Avingtons
Fishing Reports
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• Anglers are reminded that there is strictly no catch and release on the lakes •
January 2010..
This month started off with the seasonal cold, frosty weather and the fishing was excellent for the first few days of the month. Then it hit us! SNOW, lots of it and it stayed, although the lakes remained ice-free and fishable, lake 3 did become frozen eventually. Lakes 1 and 2 remained clear.
Bryan Price ventured in during the snow and managed to catch his limit quite quickly and was able to get his photo taken with the snowman. Fishing picked up again with the departure of the snow but stalking was difficult due to poor light and colouration of the water mainly caused by melting snow and heavy rain.
Olive damsel flies accounted for the biggest fish this month but several were taken on Cats Whiskers. Other flies of note were daddies, buzzers and small heavily weighted patterns fished with a fairly fast retrieve. Martin Lane caught his personal best fish of 9lb 8oz from lake 2 and then immediately capped it with another of 12lb 4oz on a Montana. Well done!
The best fish of the month was a lovely 16lb 8oz rainbow from lake 2 on a dog nobbler caught by regular angler ‘Mad’ Al Drewitt (pictured above). Another beauty was caught by G.Hughes from lake 2. It weighed 15lb 8oz and fell to a damsel pattern. Other fish of note were a 12lb 8oz caught by G. Plunkett, 13lb by T. Crawford. 11lb 10oz by E. Jarvis, and a 10lb 3oz by T. Brewster all from lake 1.
Several other fish over 10lb’s were caught by, S.Curtis, D. Bryant and M.Standon. M. Seaman had an 11lb 8oz fish and J. Williams a 10lb 8oz from lake 3. This lake is not heavily fished but does contain some really good fish, which can be difficult to spot. Large fish continue to be caught on a regular basis from all three lakes and the best three fish of the month will qualify for the troutmasters fish-off.
This years fish-off will be on March 6th 2010 in which 6 juniors have qualified and 38 seniors, so we are looking forward to an exciting competition. May the best angler win! .
December 2009..
As I write this report (early January) the fishery is still covered with a thick blanket of snow and has been for almost a week. The fishery has been very quiet during the snowy period with only a handful of anglers willing to brave the conditions. However Bryan Price, with help from his ghillie, caught his two fish.
December’s weather started with mild, wet conditions, however towards the end of the month it turned cold. The lakes remained clear and the fishing was excellent. With little natural food for the fish they were more than willing to aggressively take the fly.
As far as tactics were concerned it was a case of getting the fishes attention by using a bright fly, like cats whisker, damsel or nomad. A floating line and longish leader was all that was required and a fairly quick retrieve.
Grayling fishing continues on the carrier and flies that will do the damage will be small gold head nymphs.
There were sixteen doubles caught during the month as well as plenty of 8 and 9lb’s. Fish of the month was caught by regular Richard Martin (pictured below) who after a bit of a doubles drought managed to catch a magnificent 16lb 4oz rainbow on a white humungus from lake 2.
Other fish of note was a 16lb rainbow caught by Mr T. Church on a damsel from lake 2. Mr Cockerton had a 12lb rainbow from lake 1. Mr King also had a 12lb rainbow from lake 2 on a damsel. Chris Weightman had yet another double of 11lb 12oz on a hares ear from lake 3, whilst stalking.
From all the Avington staff, Happy New Year and tight lines for 2010.
November 2009..
High winds and torrential rain hit the whole of UK during November. Avington and Hampshire was not hit as hard as other parts of the country but it did bring some welcome rain that topped up the desperately low River Itchen that feeds the lakes and fish farm. Although this was good for the fish it did deter some anglers. However those who ventured out in these wild conditions were rewarded with some good fishing.
Neil Maidment with his 12lb 12oz Rainbow from Lake
1
Obviously because of the conditions stalking was out of the question, so it was a question of “chuck and chance”. Popular patterns were gold head daddy longlegs, damsels and small buzzers and nymphs. With the fish being so aggressive at this time of year it is worth trying skating stimulator patterns across the surface. This method is best attempted when there is a lot of ripple on the surface and you can see the bow wave behind the fly. Nine out of ten times the fish will miss it but when you do hook one, hold on, it is great fun.
With grayling fishing becoming more and more popular anglers once they had caught their bag limit in the lakes they would switch onto the stream in an attempt to catch the lady of the stream, the grayling. Successful patterns were small GRHE and flashback PTN. If there is a little colour in the water try a pink shrimp.
