures. Please send if possible please in colour and as a jpg, plus any descrip on of your catch to the editor [email protected].
Fly of the Month
Shrimp Pa ern Hare’s Ear Nymph
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Mini suspender Minky Black Snake or the White version: the David Coverdale’ (Whitesnake, to be ed on whilst singing, ‘Here I Go Again’) Members’ Discount Offers Fly Tying Vices GWFFA Member and all round nice chap Peter Waterhouse is manufacturing good quality, great value Fly Tying Vices made in his workshop near Gra am Water. Anyone interested in purchasing, please contact the editor for details.
SKB Tackle are offering members 10% discount on any of their products.
Orvis - As a company they make an outstanding amount of tackle, clothing, pet gi s etc and we can now offer discount on any products bought from any of the UK Orvis stores.
Note, this is for in-store shopping only and we can offer 15% off for your first purchase and 10% off everything a er that for the whole of 2016.
You’ll need a special card which the editor can supply. So, if you’re planning a trip to an ORVIS store please email rob@rutlandwaterflyfishing.co.uk or call Rob on 01572 722422 and pick one up.
HOOKS‘N’BOOKS Spend your Christmas Amazon vouchers on some armchair fishing!
The Longest Silence, by Thomas McGuane .- Yellow Jersey Press Rarely do we read a book which touches on so many reflec ons and emo ons in fishing and re- veals why we are addicted to our passion in such a way. McGuane is a gi ed American author of novels and fishing stories of all type.
From the shy trout of the Madison River to the enigma c giant tarpon of the Florida Keys and the almost uncatchable Permit of the flats. He’s been there, done it and writes about it be er than most. “The Longest Silence is the best fishing trip I’ve had all year” Jeremy Paxman.
35 Fishing’s Strangest Days, by Tom Quinn - Por co A collec on of short (some just 1 page long) extraordinary but true fishing stories from the early 19th century to the present day. An addic ve ‘dip in’ book will delight with stories as diverse as ‘Dead-Sheep’ bait, brandy as a fish reviver, duffers delight and whopper sized catches. Perfect for those wet, cold, windy days off the water. NEW YEAR QUIZ 2016 For fun, guess the fish and fishing related names - Answers on last page …
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37 ‘Trouty Dips’
Beetroot and Vodka-Cured Salmon or Trout with Pickled Cucumber Salad For the salmon 3tbsp grated horseradish 500-600g (1lb 2oz-1lb 5oz) side of salm- 2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, roughly on, boned, with skin le on chopped 1tbsp coriander seeds 1tbsp fennel seeds For the cucumber salad ½tsp black peppercorns 1 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and 2tbsp coarse sea salt ribboned 1½tbsp granulated sugar 3tbsp white wine vinegar 2tbsp vodka 1tbsp caster sugar zest ½ lemon 3 sprigs dill, roughly chopped 150g (5oz) raw beetroot, peeled and grated (wear gloves)
First seen on the starters menu at the new Fox and Hounds, Exton, where they subs tuted vodka for Sambuca, this recipe would be perfect for a fit, firm fleshed Rutland Trout.
Prepara on Remove any pin bones from the salmon with fish tweezers. Line a baking sheet with clingfilm and place the fish on it, skin-side down. Roughly grind the coriander seeds, fennel seeds and peppercorns in a spice grinder or pestle and mortar (but not too fine, as you want the spices to have some texture).
Combine with the salt, sugar, vodka, lemon zest and beetroot, then add the grated horseradish and parsley. Spread the mixture over the salmon and press down. Wrap the clingfilm around and over the top of the fillet.
Place another baking sheet on top and weigh it down with jars or cans. Leave in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours (the longer you leave it, the be er the colour). Unwrap the fish and scrape off the mari- nade. Rinse under cold running water to get rid of the salt and grains, then pat dry with kitchen paper. The salmon will freeze very well at this point. It will keep for 5 days in the fridge. If frozen, just thaw overnight in the fridge. Make the cucumber salad. Sprinkle the cucumber with 1tsp salt and leave to sit in a sieve over a sink for 10 minutes (this will help to draw out the water). Squeeze dry, then dress with the vinegar, sugar, salt and dill, and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Serve with fine- ly sliced pieces of salmon.
