Blog

The weather during the week was mixed, bright sunshine and cold winds. Fish were rising throughout the day on all of the lakes, a few Mayfly hatched at Little Springs. Members caught 44 fish on a wide variety of flies.

The river is in good condition, it is at normal summer level and is not coloured. Ten fish were caught and returned, all of them were wild fish. The river has been stocked.

Despite the indifferent Easter weather members visited the lakes on 57 occasions during the week and caught 85 fish, mainly from Great Springs and Little Springs. Twenty of the fish were over 2lbs and one happy member caught a blue trout of 3lb 8oz. Fish were rising to buzzers throughout the day.

The river was visited on 23 occasions and 14 fish were caught including an over-wintered fish of 3lb 8oz and a sea trout of 5lb. All except two of the fish were returned. Alder and Hawthorn flies are starting to appear and the river is full of shrimps.

The first week of the river season was blessed with good weather and members visited on twenty occasions. Keeper’s Bridge was the most popular beat. Several wild trout and a 3lb over-wintered stock fish were recorded from that beat.

The lakes were visited on thirty four occasions, Little Springs produced the most fish. The lakes have been restocked and some large blue trout have been introduced. Members may wish to use heavier tippets !

Last week’s beautiful spring weather saw an increase in the number of members visiting the lakes. There were almost as many visits as the opening week. Little Springs was the most popular lake. There were hatches of buzzers throughout the day on most of the lakes. The trout are rising particularly well at Little Bognor.

The river looks lovely, the water is at a good level and is only slightly coloured. The grass was cut this morning in preparation for opening day. The streamer weed is already growing and the fish are showing. Please handle the wild trout carefully and return them to the river as quickly as possible.

Last week’s unsettled weather kept members away from the lakes. The number of visits and consequently the number of fish caught, were well down on the opening week. Sporadic hatches of midges bought the fish to the surface, particularly in the evening when the wind dropped.

The river is slightly above it’s normal spring level but it is not too coloured. Trout were rising today below Keeper’s Bridge and in the new riffle. If the level continues to drop, the opening week on the river will be productive.

The season started with some glorious spring weather. The February rain filled the lakes and they are all brimming over. Andrew’s hard work with the Estate Maintenance team has much reduced the weed in Great Springs and Lower Figgs. Weed clearance will continue on a weekly basis throughout the season.

There were over fifty members’ visits to the lakes during the first ten days and some good fish were caught. The best fish so far is a 4lb 8oz brown trout from the top lake at Little Bognor. It was an over-wintered fish.

The springs around the lakes have been cleared of debris and the sluices have been repaired. The spring entering the top lake at Little Bognor is flowing well. This will provide a spawning bed for the wild trout and keep the lake oxygenated.

It was good to see new members visiting the lakes and catching trout. The fish were rising well in all of the lakes, they were mainly feeding on midges.

Please email photographs for the club website and Facebook page to nrainton@gmail.com.

Your current fishing licence expires on 31 March 2017. You can buy a new fishing licence from the Environment Agency that is valid for 12 months from the date of issue.

You can buy a 12 month licence for trout and coarse fishing with two rods (£30) or for three rods (£45). A 12 month licence for salmon and sea trout is £82.

You can buy a licence online, by telephone or at a Post Office. Be careful when buying a licence online as there are fake websites that charge large ‘handling fees’ to pass your application to the EA. You can use this link to the EA website.

https://www.gov.uk/fishing-licences/buy-a-fishing-licence

Brian Smart is available at Great Springs every Tuesday during the season. Brian is a qualified coach and is there to offer informal advice and guidance to members. If you want a more structured lesson Brian can arrange personal attention if you book an appointment.

On Tuesdays Brian’s services are free to members.

Brian can give you tips to improve your casting, fly selection, knots and other minor tactics. He is easily recognized by his white baseball cap, don’t be embarrassed about asking for advice. Jerome, a new member fresh to fly fishing, sought Brian’s assistance and ended the day with a trout on a Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear nymph.

You can contact Brian on 07709 824745 or at smartangler@hotmail.com.

The opening day at the lakes finally arrived. The weather was perfect, a gentle southerly breeze and hazy sunshine. The water temperature was 12 degrees and Great Springs had returned to its normal level. The weed had been reduced thanks to Andrew and the Estate Maintenance team who worked hard to get the lakes into good condition for the start of the season.

Rods bent around the lakes at regular intervals. The weather improved during the afternoon, it was too hot for a jacket. It was a beautiful spring day.

It was good to see three new members enjoying themselves. Midges were hatching and there were a lot of fish rising on Little Springs.

The club house looked immaculate thanks to Poppet Hosp and Mel Keen.

Membership renewal letters have been posted and members should receive them before the end of the week. A membership card, car sticker and 2016 Newsletter are enclosed. If you would like copies of the Newsletter or the club’s leaflets, please contact the Estate Office.

The fishing season on the lakes starts on Saturday 11 March. If you have any news or photographs that you would like to share on the club website, particularly from opening day, please email nrainton@gmail.com.