Peter Tilbury with a beautiful 12lb 8oz rainbow from
Lake 1
Fifteen double figure fish were taken during November with the best being a 16lb 11oz rainbow caught by David Jennings who had four fish for a total of 38lb. The fish was taken from lake 2 on a damsel. On the same day Mr I. Dunkley had a 13lb 12oz rainbow from lake 1 on a damsel. Even Charles Jardine jumped on the big fish ‘band wagon’ landing an 11lb 4oz rainbow from lake 2 on an olive nymph. Peter Tilbury had a beautiful 12lb 8oz rainbow from lake 1 on cat’s whisker. Neil Maidment winkled out another double to add to his list with a 12lb 12oz from lake 1.
With Christmas approaching the Avington gift voucher is the perfect gift. The shop also has a wide range of rods, reels, clothing and nets.
From all the Avington Staff (Bob, Sam,
Dorjee and Cameron)
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
Tight Lines
October 2009..
This month saw the first of the frosts, however the cold weather never set in as October was an extremely mild month for the most part. The fishery continued to fish well and angling pressure was high. As well as the excellent fishing the water remained crystal clear. Despite the clear water, the low light levels at this time of year make spotting fish a bit tricky.
Stalking the fish still was a reliable tactic but was at its best at midday when the light levels were at their best. Fishing the daddy longlegs both wet and dry was the highlight of the month with many fish caught on a daddy. The daddy longlegs fishing was also enjoyed by well-known angler Chris Sandford who with Keith Arthur from Tight Lines TV on Sky Sports did a very good feature on fishing the daddy. Other patterns that fished well were the blue flash damsel and various colours of nomads.
Trout fishing on the carrier has ended but continues for grayling and one angler who took advantage was Alex Jardine who caught 11 grayling in a short afternoon session on the carrier.
Again it was another good month for big fish, with 22 double figure fish coming out in October. Fish of the month was a cracking 16lb 8oz rainbow caught by Mr B. White from lake 2 on a gold head hares ear. Other good fish was a 15lb 12oz rainbow trout caught by Mr N. Mundy from lake 1 on a blue flash damsel. Chris Weightman managed to catch 2 doubles this month one of 14lb 4oz from lake 3 on a damsel and the other 14lb 8oz from lake 2, again on a damsel. Another familiar name on the monthly reports, Neil Maidmant caught two doubles on the same day, weighing 12lb 12oz and 11lb caught on a PTN and a buzzer.
With Christmas fast approaching our shop is the perfect place to buy someone a gift. November’s fully booked days are the 12th and 27th. Also when fishing the carrier for grayling at this time of year please do not disturb any breeding trout.
September 2009..
The month of September provided us with some lovely weather, with warm bright days. Combine this with the gin clear water, stalking was certainly the order of the day. Angling pressure was high with most days being very busy and the average number of fish being caught per day was around 60. The average size of fish was well above 4lb with a nice sprinkling of double figure fish.
As well as stalking, the dry fly sport was great fun with daddy longlegs and sedge patterns working well, especially if there was a little ripple on the surface. As well as dry daddies the gold head versions worked well in orange and black. Other patterns that scored well were blue flash damsel and cat’s whisker.
Fishing on the carrier stream came to an end at the end of the month, with again little angling pressure, but will remain open for grayling only. Over the winter we will continue improving the stream for fishing.
Another good month for double figure fish with 26 coming out. The biggest of the month was a cracking 20lb rainbow caught by Mr T. Burgess (shown above ). This fish was the biggest caught this year. It was caught from lake 2 and was taken on a PTN. Other fish of note was an 18lb 8oz rainbow for Mr A. Symes, the fish was taken from lake 2 on a damsel. Neil Maidment was back again and managed to do the double with a 14lb 4oz rainbow from lake 1 and a 17lb 4oz from lake 2. One of these fish was taken on a black and orange bug and the other a buzzer.
John “the human JCB” Gibbs managed his best fish to date with a spanking 13lb rainbow from lake 3 on a pink shrimp. Other personal best fish was a 12lb 4oz rainbow taken by Gerry Pomeroy from lake 2 on a buzzer.
Big fish stalker Alex Hill (above ) was back at the fishery and cashed in with a 16lb 7oz rainbow taken on a black damsel.
Octobers fully booked days are the
9th and 17th.
Remember ring us on 01962 779312 to book your days fishing.
August 2009..
