Editorial Lots of interes ng items in this edi on of your ‘Big Puddle’. There are reports from all the recent RWFF events including the very successful Open Day. We have an interes ng ar cle from 1983 on Rutland’s opening day and a report of this years’ opening day on March 15th which coincided with strong Westerly winds but nevertheless produced some huge catches.
There’s a report of an unusual catch made by Peter Gover while boat fishing and we spotlight a RWFF member Frank Daley who lives in London but travels o en to visit his favourite s llwater. Thanks for your messages of support regarding the new format and all comments and views are welcome.
Roger Gill has sent an informa ve ar cle on bank fishing, which was gratefully received. So if any- one has anything of interest; a good catch, a special fly pa ern, a trout recipe, a funny story or would like to write an ar cle on anything rela ng to fly fishing on Rutland Water, great! Let’s have them J Rob Waddington Editor.
The Lake - Fishery Report from John Wadham The season opened on March 15 in warm sunny weather though tempered by a strong westerly wind which as ever at Rutland limited fishing spots.
Despite the strength and direc on of the wind a catch per Rod average of 9.3 fish was recorded. It was gra fying to note that the Anglian Water report now includes details of catch and release figures. We were lucky in the first fortnight of the season having quiet weather a er the opening weekend which, despite the limita ons in available bank space has made all the available water to be fishable: no one place being more produc ve than another.
The water temperature on opening day was 8°C this compared with a measly 2°C on 1 April 2013. At the me of wri ng in early April the marginal water temperature following abnormally mild weather had reached a temperature of 11 Celsius. This is great; however, a sudden cold snap could knock the temperature back as it did in 2012, curtail the insect hatches and lead to the fish leaving the banks to enter deeper less cold water.
Surprisingly, despite the unusually high water temperature for the me of year, the number of over-wintered fish caught around the banks was quite few in number. But, with the increasing buzzer hatches this will soon improve. However, this was compensated for by some superb Brown trout which were silver enough to resemble sea trout and of course and the suicidal tendencies of the stockies!
However, the boats fared be er collec ng some good fish out in the lake with Rainbows to 7lb being reported. These were mostly caught by deep fishing methods. These fish appear to be graz- ing on daphnia: a very good sign for the early season growth.
Buzzers were already in evidence a fortnight before the season opened and opening day fish were found to contain very small examples of these. It was interes ng to note that even where the wind was coming in: for example on Yellowstone frontage, the water remained beau fully clear where it was lapping against the stonework and not on open clay.
2 Wading on this clay below the stonework appeared to be very firm underfoot and even where somebody was standing in a crosswind the colour didn’t carry too far.
While on the subject of Yellowstone: reference was made to a shelf which had been constructed by the contractors tamping down the clay the base of the stonework. This shelf that is no more than 10 m from the base of the stonework was quite clearly being marked by the fish. This meant that short cas ng was the best way to catch the fish as it was too easy to line them in the clear water when they were so close.
However, some days it was necessary to cast full distance allow the nymphs or whatever you chose to fish to drop down near the bo om and then retrieved, the takes coming just as the fly reached the shelf. As indicated, deep fishing with buzzers and lures of your choice have been most effec ve with some good quality fish taken from the dam by these methods including some very large brownies up to 8 lb in weight.
Right from the first day, fish have been seen rising along the dam and in numerous places around the banks. Dry fly pa erns: e.g. bobs bits and CDC’s have been tried but with limited success. How- ever, this method is quite useful for finding out where fish are. By moving them gently across the surface it will bring them up even in areas where they weren’t actually showing, making them a good search engine. I think it is fair to say that these fish were see-sawing - coming up from the bo om to the surface and back down to the bo om so that when cas ng at them you are actually presen ng of fly to fish that are looking the wrong way; i.e. downwards! There seemed li le evi- dence of them going through the surface film. It is however deligh ul to get numerous rises to the fly and it keeps you on the “qui vive” all the me – even if you don’t manage to bring any to the net!
No one pa ern has been par cularly effec ve with fish being caught on everything from ny buzz- ers to floa ng fry. No one par cular place has proved consistently produc ve. Here today there tomorrow!
Bu erflies One of the great joys of this early spring has been sigh ng of so many overwintered bu erflies in- cluding many peacocks, a number of tortoiseshells and of the ubiquitous brightly coloured Brim- stone, the sight of which gives one such a buzz this me of year.
These la er appeared to fly huge distances and recently I followed one for the best part of quar- ter of a mile.
The Rutland Ospreys At the me of wri ng a female had arrived and was now awai ng her consort to return from the South. For more details of osprey ac vity visit the web cam at: - www.ospreys.org.uk webcam and for more informa on www.ospreys.org.uk. I am sure we are all looking forward to watching them fishing and wish them good season also!
3 RWFF Winter Programme The Winter programme is a great way to escape from pre-season ‘cabin fever’.
So we must thank Nigel Milner for looking a er us so well, a pint, some food, and a cheeky smile.
Thanks Nigel! Let’s see more members joining in next Winter for these not to be missed and free ‘fishy’ evenings.
Anglian Water Forum Evening 27th February Jake Williams, recrea on manager, John Seaton senior warden and Jon Marshall fishery manager. RWFF Chairman Chris Evans opened the evening with a short presenta on of RWFF’s aims and objec ves.