38 Fish Tales Jenya’s Squid and the Lost fish ... the one that got away … nearly
The Rynda River on the Northern coast of Russia’s Kola Peninsula is a special river. Back in the day it was owned and ruled by the iron hand of Mr Peter Power.
A wealthy visionary and hopelessly addicted salmon angler who created a pris ne environment for his beloved fish and possibly the finest fly fishing salmon rivers in the world; The Rynda, The Khar- lovka, Eastern Litza and the li le Zolotaya. In the early days he risked his life ‘nego a ng’ with local ‘mafia’ gangs and saved this magnificent river from the hands of poachers and ne ers and thus created the Atlan c Salmon Reserve, the rivers of which have the most ‘to die for’ salmon pools I have ever witnessed, a haven for huge salmon and a difficult but rewarding river to fish.
Although a large river, it consists of beau ful li le pots, riffles, runs and deep holding pools which are a delight to fish, a real fisherman’s river. Peter’s house (tradi onally fashioned from local birch and pine woods) overlooks a lovely glide called ‘the Race’ which then tumbles perhaps 100yards down the roaring ‘Rynda House Falls’ waterfall to the home pool as shown below.
39 A er a hard fishing day the gang were talking of all things salmon as usual over ice cold vodka and giant crab claws in garlic bu er, freshly ‘po ed’ out of the Barents Sea that day.
We were speaking of the ones that got away, of the fish landed and lost and Pe- ter commented that when hooked, the salmon below his house never go down the falls during the fight. “They always stay in the Pool” he said. “mmm… said I” …
Well the day a er I was drawn to fish the beats above Peter’s House. Taking the helicopter to the top of Red cliff to fish amazing pools and runs such as Norway , Sami Camp and con nuing downstream fishing through Surprise Pool, Peter’s Pocket and Tolstoi and finishing off in the Race above Rynda House Falls, before the short walk back to our luxurious wilder- ness camp for the evening.
The RACE Pool above the fateful Rynda House Falls
The Race is a dream to fish. Tricky wading from the le bank but it’s possible to cast to the far bank and let the fly swing round onto the dangle. 40 My guide Jenya gave me a special fly he ed the night before, a monstrosity of hackles, fibres and wool which looked like a mini squid, but with a nod to a large grey Francis Salmon Fly. The hackle stems create a pulsing in the water which can serious annoy or a ract any resident salmon. (This was August, late season so the salmon had ceased be aggressive takers and were much more diffi- cult to tempt than in the really expensive early weeks).
My fishing Buddy Mike had drawn the opposite right bank downstream and Jenya stayed by his side in assistance.
As I fished the pool, cast, step, cast, step diligently covering all the likely places I steadily hobbled down towards the lip of the falls. As the water became faster at the end of the pool the wading also became even more tricky. Boulders, the size of a small car some of which had a slight ‘wobble’ meant this wading was not for the faint hearted. The river gathered momentum, the rocks moved with the current and the increased pressure of the water against my deep wading person kept the mind concentrated that’s for sure.
One last good cast across to the far bank and the fly swept around just inches from the falls. Then it ghtened! A fish had taken the fly just before the roaring pounding falls beneath.
‘Oh S**t!’ I whispered to myself as the fish dived headlong down the falls screaming line from my reel. With a drop of over 20 feet and a length of many more, I could not stop this fish as it hurled down, down, into the deafening maelstrom of foam and spray.
The reel screamed in submission and I just held on, carefully regaining my balance on the rough underwater terrain.
As in an accident, when your adrenaline rush causes things to be seen in slow mo on, I looked down at the reel and no ced that as the backing was speedily disappearing down the river, my snips were bouncing and jangling uncontrolled from my wading jacket. ”Oh S**T!” I said again a 41 li le more loudly this me as the dangling snips wrapped and kno ed themselves around the backing. I could only watch with horror as..… CRACK! The fish was gone.