Traditionally, August can be a difficult fishing month with high temperatures and bright sunshine often the case. However none of these weather conditions were encountered during the month of August, as cool, overcast days appeared to be the norm most days. With this the fishing was superb and water clarity outstanding in all three lakes, which allowed anglers some excellent stalking.
With stalking the order of the day, successful fly patterns for this method were the ever reliable stalking bug in green and orange as well as small nymphs (GRHE and PTN). Also another stalking fly to try that accounted for some large fish this month was a small buzzer (size 14 to 16). The fish will often take the buzzer on the drop, fished at close range. Using this method it is difficult to see the small buzzer in the water, so you want to look for the response of the fish, signalled by the mouth opening. As soon as you see this, strike as they are quick to reject the fly. Other tactics included working lures fairly quickly through the water. This method can certainly get the heart racing when you see a huge bow wave appear behind your fly. Dry fly sport was good with dry daddies and sedge working well, especially in lake 2.
The carrier stream provided a nice distraction from the fast and furious action on the lakes and some nice wild brownies and grayling were taken. Again most of these fish were taken on small nymphs. August saw a total of 21 doubles come out, with the largest being a 19lb 12oz blue trout, which was the biggest fish of the year so far.
Unfortunately it did not stay in this position for long as in early September a 20lb rainbow was caught. The captor of the blue trout was Mr S. Green and his fly of choice was a bloodworm. This fish was taken from lake 2. Special mention must be made to Neil Maidment, pictured above, who did the Avington double and landed first a 16lb 4oz rainbow and then on the same day a 15lb brown trout. The rainbow was taken on a damsel from lake 2 and the brown on a buzzer from lake 1. Other fish of note included Mr N. Iacobucci’s 14lb 4oz brown trout, pictured below, taken from lake 1 on a GRHE.
There were two other notable blue trout caught, one by Mr J. Warner weighing 15lb 6oz caught from lake 2 on a damsel and the other a 14lb 8oz blue caught by top angler Neil Maidment. Chris Weightman was back at Avington worrying the big fish and he managed to do the double with a 13lb and 16lb 8oz rainbows on the same day. September and October should see some first class fishing so please pre-book your days fishing as there are already a lot of fully booked days in the diary.
July 2009..
The prediction of a very hot summer certainly did not materialise during the month of July, with a mixture of rain, wind and cool temperatures most days. Although not BBQ weather it was perfect summer fishing conditions, with fish coming out all through the day. The rain and cooler temperatures also helped keep the lakes crystal clear.
The weather during the month was not ideal for stalking because of the wind and poor light conditions, so anglers were restricted in their tactics. Working smallish lures, such as damsels or nomads fairly quickly through the water, appeared to be the most reliable technique to catch a fish or two. Anglers also had success slowly working small buzzers through the water. Fishing the static buzzer under a bite indicator also proved a very successful tactic during the month.
World famous fly fisherman Charles Jardine will again be on site to answer any of your fly-fishing
questions on the 29th August.
Anyone is welcome to come along and take advantage of his wealth of
knowledge for the price of a day ticket. If interested please call
01962 779312 to book your days fishing.
When fishing this method you need to concentrate, as the fish will reject the fly very quickly, so a quick, firm strike is needed to connect using this method. The carrier stream fishing was a mixed bag this month with a lot of anglers reporting good catches of grayling but the brownies were slightly more elusive and extremely spooky. Most of the grayling were taken on small weighted nymphs.
July saw a total of 14 doubles come out, with the best a 15lb 8oz rainbow for angler Mr W.Marchant. He caught this fish from lake 2 on a black gold head daddy longlegs. Ken Sheppard made a welcome return to the fishery and managed by his standards a “small” rainbow trout of 15lb 4oz from lake 2 on the mythical Sheps Shrimp. Mr A MacCullum caught a 14lb 6oz rainbow from lake 2 on an olive damsel.
Chris Weightman (pictured above) caught yet another double figure fish, this time a 13lb 9oz brown trout on a stalking bug from lake 2. Regular John Gibbs finally managed his first Avington double of 12lb 8oz and was caught from lake 1 on a stalking bug.
Remember world famous fly fisherman Charles Jardine has one more day on the 9th August when he will be on site to answer any of your fly-fishing questions. If interested please call 01962 779312.
June 2009..
Hot, hot, hot summed up the weather during June, with air temperatures creeping into the low thirties. However the water remained clear. Fishing during the hot weather was certainly at its best early in the morning, but again like last month, using small buzzers and nymphs in the afternoon would often put a fish or two on the bank.