To provide an outstanding club for members, to increase par cipa on in fly fishing, grow the membership and to promote the ethics and tradi ons of fly fishing. Chris then discussed the events where RWFF can excel. I.e. the Youth Day planned this year for the … and the new ‘Sunday Morning Fishing Club’ to create a more social way of introducing newcomers, par cularly parents with children and to offer a ‘follow-on’ from the youth day event.
Jake Williams led the presenta on from Anglian Water, thanking the club first of all for our plans to involve youngsters, a er all, these are their future customers and currently the income from fly fishing to AW is steady at best, but showing flat pa erns in revenue. Jake and his team are charged with the task of making Rutland Water profitable which includes looking at the resource for other ac vi es, such as the Swimming area at Sykes Lane, (more of which later).
Jake with addi onal input from the 2 Johns, talked through the bank erosion scheme where now, 18 km of suscep ble banking has been stoned and protected. More work on improving access is promised when the shores dry up.
Permits have in general increased by 2.35% and the forward plan is to offer 12 monthly payments
4 for season ckets in the near future, Jake noted the mistakes made by Barclay card in 2013. Rutland will be open un l the end of Jan next year and will open early March again.
Stocking Rutland Water. All contracts have been placed for the next few years and will be stocked to maintain a 3-3.5 rod average throughout the year. 2013 produced a rod average of 4.2.
Unwanted fish le by anglers and sold by AW produced an amount of £2700 which paid for defibri- lators around the water. ‘Bondi Beach’ may be the new fishing name for Sykes Lane during a 5-6 week period in the Summer when Anglian Water open the new Rutland Beach this year. An area out to 20 yards offshore will be buoyed off to allow swimming by the public.
Obviously this will affect our fishing and boats will need to be kept away from this area. Let’s keep an eye on it this year and report our thoughts to the commi ee. AW hopes that the extra car park revenue will pay for the facility. Your editor has a thought, perhaps we should keep a look out for extra-large ‘bungs’ blowing along the dam on a sharp North wind this season!! An oversized land- ing net may come in useful.
More harsh economic reali es mean that Anglian Water are looking at other fisheries who are introducing ‘any method’ fishing and/or spinning permi ed and may be inves ga ng these possi- bili es on Rutland Water to raise income. Allowing spinning for trout in the summer me looks inevitable. Predator fishing is now allowed from 1st September.
Pitsford is trialling spinning for trout. Other reservoirs in the South are allowing any method fish- ing. Jon Marshall is a passionate fly fisherman and is very aware how special the fly fishing is on Rutland Water, so any changes will be thought about seriously.
The evening was good natured and fun. We do rely on and are grateful to Anglian Water for mak- ing this probably THE finest S llwater trout Fly Fishery in the UK. AW certainly recognises the spe- cial nature of Rutland Water and we all reap the benefit of some amazing fly fishing here but at the same me the numbers of fly fishers are flat or declining. We’re certainly ge ng older and AW has to make the lake profitable. Some or all of the measures discussed this evening may affect our fishing.
What do you think? What would be the best op ons? Can RWFF help AW make fly fishing more profitable for them? Please write to us and tell us your thoughts and ideas on this or any other issues email to rob@rutlandwaterflyfishing.co.uk or direct to the club.
RWWF Evening 11th March Nigel Woolnough The Ethics and Tradi ons of Reservoir Fly Fishing Nigel presented a very professional, humorous and well thought out evening, discussing and ques- oning the tradi ons and ethics in fly fishing.
Nigel began fishing at the age of 4 using cane rods and silk lines. Coming from a long tradi on of esteemed fly fishers, following in the footsteps of his Great Grandfather, Grandfather and of course his well known and loved father, Hector Woolnough one of the UK’s top instructors. Hec- tor, he informed us started out as a gillie on Ravensthorpe, rowing his clients around the reservoir.
5 Many colourful characters made an impact in Nigel’s early fishing career; Cyril Inwood; Tom Ivens, Dick Shrive and Bob Church.
These names are famous, or should we say, notorious in S llwater fly fishing.
They have influenced almost all the flies and methods which we use today, and Nigel shared a few hilari- ous anecdotes of these ‘hallowed’ characters.
Nigel went on to illustrate some well-known flies from the not so distant past and how they have influenced today’s modern pa erns: Teal and Black, Muddler Minnow, Whiskey Fly etc and opened our eyes to the fashions and controversies of the past. Did we know, for example that the tradi onal sea trout fly the Alexandra (above), was ini ally banned when it was first invented?
What is a fly and what is not? Nigel certainly had the enthusias c and enthralled audience think- ing. Boobies, tubes, taddies, blobs, worm fly but what about the bacon rind fly!!!
What is legal and /or ethical? Nigel challenged our preconceived ideas by brainstorming some innova ve ideas and fantasies; sardine oil! Man-made wind slicks, a shoal of blobs! How about ‘The Gra am Shuffle’ scuffing the mud to dislodge the shrimps before fishing over the area, is this in essence ground-bai ng? How about the rope or chain technique of ‘dragging the bankside vege- ta on to release clouds of daddy-longlegs, is that ground-bai ng? It’s legal, but is it ethical? Nigel posed some intriguing ques ons; each angler probably has a different answer.
Nigel asked us to re-think big issues such as catch and release; the selling of fish; compe ons-for and against. All presented with wit and balance.
