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Trout Fishing update

Trout Fishing Update – End April 2024

Welcome to members old and new to the 2024 season at Roxton Park!

Opening day dawned with heavy rain. No surprise after the wettest winter since God was a boy. However, it quickly cleared into a bright morning, but conditions were very difficult with coloured and very cold water due to the winter floods. There was also a very cool breeze, that persisted through much of April. Despite the adverse conditions 11 fishing efforts on opening day resulted in 10 Trout being caught.

Water clarity improved throughout April, but is still far from perfect with heavy rain continuing for most of the month. Most fish have been caught within the top 2 or 3 feet of the water column including many on Dries, as the fish have generally not been able to see flies fished at depth.

With the water clarity continuing to improve and the second stocking taking place on 18th April, fishing steadily improved in the second half of the month. Towards the end of the month there was a profusion of insect life. Buzzers (black, red and bright green), Sedges, Alders, and Pond Olives, along with many terrestrials blowing off the trees and Daddy’s hatching from the grass, have produced some very good, but often fairly brief rises.

In line with the above, the most successful Dry Flies have been, Grey Wulffs, Sedges, CDCs, Daddies and Rat Faced Mc Dougalls. Sub surface; Buzzers, Damsel Nymphs, Pitsford Peas, Montanas, Crunchers and Black Spiders have all taken their share of fish. Browns were slow to start feeding but some good fish to over 3lbs were taken by the end of the month and a good number of 4lb+ Rainbows have also come to the net. Bank fishing has been productive as well as from the boats.

Important points to note:

 Do not put Dog Poo bags in the lodge bin.

 There is a considerable amount of leader material being left in the boats. Please ensure you take it home with you.

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

 We do ask that you wear life jackets in the boats; if you forget yours there are some spares in the lodge. We advise against standing up in the boats, but if you do, please take great care, particularly if there is more than one person in the boat.

Non-Toxic blue dye has been applied as normal to hopefully prevent Algae blooms and suppress weed growth, when the water clarity returns to normal.

Turning to wildlife, there are many Sky Larks present on the drive down to the lake. which are an absolute joy to see and hear. Our Great Crested Grebes are preparing to nest and Little Grebes are also present. The Cuckoo was first heard on 25th April which is always a great occasion. Swallows and Sand Martins are back with us but no House Martins reported as yet. Some Mallard ducklings and Grey Lag goslings are about, but not in significant numbers so far. Chiff Chaffs can be heard all around the lake and the beautiful song of the Black Cap can be heard most days, along with the drumming of Great Spotted Woodpeckers.

It’s a bit early for many wild flowers but we are lucky to have a patch of Coltsfoot, along with Ladies Smock (Cuckoo Flower), Red and White Dead Nettles and the usual strong growth of Cow Parsley. Not great weather for Butterflies, but Brimstones have been relatively abundant, alongside a few Orange Tips and Red Admirals.

That reminds me. My old pal from the US, Eva Glades told me this story. A Traffic Cop draws level with a speeding car only to see that the “mature” lady driver is knitting. The policeman winds down his window and shouts “pull over!” The lady shouts back, “no Scarff!”  

A thought from the Pike book of homespun Philosophy: “You know a job is worthwhile, if when you stop doing it, somebody notices”!

That’s all folks!

I look forward to seeing you on the bank.  

Tight lines,

Lucius Pike

Trout Fishing Update – End May 2024

The weather in May has been far from kind. The first half of the month was generally wet, breezy and cool (some days very cool). The second half of the month was similar but with less rain. The water level remains high after our diluvian winter, but has cleared well, although not yet quite back to normal. Consequently, fish have been caught at all levels of the water column, but pleasingly a significant proportion on dries.

  

Stockings went ahead as scheduled on 2nd,16th and 30th May, completing our Spring stocking program. As one would expect, the average size of the fish stocked increases as the season progresses.

Mayflies have been seen in very large numbers, both hatching duns and spinners, although the Trout have been very unpredictable in their attitude towards them, sometimes taking them and sometimes not. Damsels have also been prolific from the second week onwards, together with continuing Buzzer hatches. Sedges have also been plentiful on occasions.

The most successful dry patterns have been various Mayflies, Grey Wulffs, Sedges, Daddies and Black Gnats. Sub surface Spiders, Hares Ear Nymphs, Damsel Nymphs and Diawl Bachs have taken the most fish. The most popular colour for lures has been pink, orange and yellow. A good number of large Rainbows have been taken up to 7lbs and Browns continue to be caught up to 3lbs+. It is great to see so many members regularly fishing the lake and I was pleased to receive very positive feedback from members who held Party days on a Tuesday in May.

When the weather warms up, please take extra care when returning fish and knock them on the head if you are not sure they will survive. Weed cutting is about to commence and please note that this may occur on days other than Tuesday.