Tactics for the month were to use small lures in the morning and switch to buzzers in the afternoon. Also because of the good water clarity anglers took advantage of the good stalking conditions and a number of fish were taken on stalking bugs particularly in olive and orange colours.
The carrier stream fishing proved to be a bit tricky in the hot bright weather, however anglers did catch some nice grayling on small (size 16 to 18) gold head hares ear nymphs and PTN’s fished upstream.
It was another bumper month for double figure fish, with a total of 22 fish coming out. Fish of the month was a cracking 16lb 5oz rainbow trout caught by Mr C. Brown from lake 2 on a white/yellow bug. He also had another fish, weighing 12lb 13oz from lake 2, taken on the same fly. Another member of his party, Mr R. Winter had a 11lb 3oz rainbow on a white bug from lake 2.
Other fish of note was a magnificent 14lb 6oz blue trout caught by ace angler Peter Cockwill. This fish was taken from lake 2 and took a red daddy. Peter also had another fish of 11lb from lake 1 on the same fly. Mr S. Miles had a nice 14lb 2oz rainbow from lake 1 on an orange stalking bug. Regular angler ‘Mad’ Al Drewitt popped into the fishery and managed a pristine 11lb 12oz rainbow trout from lake 2 on a Montana.
Mr R. Mockett caught a chunky 15lb 7oz rainbow from lake 1 on a black nymph. Mr S. Robins caught a 14lb 8oz rainbow from lake 2 on a damsel.
Remember world famous fly fisherman Charles Jardine has one more day on the 9th August when he will be on site to answer any of your fly-fishing questions. If interested please call 01962 779312.
May 2009..
The dry weather continued through May, this time accompanied by some extremely hot bright weather. Despite the weather all three lakes remained crystal clear and stalking conditions were exceptional. Due to the hot bright days fishing was at its best early in the morning. However anglers that adapted their tactics in the afternoon to small nymphs and buzzers were rewarded with some nice fish.
Top tactics for the month were to use small lures (damsels, nomads and cats whisker) in the morning and as the fish switch off chasing the lures, put a small buzzer on. The fish will often take the buzzer on the drop, fished at close range. Using this method it is difficult to see the small buzzer in the water, so you want to look for the response of the fish, signalled by the mouth opening. As soon as you see this, strike as they are quick to reject the fly.
The fishing on the carrier stream was utilised by good numbers of anglers during May and some nice fish were landed. This year saw a decent hatch of Mayfly and surface action was exhilarating at times.
This month saw 18 double figure fish caught, with the largest being a rainbow trout of 15lb 8oz caught by Mr C. Tims (pictured above) from lake 2 on the ever reliable blue flash damsel. There were two double figure brown trout caught during the month. Regular angler Chris Weightman (pictured below) caught a cracking 13lb 9oz brown from lake 2 on a damsel. The other brown was caught by Mr M. Standen again from lake 2 and weighed exactly 10lb.
Other fish of note were a 14lb rainbow trout from lake 1 on a damsel, caught by Mr C. McCormack. Mr T. Hall had a 13lb 12oz rainbow from lake 2 on a black, gold head daddy longlegs. Mr M. Burlingham also had a 13lb 12oz rainbow from lake 2 on a green and white damsel. Chris Weightman caught another double in May, this time a rainbow of 12lb 12oz from lake 2, caught on a GRHE.
Remember this month world famous fly fisherman Charles Jardine will be on site to answer any of your flyfishing questions. Three dates have been organised on the 14th June, 12th July and 9th August.
Anyone is welcome to come along and take advantage of his wealth of knowledge for the price of a day ticket. If interested please call 01962 779312 to book your days fishing.
April 2009..
April again was an extremely dry month, with very little rain. The water was absolutely gin clear and with the calm bright days, stalking the fish was the order of the day, especially to catch the larger fish. As far as angling pressure is concerned the fishery was packed, especially during the weekends.
Breaking news this month is that world famous fly
fisherman Charles Jardine will be on site to answer any of your fly-fishing
questions. Three dates have been organised on the 14th June, 12th
July and 9th August.
Anyone is welcome to come along and take advantage of his wealth of
knowledge for the price of a day ticket. If interested please call
01962 779312 to book your days fishing.
Fish were taken on a wide range of tactics this month, from working large lures quickly through the water to slowly retrieving small buzzers just under the surface. Other successful tactics included stalking fish with stalking bugs or small weighted nymphs.
