The Friendly Fisherman

I couldn't resist the new Rapala Otus baits, now I'm ready for next September.
https://www.thefriendlyfisherman.co.uk/se arch_results.asp…

Bewl Water fishing report 26.06.19
A most frustrating 10 days for both fly and lure anglers. Water temperature has risen to a summer high of 20c which equates to our stock of Trout being reluctant to feed. Despite the testing conditions, several anglers achieved an 8 fish bag with several fish well over 3lbs.
No individual fly has been dominant, but Minkies and Cormorants are the seasonal choice for many along with CDC fry patterns. A ‘twitched’ orange blob may produce, espec...ially during mid-afternoon.
Lure anglers have found Berti spoons most effective, not unlike the Swedish ABU Toby in design.
By far the best time to catch at present is from the bank in the early hours, you will be amazed at the water activity just after dawn and the fish are within easy casting distance with just the sound of Grebes and Coots to keep you company. For an ‘early bird’ bank ticket, simply phone the lodge the day before.
Everyone at Bewl agrees this has been a tremendous first three months of the season, and we thank all contributors who offer their returns at the end of the day. The Trout from both of our suppliers arrive fighting fit and most, if not all of our customers go home with aching arms.
As June comes to a close, we have forecasts of hot humid weather so you may be advised to use suitable sun protection cream when fishing during the coming week.
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Arlington Fishery report for week ended 16 June 2019
As our 2019 season draws to a close – don’t forget we close at dusk on Saturday 29 June – it’s been another relatively quiet week, with only 25 rods recorded and a total of 11 fish caught.
Speaking to the anglers, fishing early in the morning and/or drifting around in a boat using Boobies and Buzzers at different depths seems to be the most successful strategy. There were no 6-fish bags again this week, but T. Godden caught... a brace weighing 3lb 8oz.
The water temperature is currently 17.5 degrees.
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Looking for something to do in the holidays?

An awesome new Bass lure that's going to make a big splash this summer...................

I've been hearing reports from all over the country that the Trout have switched onto coarse fish "fry". This makes catching fish very difficult indeed!
Small dry flies, Hare's Ear shuttlecock, style has produced a few fish as has retrieving mini Boobies or Hopper Poppers.
It seems crucial to get your fly to present within or just under the surface film if you're going to succeed.
... Good luck this weekend everybody. Andy Lush
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Bewl Water fishing report 10.06.19
Another testing week due to the inclement weather. No two days have produced similar results, and fly choice seemed to be a lottery! One wise bank regular chose a CDC fry imitation and was suitably rewarded. Others tried and often failed on all manner of patterns.
The midweek national Police competition saw some quality fish to 5lb 2oz although the sunlight saw conditions completely different to the previous practise day when the fishing was... by far easier.
Saturdays Lithuanian lure competition was a considered success, despite the gale force wind and rain whilst Sunday’s ‘Loch Style’ qualifier saw a rod average of 5.75 in the sixteen strong field. Several 4lb fish were recorded.
The mid June forecast is for very cool and often wet conditions, so bring suitable wet weather gear.
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Arlington Fishery report for week ended 09 June 2019
As expected at this point in the season, fishing is now getting quite tricky!
This is most likely due to the water temperature creeping up (currently around 17.5 degrees) and the trout being preoccupied with chasing shoals of fry.
... Flies that are doing the business at the moment are Boobys, Damsels, Buzzers, Hoppers and fry imitations. It’s a case of trial and error in finding out at what depth the fish are lurking and what they fancy taking.
Although there were no 6-fish bags recorded this week, several anglers are still managing to bag a decent catch!
The best brace of the week weighed 4lb 8oz caught by Derrick Hughes, and the largest fish weighing 3lb 5oz was caught by J. Haywood. Overall, we had a total of 51 rods that caught 32 fish between them.
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Arlington Fishery report for week ended 02 June 2019
Possibly because it was half-term and our members were on duty elsewhere, our numbers were disappointingly low this week. We only recorded 31 rods and 17 fish caught – with no one catching a 6-fish bag or even a brace!
However, as a half-term treat, we had one lovely family trio of dad, son and daughter who enjoyed a great day’s fishing from one of our boats. The son, James, landed a beauty weighing 4lb 4oz after battling f...or over 10 minutes to bring the fish to the boat. James’ catch also took top honours as the biggest fish of the week (see photo). The family landed two other fish and it was evident they’d all had a brilliant day, and said they were looking forward to coming back again!
There was some speculation as to why the fishing had dropped off this week. It’s possibly due to a combination of high water temperatures (currently around 17.5 degrees), bright weather, oxygen levels dropping and an abundance of natural foods (e.g. coarse fish eggs and fry, mayfly, flying ants, beetles etc.) making the last month of this season rather challenging.
However, we’ve also had some very satisfied anglers turning up later in the day, and there are still some excellent fish waiting to be caught! Your best chance of success is in the corner of the Dam Wall either first thing in the morning or late afternoon/evening, using a large black, white or silver fritzy fly to replicate a baby fish.
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England eliminator results Bewl 9/6/2019
I understand that "pin fry" are on the menu at the moment which makes it testing fishing.
Well done everybody.... Andy Lush
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Hastings Flyfishers, Powdermill Reservoir.
The Mayfly are still hatching, but be prepared to change tactics if the fish are not doing what you'd expect.
I fished last Saturday in the heat, "silly boy", but my boat partner and I managed to extract a few, although not on Mayflies until very late in the day.
... Fish were still shallow but feeding on smaller flies, so hoppers and other small dries are worth trying. So are small, unweighted nymphs fished just sub-surface, top 2 - 3 feet.
The weather is set to be a mixture of wet, windy at times and cooler, perfect trout fishing conditions!
Tight lines. Andy Lush
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Bewl Water fishing report 01.06.19
A most frustrating week that tested angling skills to their limits. A very warm week saw fish often reluctant to feed on conventional flies, and upon investigation, we have noted that billions of Roach have hatched, and it is very possible that the Trout have been gorging themselves on the fry.
Minkys and Damsels have been responsible for some success, but sadly we have seen many recording ‘nil points’.
... Lure anglers by comparison have seen moderate success. I’d attribute their catches through their choice of spinner/spoon falling through the water quicker than the wet fly?
Please note, we have three competitions this week and the fishery will be closed to boat users on Wednesday and Thursday, and also, the Lithuanian Lure competition on Saturday 8th of June is fully booked.
Water level 92% Water temperature 16c
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We've extended the range of Minn-Kota electric engines we offer to include the TERROVA Bow Mount which has "I-Pilot"
Follow this link to see the range............ https://www.thefriendlyfisherman.co.uk/‚Ä ¶/electric-engines.h‚Ķ