Etiquette - Important points to note – please read carefully:

 Use of Boats – If you arrive at the Lake and limited Boats are available, please ask any member who arrived before you and is still tackling up if they are going to use a boat, before taking one yourself

 Keep your Distance – Unless invited to do so, you should not be able to cast to where a fellow Anglers fly may land, whether in a boat or on the bank. An Angler should not move to be within this range. Neither Bank Anglers or Boat Anglers have automatic priority. If a Boat Angler is already in position they have priority. If a Bank Angler is already in position they have priority.

 In these or similar circumstances, common courtesy must prevail at all times, in line with the ethos of our fishery.

On the wildlife front, you can often see Yellow Hammers and Linnets as you drive down to the lake alongside the ever present Skylarks. At the lake, I have never known so many Cuckoos around as this year, which is a real delight. There are several broods of Mallards around, some of which are quite well grown. Our pair of Great Crested Grebes are still with us, although they are one of the latest to breed. Sadly, I have not seen one House Martin so far.

We have a lovely show of Dog Roses with the best bush being close to the Lodge, together with plenty of Ox-Eye Daisies. The Elders are in full flower together with. patches of Meadow Buttercups and Common Birds-Foot-Trefoil.

Another month of not great weather for Butterflies, but Holly Blues, Brimstones and Orange Tips have been seen in some numbers. Not many Dragon Flies seen so far.

That reminds me. A historian pal of mine Norman Conquest, told me this story about shopping on his recent trip to the Caribbean. He found that a pie in Jamaica was £1, in Barbados £2 and in Trinidad £2.50. When he challenged this discrepancy, he was told “These are the Pie Rates of the Caribbean!”

A thought from the Pike book of homespun Philosophy: “Lack of planning on your part does not create an emergency on my part”.

That’s all folks!

I look forward to seeing you on the bank.  

Tight lines,

Lucius Pike

Trout Fishing Update – End June 2024

June continued where May left off, with cool showery weather persisting for most of the month. It finally warmed up briefly towards the end of the month, with temperatures reaching 28c on the 25th and 26th, before reverting to the previous unsettled pattern.

The water level remains high and clarity is now generally good. With the weather as it has been, not surprisingly the water temperature has been of no concern up to now. The weed has been cut and cleared and this will be repeated as necessary. As previously advised, weed cutting may take place on days other than Tuesday.

Plenty of fish continued to be caught throughout the month, including several larger Rainbows up to 6lbs, although fishing began to be tougher towards the end of the month, as you would expect. A few Rudd and Perch were also taken.   

As has been the case at Roxton for many years a significant proportion of fish caught in June were taken on Dries. Mayfly patterns including various shades of Wulff took a lot of fish in the first half of the month when they were still hatching and Spinners were engaging in their mating dance in the afternoons and evenings, particularly on the river bank side. Other successful Dries included the ubiquitous Daddy, Klinkhammers, Sedges, Adams and Grey Dusters.

With thousands of Damsels “swarming” mid month, Damsel Nymphs were certainly the most popular sub surface pattern. Out of interest, if anyone takes a fish on a Dry Damsel, please make this clear on the return card. Other popular options in June were Buzzers, Hot Head Nymphs, Spiders, Pitsford Peas (green and pink) and Ghengis Khans.

Housekeeping Points:

 Boat Mooring – Please do not moor the boats so that they are literally hanging on the cleat. This is likely to lead to a breakage as you step into or out of the boat.

 Rules – We have changed/clarified some of our rules in recent times. Please take a few minutes to read our current version (attached).

 Andy’s vehicle – Andy has changed his vehicle to a White Discovery, so if you see one driving around the lake, it will be him. You may need to renew your sun glasses.

Turning to wildlife, sadly the nest of our Great Crested Grebes has failed and the adults seem to have departed, hopefully only temporarily. There is now only one Cygnet left which hopefully has reached the size where it will survive. Cuckoos were calling strongly up to the end of the month and three were seen together. A brood of Grey Wagtails were with us for a few days which presumably came from a riverside nest close by. A Hobby has also been seen adjacent to the road leading to the Lake and also at the lake itself. Something I have never seen before is a Mallard duck chasing away a Heron that was threatening her Ducklings.

The splendid flower spikes of Purple Loostrife are coming into full flower now and it won’t be long until the water mint comes into full bloom. On the drive down to the lake the colourful flowers of Field Scabious, Oxe Eye Daisies and Knapweed catch the eye.

That reminds me. An Irish pal of mine Pat O’Noster and I were having a few sherbets one evening and were getting slightly melancholy, when out of the blue Pat said to me “do you know Lucius, there is only one thing that I fear about dying.” “Whatever is that?” I asked. Pat replied, “that my wife will sell my fishing tackle for the price I told her I paid for it!”   

A thought from the Pike book of homespun Philosophy: “God must have a sense of humour or he wouldn’t have created the Hammerhead Shark”.

