When to move up to fishing Grafham!

[JobberDun]

Hi everyone,

I have been fly fishing since last August, and really enjoying it.

Thinking about it, I was wondering when I should move up from fishing my local lake to a reservoir.

Never fished from a boat, or on a reservoir, so just wondering what people thought.

I don't mind too much if the first couple of times I don't actually catch anything, although a fish or two would be nice!

Hanningfield Reservoir is only thirty minutes from me, so not much of a problem getting there.

Grafham Water is also on my list, but that is further away from me.

What are the pitfalls of fishing a reservoir over my local lake?

So what do you think?

Russ

 

[BobP]

I believe Hanningfield is any method these days so maybe not a good idea to be competing with swimfeeders hurtling through the air.

The dam at Grafham is a reliable location and is fishable along its whole length. Go on the Grafham water website to get a feeling for the various bank hotspots. Contact the rangers as well. They'll give you up to date information.

The pitfalls are that the thing is a heck of a lot bigger and if you choose your location and get it wrong you might have to walk back to the car and drive right round the reservoir to the better location. Apart from that it's just a matter of scale, and the fish will fight harder too.

 

[3lbgrayling]

Eyebrook would be a good starting point.

Jim

 

[ACW]

As a gentler intro to ressers Ravensthorpe is sort of middway ,with a excellent stocking policy ,chances of a biggy !

 

[loxie]

I would try as soon as you can as if the EA get their way it will be a very different scene next year

 

[mebu]

If you want to fish Grafham and other reservoirs I would suggest joining Invicta FFC - some very experienced and regular reservoir anglers who are in the main very happy to help and advise, and also have club days out on the reservoirs where they will match a novice with a veteran. For £18 per year, a wealth of advice and help.
Check out the website.

Peter.

 

[JayP]

I'll be having a day or two at Grafham next month if you want to tag along!

 

[bignedkelly]

Hi everyone,

I have been fly fishing since last August, and really enjoying it.

Thinking about it, I was wondering when I should move up from fishing my local lake to a reservoir.

Never fished from a boat, or on a reservoir, so just wondering what people thought.

I don't mind too much if the first couple of times I don't actually catch anything, although a fish or two would be nice!

Hanningfield Reservoir is only thirty minutes from me, so not much of a problem getting there.

Grafham Water is also on my list, but that is further away from me.

What are the pitfalls of fishing a reservoir over my local lake?

So what do you think?

Russ

Boat fishing can be great sport but you are right to be a bit wary if you have never fished from a boat before.
Probably best to go out with someone who has a bit of experience of boat fishing - they will keep you right about the various do's and dont's and hopefully boat etiquette.
It can be daunting going from a 5 acre pool to a 500 acre reservoir, look for features like bays, islands or anywhere that takes your fancy and try drifts along these places.
One thing to remember is that if you are fishing from a drifting boat you are covering a lot of water so you don,t always need to cast 30 yards, you will be drifting over that fish that rose 50 yds away soon enough.
Also remember to hang your flies at the end of the retrieve - you will get a lot more offers if you do.

hope you enjoy it

 

[sewinbasher]

The big difference is that the fish for the most part will not be freshly stocked and will have moved on to natural food and you will need to adapt your techniques and fly choice to reflect this. In the small stillwaters the majority of fish are caught within a week of being stocked and so never really eat natural food so lures do well but you'll find their effectiveness a bit more limited on places like Grafham.

 

[JayP]

The big difference is that the fish for the most part will not be freshly stocked and will have moved on to natural food and you will need to adapt your techniques and fly choice to reflect this. In the small stillwaters the majority of fish are caught within a week of being stocked and so never really eat natural food so lures do well but you'll find their effectiveness a bit more limited on places like Grafham.

There was some incredible fry bashing going on at Grafham in the Autumn and I did well on snakes, rest of the year Diawl Bach, buzzers, Hares ear and shrimp patterns are all you need

 

[golden graham]

I would try as soon as you can as if the EA get their way it will be a very different scene next year

What do you mean ?

 

[loxie]

What do you mean ?

the EA are in the process of trying to close the main suppliers of fish to Anglian Water. There are very limited places that can supply the numbers required and therefore there is a real risk they will be unable to stock in the way they have been.

 

[ACW]

Loxie . please tell us more,especially re thames water and their stock fish !

 

[loxie]

Same for Thames.

they are proposing to withdraw useable abstraction licences from both the main producers of restocking trout by the end of March this year. It's unclear if there will be a phase in period or not. If both farms are closed it will be the end of 80%+ of Anglian Water stock fish, all of Thames, Bewl, Hanningfield and Draycote and many smaller fisheries will be affected too. It is hard to imagine how any of that production can be replaced and it's most likely that stock fish will at least triple, maybe more, in price and be unobtainable in large quantities.

 

[JayP]

Same for Thames.

they are proposing to withdraw useable abstraction licences from both the main producers of restocking trout by the end of March this year. It's unclear if there will be a phase in period or not. If both farms are closed it will be the end of 80%+ of Anglian Water stock fish, all of Thames, Bewl, Hanningfield and Draycote and many smaller fisheries will be affected too. It is hard to imagine how any of that production can be replaced and it's most likely that stock fish will at least triple, maybe more, in price and be unobtainable in large quantities.

Is this Gwash?

 

[loxie]

Is this Gwash?

No! Lawrence only does a tiny amount of stocking fish.

 

[uptomyknee_s]

Here you go https://www.waterbriefing.org/home/regulation-and-legislation/item/16814-environment-agency-plans-to-revoke-fish-farm-abstraction-licence

 

[loxie]

Here you go https://www.waterbriefing.org/home/regulation-and-legislation/item/16814-environment-agency-plans-to-revoke-fish-farm-abstraction-licence

there are a large number of farms under threat of revocation, actual or defacto, and amoung them are the 2 main producers of restocking trout in England and the only 2 farms capable of supplying the quantity of quality fish required by the large providers of stocked Stillwater fishing. Some of you might remember when Thames started stocking fish from a table farm a few years ago. It nearly destroyed Farmoor's reputation. They now stock only quality fish but that will be near impossible in the future if the EA get their way. The quality of fishing and the reasonable prices anglers have become used to will be history, just at a time when we desperately need to recruit more anylers.

 

[diawl bach]

On the plus side maybe it'll stop fish farms from spoiling rivers.

 

[JayP]

So what's the issue with the abstraction as surely the water extracted goes back to its source?