‘Limi s’ an afflic on which many of us can suffer from was illustrated by a story heard from John Seaton, Rutland’s head warden. About 2 guys coming off 2 different boats at the end of a fishing day. The first, with a face like thunder, scowling the he ‘couldn’t get the last fish’ of his 8 limit. The second chap, with a beaming smile enthusing over the 2 lovely trout he’d caught. Who’s right? Who enjoys his fishing more? A er all, there are differences between ‘catching’, ‘fishing’ and ‘angling’.
The Poli cs of our sport Like it or not we live in a poli cal world and fly fishing is under pressure from the ‘an s’ etc and is showing a declining number of youngsters taking up fishing. Nigel commended the work which RWFF are doing to encourage young people into the sport but suggested that we should all join the Angling Trust so we can ‘act as one’ to protect our sport for the future. The RSPB and BASC have many more members than the Angling Trust even though we possibly have more par ci- pants. Why not add a £1 onto the price of the EA licence to go straight to the AT?
6 Nigel would like to see anglers being acknowledged as a protector of the environment; as caring for our quarry. To work closer with the water companies; to welcome youngsters and ladies and to embrace all aspects of fly fishing. Fun, friends, family are what it’s all about and above all, we should enjoy our fly fishing.
This fascina ng evening was presented without bias or any ‘axe to grind’, mere- ly challenging us to consider the wider aspects of our sport and to ques on our preconceived ideas. His talk was sub- mi ed with much humour and illustrat- ed with interes ng ideas, theories and personal reflec ons.
Nigel concluded with a lovely picture of his ‘fishing mad’ son Max landing his first ever bonefish as he starts his new career as manager of the Delphi Bone Fishing Lodge in the Bahamas. Now there is someone who loves his fishing!
His overriding message was, this is fly fishing, so for heaven’s sake, let’s enjoy it and have fun!
RWFF Quiz Night 13th Feb A change from the tradi onal Thursday night Presenta ons, RWFF held a fishing and general knowledge Quiz in February. Well a ended with much good natured banter, thanks must go to Nigel Milner as ques on master. Winning Team ‘The Boobies’ were gracious in victory - slightly!
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8 Rutland Fly Fair Sunday 2nd March Stuart and Sue Illsley from Eyebrook Tackle shop organised this well a ended fair for the 3rd me in its current loca on, Uppingham Community College Sports Hall. In aid of ‘Cas ng for Recovery’ which is run by England Ladies team member Sue Shaw. The event made £1,176, which will enable 2 ladies to a end a ‘retreat and fishing weekend’, a fantas c aid to recovery.
The RWFF stand was very popular and thanks must go to Brian and Pat Bonner and Dave Porter and the rest for holding the fort.
It’s worth no ng that Eyebrook is just 10 miles from Rutland Water and gives us another op on for first class fly fishing. One of the quali es of Eyebrook is the ‘top of the water’ ac on on this shallow, food rich water.
They will stock 7,000 quality fish before their season begins, including many from the River Gwash Trout Farm, which as we know produce some of the best quality stock fish available. It’s a lovely place to fish and offers a ‘calmer’ con- trast to our own Rutland Water.
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Li er Pick On Sunday 9th March in glorious sunshine, Rutland Water Fly Fishers carried out their annual char- ity li er pick around the banks of Rutland Water. Items collected ranged from "pop" cans to "throw away barbecues" The club was generously sponsored by Anglian Water and Westmoreland Double Glazing of Oakham. The proceeds will be donated to the Air Ambulance Service.
Thanks go to all those who helped out, including Chris and Noah Evans, John Wadham, Peter Gover, Jeremy Ball, Stuart Ross, Lew Carling, Gordon Alleyne, Brian Bonner, Dave Porter, Paul Wild with special thanks to Pat Bonner and Josie Porter for providing much appreciated refreshments.
RWFF Open Day 22/3 A great RWFF Open Day at Empingham! There was a fantas c turn out with over 50 people, young and older, visi ng during the a ernoon.
Cas ng and fly tying went great too! At least 5 new members in- cluding a lady and some juniors, possibly more by post!
Well done to Nigel Woolnough and his team for organizing the day.
The smiles on the faces of those youngsters spoke a thousand words. Who says fly fishing is an ‘oldies’ sport. Let’s get more kids fly fishing!
10 The Fishing - Opening Day March 15th 2014 A er an incredibly calm, sunny week, Rutland Water opened 2 weeks earlier this season, Saturday March 15th. March has a habit of ‘bi ng back’ and what a difference a day makes, from a se led week of Summer-like weather a howling Westerly wind on the Saturday made condi ons tricky and also meant that bank anglers were concentrated into a few sheltered area, but as we all know a wind from the west makes life difficult for Rutland bank anglers as it curls into every shore.
With Natural England restric ng some bank areas un l April, Barnhill, Old Hall Point, Sailing Club were out of bounds as was the top of Whitwell Creek, all areas which could give respite in the strong wind.
However, plenty of fish were caught from Sykes Lane around into Whitwell, Normanton Bank round into Church Bay and the track side bank of Old Hall Bay. Some clean fish were taken but the fresh stockies seemed to be on a suicide mission and a rod average of over 9, including catch and release figures indicated no shortage of stock fish concentrated in pods all over the lake.
Successful methods included slow deeply fished buzzers and the ubiquitous black and green tadpole (le ) on floa ng lines, down to a Di5 and boobies fished on a Di7.
