Author: leconfieldflyfishingclub

A catch and release trial was introduced  on the lakes at Little Bognor at the start of the 2018 season. It was very popular with the members and the trial was extended to the other lakes at the start of the 2019 season.

Catch and release provides members with very flexible fishing. Members have the option of keeping brown or rainbow trout for dinner or the pleasure of seeing a fish swim away from the landing net.

The catch return on stocking for the lakes last season was 132%. I was a record year on the lakes despite the extreme weather. Catch and release will continue on the lakes during the 2020 season and the rules will remain the same. Catch and release will also continue on the river.

Catch and Release Rules

If you wish to return trout to the lakes, barbless or de-barbed hooks are mandatory. Wild brown trout must be returned to the lakes at Little Bognor. If you intend to retain your fish, barbed hooks are permitted.

When fishing the river barbless or de-barbed hooks are compulsory in order to protect the wild brown trout, sea trout smolts and returning adult sea trout.

The spring fed lakes at Little Bognor and the river are suited to catch and release as they are cool throughout the summer. However, catch and release will be suspended if there are fish deaths due to high water temperature or poor fish handling.

Occasionally the fish become difficult to catch but regular stocking will ensure that there are always fresh fish available.

None of the rainbow lakes are spring fed to the same extent as Little Bognor. The water temperature at the bottom of Great Springs reached 25 degrees at the height of last summer. Catch and release throughout the season is therefore not an option on the rainbow lakes. Catch and release will be allowed on the rainbow lakes only at the start of the season and again at the end of the season if the conditions are right. The dates will be circulated to members by email and on the website. Notices will also be displayed in the fishing huts. The flies on sale at Great Springs will be barbless.

Fish Handling

After hooking a trout play it out quickly and use a landing net with a fine knotless mesh. If possible do not touch the fish, barbless hooks normally drop out once the line is slack. If necessary, use forceps to remove hooks. 

If you must handle the fish, use wet hands. Release it from the landing net. That will enable you to nurse the fish until it can maintain an upright position and swim out of the net unaided. It might take a few minutes for the fish to fully recover. Do not return exhausted or bleeding fish, they may swim away but will die later.

Use a landing net with a long handle so that you can easily reach the water. A pan shaped net prevents the fish from tangling in the mesh, to remain upright and to swim away over the rim of the net.

Don’t take a photo of a trout if you intend to return it. It should be released without delay.

The Wild Trout Trust gives advice on catch and release . . .

https://www.wildtrout.org/content/catch-and-release

Annual General Meeting

Dear Member

We are pleased to confirm that the speaker for this year’s AGM on Thursday 12^th March has now been confirmed as David Mearns, author of “The Shipwreck Hunter” who will be speaking about wreck salvage at sea after the formal proceedings.

The AGM and speech will now be held Lodsworth Village Hall, where there should be plenty of parking, starting from 18:30.  There will be no charge for attending the evening.

Thank you to those members who have already renewed their subscriptions to the club and confirmed that they will be attending on Thursday 12^th March. If you do wish to attend, please kindly fill in the relevant section on your renewal form so that we have an understanding of expected numbers in advance.

The next club event will be the Spring BBQ which the committee intend to hold at the Springs lakes on Sunday 10^th May.  Members will be charged £15.00 per person to contribute towards the catering costs for this event. If you would like to also pay for this event when renewing, please do include the charges with your return and make a note on your renewal form.

Do contact the Estate Office for any further information on either event.

Charles Granlund

Close Season Members Lunch

The Stag Inn, Kirdford Road, Balls Cross, Petworth GU28 9JP

The lunch yesterday at the Black Horse was a great success, nineteen members enjoyed the food and drink and conversation flowed. The next lunch has been booked for 1:00pm on Wednesday 26 February at the Stag Inn, Balls Cross. This will be the last lunch before the new season starts so please make room in your diary. David will contact members nearer the date with menu options.

The season ended last Saturday and this magnificent 8lb+ rainbow was one of the last fish of the season.

Members visited the lakes on 28 occasions and caught 7 trout, 3 of which were returned.

The website will be updated several times during the winter months to keep members informed about the work that is being carried out on the lakes and river.

News items, details of the Annual General Meeting and social occasions will be published on the website and members will be notified by email.

The penultimate week of the season on the lakes was wet and windy but that didn’t stop members catching a trout or two.

Members visited the lakes on 39 occasions and caught a total of 9 trout, only two of which were returned. A brown trout of 4lbs from Little Bognor was the best fish of the week.

Today was grey and wet, the springs were in full flow and water was up to the nose of the gnome at Little Bognor. If the rain holds off, the last few days of the season should be productive.

Close Season Members Lunch – Tuesday 3 December, 1:00pm, Angel, Petworth. Please ring David Taylor on 07535 679879 if you are going so the pub can cater for everyone.

Lakes – members visited the lakes on 36 occasions and caught 8 trout, 3 of which were returned including a fish of 5lbs from Little Springs.

Close Season Members Lunch

During the first week of October the lakes were very productive but the river level was high, the water was coloured and no trout were caught. That was the pattern for the rest of October. Most of the fish were caught at Little Bognor.

