At last, water temperatures have started to drop … by 2.5 degrees throughout the fishery over the past week. However, dawn and dusk are still the best times for seeing movement.
Successful flies used last week included:
Brown trout lakes: Size 16 CDC emerger, Klinkhammer, Caddis, CDC emerger
River: Small mayfly, Parachute Adams, Beaded PTN, Beaded Daddy, Spider, Black nymph
Andrew Thompson
“The water temperature at the fish pass was nearly 20 degrees centigrade at 11:30am this morning. ” Nigel Rainton
Photo – Andrew Thompson
“Extremely hot conditions continued, resulting, unsurprisingly, in a quiet week on the fishery. Let’s hope everything starts to cool down soon … ” Andrew Thompson
For the members who battled the continuing high temperatures (both water and air) the usual great variety of fly-use enabled some good sport to be had.
Successful flies last week included:
Brown trout lakes: GRHE, Sedge, Alder, Diawl Bach, BFD
River: GRHE, Silver sedge, Spent gnat, Klinkhammer, Damsel, Mayfly, PTN, Daddy, Stoats tail
Perfect weather helped set the scene for our annual ‘river evening’ yesterday (Sunday). A good number of members attended, both new and established. Thanks to Mark Temple for giving useful advice and for demonstrating ways of fishing our stretch of the river. Thanks too, to Poppett Hosp for providing wonderful refreshments once again!
Extremely high temperatures meant that not many members ventured out last week. For those that did, the cooler waters of the spring-fed brown trout lakes and the river, were by far the best places to cast a fly.
Successful flies used included:
Brown trout lakes: Shipman’s and various buzzers, Black gnat, Klinkhammer, Damsel, Spider
River: Stonefly nymph, Butcher, Woolly bugger, Adams, Sedge, GRHE, CDC emerger, Spider.
Andrew Thompson
Successful flies included:
Rainbow trout lakes; PTN, Emerger, Klinkhammer, March brown, Ally McCoist, Mayfly.
Brown trout lakes: CDC Emerger, Sedge, Hopper.
River: Beetle, Klinkhammer, Daddy, Spider, Invicta, French partridge, Green damsel.
Andrew Thompson
Unsettled weather led to a quiet week on the fishery.
The weed was removed from Luffs, Lower and Upper Figgs, using a Truxor machine (see photos). The resulting large piles of weed now on the banks will be removed and composted once they have dried out and become more manageable.
Successful flies used included the following:
Rainbow trout lakes: GRHE, BFD, Daddy, PTN
Brown trout lakes: Klinkhammer, Emerger, Orange damsel, Fritz
River: Invicta, Black/blue bucktail, Green damsel
Please note, the lane to the Little Bognor lakes will be closed from both ends for the day, on June 16th, while roadworks take place.
Andrew Thompson
The past week was unsettled, with much heavy rain – this both helped and hindered us!
The water temperature on the rainbow trout lakes dropped by three degrees, improving conditions there, whilst the on the river, levels rose and fell twice – and became coloured. Writing this on Monday morning, the river is still coloured and about 30cm above normal level, though improving. With another unsettled week forecast, do ring me for the latest water condition update.
Please be aware that all this week, contractors will be using a floating excavator to remove the excessive weed growth from Luffs and Lower Figgs, from 8am to 5pm each day. Though interesting to watch – and feel free to do so – please stay well away from the working machine!
Andrew Thompson
A slightly calmer week on the river, though some great sport was had. The rainbow trout lakes continued to warm up, making for very challenging fishing. Good rises were noted at the brown trout lakes, particularly in the mornings. Caenis have been consistently successful there over the years.
Successful flies in the past week included:
Rainbow trout lakes: Colonel Creeper, Mayfly, Buzzer, Gnat, Klinkhammer.
Brown trout lakes: Emerger, Black buzzer, Ally McCoist, Orange damsel.
River: Mayfly wet and dry, PTN, Sedge, Klinkhammer, Red-beaded damsel.
Andrew Thompson
Around the fishery – it is nest-box monitoring time, good broods of barn owls are occurring this year.
Photos by Andrew Thompson
A week that saw temperatures soar!
Whilst fish activity on the ponds and lakes remained high, the water temperatures increased significantly. In fact, it is now above 18 degrees centigrade, so we now ask you to please keep all fish that you catch on the rainbow trout lakes. Catch and release remains an option on the spring-fed brown trout ponds and the river.
It was another fabulous week on the river! The majority of those fishing used mayfly patterns in various forms, wet and dry. The mayfly are still abundant as I write this (May 25th).
Successful flies:
Rainbow trout lakes: Mayfly, BFD, Emerger, Parachute Adams, Sedge, Viva, Klinkhammer, Buzzer, Olive nymph
Brown trout lakes: Hawthorn, Klinkhammer, Damsel, Caddis, Shuttlecock
River: Various mayfly patterns, GRHE, Black gnat, Klinkhammer
Andrew Thompson
A mayfly dun fresh from hatching
Mayfly duns, spinners and egg layers along the river, a few fish rising in the evening but the trout were mainly staying deep.
Repairing the leak at Luffs
Special thanks to Poppett for the delicious cakes
Many thanks to the volunteers who arranged the day. The members and guests enjoyed the fine weather in beautiful surroundings and a lot of trout were caught.
Whilst the lake fishing became more challenging, the large mayfly hatches transformed our stretch of the Rother! We had all been hoping for a repeat of last May’s great sport and our prayers have been answered! As can be seen from the returns above, it was an exceptional week on the river:
Successful flies included:
Rainbow trout lakes: Mayfly, Daddy, Grey Wulff, Black gnat, GRHE, Hawthorn, Buzzer.
Brown trout lakes: Gnat, Buzzer, Olive nymph, Spider, Firefly.
River: Mayfly…. White and grey Wulffs, GRHE, Klinkhammer, Olive and blue Dunn, Gold head PTN, Black gnat.
Andrew Thompson
Leconfield Fly Fishing Club 