Rod Average - 3.0
Mixed fortunes at the moment some anglers struggling with the fishing at the moment whilst others recording numbers of fish..
Boat anglers in general fishing the main basin have fared best in and around the Aerators, long term season ticket holders Al Owen & Kevin Garn went out yesterday (Tuesday) they were back at the harbour with their permitted 16 fish to the boat just after 12.00pm! sinking lines and lures doing the business, they said even though out over the deepest part of the reservoir the fish were full of snail's! Another boat, with Rob Keeber and partner managed an estimated 15/16 fish to their boat, all fish were returned, They reported a mixture of lures & nymphs were successfully used.
Boats that went elsewhere around the reservoir saw the odd fish moving, But action was few and far between, with just one or two fish reported, plus blanks.
Bank anglers are still finding fish (depending on wind direction) amongst the many weed beds that are now showing due to the recent drop in water levels, One angler on the Normanton shoreline saying he could see fish virtually with their tails almost out of the water grubbing in the weed that were feeding either on Shrimp, but even more so on Snails.
Very few ,If any reports of fry feeding, Remember, that other than the shallow areas of the reservoirs weeds beds, The deeper areas could have potentially weed beds that will be possibly up to depths of 10/20 feet or more, with the fish not necessarially having to show on the surface, that could be possibly & quite happily feeding a lot deeper without you knowing, so they might be worth exploring.
Flies being used at the moment,
Boat,
Various, from Dries, Hares ear, Shipman's in red, orange, claret etc, Yellow Owels, Various emergers, C.d.c's etc in the above colours on floating lines, not forgetting the "Gimp" that has worked well again this year,
Nymphs, Hares ear, Cruncher, & Diawl Bach, Snail patterns etc
Many different lures and colours as usual for the time of year being used, from Blobs, Boobies, Cormorants , larger lures, i.e. Snakes, and Humungus, plus Gold/Silver tubes. Most of those are fished using various sinking lines, with anything from a Di-3, Di-5, to Di-7s being used.
Bank,
Dries as above-mentioned, plus the nymphs, and Snail patterns, possibly best to fish a single fly over the weed beds to avoid droppers getting caught up in the weed and losing your fish, best to step up your leader strength as well.
Playing a fish with weed in front of you can create issues, you must try your best to keep the fishes head up, stopping it burying itself in the weed, so apply a lot more pressure than normal in this situation.
Prospects,
As already mentioned, fish are still feeding on Shrimp, however, Snails, in various sizes are definitely now the main target for a lot of the them.
Fly life is very quiet to say the least , a few Damsels about, It now could only be a matter of time before fry feeding starts in earnest, keep a look out for bird activity, Terns, Seagulls, showing interest, even out in the open water!
The reservoirs water clarity is very good despite days of hot weather, freshening winds every now and again are sorting things out at the moment.