That’s all folks!

I look forward to seeing you on the bank.  

Tight lines,

Lucius Pike

Trout Fishing Update – July, August and early September.

 

Firstly, I must convey the sad news that Adrian Vaughan, a member for many years, died at the end of August. I’m sure our thoughts will be with his family and friends at this sad time.

Just a brief report on this occasion, covering our quietest period of the season.

The weather was generally temperate across July and August with just a handful of really hot days in each month, and thankfully even then, night time temperatures dropped quite a bit. Consequently, there have been very few distressed fish.

The fishing remained pretty good in early July, but as we have come to expect became progressively more difficult across the summer. Most of the fish caught responded to surface techniques with Wulff and Sedge patterns accounting for most of the Trout. A number of Roach, Rudd and Perch were also taken.

The water temperature peaked at around 20c and has now dropped to about 16c. Barring an unexpected heatwave, this should allow our Autumn stocking to go ahead as planned on Thursday 19th September. The end of season date to be confirmed once the stocking has taken place. We will stock a higher proportion of Browns than usual on the 19th as they tend to be more resistant to warm temperatures and the fish louse Argulus.

We hope to avoid another weed cut which should encourage the autumn fly life to flourish, but will do so if necessary. Our Cormorant license has been renewed and as always, we will use it as necessary in addition to the use of non-lethal scaring measures.

There has certainly been no shortage of Dragon and Damsel flies around the lake and notably Emperor Dragon Flies and Red Eyed Damsels have been seen. Despite some reports in the press, Butterflies have certainly not been in short supply here, including Red Admirals, Meadow Browns and Small Heaths on the wing in good numbers.

Little Egrets are ever present along with some young Herons and a family of Green Woodpeckers. Although Kingfishers are about, sightings are not up to their normal August/September levels and I wonder if they have not bred successfully this year.

The banks are adorned with a myriad of flowers, notably Fleabane, Purple Loosestrife Water Mint and Wild Carrots. We will remove the Scrub Willow saplings in the autumn as normal to preserve the quality of the bank fishing.  

I look forward to seeing you on the bank and hope that the Browns show well as they normally do in the autumn.

Tight lines,

Lucius Pike

Trout Fishing Update – September to Seasons End 2024

Well, it’s been an eventful year to say the least. There was a buzz about the place in the late spring with a Hornets (English) nest in the lodge, which was sorted very quickly much to the relief of anyone who dislikes all types of wasps, such as myself. Then at the end of September we had the worst floods since 1998 with the fishery having to be closed from 29th September to 7th October, shortly after our autumn stocking.

Following the flood the good news was that the cloudy water as a result of the incursion of the river, cleared a lot more quickly than expected, leaving only a peaty hue after a couple of weeks. It is unlikely that we lost any fish in the floods and we seem to have gained a Koi Carp, that has been seen a few times.

Although fishing has at times been challenging, quality Browns and Rainbows have been showing well, with Browns in excess of 4lbs and Rainbows up to 7lbs coming to the net. A variety of flies have been successful including fry patterns such as Cats Whisker and Appetiser. Pitsford Peas, Damsels of several colours including Black, Orange/Black Fritz, Spider patterns, Wet Daddies and the ubiquitous Buzzers have all been successful sub-surface.

On the top, Daddies and Wulff patterns have taken a number of fish along with a few on Sedges. Rises have been sporadic but quite intense if you were lucky enough to be present at the right time. A number of good fish have been taken at the western end of the lake.

Autumn is always rather a quiet melancholy time, this year exacerbated by the recent anticyclonic weather pattern, resulting in a seemingly never ending spell of stygian days. Kingfishers are still around to brighten the scene and the burgeoning population of Egrets are always fascinating to watch. The winter thrushes will soon be with us to enjoy the profusion of autumn berries.

To confirm - The final Day of the season is Monday 18th November.

Pike fishing is available to members over the winter. All legal methods may be used, but to protect our overwintering Trout, please do not use small lures or spinners. Any Trout caught should be returned, if they are likely to survive. All sizeable Pike should also be carefully returned. The last day for Pike Fishing is Friday 14th March 2025. The Lake will remain closed every Tuesday as normal.

That reminds me. I was fishing the other day with an old pal of mine who is a furniture restorer, Chester Draws. He spent some time in the US as a young man in a Native American settlement. He told me that the chief became quite ill with stomach ache and went to see the medicine man. The medicine man gave him a leather thong and told him to chew on it until it was all gone and he would be cured. After a few days the chief had finished the thong but still had the stomach ache. He summoned the medicine man, who asked him “did you eat the thong?” Yes, replied the chief, “the thong has gone but the malady lingers on”.

That’s all folks! I look forward to seeing you at our Social Meeting in the Spring. Details to be advised.

Meanwhile, a quote from Winston Churchill to ponder “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give”.

Tight lines,

Lucius Pike