Tony Tibbert’s grandson Toff decided to experiment and caught every one of his fish on different flies.
Brian Moore caught his ‘limit’ on a Dawson’s olive (right), a Rutland early season favourite which bears li le resemblance to the tradi- onal pa ern.
RWFF Chairman Chris Evans (below) had some fran c sport on opening day
A nice overwintered Brown Trout (below right) caught by Geoff Allsop.
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Boat anglers were also hampered by the gale force condi ons all weekend but they did find some really good overwintered fish out in the open water along both arms using rudder techniques.
Alterna vely anglers such as member Paul Wild found some shelter dri ing onto or out from the banks which were out of bounds to the bank anglers and had fran c sport on Di3 and Di7 lines. It seemed that the general pa ern was that predominantly, though not by any means all stock fish were found close to the bank, around 2 or 3 rod lengths out, whereas further out, resident fish were found. Here are members and friends Brian Bonner with Roland McKendrick (above).
Dave Porter and Gary West as- sisted by Nigel Savage (below le ), posi vely shaking with an cipa on of the first day on a boat this year, or was that be- cause of the cold wind?
On the bank there was a confu- sion about which restric ons were in place, which gave the wardens a bit if a headache, as many anglers weren’t aware where they could and could not fish.
RWFF will aim to be involved earlier in the future to help with communica ng any restric ons.
12 Roland McKendrick (right) also got into some good overwintered fish on a Floa ng fry!
Here’s his report.
“I was fishing on the Normanton bank in front of the hotel.
There was only Stuart Ross and myself to be seen and just one boat all day. It was very windy blowing from a westerly direc on along and slightly in to the bank.
The waves were quite big but I caught two stockies on the top dropper which was only three feet from my line so I decided to fish a floa ng fry on the point which also held the two droppers high in the water.
From below the surface all three flies must have looked as if they were on a roller coaster. I just kept in touch with a slow figure of eight as the wind and waves brought them round to the bank.
The fish were not very far out which was just as well as you could not cast a normal distance. Stuart was fishing his usual way with nymphs and he also bagged up, we fished for about three hours which was very rewarding considering the condi ons.”
RWFF member Cameron Neil (le ) has been caching some nice fish from the banks, in- cluding this superb brown trout, he didn’t weigh it and returned it safely to the water, but he es mates it at around 7+pounds. It was caught on a new cruncher variant!
RWFF Member Phil Welbourne (right) also had this lovely overwintered Rainbow of 7lbs 4.5 oz .
This proves that there are great fish s ll hanging around last year’s weed-beds. So why not give them a try them whilst they are s ll there?
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14 Here are more Dads and Lads enjoying the early opening.
Here is junior club member 10 year old William Ear- land (right) who caught his first trout unaided.
His dad even threw him the net and said get on with it! Which he did!
He caught the fish on a black buzzer on floa ng line from Stockie Bay on Saturday 29th March.
Let’s hear your thoughts on the season so far, please send your emails and any ‘fish pics’ to rob@rutlandwaterflyfishing.co.uk
Vintage Rutland Water Opening Day 1983 31 years ago Nigel Sudborough from Uppingham found an interes ng ar cle on the Rutland Water opening day 1983 from the Northampton and County Independent newspaper. In a ‘Country Calendar’ feature by John W. Greaves it’s very interes ng to note that there were 1,500 anglers out that day 1st April 1983! Here’s a snapshot of the ar cle.
“Rutland Water is vast. A man-made loch that was once the fields and copses of half an English county and is now a watery playground for anglers, sailors and naturalists, it provides much in the way of amenity as well as fulfilling the essen al needs of a large number of consumers.
One feels so absolutely miniscule upon this staggering piece of water. Rutland has a surface area
15 of over 3,000 acres and a capacity of 27,300 million gallons. There are 24 miles of bank space, 15 of which are open to the casual visitor, and 4 car parks with room for 3,000 cars.
To be si ng on a boat on its surface gives a new meaning to the expression ‘On Tap’.
The thought that, in a single second one could be dragged into the vortex to emerge into some- body’s washing-up bowl or perhaps (shudder) the loo, is the stuff of nightmares, a twisted mind… or the day-dreaming fantasies of a trout fisherman.
Trout fishing on Rutland opened three weeks earlier than usual this year, on April the first, a day of very strong and cold winds in exposed places and in this area you can’t get much more exposed than the middle of Rutland Water. It was a record start with all the boats out and the banks lined with anglers: a total of 1,500 fishermen, all a er the trout. I u erly refute what my wife had to say about it being All Fools Day.
Fortunately my companion for the opening day was Mr Stewart Short of Grantham, who, in addi- on to being an excellent angler, knows the water like the back of his hand. In his other life he is a computer expert and I suspect that he tackles his fishing with a similar analy cal thoroughness. In the usual discussion of tac cs he opted for any sort of fly that was ‘big and black’. Within 10 minutes he pulled out a very respectable fish and, looking across to me, dangled a large black Muddler between us. I put it on and within half a dozen casts felt the old familiar tug. That was the form for the rest of the day. We didn’t make our limit but neither did we disgrace ourselves and we lost a great many more than we caught.
Rutland enjoyed the finest opening week in its seven year history with many sizeable fish being taken. Gordon Griffiths of Coventry, who holds the brown trout record for the fishery, again found himself among the big ones and brought out the largest fish of the week, another brown of ten pounds one ounce. Rutland may be big and it certainly is wild at mes but the poten al for producing really good fish is very high. Per- haps the gods will smile a li le more next me.
