Does anyone know how this is fishing at the moment? I have booked the day off work on Friday, as I have an interview for my visa to move to the States at 8 am. Hopefully I should be back by lunch time so was hoping to have a bash at the reservoir in the afternoon/evening.

Is the bank fishing well? I have only ever fished from a boat before but would enjoy having a stalk along the bank if its productive (and its a little cheaper). If not I'll hire a boat.

Any tips on flies and depth would be greatly appreciated.

I was on the beginners coarse on Saturday and the reports from the experienced guys was that it was fishing well in the morning. I was on a boat in lodge bay in the afternoon and it was a bit slower but people were catching.
If you look here you can read the rangers report for best bank area and flies.

http://www.eswater.co.uk/Weeklyfishingreports.aspx

Hi James, I am a member of the club there and regularly fish boat matches on it, including one last Sunday.

This year it has actually been quite poor and some very good anglers have been coming off with just one or two fish. In the England Eliminator three weeks ago, I was actually sixth with just two fish, however we do not allow fishing in Lodge Bay on any HFA matches, due to the lack of space there for drifting.

Last Sunday, I fished a Rib Valley match which allowed anchoring and fishing around the Lodge and we could have had limits in less than an hour there but chose to take six each before heading off around the lake looking for bigger and more challenging fish. We did get the others in the area around the natural bank.

There have also been some fish on the dam, either side of the peninsula and in Middlemead but it has really only fished in the morning from the bank.

Best method is straightlining crunchers and DB's or fishing a bung with buzzers.

Got another match there Sunday so will put up a report.

Charlie

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Sonik Sports Team Pitsford Pirates

Fished hard, but not impossible, today.

There are four areas holding fish right now for boat anglers

Lodge Bay and natural bank - buzzers

Bird Hide - lures and buzzers

Bubble Line - lures

Middlemead - lures and buzzer


I had four and my boat partner had seven, mainly on a Di7 and orange or coral boobies pulled fairly quickly as it was very bright but buzzers and nymphs were catching as well, especially around the lodge.


Charlie

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Sonik Sports Team Pitsford Pirates

Sorry its taken me a while to reply...I've been had a busy few days.

I managed to get out on Friday afternoon from around 3:30 until 8:30 and spent the whole time in lodge bay.

It was pretty slow to start with, there were 2 other boats close by and one a little further out and nobody had anything for the first hour or so, then an old boy in a boat next to me took a decent fish. He said he had been there since 12 and that was his 8th fish and limit, all taken on a GRHE fished on a floating line, allowed to sink to the bottom and given a little tug every now and then to give it some life.

I tied a GHRE on the point, a diawl bach on the middle dropper and a small buzzer on the top dropper and fished unsuccessfully for an hour or so before switching to an intermediate line and an orange cat whisker. Again I had no luck but no-one else around me was catching either.

A little later I went back to the Floating Line set up and after 5 minutes or so I had a hard fighting fish on the diawl bach, estimated at about 6 feet deep. After getting it in the boat I decided to put diawl bachs on my point and top dropper, however, had no success again.

Around 7:30 there was a large hatch of brown caddis flies but no fish were rising. As I was having no luck on with the diawl bachs I decided to stick a dry washing line style with the diawl bach still on the middle dropper and a small wet fly, which looked a lot like the flies hatching, on the top dropper. I have a bunch of wet flies but have never used them and am not really sure when to use them, however a few minutes later there was a large swirl and a 2 1/2 pound trout took the wet fly.

This was all I had for the day, I might try a little earlier in the day next time as I gather it has been fishing much better in the morning.