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Trout Fishing update

Trout Fishing Update – End April 2026

Opening day dawned mild with a light South Westerly breeze and day 2 followed suit. There were 12 fishing efforts on day 1, with 36 fish being caught including some of the larger Rainbows. Generally, the weather for the month was cool and breezy with winds contrary to the norm from the East/North East. There were a few kinder days with some warmth when the wind veered to the West, including unbelievably Easter Bank Holiday Monday! No worthwhile rain fell during the month.

Insect life has been remarkable for April with Mayflies hatching in the final week of the month and Damsels in their newly emerged translucent state being numerous all around the lake. Daddies, Sedges and large numbers of Alders have also been about. Buzzer hatches have been sporadic, but prolific at times.

There has been a lot of Dry Fly action with Grey Wulff and other Mayfly patterns doing well. Sedges, Adams, Daddies and various Emerger patterns have also taken fish. As you would expect overall Buzzers of various hues have been the most successful patterns, followed by Damsels, Pheasent Tails, Black Spiders, Montanas, Pitsford Peas and Diawl Bachs.

Stockings took place as planned pre-season and on 16th and 30th April. During the month 239 Rainbows were caught up to 7lbs and 46 Browns up to 4lbs.

Overall, of the 285 fish caught 192 (67%) were returned.

Important points to note:

 A few return cards have shown fish returned which had Cormorant damage. Please kill any fish with Cormorant damage where the skin is broken. They are unlikely to survive and infection will inevitably set in.

 Please continue to report any Cormorant damage and numbers present as this information supports our License application for lethal control, when other methods are unsuccessful.  

 I hear quite a few tales of leaders snapping off. In view of the size and fighting qualities of the fish that we stock, we recommend an absolute minimum of 6lb leader strength. 7 or 8lbs would be sensible.

 Please remember to leave the entrance gate with the chain around it and hooked onto the padlock but not locked, to allow access in an emergency, unless you are the last to leave.

 Please remember the fishery is closed every Tuesday, unless a fishing party has been booked in advance.

 Weed cutting may be necessary on days other than Tuesday.

Turning to wildlife, our avian summer visitors have arrived incredibly early this year. I have never before seen a Swallow in this Country in March, but they were present first on 26th March and again on the 28th. The first Cuckoo was heard on 14th April a good week earlier than normal. Black Caps and Chiff Chaffs have been very vocal all around the lake.

Despite the mostly very cool weather the normal early season butterflies have been spotted around the lake with Brimstones appearing first, followed by Small Tortoise Shells, Peacocks, Holly Blues and Orange Tips. A very early Dragon Fly was also on the wing, but too far away to be identified.

Early Spring wild flowers are always a pleasure to see and there are plenty of Dead Nettles (Red and White) around the place, together with Garlic Mustard (food plant of Orange Tips), Cuckoo Flowers (Ladies Smock), Ground Ivy and the beginnings of the ubiquitous Cow Parsley.

That reminds me. I was fishing the other day with a Carpet salesman pal of mine, Walter Wall who told me the following story. A friend of his Ken, kept exotic pets such as Lizards, Snakes, Spiders etc. One of Ken’s spiders, a Tarantula unfortunately died, so he went to a Pet Shop to try and get a replacement. He explained what had happened and the shop owner took him over to a large tank where there was a very large Tarantula. “That’s ideal” Ken said, “how much is it?” The owner said “they are very hard to find and this is a prime specimen so £500 is the best I could do.” Ken replied “that’s crazy money, I can get one much cheaper on the Web!”  

A thought from the Pike book of homespun Philosophy: Exercise extreme caution when driving if you see someone in a “Body Shop Repair” loan car!

That’s all folks!

I look forward to seeing you on the bank.  

Tight lines,

Lucius Pike

Trout Fishing Update – End May 2026

Early May was generally unsettled with winds breezy and of variable direction. At long last there was some rain, mostly in the form of heavy showers, including some hail. Mid-month turned warm with some lovely spring days and our 4th stocking of the year went head on 18th May with 50 additional Browns. However, just as our final stocking approached, we had a mini heatwave with temperatures into the 30’s. We closely monitored the water temperature and liaised closely with our suppliers Gwash Valley Trout Farm, as we also had a moderate Algae bloom. After very careful consideration and mindful of the weather forecast being for cooler temperatures coming soon, we went ahead with the stocking on 28th May and thankfully the fish are fine.

Good Mayfly hatches continued for most of the month, with Sedges, Alders and Buzzers also frequently on the water. Daddies were also numerous in the grass around the lake. Damsel and early Dragon Flies including Southern Hawkers and Common Darters were also about in some numbers, as evidenced by their numerous shucks attached to the jetty.

The most successful flies have been split fairly evenly between wet and dry. Standard black nymphs in smaller sizes have been particularly popular plus Spiders, Montanas and Pitsford Peas. Pheasant Tail and Damsel nymphs have also taken their fair share of fish, along with Crunchers and Diawl Bachs.

On the surface Grey/White/Royal Wulffs have been very popular, together with various Buzzer, Sedge and Cul de Canard patterns. Daddies and Hoppers have been reliable alternatives.

Important points to note:

 Some big fish including Browns and a “mystery fish” have been stocked, so please use an absolute minimum of 6lb leader strength. 7 or 8lbs would be sensible.