I will admit that neither during opening week or subsequently have I personally caught any large fish, or even medium sized fish from any of the waters that I have visited. I must also admit that I am basically a tyro within the spheres of reservoir fishing. My scene un l a few years ago was a chalk stream or a salmon river, but needs must where the devil drives. Here and now there are no game rivers to hand. What is available is some of the finest S llwater tou ng in Europe: largely pro- vided by the Anglian Water Authority and who am I to again say it.
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17 MEMBERS NOTEPAD Denise Thurlby: Denise, secretary to Jake Williams, Anglian Water recrea on manager and previously to David Moore has finally re red a er over 40 years of service. 20 of these years were spent in the recre- a on team at Wing WTW. She was runner up in the Anglian Water Long Service Awards presented at the Rutland Community Sport Awards ceremony last autumn.
Denise was known to most people with whom she worked as the “Oracle”: due to her profound knowledge of on a variety of subjects.
At her presenta on she gave a very amusing summary of what must have been a very colourful career in the water industry! For many years, and more recently, with, Sally Redrup, she prepared the up-to-date fishing reports which, for those far-flung members of our club, have been invalua- ble.
As a club, Rutland Water Fly Fishers would like to express our gra tude for the large amount of admin help she gave our secretary when preparing newsle ers over many years – rewarded regu- larly with Rutland trout!
She will no doubt be sadly missed by her colleagues, some senior members of whom who quipped that at mes they felt they were working for Denise! They freely admi ed how much they had benefited from her administra ve skills as did we all. RWFF wish her a happy & healthy re rement.
18 Sunday Morning Meet - April 4th This was the first of the RWFF Sunday morning ses- sions. The event was well a ended by members and newcomers.
Many of the newcomers who came along were youngsters who had their first taste of our sport at the Rutland Youth Fly Fishing Day and were desper- ate to get a rod in their hand and try again for a Rutland trout.
It was great to see that some of the juniors were accompanied by a parent, also keen to pick up a rod and not only fish, but enjoy the pas me together with their child.
The session started with introduc ons: then moved on to brushing up on cas ng skills on the grass. The Sunday morning mee ngs are not just about juniors and newcomers. It was great to catch up with other members and find out about their season so far. With a bit of fine tuning, one member found he could get his line out an extra 15 yards. So now he won’t need his waders when the fish are cruising at 20 yards.
On paper it was the perfect morning for fishing Normanton bank, overcast, a SSW wind, but the trout did not want to play. We saw two fish landed in the two hours we were there, by anglers who had been on the water since the early hours. Then as we were winding up the session John Lees and young novice angler Callum Naylor (above right) came clambering over the rocks with a prize fish. A beau ful 4.58lb over wintered Brownie, a cracking fish, and a great note to end the first Sunday bank meet on. Look forward to seeing you next month on the 4th of May.
More Dates for your Diary... 04/05/2014 Bank Mee ng. First Sunday of the month 10am ll 12 noon. RWFF Bank Mee ngs There will be two evening bank mee ngs again this year on the 9th May and 20th June where we will finish up for a pint and a chat at the White Horse Emp- ingham a erwards. Watch out for our emails and visit www.rwff.org.uk 16th May is the date for the Wadham Trophy 1800-2130 Cu ng Trophy June 6th 1800 - 2200 Loch Style Trophy Boat Compe on – Sunday 23rd June For more info on these events, and the latest news as it develops, visit www.rwff.org.uk
Anglian Water - Water Aid Fly Fishing Challenge Friday 12th September 2014 This is our opportunity to show to the world and those who would chose to interfere in our recrea- on that we care more about the needs of underdeveloped countries rather than just filling our bags with fish.
19 Over the years since we started, RWFF have helped to raise well over £175,000 for this charity from this one annual event alone. RWFF have also been awarded the Voluntary Ac on Rutland Trophy for their services to local chari es.
In outline, the aim of Water Aid is to show underdeveloped countries how to make the best use of their water resources and teach them the basics of sanita on.
RWFF involvement - We had a very good turn out last year and this year we will again be featured in the press. At least 20 boatmen are needed on the Friday - but, the more the merrier. As boat- men you will be going out with novices. Where possible they are trying to do this on a one to one basis. On the Thursday evening, an area will be set aside for the cas ng clinic in the field below the main Normanton Car Park where cas ng volunteers should assemble. You don’t need to be a professional for the cas ng sessions. Just teach them the basics including safety aspects e.g. Eye protec on, hat, life jackets & boat handling.
Tackle will be available on the day and for the cas ng clinic - The organisers want to avoid two novices going out in a boat together unaccompanied - a recipe for disaster - but at the same me we want to get them out on the water on the day. Only we can do this.
There will be a trophy presented to the most successful volunteer boatman. A meal will be provid- ed a er the match. This has been a tremendous event in previous years and the organisers have been profuse with their thanks for our involvement.
Volunteers will be apprised of progress. A detailed i nerary will be sent out nearer to the event as soon as this is in place. Further details or altera ons to the programme will appear in subsequent newsle ers.
If you can help, please return the a ached form to John Wadham at 6 Mendip Road, Oakham, Rutland LE15 6NN or contact him on:- 01572 771092 or mobile 07873 214116 or email [email protected]. Any sponsorship from companies for whom any members work would be very welcome: as would items for the auc on sale and raffle prizes. Please note the web page link:- www.awwaffic.org.