Jenya was watching the whole me from the far side and we both looked at each other as if to say.. “what the **** !” The deafening roar of the falls made it difficult to speak but I mo oned to him that the fish was lost. I started to reel in the remainder of my backing as Jenya raced below the falls looking into the water. “ I see it” he shouted above the din and pointed to the fly line loosely snaking in the wild fast water.
With that he took hold of Mike’s rod and cast over the river and hooked onto my floa ng line. I could only look on in despair. Those salmon are hard won fish and to lose one this was a disaster. We were both now standing on the dry rocks on opposite sides of the river with the raging torrent of water hurtling down between us from above and I no ced Jenya tying my lifeless line to the end of Mike’s.
He then roll cast over the river, probably a 35 yard cast landing the line by my feet. I grabbed it and proceeded to re e it to the end of my backing. I started winding in the line while Jenya leapt back upstream above the falls and ran (yes, I swear, he ran) across the river (where I had been all but washed away) over to my side and came up beside me with a grin on his face. By now the line was ght onto the reel but with a solid unyielding feeling on the end, the line was obviously snagged on rocks somewhere beneath the cauldron of foaming white water.
“It’s snagged” I shouted above the explosive noise of the falls. By now the objec ve was to save the fly line and maybe perhaps the fly. I accepted Jenya’s offer to try to pull the snag free and handed him the rod. He pulled and pulled, surely going for a break, but just then the rod bucked and a more movable object was pulling the line, not a rock!.
“Fish!!” he hollered, his grin ge ng broader as he handed me back the rod. The fish was s ll on the line! A few minutes later a er a strong fight further down into Home Pool we ne ed the fish. Not a bad size at around 12-15 pounds, no fresh bar of silver but one of the most memorable fish I have ever landed.
That night I had to explain Mr Power that some mes salmon DO go down the falls! … as can be seen in the photograph shown top right
… Last Cast We hope that you had a good 2015 season and that you enjoyed the RWFF ac vi es, if not, try and support your club even more in 2016. We need helpers and volunteers to help run the club and offer outstanding value to our members.
Copy for the magazine is constantly needed. So please send your thoughts, comments, le ers, ps, stories, recipes, fly tyings, holiday experiences, fish pictures to me, Rob Waddington, Editor at:: [email protected].
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Our Treasurer has sent a message that membership subscrip ons are due now, please pay your outstanding subs. The RWFF Membership Form is available to download from our website at: h p://www.rwff.org.uk/Membership.htm.
Quiz Answers ... Chris ne BLEAKley, Karen CARPenter, Chris GRAYLING, Fergal SHARKey, Jean SHRIMPton, Carrie FISHer, Jackson POLLOCK, MARLIN Brando !! (sorry), MULLET, Corporal PIKE, RAY Charles, Richard HERRING, ROD hull, Rosamund PIKE, Nicola STURGEON, Bert TROUT mann, Alex SALMON, Alfie BASS, Julian BREAM, Michael FISH, Bill ROACHe. AlexZANDER the great, Roy CUBBy brown, Kevin RUDD, Prunella SCALES, SPRATT, Stephen FRY, STINGRAY, Darius GUPPY, Peyton PLAICE (sorry again), Russell cROwE, Erica Rowe (ROE), Cat(FISH) Stevens, Country Joe and the FISH, FISH, Ken LOACH, Greg LAKE, Joan RIVERS, Roger WATERS, RAY MERES (mears) 2 points for this one!
Chairman: Chris Evans, [email protected] Treasurer: Paul Wild, 33 Kelthorpe Close, Ketton, Stamford, Lincolnshire, PE9 3RS. Tel: 01780 720308 or e-mail: [email protected] Minute Secretary: Peter de Kremer. Tel: 01572-724873 or e-mail: [email protected] Secretary: John Wadham, 6 Mendip Road, Oakham, LE15 6NN. Tel: 01572 771092 e-mail: [email protected] Editor: Rob Waddington, The Lodge, North Shore, Rutland Water Rut- land, LE15 8AB. Tel: 01572 722422 or Mob: 07711 182853. or e-mail: [email protected]
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