 Weed cutting is likely to be necessary on days other than Tuesday.

 Please write as clearly as possible on the Return Cards and include all relevant details, as the data is captured for our end of season stats. For the member who wrote “Windy” I can only suggest Rennies!

On the wildlife front, both Grey and Yellow Wagtails have been spotted along with numerous Sky Larks when travelling down to the lake. A White Throat, Garden Warbler and a Common Sandpiper on passage, have also been recorded. Our Swans successfully hatched 5 Cygnets, with all still present at the time of writing. There are a few well grown Mallard Ducklings about but no Goslings as yet. Butterflies generally seem abundant so far this year with Painted Ladies and Holly Blues being particularly abundant.

More and more flowers are coming into bloom and on the road down to the lake Field Scabious, Knapweed and Ox-eye Daisies are showing well. Around the lake, Birds Foot Trefoil, Creeping Cinquefoil, and Common Mallow together with Field and Dog roses are providing a colourful display. The lovely small pink and white flowers of Field Bindweed are all around the lake, so different from their cousin Hedge Bindweed, the notorious garden pest.

That reminds me. I was fishing the other day with a sports journalist pal of mine Ed Lines. As we are approaching Wimbledon, he recalled a story about his friend Dave who was once engaged to a professional lady tennis player. Ed interviewed the lady after she had broken up with Dave and she didn’t seem to care a jot. Apparently love meant nothing to her!

A thought from the Pike book of homespun Philosophy: A hard working, diligent person is like a Budgie, they nearly always succeed!

That’s all folks!

I look forward to seeing you on the bank.  

Tight lines,

Lucius Pike

Trout Fishing Update – End June 2026

Early June was unsettled and cool with some squally showers, in contrast to the “heat wave” in the final week of the month, with daytime temperatures close to 35c.

The fish are coping well so far with the very high temperatures (although generally not feeding) and a brisk breeze most days has certainly helped. Overall results for June have been very pleasing, with 98 fishing efforts resulting in 157 Rainbows and 44 Browns being caught. Fish over 5lbs of both species were brought to the net.

The flies used during the month were as follows (those I could read on the cards). An * indicates the most successful. Buzzers of many colours*, Caddis, Bloodworm, Grey* and Royal Wulff*, Blue Flash* and Black Damsels*, Klinkhammer, CDC’s, Parachute Emergers, Diawl Bach, Black Gnat, Pheasant Tail Nymphs. Also, Crunchers, Sedge Hog, Black Spider* including a dry version, Black nymphs*, Bibio, Alder, Pitsford Pea, Montana, Sedge* including pupae, Ginger Midge and Daddies.

Sedge and Buzzer hatches continued on most days with the smaller yellowish Daddies and Alders plentiful around the lake. The algae bloom which started around the time of the last spring stocking disappeared quite quickly and minimal weed cutting has been necessary so far. The addition of our harmless blue dye which retards weed growth by limiting photosynthesis seems to have worked well and some weed has actually died back.

Important points to note:

 It is not permitted to drive on the grass anywhere around the lake unless permission has been given in advance due to a disability.

 Please leave your fellow anglers plenty of room whether in a boat or on the bank.

 Weed cutting may be necessary on days other than Tuesday.

Turning to wildlife, an Otter has been seen fishing but seems to have just been passing through. Our Swan family stayed at 5 Cygnets for some time, but is now sadly reduced to 2. Cuckoos were active and calling up to the end of the month along with Reed Warblers, Black Caps and a Garden Warbler. There is no sign of the Grebes breeding as yet, although they are one of the latest of our Birds to produce young. Roe Deer have also been present and a tiny Muntjac fawn no bigger than a Hare has been seen. Kingfishers are frequently sighted and hopefully come August, a brood will be present.

Dragon Flies abound with Brown and Southern Hawkers catching the eye, along with Broad Bodied Chasers, Black Tailed Skimmers and Common and Ruddy Darters. Myriads of Damsels are constantly around, mostly Common Blues but also Red Eyed and Banded Demoiselles, plus I am sure many more different types that are far from easy to identify. It seems a good year for Butterflies as well, with the most striking being Red Admirals, Painted Ladies, Commas and Speckled Woods, particularly around the boundary hedges.

The golden flowers of Ladies Bedstraw are plentiful around the lake and the Spikes of Purple Loostrife are now well in flower. Wild Carrots are prolific and there are some lovely patches of Fleabane. The lake surrounds are carpeted with Creeping Cinquefoil and Birds foot Trefoil, with some smaller patches of Gypsywort. For those who like Pimm’s there is plenty of water mint around the lake margins with their lovely lilac flowers not too far away. There is an abundance of Teasel along the River bank.

That reminds me. I was fishing the other day with a pal of mine Baz Hooker who is in the territorial army. He told me about an incident where a fellow territorial was struck down with a serious case of Camouflagitis. He was admitted to hospital and it was so serious he was immediately transferred to ICU! (For those of you who worry - He has been seen since and made a full recovery).

A thought from the Pike book of homespun Philosophy: Never stay at a Pub or Hotel when the word “Egg” singular, appears on the breakfast menu!

That’s all folks!

I look forward to seeing you on the bank if we get some relief from the current heatwave conditions. Next report end August 2026.  

Tight lines,

Lucius Pike