The brown trout season kicked off on the 3rd April and anglers were quick to take advantage of the carrier fishing which is included in the price of your day ticket. For fishing the carrier you need a 7 to 8 foot, 3 / 4 weight, light leader. Small dry flies and weighted nymphs fished upstream will work well.
Successful fly patterns for the month included blue flash damsel, cats whisker and mayfly nymph. Anglers also had success on small red and black buzzers, particularly in the afternoon when the fishing becomes a bit trickier. As far as big fish are concerned April was a great month with 12 double figure fish coming out.
Fish of the month was a beautiful 14lb 4oz rainbow trout caught by Mr G Jenkins from lake 1 on a gold head damsel.
Fisherman of the month was Mr D. Swales who spent 4 days at the fishery and in this time caught three double figure fish (14lb, 13lb 4oz and 11lb 12oz).
Other successful anglers were Chris Weightman who caught two doubles of 13lb 4oz and 10lb both from lake1.
Richard Martin (pictured left) caught the only big brown of the month from lake 3 and weighed in at 13lb 10oz and he took the fish on a Walkers Mayfly Nymph.
Mr D. Reynolds (pictured) had a nice 12lb 10oz rainbow from lake 3 on a gold head damsel. Mr D. Beach also had a cracking rainbow of 14lb 8oz from lake 2 on a damsel.
Remember it is worth giving us a ring to book your days fishing as there are already a lot of fully booked days in the diary.
March 2009..
The month of March was devoid of rain, apart from the odd night time sprinkling. The dry weather was also accompanied by some warm, calm days, giving rise to excellent stalking conditions. The water quality and clarity was superb, also aiding the stalking conditions. All these fishing factors led to a busy month at the fishery with a lot of fish coming out.
Breaking news from the fishery this month is that Fishery Manager Sam is back to work after a very successful knee operation. Despite the success of the operation he still remains extremely grumpy and anglers should approach with caution!
Tactics
for the month are beginning to change from the colder winter months,
with anglers now looking to use more imitative fly patterns rather
than large bright lures.
Buzzers should account for a lot of fish from now and throughout the summer. If the fish become fussy, switching to a small buzzer will often put a fish or two on the bank.
Don't forget the fish will start to look up for their food know, so give the dry fly a go.
Successful fly patterns for the month included black nomad and black and gold Rutland Humungus. Also accounting for a lot of fish were the blue flash damsel and bloodworm patterns.
Fish of the month was an 11lb 8oz rainbow trout caught by Mr A. Kernick on a Pheasant Tail Nymph. Other fish of note included a 10lb 10oz blue trout caught by Mr. P. Haynes from lake 2 ( this is pictured left ).
Doug Williams also cashed in with a 10lb rainbow caught on a damsel from lake 2. It is worth ringing us on 01962 779312 to book your days fishing as we have already a lot of fully booked days in the diary.
February 2009..
What a start to February it was with the whole country hit hard by severe snow. Naturally because of the weather there was little fishing effort during the early part of the month. When anglers started to appear again they were rewarded with some cracking fish, despite the cold. The middle of the month saw an end to the cold snap and the air and water temperature started to rise. This resulted in some good fishing. Most anglers walked away with their bag limit, which was more than often 20lb+ for four fish.
Tactics for the month were dependent on the weather. During the cold weather it was important to get the fly down, either with a floating line and weighted fly or by using intermediate or sinking lines. During the milder weather fish were higher up in the water and fish were taken on dry flies.
Fishing on the carrier comes to an end on March 14th for grayling and will be closed until April 3rd when the brown trout season starts. One angler that took advantage of the grayling fishing was Steve Moon, who rolled back the years using his old Farlows 7ft split cane rod and landed two beautiful grayling both around the 1lb mark. The picture below shows one of Steve's grayling.
Successful fly patterns for the month included gold head damsels and gold head daddies. Black proved to be an attractive colour to the fish with black nomads and black and gold humungus accounting for many fish.
Fish of the month was a 12lb 8oz rainbow trout caught by Graham Tuck from lake 2 on a damsel ( shown below ). He also had a fish of 9lb. Both of these fish were part of a bag of 55lb for eight fish. Despite this being the only double caught there were plenty of fish between 6 and 8 pounds being caught.
Days are already starting to fill up in the Diary, so please think about booking your days fishing to avoid disappointment. Remember we have a fully stocked tackle shop for all your fishing needs.
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