A friend and i went to Lechlade fishery last Sunday 25th October, the fishing was very bad and the fish were extremely lethargic, at one stage i cast to a large rainbow in the margin and the minkie actually came to rest on it's head yet the fish did not move! We saw many fish in the margins with their mouths opening and closing constantly, it seemed to my untrained eye that they were struggling for oxygen. I spoke to the owner later and he said that things would pick up after a frost or two and that the water was still too warm, and to be fair to them i had phoned the day before to ask how the lake was fishing and they informed me it was poor, ever the optimist i was sure that they would be crawling up my line on Sunday. Will i ever learn to listen?

Cant wait to get down there when it does switch on, but unfortunately i have had exactly this experience with Leechlade this year.

Bring on ole' Jack Frost

This is very worrying. Lechlade has usually come on by November, although the best months are always Jan/Feb/Mar/Apr. i haven't been for a while, but when the fish are that lethargic, it's almost impossible to tempt them. If i were fishing it, i'd concentrate on the areas where there's most water/depth. The swims closest to the house have an inflow, and the bay by the boathouse has some depth. also, if there's any breeze, fish into it. it makes stalking impossible, but may be the difference between failure and a fish.

Cheers
Alex

I've noticed this also in my local water. There isn't a lot that can be done apart from wait for a change in the weather. I can't see that it's Lechlades fault, we just need cooler weather and RAIN. Lots of it.

"Rain" is the word, the whole region has had a very dry 12 months, one look at the rivers tells you this. Looks like we may get it too this next week!