John Wadham - April 2014 - A memo from commi ee member Brian Bonner: Please note that Anglers will no longer be able to get to the mound from the shoreline as the style has been removed. They will have to follow the path past the camping field and drop down the other side of the hedge.
Specimen Fish Applica on Forms for the Seasonal Trophies. These are available from the Fishing Lodge shop and the wardens’ office. To cater for the extended season the rules around the weighing in of these fish has been updated. A poster can be seen in our no ce board at the Lodge containing the following paragraph.
"Brown Trout are eligible to be submi ed for seasonal trophies between April 1st & October 29th inclusive. If your fish is to be returned to the water it must be weighed carefully in a net and the
20 net weighed a erwards. It must be witnessed by another an- gler/warden. This will apply to any specimen fish - either Brown or Rainbow. To ensure uniformity, the accuracy of the scales should be checked against the scales in the Fishing Lodge. Our trophy period for Rainbows this season is March 15th 2014 to January 31st 2015. But, in the event of future earlier opening of the fishing, Rainbows will be eligible from the opening day of that season. Applica on forms are available from the Fishing Lodge Shop or War- den’s Office”.
Compe on News - RWFF Member Mike Barre wins the Independence Day Trophy with this magnificent 6lb 9.75 oz Brown Trout (right).
The club compe on calendar sees a new event and some exci ng changes to the format. On August 31st we have a new inter club compe on, the Maitland Cup.
The gauntlet has been thrown down and GWFFA have been invited up to Rutland to compete for the trophy. The victors will host the next compe on.
This year when you take part in any RWFF compe on, you will be invited to take part in a sweep stake, this is en rely op onal. Your stake will be £5.00, winner takes 50%, 2nd place 30%, 3rd place 20%. There will also be a cash prize for best fish.
On top of this, we will be awarding points to compe tors. 10 points to the winner of each match, with points running down to 10th place, plus 3 points for best fish. At the pre season dinner, a £100.00 tackle voucher will be awarded to the overall winner, a £50.00 voucher for the biggest overall fish and a £50.00 voucher to the highest placed junior. Look out for more details in the next newsle er.
Members’ Discount Offers Orvis 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 2014. 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.
21 Hartley Fly are the main distributors for Fulling Mill. They stock thousands of flies, from ny dries to blobs, buzzers, pike flies right up to saltwater tarpon poppers.
Fulling Mill World Class fluorocarbon leader is a favourite among many members (their 8lb is ex- cellent, strong and good value) and many, many more goodies. RWFF members can obtain a 15% discount on all products. To get this discount go to h p://www.hartleyfly.com/pages/11613/ rutland-water-fly-fishing-club/ and at the checkout enter the code RWCL01
SKB Tackle are offering members 10% discount on any of their products, take a look at their advert on page 16. of this magazine.
Members’ Le ers Just a note to say what a great job regarding the magazine. I really enjoyed the contents. I like your ques on about the huge amount of fish taken during the Airflo compe on. Some 1400 fish represents some 2% of the annual stocking. In these enlightened mes I’m sure that Airflo do not sit comfortably with such numbers. I agree that perhaps the river system would be be er: i.e. 4 fish taken followed by responsible catch and release. The only problem would be that of cket pricing as all the compe tors pay for a limit bag. Like you I thought 2013 was a great year so long may it con nue. Just off chub fishing. Tight lines, Gordon Alleyne (Wansford).
We have received a few le ers regarding the ‘Spring Restric ons’. In the main, anglers were disap- pointed with the lack of bank choice but more importantly commen ng on the late communica- on of these restric ons. We can reveal that ‘Natural England’ have ins gated the no fishing areas
22 a er many years of research into bird habitat in March. By the me this newsle er is published the whole lake will be available to fish. However, RWFF are endeavouring to create a line of com- munica on, so that we’ll know in advance of any similar plans in the future. All the more reason to join our club! Please forward your le ers, emails, thoughts, comments and news to rob@rutlandwaterflyfishing.co.uk or through www.rwff.org.uk.
Early Season Bank Fishing at Rutland (East Creek to Whitwell) by Roger Gill. Here we have the first of a series of ar cles by well-known Rutland angler Roger Gill. We will start at East Creek, a very sheltered bay with deep water and a natural grass bank. This will fish in a west wind. There is lots of natural food, buzzers, hog lice - try all types of lure. I find the best is a size 10 black buzzer, a 14 gold ribbed hare's ear and a 14 cruncher on the top dropper.
Moving along the bank to Pepper Point and the old fish ponds gives deeper water with good buzz- er hatches.
Next bank is the disabled bay. Here a south west wind is best crea ng good wind lanes towards the Fishing Lodge. Teams of buzzers or crunchers are an excellent choice. There is a good depth of water in the bay. It is fishable in a west wind but best in a south west or south wind - a good bank area.
Moving on, the harbour wall is a hot spot for fish. In a SW, S & E wind, lures on sinking lines are a good bet, and teams of buzzers on the swing.
Church Bay is a good spot to wade out behind the willow tree where a shallow spit runs out: a S or SW wind is very good. Back towards the Church is not good because big rocks restrict access to the water. The Church to blue pipes is excellent in S, SW, SE or E winds. Here the decaying sum- mer weed beds give rise to massive buzzer hatches. The gravel bank at the blue pipes gives access to deeper water and the end of the gravel spit here is one of my favourite spots. Hang a team of buzzers out on the wind. O en good brownies frequent this gravel area early season.