I've been busy updating our website with all the NEW Humminbird Helix Echo Sounder / Fishfinders.
It won't be too long before I start taking booking for next autumns predator fishing. Andy Lush
Follow this link to view the range.................. ... https://www.thefriendlyfisherman.co.uk/se arch_results.asp…
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Arlington Fishery report for week ended 26 May 2019
With the weather warming up and the water temperature rising, the fishing has started to slow up slightly. Although it was a relatively quiet weekend there are some very nice fish still being caught!
The water temperature is now 16 degrees Celsius.
... The best 6-fish bags of the week were: P. Haggar 15lb 14oz, J. Hancock 15lb 10oz and N. Bowstad 13lb 12oz. The best brace weighing 7lb 3oz was bagged by D. Painter, and the largest fish of the week weighing 4lb 9oz was caught by J. Chequer.
The pin fry have started to appear so any angler who can best imitate the fry stand a good chance of success. Other flies that are working well at the moment are Cats Whiskers, Boobys, Diawl Bach and Damsels. Over the week we recorded a total of 89 rods and 136 fish caught.
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Arlington Fishery report for week ended 19 May 2019
Fishing started off steadily and picked up towards the end of the week. We have had our last delivery of the season and all our fish have now been released from the cage, so there are some lovely sized trout in the reservoir waiting to be caught.
We’ve stocked nearly six thousand fish this season and the number caught is already approaching three and a half thousand. Fish are being caught all around the reservoir but the mo...st successful spots are along the dam wall. Boat fishing also seems to have an edge at the moment. Cats Whiskers, Damsels, Diawl Bach and of course Buzzers seem to be the most popular flies, but it appears that anglers are using a vast array of different flies with good results.
Sunday saw the Sussex Fly Dressers here for a boat competition. Ten anglers had a great day, catching a total of 42 fish between them. Husband and wife team Roy and Sally Page were first back with six lovely fish each, one of Sally’s weighed 4lb 7oz!
The best 6-fish bags of the week were: Ray Love 14lb 10oz, with Sally Page and Chris Cole sharing honours with catches of 14lb 2oz. The best brace was bagged by A. Williams weighing 5lb 8oz, and the largest fish of the week at 4lb 7oz was caught by Sally Page (see photo).
Over the week we recorded a total of 89 rods and 201 fish caught. Fingers crossed the weather this week won’t be too warm, and with a bit of luck this great fishing will continue!
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Wow another month gone already!
The new issue of The Freshwater Informer has arrived containing Andy's latest "Lure Fishing" article, featuring his recent trip to Holland....................
Spoiler alert!... May contain B-I-G PERCH..................
Follow these links https://www.freshwaterinformer.com/PDFCon tents_FRAMESET.php…
https://www.freshwaterinformer.com/PDFCon tents_FRAMESET.php…
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Bewl Water report Week ended May 25th.
At long last, summer has arrived. Conditions in the last week have seen the water temperature rise to 15. Trout continue to feed on or very close to the surface with Orange blobs and boobies being a reliable lure. Damsels have also had moderate success, but I’m sure the Cormorant will prove to be the coming weeks ‘must have’ fly.
... Several significant captures have been recorded in the last week, most notably a Rainbow of 6lbs caught by a visiting angler from Belgium. Also, a monster Pike of 12k (almost 27lbs) was caught near Dunster’s on a tiny SV spoon. It took over an hour to land on sporting gear!
Those targeting Pike by spoon or by Pike Fly, are again asked to respect these fish, returning them to the water allowing sufficient rest. This sometimes takes several minutes, but will be well worth the patience if when recaptured it exceeds 20lbs!
Don’t forget to sign up to our loyalty scheme next time you are in the lodge – hire 8 boats get one free.
Our new Boat House Café is open on Saturday and Sundays from 8am serving hot and cold drinks, snacks and bacon rolls.
Help us keep this facility open by popping in on your next visit.
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