right guys i thought id write this as theres alot of rumors about the place,now when i first started fly fishing i asked about cleatham and everyone said this place was under stocked and over fished?
now i have been going there regular for a few weeks and i have to say these things are deff wrong!
i have seen the stocking,which is every week on a wensday.As to the over fished well all i can say is how the hell can this be said as its so quiet its great to be the only person there apart from the baliff lol in fact the most people ive ever seen has been four!!!!...

i also have to say the fish are very hard fighting,more so than any other place ive fished and all fully finned.the fishing can be hard some times but i think this has more to do with my lack of knoledge in the sport than the place,but saying that i have learned alot since going here and am getting better catch rates with 15 caught on my last visit.

the place is only stocked with rainbows now but saying that there is still alot of big browns in there only they are very hard to catch but are well worth it if you are lucky anothe to hook into one.

all i can say is if your close anothe to visit Fly Fishing for Trout in Lincolnshire
and have not done so id give it a go as i did dispite the rumors as like me i think you will be happy you did.plus its still one of the cheapest days fly fishing in the area.

Not a fan of the place personally. I think the biggest drawback is it's size, or rather the lack of it, and it's oblong shape. It was originally dug as an irrigation reservoir for the adjacent farm. The trees running along the road side used to hinder you when you tried a long cast and had a lot of line airelised. These may not be there now as I have not been for a number years. When the place gets busy it's a bit like shooting fish in a barrel.

yes the trees are still along the road side but ive not found these a problem,as to its size yes its a small water but saying that ive fished alot of places that are smaller,lakeside,thorpe and mount pleasant to name a few.as to busy it may well of been that way but it seems there is only a small numer of regular users now adays,but i guess its all down to personal choice and all that,but at less than 5 minutes from my front door its sure is handy for me

Ryan, I think we struugle a bit for places to fish around where you and I both live. Have tried most, if not all of them, over the years. Most of them are small, not particularly scenic and can be overcrowded and easy to catch from[on occasions]. I tend to fish Toft more than any other in spite of the fact it's a concrete bowl. When the weather warms up the top of the water sport can be terrific and challenging. Having said that, the sedge hatches aren't what they used to be but still not bad. Shame we have nothing to compare with the likes of Pitsford, Raventhorpe, Rutland etc. Tend to travel to those types of waters a bit and combine it with a stay in a local pub overnight.

your right there,i to do alot of driving all over,got a list to be trying for first time otby lake,walton hall,bain valley,seighford lake,pennie's,clegg hall to name just a few
the fishing is so bad localy i evern have fished the bottisford beck and the eau at scotter for chub on the fly

Alright Chaps?

Hope you are both well. I thought Cleatham wasn't a bad venue - it's quite basic and tucked away in a quiet corner, but adds to the charm IMO. I had a dreadful day there a couple of weeks ago, but this was due to the wind interferring with my already inept casting!

I liked the guy tho (Frank?) he was helpful, and almost seemed embarassed that I couldn't catch and tried hard to get me onto fish.

I'll be going back.

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"Be thankful that we're not getting all the government we are paying for..." Will Rogers

best bet is blobs fished deep if the fish are not raisein,ill be there thursday and friday next week m8 if you fancy it?

dont really understand what you mean by the fishing is so bad locally???? i fish thorpe vale, otby lake, toft, withern mill, cleatham & have never found either of them to be bad fisheries so dont understand what you mean by the fishing is "so bad locally" if you find this perhaps you are in the wrong sport or are maybe getting a bit ahead of yourself were you not on here not too long ago saying you were new to the sport??? if not then it does seem that way from the above comment. i'm puzzled??? also that must have been an experience for the scotter villagers to watch somebody fly fishing in their pokey little beck for chub i lived in scotter for a few years only moving last year & have never seen a fish big enough to take a fly & the water is gin clear too. where did you fly fish for chub on the great scotter eau lol..???? & if you want some productive free small stream fishing then i would suggest the small stream which run's through market rasen opposite the church in the town centre (market place area) fish under both bridges opposite the church & they are both packed with wild brown trout (although people will look at you slightly gone out when fly fishing such a small water)

toft and thorpe both been fishing well since weather warmed up a tad, otby lake always a great place to visit, no wonder cleatham been fishing, was'nt a certain person spraying pellets to catch last week

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KEITH
GEAR WH0RE

who has been throwing pellets in then at cleatham???