Moving down this popular bank to Roger's Point is not so good at high water - when it drops a couple of feet you can wade out on the gravel spit and is excellent for all methods.
Further on we come to the bay just before Fantasy Island. The shallow water here is a very good buzzer area. Evening rising fish come in very close to the bank.
Next, the famous Dam. In East, NE and SE winds all methods will work. Try buzzers or the bung. Don't be afraid to try these all along the Dam, not just the ends.
Sykes Lane end of the Dam is quite shallow and fish move all along this bank up to the Monument. The old willow tree roots in the shallow water must contain food because the fish will come in very close at mes.
Fishing in the deeper waters of Stocky Bay, all methods will work.
Then from Stocky Bay to Whitwell - in shallow water a north to north-east wind is best, big buzzer hatches occur frequently.
23 The Fence End at the end of Whitwell Creek finds deeper water round to the seat. The Creek is always worth a cast. Fish love this quiet area. Sad to say the best area at the top of the creek is out of bounds because of the fenced area.
Tight Lines, everyone! By the way, I make no apologies for recommending buzzers, buzzers, buzzers - I love 'em. The photograph show ‘Buzzers over Barnsdale’.
RWFF Annual Dinner 27th March 35 members and partners a ended the annual dinner and enjoyed good, cheerfully served food at the Noel, Whitwell. Good to see so many Ladies joining their men for this social gathering. Prizes were presented by Chris Evans and RWFF president John Maitland for the following categories.
Trout and Salmon Shield Best Rainbow – Senior Al Owen 10lb 5oz. Trout Fisherman Shield - Best Brown – Senior Gary West 5lb 6oz Mike Ellis Shield - Best Rainbow – Junior Graham Hayward 5lb 8oz Fario Shield - Best Brown – Junior Graham Hayward - 4lb 3oz Wadham Bank Shield Graham Hayward 8 fish 21lb 12oz Cu ng Trophy (Bank) Dave Porter 7 fish 20lb 7oz Hanby Cup Ron Gent & Mar n Rowson, 16 fish 44lb 3oz Loch Style - Best Fish - 3lb 14oz Dave Porter Loch Style Trophy Dave Porter and Steve Crowder The special Horseshoe Award was presented to Brian & Pat Bonner and Dave & Josie Porter for their consistent help in all things RWFF! Chris Evans made a nice speech about their reless enthusiasm and that without them we wouldn’t be able to do so much as a club.
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One of the highlights of the evening was your editor crashing into the trophy table and knocking them flying!! Oooops! And then the secretary performing temporary repairs!
Giant Eel from Peter Gover RWFF member Peter Gover had a shock when he fished from a boat on opening day. A second or two a er the tremendous ‘hit’, the mystery fish gave an ini al run taking at least 30 yards of back- ing at an incredible speed.
His ini al thought was that it was a fish of a life me, perhaps a huge brown, or maybe a big pike. A er a fight which lasted for ages he saw the fish, a very large eel es mated at over 6 pounds and measuring over 4 foot long!
Trying to land the eel was a saga in itself and at mes assumed farcical propor ons. Peter’s giant eel held by fishery warden Nigel Savage.
A er the ‘fish’ took it made a screaming run taking over 50 yards of backing, faster than anything Peter had experienced before. Thinking it was a huge brown trout they had to motor the boat towards it to make headway. Or could it be a big pike? Peter thought. A er what seemed an age, the giant eel made itself known. The tube was absolutely ‘smashed’!!
This catch has made the editor think about what may lie hidden in this won- derful lake. You may remember my 7.5 pound eel caught last April, in 2013: but I’d like to hear from any members with similar encounters of large coarse fish.
I have had some large perch and big pike, but what about specimen Bream/ Carp/Roach. So please write in with your stories and if possible include a photo.
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A friend and Rutland regular from the Essex coast Mr John Sturge had an amazing catch many years ago from Ravensthorpe. Fishing floa ng line and black buzzer he hooked a huge pike.
Thinking it near or over the Bri sh record he kept it alive and returned to the fishing lodge only to find it slamming the 40 pound scales down to the limit. Not wan ng to cause this wonderful speci- men any further stress, he returned it alive to the water without confirming its true weight. I have- n’t seen a pike this big, ever! It makes you wonder what is lurking in the depths of these reservoirs. Here’s a picture above right of visi ng Sco sh angler Brad Chalmers with a large bream caught from Hideaway Bay last year!
River Gwash Trout Farm Visit RWFF are organising a visit to the farm in the summer – 6.30pm Thursday 26th June. This is where those incredibly strong silver rainbows are grown. Please email the editor if you’d like to come. We’ll spend about 45 minutes at Ryhall and 30 minutes at Horn Mill in the company of owner Law- rence Ball, we’re looking for a max of 20 members and we can lay on a minibus if needed. This should be a really interes ng evening and then we’ll finish off with a pint and a bite, loca on to be advised. Any interested par es please email rutlandwaterflyfi[email protected]
‘Trouty Dips’ In the last newsle er we featured an ar cle on cold smoking Rutland trout. But what to do a er you’ve done that? Here are a couple of the Editors favourite recipes. Please send in your recipes. Home smoked trout on crackers/blinis/toast Make a creamy base with crème fraiche, seafood sauce, extra virgin olive oil, cracked black pepper, a good squeeze of lemon and a he y dash of horseradish sauce. Mix up and dollop on the cracker.