In the second week it was very wet and windy. The emphasis shifted slightly and a lot of trout were caught from Great Springs.

The third week of October was exceptionally good and members caught a lot of large trout from all of the rainbow lakes.

The last week of October saw strong winds and heavy rain but during the spells of better weather some magnificent trout were caught including an 8lbs+ fish from Great Springs.

During the first week of November members visited the lakes on 30 occasions and caught 11 trout, 8 of which were returned.

A fish of 9lbs was caught at Luffs and returned to the lake. Great Springs and Little Springs produced most of the fish and a trout of 5lbs was caught in each of those lakes.

Big fish still remain in the lakes and the more settled weather this week will provide an opportunity to finish the season with a monster.

Cormorants – The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) in close partnership with Natural England, has launched an online consultation about the control of wild birds eg. Cormorants and other fish eating birds. The closing date for representations is 5 December. Representations are invited from both individual anglers and fishing clubs.

Please use the link to read the Angling Trusts news item about the consultation and make representations to DEFRA to protect our lakes and the river from predation.

https://www.anglingtrust.net/news.asp?section=29&sectionTitle=Angling+Trust+News&itemid=5082

Lakes – last week was a very good week on the lakes.

Members visited the lakes on 56 occasions and caught 39 trout, 25 of which were returned. One member and his guests caught the following: 1 x 8lb 8ozs from Upper Figgs, 2 x 5lbs, 1 x 6lb 8ozs, 11 x 1-2lbs and a blue trout of 3lbs during four visits ! Most fish were caught from Great Springs and Little Springs.

River – heavy rain and high winds spoilt the last week of the season on the river.

Members visited the river on 6 occasions and caught 2 trout, both at Keepers Bridge. The river is now closed until next season.

End of Season Lunch – David Taylor has arranged an informal lunch at the Badgers, Coultershaw Bridge on Tuesday 12 November at 1:00pm. If you want to go, please contact David at mail@dataylor.co.uk or 07535 679879 so that he can give the pub numbers to cater for.

Welcome to Badgers…

Strong winds and heavy rain last week made the fishing uncomfortable but during the odd calm, dry spell feeding trout could be caught.

“There are many large fish still in the rainbow trout lakes. A couple of members have been very successful and here are some words of wisdom from James, who has caught a couple.”  . . . Andrew Thompson

“I stalk them in the margins, using a buzzer pattern. I’ve always sight fished on every water especially the Test and other chalk streams. If I can’t see them I don’t cast. In fact on the last two occasions I had barely any fly line out. Just twitch the buzzer by the fish and they should react. If they don’t, move on to the next fly that does create a reaction. Staying mobile, changing flies and watching how the fish reacts to your fly does the trick. I may have to change flies, even buzzer patterns, a dozen plus times to find the one that works in any session.

If you adapt and change your approach and are stealthy you’ll catch. A double still eludes me at Leconfield, I lost one approaching that, just before the last 8lb fish, I’d been stalking and returning to the fish for the last few sessions. The rod is a 5wt, line is Orvis Pro power taper (floating) and when I go for the bigger fish I don’t go under Orvis Super Strong 4x although I would recommend 3x for those not used to playing larger fish. The fights are tough and fast particularly with the bank side lilies and weed. I fish on my own a lot but if you have a friend nearby it helps with netting the fish.”

. . . James King

Lakes – the lakes were slightly coloured by the recent rain but the flow of fresh, cold water lowered the temperature of the lakes and made the fish more active. Fish were rising at Little Bognor and could be caught on small buzzer patterns fished just under the surface.

Members visited the lakes on 37 occasions and caught 14 trout including a fish of 8lbs 5ozs from Great Springs. The majority of the trout were caught from Little Springs and Little Bognor.

River – the river breached its banks but the water level fell rapidly during mid week. Unfortunately heavy rain on Thursday night raised the level again. The weather forecast for the last few days of the season on the river looks favourable and there might be time to catch one last fish !

Members visited the river on 5 occasions but no trout were caught.

Season End – fishing on Upper and Lower Figgs ends on 31 October because of the pheasant shooting in that area. The other rainbow lakes remain open until the end of November.

We are due to exit from the river and leave the trout alone on 31 October.

A great trout from Great Springs.

Lakes – members had an exceptionally good week on the lakes. Members visited the lakes on 54 occasions and caught 34 trout, 10 of which were returned. A fish of 8lb 4ozs was caught at Great Springs and two seven pounders. Luffs produced trout of 9lbs and 5lbs and a 5 pounder was caught at Upper Figgs.

The rain has raised the water level in the rainbow lakes and there is a good flow through both the rainbow lakes and Little Bognor.

River – the river level has been high all week and members stayed away. The level is dropping quickly and the river should be fishable at the end of the week if we don’t get any more rain.

The season on the river ends on 31 October in accordance with the Environment Agency close season for brown trout.

Lost property – a telescopic landing net has been left at the signing-in box at the Fish Pass.

A lunch box and steel drinks bottle, a folding landing net, a wooden priest and reading glasses have been left at the fishing hut at Great Springs.