Place some thinly sliced (not too thinly!) oak smoked Rutland trout. Add a ny drizzle of the olive oil, squeeze of lemon and a turn of fresh milled black pepper, garnish with sprig of parsley.
Delicious, with some sharp, cold, sauvignon blanc.
26 Barnsdale Breakfast Slice some Oak smoked Rutland Trout, pull out any bones, put on a cold plate and drizzle lightly with extra virgin olive oil. Cut some small squares and strips of the trout and out in a pan with a chunk of bu er and white pepper and a pinch of salt. Put the pan on a low heat ll the bu er melts and the trout infuses into the liquid. Add a couple of free-range eggs, your own are the best, the orange colour of ‘real’ eggs makes it a visual feast. S r and s r, ll it’s almost but not quite cooked. Add a tablespoon and a bit of crème fraiche, s r it in and add a bit more bu er. This will make it so so and velvety. Toast 2 slices of quality bread, any will do it’s all good, and leave to go crispy before lightly bu ering it. Arrange the toast on a plate, pour on the scrambled eggs and lay on the slices of smoked trout. Add a squeeze of lemon and a turn of fresh ground black pepper. Serve with griddled tomatoes, and mushroom, garnish with a bright green sprig of parsley.
‘Fish Tales’ One of the first clients for my guiding services was Angus: heading up a busy company based in Yorkshire. He doesn’t get much me to fish but a couple of mes a year he drives down the A1 to Rutland to fish with me. Over the years he’s become a friend and I always look forward to taking him out on the water. Always, but not without a certain amount of apprehension.
On every trip some kind of misfortune happens to one of us. Nothing bad but with every trip comes something funnier and funnier s ll. It started in about 2007 with my boat seat, especially and lovingly fashioned, machined, turned, bolted and upholstered with blood, sweat and tears at my former place of work. A clamp-able, swivelling, typist’s chair, made to measure. The perfect Rutland boat seat, even though it did weigh about half a ton! As my guest, I decided to give Angus the pleasure of si ng on it all day. Angus began passing me the gear onto the boat for the day’s fishing. Rods, tackle boxes, drogue and so on but he was a li le quick in passing the boat seat, or perhaps he was surprised at the unexpected weight of the things, but it was passed to me as I was stowing the rods. Well, Angus let go in mid-air and it disappeared into 15 foot of water off the pontoon!
Thankfully warden Mick Brooksby ‘hooked it’ from the bo om while we went fishing. Angus inci- dentally caught his best ever Rainbow trout that day. On the next occasion it was my turn. I met Angus at the fishing lodge and a er a few words of welcome we made our way to the pontoon. As some mes happens our boat didn’t have a ‘kill cord’ so I went off to find one while Angus se led
27 into the boat. Finding the bucket of kill cords I stuffed one of the ‘curly’ springs into my pocket and rushed back join my guest on the boat. Now to start the engine. I fumbled in my pocket for the cord, not realising that the spring-like coils had tangled with my car keys in the same pocket.
As if in a slow mo on dream, or a freeze frame ac on film, the springy red cord snagged on some- thing in my pocket and stretched, and stretched, when the wire was almost straight the offending ‘snag’ was catapulted 10 feet into the air and out into the middle of the harbour. Twirling and somersaul ng into the depths of Rutland Water to my accompanying slow mo on low pitched wail… Noooooo!!!..... my keys!! Ahem… thanks again to Mick Brooksby for ‘fishing’ them off the bo om. Mick said he saw the tesco key card and just fished around it! What service you get from the Rutland wardens!
Angus went on the catch his biggest brown trout that day. Another year, another trip, if I remember rightly I broke my rod that day or was it 2 rods? It all becomes hazy a er a while, and Angus caught his first limit on Rutland, there was a definite trend developing. The more unfortunate the inci- dent, the be er fishing day he had, I’ll do anything for my guests!
One lovely day fishing in the Autumn, we were recalling these accidents and laughing like drains as we motored up the North Arm, you know those laughs which almost hurt?
Angus had his new sunglasses res ng on the peak of his cap as many anglers do. I reminded him of the great fish he’s caught previously and he responded with an enthusias c and exaggerated nod of agreement. Then he stopped dead-s ll as he watch my eyes following his sunglasses flick off his cap and ‘loop the looping’ over his head into the North Arm with a slight, mocking…‘plop’.
‘Have I just done what I think I’ve done?’ asked Angus as we collapsed into hysterical laughter. Needless to say he broke his personal best record for both his Rainbow and Brown trout! I look forward to seeing you this season Angus, I think! Rob Waddington Pro Guide, instructor and Lakeside B&B Owner.
…last cast As you read this Magazine, we should be experiencing the warm days of spring. Days of hawthorn blossom, blue bells and the ‘soapy’ perfume of the laurel flowers. With the warm- er days come clouds of hawthorn flies and buzzers. As this newsle er is being wri en there are lots of buzzers coming off and the trout are taking them with relish. It could be a bump- er season, let’s hope so. Have a great spring!!
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 Rutland, LE15 8AB. Tel: 01572 722422 or Mob: 07711 182853. or e-mail: [email protected]
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